Film World

Film World
Dynamic
Duos
Collaborators in Film and Music
We line up the specialists
Alfred Hitchcock & Bernard Herrmann
Steven Spielberg & John Williams
Studio Ghibli & Joe Hisaishi plus more…
Jaws - Star Wars - My Neighbour Totoro - Indiana Jones - Back to the Future - The G
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Film World
1
Note from the Editor
We all know how important music is in film, to set the scene,
increase emotional response, add suspense and build
connections between audience and character. Can you
imagine what your favourite film would be like without any
music? Well luckily you don’t have to, and that is partly
thanks to these guys. FILMCLUB has chosen a handful of the
most influential and prolific film composers to give you the
lowdown on what makes a good film soundtrack.
Many of the greatest soundtracks have now become
synonymous with the film they appear in. Who can hear ‘A
Town Called Malice’ by The Jam without thinking of Billy
Elliot? Or ‘Eye of the Tiger’ without getting instantly pumped
up by the training montage in Rocky?
In this issue of Film World, we’re putting the focus on our
five favourite film score composers and the directors they
collaborated with. We’ve also included a handy glossary to
help get to grips with key terms in film music.
Contents
Bernard Herrmann ......... 2
Angela Morley
& Joe Hisaishi ................. 5
John Williams .................. 3
Alan Silvestri
& Nino Rota ..................... 6
Films In Focus ................. 4
Glossary .......................... 7
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People In Film
2
Bernard Herrmann
Long-term collaborator: Alfred Hitchcock
Bernard Herrmann composed film music for nearly 40 years
earning multiple awards and nominations, including “Best Film
Music” at the British Academy Film Awards. Every generation
seems to find something more in Herrmann’s work, is he a
revolutionary, a clever manipulator of old ideas or a mixture
of both? There are no easy answers but that makes his music
magical and the films worth revisiting long after you’ve got the
hang of the plot.
Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard
Herrmann
Recurring Musical Elements: Ostinati, new and unusual orchestration
Psycho (1960, 15)
Marion, an ordinary office worker, steals money from her boss
and the tension grows as she tries to make a getaway. The
music grows agitated as Herrmann uses the bare minimum of
stringed instruments to follow her journey alone in the car. This
sequence makes expert use of ostinato where each musical
phrase is given the same length of time and volume and
repeats itself a lot, lulling the listener into a sense of growing
danger which is both scary and hypnotic. These motifs do the
same sort of job as a riff or lick in blues, jazz and rock music as
they’re memorable and keep you pressing the repeat button
at the end of the sequence (or song).
Citizen Kane (1941, U)
Herrmann led a dramatic life and his music reflects that. Not
always an easy man to work with, his music for Citizen Kane
was only completed after multiple arguments with the writer/
director/star Orson Welles. Citizen Kane is considered to be
one of the most important and pioneering films in history.
Though Bernard Herrmann received an Oscar nomination for
‘Best Score’ his music for Welles’s next film The Magnificent
Ambersons was heavily edited by the studio. They removed
half his original soundtrack and replaced it with music
considered to be more ‘commercial’ and easy on the ear.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963, U)
This is more of a generic (typical) example of action-led
filmmaking based on the Greek myths. Herrmann’s score
is ironically far less adventurous than the atonal clang of
Psycho. The harmony of the main theme in ‘Jason’ is based
on the intervals of major and minor thirds. These are some
of the most common tools used in Western music making.
So these commonly used musical tools are never forgotten
by Bernard Herrmann. He uses them together with his own
techniques to draw an audience in and then gives them a
jolt as the plot thickens.
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Psycho
jason and the Argonauts
FILMCLUB 5
Citizen Kane (1941, U)
Psycho (1960, 15)
Vertigo (1958, PG)
North by Northwest
(1959, PG)
Jason and the Argonauts
(1963, U)
People In Film
3
John Williams
Long-term collaborator: Steven Spielberg
John Williams has composed some of the most memorable
soundtracks in Hollywood cinema. Working extensively with
Director Stephen Spielberg (E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park,
Jaws) Williams scored all but two of Spielberg’s films, in addition to
scoring the music for the George Lucas Star Wars franchise.
John Williams
Recurring Musical Elements: Music as a theme, Music as a character
From Star Wars to Indiana Jones John Williams’ compositions
work thematically threading musical motifs through the
narrative. Many of Williams’s soundtracks can be described
as theme songs, when you hear them you automatically think
of the films they’re written for. Theme music differs from scene
soundtracking as its purpose is to identify the mood, style and
genre of the film as a whole, rather than inspiring a particular
emotion key to one scene or character.
Jaws
Key Sounds of John Williams:
Jaws (1975, PG)
Williams’ soundtrack to Jaws is perhaps the most iconic use of
music in contemporary cinema, Spielberg later referred to the
score as “The signature for the entire movie”. Williams’s famous
ostinato plays as an audio signifier, telling the audience that
the shark is present, creating tension and building suspense
of an impending attack. This signature theme becomes
synonymous with the shark, Spielberg and Williams later use this
to their advantage, depicting a shark attack with no musical
build up intensifies the shock and terror of the scene.
Star Wars Trilogy
In the Star Wars trilogy each film starts with the same opening
theme, making the piece instantly recognisable and
impossible to separate from the franchise; with its powerful
lofty horn section and regimented strings you couldn’t imagine
the films without it. Again Williams uses a leitmotif for central
characters thoughout the trilogy, most notably Darth Vadar’s
theme, The Imperial March which was partly based on ‘Mars,
the Bringer of War’ by Gustav Holst.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, PG)
In Close Encounters Williams wrote a sequence of five notes,
used within the storyline to represent the conversations
between alien visitors and scientists. This is an unusual case of
a composer being asked to write a phrase that appears within
the diegetic soundtrack of the film. Despite being only five
notes long, Williams wrote over 300 pieces before finally settling
on the one used in the film.
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
FILMCLUB 5
Jaws (1975)
Close Encounters of the
Third Kind (1977, PG)
Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade’ (1989, PG)
Superman (1978, PG)
Feris Bueller’s Day Off
(1986, 15)
Film In Focus
4
Vertigo (1958, PG) (03:00 > 04:45)
A combination of adventure and innovation is a hallmark of
Bernard Herrmann’s score for ‘Vertigo’ a film awarded ‘Greatest
Film of All Time’ by the influential movie magazine ‘Sight and
Sound’ in their 2012 poll. This is a thriller set in San Francisco, an
American city famous for it’s hills and valleys. The film itself is
not short on drama and the characters of Scottie (played by
James Stewart) and Madeleine (played by Kim Novak) certainly
experience their fair share of ups and downs. Scottie is a retired
police detective with a fear of heights and the film begins with a
rooftop chase scene soundtracked by the woodwind section of
the orchestra trembling nervously as he chases a villain to the top
of a multi-story building before a blast of accented brass rings
out, articulated with strong attack as Scottie realises how high up
he is. Waves of arpeggiated harp notes cascade down as he is
plunged into paralysis, rooted to the spot- torn between flight and
fright. There are musical motifs built into the soundtrack and these
could take you many viewings to spot.
The two-note horn motif that begins the film is a direct musical
imitation of the two notes sounded by the fog horns located
at either side of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. But
Hitchcock isn’t using the bridge as just background decoration
for a tourist advert. One of the most recognisable landmarks in
the world is a place for weary, unsettled souls in Vertigo. Bernard
Herrmann takes the inspiration from a real location to establish a
mood of danger and obsession. This two-note refrain has direct
relevance to the plot as it is used to enhance the doom-laden
effect as Madeline jumps into the bay at Fort Point.
Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade (1989, PG) (5:16 > 8:16)
Indy Junior’s train top chase scene is a really dynamic example
of how music can be used to heighten tension and reaffirm what
we see on film. Changes in tempo to reflect the speed of moving
vehicles stir the audience and align our sympathies with the lead
character. Dynamic shifts are employed as the music goes quiet
to heighten suspense.
Williams starts by using quite a playful chorus of wood pipes playing
a jaunty, repetitive theme tune. Then the instrumentation grows
to include menacing brass crescendos accompanying a heroic,
string led melody. Percussion is vital, with guiro and maracas used
to simulate the rattle of a pit of snakes. The musical texture by now
has thickened to include all the orchestral family of instruments, as
if the musical wall is caving in on Indy Jnr as he finds himself totally
surrounded by enemies at the end of the sequence.
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Vertigo
Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade
People In Film
5
Angela Morley
Long-term collaborator: John Williams
As well as composing for film, Angela worked with influential
and innovative musicians such as Scott Walker and Jacque
Brel and scored music for some of America’s most popular TV
shows (Dallas, Dynasty, Cagney and Lacey). In her later career
she began a working relationship with John Williams assisting
in the arrangement of arguably his most ambitious film scores,
‘Star Wars’ (1977), ‘Superman’ (1978) and ‘The Empire Strikes
Back’ (1980).
Angela Morley
Morley received an Oscar Nomination for the soundtrack of
The Little Prince (1974, U) and is perhaps most famous for her
work on the soundtrack of Watership Down (1978).
Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi
Long-term collaborator: Studio Ghibli
Japansese musician Joe Hisaishi has been responsible for
composing soundtracks to some of the most popular titles on
filmclub.org. ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004) alone has amassed
nearly three thousand reviews. His work with production house
Studio Ghibli is now closely identified with the tradition of anime,
or Japanese animation. Common characteristics of anime
include vibrant colourful graphics, mythical characters and
extraordinary themes. This sense of escapism is vividly captured
in Joe Hisashi’s scores, the triumphant ending to ‘My Neighbour
Totoro’ (1988) could be mistaken for a climactic Disney theme
with its major-key optimism and portentous drum rolls leading into
a rousing, pop-vocal led finale.
Hisaishi shows his diversity with moodier compositions such as
the opening sequence to Spirited Away (2001) with a web of
dissonant melodies weaving in and around a forlorn piano theme
and his aria from Princess Mononoke (1997) brings a mixture of
sadness and hope to the story.
Superman
My Neighbour Totoro
Princess Mononoke
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People In Film
6
Alan Silvestri
Long-term collaborator: Robert Zemeckis
Remember the time-travelling epic adventure ‘Back to the Future’
(1995)? Another massively popular film on filmclub.org featuring
the work of director Robert Zemckis and the soundtrack/musical
arranger Alan Silvestri. Marty McFly needs to make an impression.
He tears into a blistering rendition of Chuck Berry’s Rock’n’roll
classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ from the 1950s. This is a use of diegetic
sound, actually occurring in the world experienced by the
characters of the film. This presents a totally immersive sense of
the world at a 1950s High-School Dance.
Alan Silvestri’s self-penned orchestral scores have featured in a
series of massive blockbusters directed by Zemeckis including
Castaway (2000), Forrest Gump (1994) and Romancing the
Stone (1984). Alan Silvestri has won many awards for his
soundtracks and has been nominated for two Academy
Awards in Music Written for Motion Pictures.
Nino Rota
Back to the Future
Nino Rota
Long-term collaborator: Federico Fellini
Nino Rota rose to fame with his score for Fellini’s ‘La Strada’ (1954),
which became the first ever Oscar winner for a Foreign Language
Film. His grand, sweeping score for ‘The Godfather’ (1972)
directed by Francis Ford Coppola lent a romantic undertone to
a violent gangster story that also won many prestigious awards.
The main theme is constantly used as the action switches
between the hustle and bustle of New York City and the rural
villages of Sicily where Michael Corleone (son of legendary
gangster Vito) must flee to escape corrupt American justice. This
brings a sentimental tone to a story that could have been onedimensional and action led. Music is the common ground linking
two contrasting locations and the changing perspectives of a
father and son relationship as the older generation cedes power
to the young.
La Strada
Cast Away
The Godfather
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Facts
7
Glossary of technical musical terms
used in this issue:
Score - The written parts of all the musical elements in
musical notation. Normally stacked vertically on the
page with all the instruments rhythmically matched.
Motifs - a group of notes that are instantly
recognisable.
Leitmotif - a theme or part of a theme associated with
a character, idea or event (e.g the shark in ‘Jaws’).
Riff - a short repeated phrase, played many times
over changing chords or as background to a solo.
Theme music - Music written specifically to convey
to the listener a particular film, T.V programme or
franchise. Originally developed for radio, to signify
the start and end of particular radio programs.
Imitation - repetition of a phrase or melody often with
variations in key, rhythm and voice.
Dynamics - the loudness or softness of a musical
composition, in sheet music this also indicates volume.
Tempo - the speed of the music.
Lick - an appealing musical idea that makes the
song stand out.
Dynamic Shift - swift change in tempo , e.g. from fast
to slow.
Scene Enhancement - music that is adding to the
overall effect of the visuals in a film.
Slapstick - a boisterous form of comedy marked with
chases, collisions and crude practical jokes.
Melody - a series of notes in succession, the melody
represents the ‘horizontal’ aspect of music, like the
storyline of a piece.
Instrumentation - the art of arranging different musical
instruments for an ensemble (i.e. a combination of
instruments).
Homophonic - a type of musical texture- chords
support a melody.
Crescendo - gradually louder.
Bebop (also known as Bop) is a style of jazz with fast
tempos, brilliant instrumental skills and complicated
structures.
Impressionistic - an approach to soundtracking,
this is an impulsive musical reaction to a scene.
Impressionistic scores conjure up mood, place and
the environment of the film, e.g. weather.
Guiro - A latin American percussion instrument made
of a hollow gourd that is scraped with a stick or rod.
Maracas - percussive ‘shakers’ filled with dried beans
or seeds.
Texture - the way in which lines of melody are
combined with or without backing, e.g. homophonic.
Major Key - Music written in major keys has a positive,
‘happier’ character.
Thick texture - lots of instruments with different
melodies. Thin texture- only a few instruments playing
similar notes.
Atonal - music that is written and performed without
regard to any specific key.
Orchestral - type of music in which large group of
musicians are playing together.
Dissonant - harsh and in sounds, music that seems to
clash.
Portentous - suggesting something significant is about
to happen.
Woodwind - Instruments originally made of wood in
which sound is made by vibrating air, e.g. recorders,
flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons.
Finale - the closing section of the musical piece.
Accented - accents > are placed above a note to
indicate stress or emphasis.
Diegetic - sounds that are experienced by the people
in the world of the movie, e.g. a radio playing whilst
Rocky is in the kitchen feeding his turtles.
Articulated - the way notes are separated or
connected.
Arpeggiated - the notes of a chord played one after
the other instead of at the same time.
Audio signifier - A piece of music or musical phrase that
signals to the audience a character presence, particular
emotion or a specific action about to take place.
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Aria - solo vocal piece with an instrumental backing,
as in opera.
Non-Diegetic - sound that exists outside of the main
action of a story, doesn’t form part of the character’s
‘sound world’ Non –diegetic sound is added to the
visuals during editing, i.e. the soundtrack.
Musical arranger - an adaptation of a composition
e.g. for a film soundtrack.