Neo-Classical 3
Synthesized Scores
• Synthesizers are used in 3 ways:
– Modern Scores: creates electronic scores with new
colors
– Traditional Scores: used to replace or support acoustic
instruments (imitates their sound)
– Popular Scores: used in rock music and popular music
scores
• Impact on Film Industry
– Could hear colors without hiring an orchestra (saved
money)
– Directors could create their own scores
Synthesized Scores
• Halloween
– Director John Carpenter did the score himself to
save money
– Theme is used in all the sequels
Comedy/Adventure Films of the 1980s
• More emphasis on comedy than adventure,
characters are realistic
• Music is either popular or a
popular/orchestral combination
• Cast TV comedians as stars in adventure films
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
– Brought rock music to the detective genre
-Reinforces city tough cop in Beverly Hills
– Music used for: credits, underscore movement,
underscore the hero’s character, or source music
Ghostbusters(1984)
• Score by Elmer Bernstein
– Mixed traditional music with popular music
• Featured theme song “Ghostbusters”
Back to the Future (1985)
• Score combines rock and traditional music
• The style of rock music helps set which time
they’re in
– 1950s and 1980s
• Theme is altered to be used in triumphant and
tender moments
– Cameo in A Million Ways to Die
Lethal Weapon & Die Hard
• Conventional Heroes have traditional
symphonic underscoring
• Scores by Michael Kamen
– Use Christmas songs for the setting
– Uses underscoring to support the drama
• Die Hard: some source music but mostly
suspense and action cues
• Lethal Weapon: uses two solo instruments to
provide different themes for the 2 heroes
Witness
• Uses synthesized score
• Supports the mood, not the action like the
other crime movies
Americana & Exotic Locations
• Instead of escapist films about space or disasters,
people turned to stories about real people or
recent history
• Used symphonic scores w/ extras
– Exotic locations: included ethnic music
– Americana: included popular music of the time period
Americana: Gangster Movies
– Both have symphonic scores by Ennio Morricone
– Once Upon a Time in America
– The Untouchables
Americana: Sports Movies
The Natural: score by Randy Newman
• Copland’s American style for most
of the underscoring
• In training montages, used jazz
instead of rock to set the film in the
appropriate time period
Exotic Locations
• Composers blended traditional Western music
with music and sounds that were from the
location of the film
India
• Gandhi (1982)
– Tells the story of Gandhi and British culture in a
non-British nation
– Combines Indian music by Ravi Shankar with
Western music
– Indian music used for montages and to create
atmosphere
– Western music used to support the drama
• Empire of the Sun (1987)
– Tells the story of Japanese internment camp for
British prisoners as seen through the eyes of a
young boy
– Combines British and Chinese music to show
different viewpoints