Film Music
Year 8 Module 4
Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Learning Outcomes from this Module
Learn about different film composers
 Learn how to compose different types of
music for different films
 Learn about features of film music

Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman

Has written film scores
 All
the music in a film, including songs and
underscore
 Underscore: the music in a film that you
don’t always notice – it builds atmosphere
and timbre
 Sound effects: Are sometimes part of the
music, to make it sound more dramatic
A Film Score is different to a
soundtrack

Soundtrack:
 May
have songs in that aren’t just written for
the film
 They might have been released before by
other artists
 Quentin Tarantino uses soundtracks, not film
scores e.g. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs
 Moulin Rouge uses a soundtrack
Danny Elfman
American
 Composes for Tim Burton films

Danny Elfman
Grammy for Batman music
 Emmy for Desperate Housewives music
 4 Academy Award nominations

Danny Elfman
Both parents were teachers
 Grew up in LA
 Dropped out of high school
 Travelled to France busking, then to Africa
 Caught malaria
 Was in a rock group called Oingo Boingo –
lead singer until they broke up
 Now has impaired hearing because of the
loud music from his rock band

Danny Elfman
Just finished the music to Tim Burton’s
Alice in Wonderland, releasing in March
2010
 Opening titles to video game Fable and
Fable II
 Soundtrack to 2008 Lego Batman game

How is the music similar?

Simpsons and Desperate Housewives
 Both
have very full textures (lots happening at
the same time)
 Both quite fast
 Fit in well with what is happening on screen
 Both sound very heavenly and dreamlike
 Lots of percussion in both (xylophone,
glockenspiel, snare drum, cymbals, triangle, etc.)
How is it different to Men in Black?
MiB has no melody line
 MiB fits on-screen well, but is less
interesting without the visual image
 Less happening all at the same time,
thinner textures
 The atmosphere is different, changing the
timbre… how?

What are we learning today?
How film composers begin composing to
films
 History of Hans Zimmer, film composer
 Understanding how to apply film music
knowledge to a film itself

HOMEWORK

Research either Hans Zimmer or Danny
Elfman, design a poster to show
information about him, music he has
done, and your opinion of the films he has
composed to, and the music.

DUE IN: TUESDAY 17TH MARCH
Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Who composed to these films/TV
shows?
DANNY
ELFMAN
Hans Zimmer
How do you compose to film music?
Once a draft of the film has been done,
the composer is given a rough cut
 Spotting: discussion with the director
about each scene, genres, styles of music,
and the atmosphere and emotion in each
scene, and what the director wants
 Once the composer has the whole film, he
can then write the film score

MIDI Mock Up: Film composers use
computers to compose – they can mark
the time of each important thing that
happens in the scene and match it along
with the film, to see if the music suits.
 Once the music is complete, an orchestra
is hired to perform and record the music in
a studio, normally with the composer
conducting.
 There is a big screen with the scene on
behind the orchestra, so the composer can
time the music perfectly.

Hans Zimmer
Born in Germany, moved to London as a
teenager
 Used to write jingles for some adverts
 Was in a band called Buggles, playing the
keyboard
 Famous for using traditional orchestra
instruments with electronic sounds

Hans Zimmer
Composed over 100 film scores
 7 Academy Awards
 7 Grammy Awards
 9 Golden Globe Awards

Hans Zimmer

How does Pirates of the Caribbean and
Lion King sound similar?
Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Quentin Tarantino
What composer did all of these films?
The Simpsons
 Desperate Housewives
 Spiderman 2
 Men in Black
 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
 The Corpse Bride
 Nightmare Before Christmas

DANNY ELFMAN
John Williams
What composer did music to these
films?
Pirates of the Caribbean
 Mission Impossible: 2
 The Dark Knight
 Kung Fu Panda
 The Simpsons Movie
 Shark Tale
 Thunderbirds
 Madagascar and Madagascar2

HANS ZIMMER
Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

James Horner
Different types of music in film
scenes…
Diegetic music: when you are watching
a scene where a piano is being played, the
characters can hear it, and you can hear
it.
 Non-diegetic music: when there is music
in the scene that the characters can’t hear,
and you can’t see it being played.

James Horner
Born in LA
 Uses lots of Celtic musical elements, like
using the recorder, tin whistle and turns
 Began playing the piano at 5 years old
 Accused for stealing music from other
composer’s works, as well as reusing his
own work in different films

James Horner
Composed the music for the new film
Avatar (release date: 2009)
 2 Academy Awards
 3 Grammy Awards
 2 Golden Globe Awards
 3 Satellite Awards

What are the Similarities and
differences in The Spiderwick
Chronicles and Titanic
Tempo
 Dynamics
 Texture
 Pitch
 Instruments
 Anything else…

Which composer did music to these
films?
The Spiderwick Chronicles
 The Legend of Zorro
 Troy
 Titanic
 Jumanji

JAMES HORNER
Jerry Goldsmith
What composer has done the music
to these films?
Jaws
 Star Wars
 Superman
 ET
 Harry Potter
 Home Alone
 Hook

JOHN WILLIAMS
Howard Shore
Which composer did the music to
these films?
The Lord of the Rings
 King Kong

HOWARD SHORE
Which composer did the music to
these films?
Star Trek
 Bad Girls
 Kingdom of Heaven

JERRY GOLDSMITH