Film Soundtrack Research

Film Soundtracks

 

 

Deadly Little Miho  - Sin City (Debney/Rodriguez):

This piece, composed by John Debney and Robert Rodriguez is clearly mean to instill a sense of panic in the scene. There doesn't seem to be much consistency in this piece, no real themes it seems mainly atmospheric. To begin with there seems to be a use of contrasting brass instruments playing the bass of the piece and strings playing a very high pitched melody over the top, this then turns into a crescendo creating a sense of sudden terror. The tempo of the piece then increases, it seems very sudden and quite jumpy and finishes very abruptly. This is very fitting with the scene and the style of film, nearly all the music composed for this film seems to follow a very specific and almost jazz-like style.

 

 

 

 

Sensemaya - Sin City (Revueltas):

This piece, although not composed by any of the main composers (Rodriguez, Debney and Revell) was also used in the film. I feel this is a particularly significant piece of music as it seems quite separate from the rest of the soundtrack, the director, Robert Rodriguez, has described this piece as having a major influence on the rest of the film score. This is very clear, however it seems much more old fashioned compared, there's a lack of the jazz feel the rest of the score has. However it does instill the same sense of panic and has a similar use of bass instruments, there also seems to be a similar use of dynamics and polyphony.

One reviewer has described it:

"The work begins with a slow trill in the bass clarinet as the percussion plays the sinuous, syncopated rhythm that drives the work. Soon a solo bassoon enters playing an eerie but rhythmic ostinato bassline. The tuba then enters playing the first of this work's two major themes, a muscular, ominous motif. Other brass join in to play the theme, growing louder and more emphatic, but rigorously yoked to the underlying rhythm. Eventually the horns blast as loudly as they can, with obsessive trills on the low clarinets far underneath, and the strings enter with the slashing second theme. The brass take up this new theme and bring it to a climax, after which the music returns to its opening texture. This recapitulation brings with it a mood of foreboding. The rhythm becomes even more obsessive, and finally the music reaches a massive climax during which both themes are played, overlapping, sometimes in part and sometimes in whole, by the entire orchestra in what sounds like a musical riot. The coda feels like the final dropping of a knife."

 

 

In the House, In a Heartbeat - 28 Days Later (John Murphy):

This is typically known as quite a famous and influential modern soundtrack, having being used in many films such as the sequel, 28 Weeks Later and Kick-Ass as well as being featured in many other television shows. It differs from the Sin City soundtrack as it sounds much more modern with the use of guitars. It, again, creates a very tense atmosphere- a sense of foreboding and tragedy and is very climatic. The song its self is quite simple and repetitive, the use of gradually adding in instruments makes it seem all the more dramatic, the dynamics quickly change from the simple, piano melody at the start to being quite a grand and loud piece. The ending crescendo ends very abrupty and the song finishes with a very eerie, high pitched string melody.

 

 

 

 

Lux Aeterna - Requiem For a Dream (Clint Mansell):

This piece is also a very well known soundtrack, and is used in many film trailers (e.g. Sunshine and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). The piece is the signature soundtrack of the film Requiem for a Dream, which I think is quite contrasting, although it fits with the dramatic nature of the film it seems like more of a fitting soundtrack to a large action film- That said this piece works with the film very well, it seems to draw emphasis on the seriousness of the events in the film. It, like most of the other soundtracks I have researched so far starts very slowly and builds up to a large crescendo, with a very abrupt ending. Although, this song in particular seems to have more of a tragic, sadness to it than the others.

 

 

 

The use of previously composed classical music in films:

Many films make use of famous pieces previously composed to add atmosphere, there are many works very notable for being used in films.

Lacrimosa - Mozart:
Mozart's Lacrimosa is a very significant piece and it differs greatly to the more modern film compositions. It creates a strong sense of tragedy and is often used in films to represent sadness or death, the meaning of "Lacrimosa" literally being "To cry". It is an extremely dramatic and atmospheric piece of music, featuring a significant string arrangement and a choir- the string motif at the very beginning probably being the most significant part of the piece.








Piano Sonata No. 14 - Beethoven:
Most commonly known as "Moonlight Sonata" this is a very popular piece composed by Beethoven. Though technically it is known as a love song it seems to have a very tragic and sad edge to it, meaning it is often used in films to instill a sense of sadness. For example, it was used in the 2011 horror film "Seconds Apart" creating an eerie and tragic atmosphere. This use of repetition also creates a sense of emptiness and foreboding. Unlike the previous pieces, there seems to be less of a use of dynamics, there certainly is some change in volume, but very little, it relies simply on the melody to create the atmosphere, it is also purely on the piano, most films make use of an orchestra to create their soundtrack. Overall, I think the simplicity (E.g. the repetition) is what makes this piece so very atmospheric.

Overall I've noticed a pattern in soundtracks, many seem to use crescendos to create the sense of panic (Obviously a horror film would need this), many composers also seem to write their pieces in minor keys. This is very significant because minor keys are often used to create more eerie, saddening music- something also important in horror film scores.