Year 8
Film Music Unit
Name ____________________
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone:
Opening Scene/ Main Theme
“Hedwig’s Theme is one of the more flexible themes in Williams’ music as it does not represent
a single specific character or thing the way, say, the Imperial March represents Darth Vader and the Empire.
Instead, Hedwig’s Theme seems to represent the world of wizards and magic more generally. But even so,
because the theme is usually heard in the films when Harry is the focus of attention, it may well be thought
of as mainly representing the magical world as seen through Harry’s eyes. This would explain the childlike
sense of wonder heard in the ethereal sounds of the celeste, as well as the features that suggest
strangeness, mystery, and the magic of flight.”
Mark Richards
Activity One: Read the blurb from the book and underline all the description words (adjectives):
"Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a
Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a
miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son,
Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party
in ten years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter
with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only
friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been
waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter."
From the very beginning of the film, the music plays a very important role in helping the audience understand what
is occurring. The choice of instruments, dynamics, melody and texture all help to create the mood the director wanted,
while being enjoyable and memorable at the same time. The expressive elements are the adjectives of the music…
Activity Two: Watch the opening film and answer the following questions.
What type of mood is being created in the opening scene?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The opening music is played by the celesta. This instrument looks like a piano but has a different sound.
Why do you think this instrument was used in the opening scene and for the theme?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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Apart from melody, there are some other musical features in this music. Can you define them?
Chromatic scales ____________________________________________________________________
Dissonance ________________________________________________________________________
Ascending notes ____________________________________________________________________
Descending notes ___________________________________________________________________
Minor key _________________________________________________________________________
Activity Three: The following table explains some of the events that occur in the movie. Explain how the
music helps the audience understand what is occurring and what type of mood/emotion is being created.
What is occurring in the scene?
What musical event helps create that idea/ action/ mood?
A mysterious scene opens the film. It is
dark and tense.
Professor Dumbledore enters the scene,
and uses a light extractor (magic) to take
the lights out of the street lamps. Magic
occurs.
Professor McGonnagle transforms from a
cat into a human being. This is intended to
be surprising for the audience.
Dumbledore places Harry Potter on the
footsteps of the Dursleys. This is a sad and
emotional time for Dumbledore and Hagrid
Dumbledore places a letter on Harry Potter.
We are able to see how innocent he is.
There is a close-up on Harry’s scar, and the
scene fades, but the action is only
beginning- the music helps us realise that.
Activity Four: The following is the main theme for Harry Potter. It is very slow and creepy.
Mark the names of the notes for your instrument under the notes.
Film music analysis
Listening Template
What to Listen For
Instrumentation
General Examples
List in order of appearance: Drums,
percussion, bass, acoustic guitar, electric
guitar, piano, organ, strings, brass,
woodwinds, synthesizer, etc.
Mood
Romantic, sad, urgent, angry,
contemplative, manic, etc.
Dynamics
Loud, soft, crescendo, decrescendo
Texture
Thick or thin?
Many instruments or only a few?
Melody
Which instrument is it played by? Is it
conjunct/ disjunct? Is there a harmony
played with it?
Timbre
How does it sound?
Light or dark, airy, woody. Why?
Jaws
Psycho
John Williams
Bernard Herrmann
Indiana Jones- “The Raiders March”
Activity 1: Read the information about Indiana Jones on the opposite page and answer the questions
below. You may need to look back to get some of the answers. Colour in the best possible answer.
1. When was Raiders of the Lost Ark released?
 1891
4. What does the word perilous mean? Look back
and read the word in a sentence to help you.
 In the 1980s
 Safe
 1981
 Dangerous
 1930
 Interesting
2. What part of the move appeals to teenagers?
 Adventurous
 Interesting characters
5. What is Indiana Jones’ job?
 Over-the top action and death-defying feats
 A daredevil
 Horror
 A spy
3. What does the word intrepid mean? Look back
and read the word in a sentence to help you.
 An archaeologist
 A villain
 Heroic
 Adventurous
 Boring
 Scared
Activity 2: As you listen to the main theme from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, circle the descriptions that
match what you hear. There will be more than one answer in each column.
Instruments- What
are the instruments
that you hear?
Dynamics- what happens
to the Volume?
Texture- Does it stay thin
or thick?
Melody- Describe how the
melody moves and
changes.
Violin
Begins very loud
Begins thin
Jumpy mood, creating energy
Piano
Begins very soft
Trumpet
Gets Louder to create more
energy
Becomes thicker in the
middle section
Repetitive- main theme is
played over and over again
Begins thick
Gets higher halfway through
Gets very thick
Gets very low
More instruments create a
thinner texture
Starts off with very high
instruments
Drums
Clarinet
Trombone
Flute
Keyboard
Gets softer to create more
energy
More instruments come in,
making it louder
Becomes very smooth in the
middle section
Activity 3: Answer the following questions in sentences. Answer them in your exercise books.
1. What instrument plays the main theme of the song?
2. Why do you think this instrument was used
3. The musical elements used in this piece helps create an energetic and action-packed feel. Explain how the
music does this. (think of dynamics, instruments, melody etc)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark (later marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is
a 1981 American fantasy-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George
Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford.
The Plot
The year is 1936. Archaeology professor Indiana Jones narrowly escapes death in a South
American temple with a gold idol - by poison dart, fall, and finally a giant boulder that
chases him out of the temple. This intrepid professor faces many fearsome adventures, and
this is only one of them. An old enemy, Rene Belloq, steals the idol and then orders Hovito
indians after Indy.
Indy, however, escapes back to the USA, where Army Intelligence officers are waiting for
him at his university. They tell him about a flurry of Nazi archaeological activity near Cairo,
which Indy determines to be the possible resting place of the Ark of the Covenant - the
chest that carried the 10 Commandments. The Ark is believed to carry an incredibly
powerful energy that must not fall into Nazi hands.
Indiana is immediately sent overseas, stopping in to pick up an
old girlfriend (his old professor's daughter) and then meeting
up in Cairo with his friend Sallah. But danger lurks everywhere
in the form of Nazi thugs, and poisonous snakes in the Ark's
resting place. However, these perilous situations are no match
for Indiana Jones and his bravery.
After Belloq, hired by the Nazis, makes off again with the Ark,
Indy & Marion are determined to get it back, and they
overpower the pilot of a German plane. But Indy finds himself
confronted with a giant German thug, and after a frightening
hand-to-hand fight Indy & Marion blow up the plane. Now the
Nazis must drive the Ark to Cairo, but Indy regains control of
the Ark after running the convoy off the road, one vehicle at a time. Once again, the Nazis
recapture the Ark...and Marion, heading for a Nazi-controlled island. There, Belloq will open
the Ark...to demonstrate the horrific power it can unleash upon the world!
Character Motif Composition
Step 1:
Choose whether you will write your character motif for a hero or a villain.
VILLAIN
HERO
Step 2:
Use the following music elements for your chosen character type:
MUSIC ELEMENT/CONCEPT
HERO
VILLAIN
Instrumentation
Brass, woodwind, strings,
percussion.
Strings, woodwind, piano.
Pitch
High.
Low or extreme high.
Melodic ideas
Rising melody in step (based
off scale).
Descending melody in step
(based off scale) with a few
awkward jumps.
Tonality (key)
Major key.
Minor.
Tempo
Moderate or fast.
Slow.
Dynamics
Loud with decrescendos and
crescendos.
Quiet with crescendos and
sudden changes to loud.
Rhythms
Syncopation and lively
rhythms.
Simple, sustained rhythms.
Timbre
Bright timbre.
Smooth timbre.
Go to the spanner symbol on the top of your Garage Band window.
Step 4: KEY, METRE and TEMPO
Choose a 4/4 or 3/4 time signature _____ , a tempo of 96, and key of A minor or C major.
Step 3: TIMBRE
Choose the instrument on Garage Band that you would like to play the motif – think carefully about the
character that might be represented by each instrument timbre.
Step 5: MELODY
Give your motif a good melodic contour. Use step movement for the Hero and steps, with some jumps, for
the Villain. Plan a climax point by working up to the top of the scale about half way through the
composition. Use the notes from your chosen scale below.
C Major
A Natural Minor
Step 6: RHYTHM
Use an appropriate rhythm in your melody to match your character. You could use syncopation and lively
rhythms for a Hero and simple, sustained rhythms for a Villain. Use rhythms from the examples below:
Step 7: HARMONY
Choose an appropriate instrumental sound and create a harmony using chords. Choose chords that best
match the melody to avoid any clashing sounds. The last bar should always use Chord I.
Step 8: DRUM LAYER
Add a drum beat to the texture. Choose a suitable drum loop and repeat it, or create your own.
Step 9: STRUCTURE
Your composition should be 12 bars long.
Use a clear structure for your motif: eg. A A B (Blues form)


Phrase A – 4 bars
Phrase B – 4 bars
Note, that you only need to write 8 different bars, as 4 of them repeat.
You could also choose Ternary form - A B A
Step 10: TEMPO AND DYNAMICS (expressive devices)
Choose a tempo and some dynamics to your piece. Make sure they are marked on your printed score.
Largo
- broadly and slowly
Andante
- an easy walking pace
Moderato
- at a moderate speed
Allegro
- lively and fast
Presto
- very fast
Notes: