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RESEARCH AND PRESENTATIONS: Introduction to Film: Initial Research Project (English)

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Created on November 5, 2025

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Transcript

MOVIE MUSIC

Max, Lukas, Will, Greyson

05:00

DISCUSSION

FAVORITE MOVIE SOUNDTRACK?

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

DO YOU KNOW ANY COMPOSERS?

Title

Title

Write a brief description here

Write a brief description here

WHY IS MOVIE MUSIC IMPORTANT?

TIMELINE

SPOTTING SESSION

MUSIC RECORDING

FINAL MIX

PICTURE LOCK

MUSIC COMPOSITION

SOUND DESIGN & EDITING

BACKGROUND DEFINITIONS

LEITMOTIF

INCIDENTAL = MOOD

SOUND TRACK

SELECTION OF COMPOSERS

  • Director's vision
  • Hold auditions
  • Portfolio
  • Budget
  • Collaboration

PROCESS OF COMPOSING

SUSPENSE

EMOTIONAL ASPECT

DEEPER DIVE

  • Sound sets mood
  • Music guides pacing and attention
  • Effects on viewers by design
  • Fear
  • Excitement
  • Sadness
  • Tension
  • Placement determined in a spotting session
  • Director
  • Composer
  • Sound team

ELEMENTS OF MOVIE MUSIC

TEXTURE

Composers change the texture, the volume and layering of the music, to emphasize parts of a film such as the climax and other key moments.

TEMPO

Tempo is the speed of the music in a film. Composers change the tempo of the music to show the intensity of a scene, ranging from slow and calm to quick and intense.

VOICES

Using voices in film music as opposed to just instrumental music can serve many purposes such as add intensity, lightheartedness, or be used in musical movie scores.

BACKGROUND

Background music is used in scenes to set the tone. It is often concurrent with character dialogue or important parts in films.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS USED

BRASS INSTRUMENTS

Trombone

Tuba

Trumpet

French Horn

WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS

Piccolo

Flute

Clarinet

English Horn

PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

Snare Drum

Piano

Triangle

Bass drum

STRING INSTRUMENTS

Violin

Guitar

Banjo

Harp

COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES

BIOGRAPHY

JOHN WILLIAMS

STAR WARS, JAWS, E.T., SUPERMAN

  • 1932-present
  • One of the most accomplished American conductors and composers of all time
  • 5 Oscars, 3 Emmy awards, 4 Golden Globe awards, 26 Grammy awards, 7 BAFTAs, 10 saturn awards.
First Movie Score: Daddy-O (1958) Most Famous Score: Star Wars (1977-2019)

Making of Star Wars

BIOGRAPHY

HANS ZIMMER

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, INCEPTION, INTERSTELLAR

  • 1957-present
  • German born composer
  • Contemporary Scores
  • Electric and classical instruments
  • 2 Oscars, 1 BAFTA, and 5 Grammys.
First Score: Terminal Exposure (1987) Most Famous Score: Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017)

BIOGRAPHY

ENNIO MORRICONE

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, KILL BILL

  • 1928-2020
  • Italian composer
  • Western movie scores
  • 1 Oscar, 4 Grammys, 3 Golden Globes, and 10 Italian David di Donatello awards.
First score: Il Federal (The Fascist) (1961) Most Famous Score: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (1966)

BIOGRAPHY

HOWARD SHORE

LORD OF THE RINGS, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HUGO

  • 1946-present
  • Canadian composer and conductor
  • contemporary movies and several famous tv shows
  • Saturday Night Live
  • 2 Oscars, 2 Grammys, 6 BAFTAs, 2 Golden Globes.
First Score: I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses (1978) Most Famous Score: Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

BIOGRAPHY

LALO SCHIFRIN

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, COOL HAND LUKE

  • 1932-2025
  • Argentinian Composer
  • 1 Oscar, 5 Grammys
First Score: El Jefe (1958) Most Famous Score: Mission Impossible (1996-2025)

BIOGRAPHY

JOHN BARRY

JAMES BOND, THE SCARLET LETTER

  • 1933 - 2011
  • English composer
  • Dramatic film scores.
  • 5 academy awards, 4 Grammys, and 2 BAFTAs
First Score: Beat Girl (1960) Most Famous Score: Goldfinger (James Bond) (1964)

BAFTA: The British Academy Film Awards

BIOGRAPHY

MAX STEINER

KING KONG, GONE WITH THE WIND

  • 1888 - 1971
  • Austrian-born composer
  • “Father of Film Music”
  • Scored over 300 films
  • Leitmotifs
First Score: Cimarron (1931) Most Famous Score: Gone with the Wind (1939)

BIOGRAPHY

MAURICE JARRE

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, THE MESSAGE, A PASSAGE TO INDIA

  • 1924 - 2009
  • French composer
  • 3 Oscars, 1 Grammy, 2 BAFTAs, 4 Golden Globes
First Score: Hotel de Invalides (1952) Most Famous Score: A Passage to India (1984)

BIOGRAPHY

RACHEL PORTMAN

EMMA, CHOCOLAT

  • 1960 - Present
  • English composer
  • First woman to win an Academy Award for Best Orinigal Score
  • 1 Oscar, 1 Grammy
First Score: Privileged (Student Film) (1982) Most Famous Score: Emma (1996)

BIOGRAPHY

JOE HISAISHI

PONYO, TOTORO, CASTLE IN THE SKY

  • 1950 - Present
  • Japanese composer
  • Prominent Anime Composer
  • 2 Asian Film Awards, 2 Hong Kong Film Awards
First Score: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Most Famous Score: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Purpose of leitmotif?

  • Identifies characters
  • builds emotional connection
  • Signals narrative shifts

Leitmotif Game

Motif 1

Jaws

Motif 2

Batman

Motif 3

Superman

Motif 4

Darth Vader

Leitmotif Game

Motif 5

Avenger

Motif 6

Pirates of the caribbean

Motif 7

James bond

Motif 8

Harry potter

Leitmotif Game

Motif 9

Jurassic Park Dinosaurs

Motif 10

Gru

Spanish Vocab

  • La banda sonora
  • La partitura
  • El leitmotiv
  • La musica incidental
  • El compositor / la compositora
  • La orquestacion
  • La sincronización
  • El tema musical
  • La ambientación sonora
  • El efecto emocional
  • La Música Clásica
  • El clarinete
  • El trombón
  • la nota musical
  • el acorde
  • la sordina
  • la melodía
  • la escala
  • el pentagrama
  • El crescendo

THANK YOU!

works cited

Cambridge Dictionary. “Incidental Music.” @CambridgeWords, 4 Sept. 2024, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/incidental-music. “Darth Vader.” StarWars.com, 2014, www.starwars.com/databank/darth-vader. “Ennio Morricone.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0001553/. “Hans Zimmer.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0001877/bio/. Heckmann, Chris. “Leitmotifs and Musical Themes Explained.” StudioBinder, 27 Sept. 2020, www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-leitmotif-definition/. “How Music Can Change a Scene - Lord of the Rings.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndDbN60Eiw. “Howard Shore - Biography.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0006290/bio/. IMDb. “Lalo Schifrin - Music Department, Composer, Actor.” IMDb, 2019, www.imdb.com/name/nm0006277/. ---. “Maurice Jarre - Composer, Music Department, Producer.” IMDb, 2025, www.imdb.com/name/nm0003574/bio/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. ---. “Rachel Portman - Composer, Music Department, Soundtrack.” IMDb, 2015, www.imdb.com/name/nm0006235/awards/. “Jaws.” The Brattle, brattlefilm.org/movies/jaws/. “Joe Hisaishi.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0386749/. “John Barry.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000290/bio/. “Max Steiner - Biography.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000070/bio/. Paris, Olajide. “Know the Score: The Composing Process, How Does It Work?” Film Independent, 8 Oct. 2018, www.filmindependent.org/blog/know-score-composing-process-work/. “Redirect Notice.” Google.com, 2025, www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fuwl.ac.ae%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-your-mood-dude%2F&psig=AOvVaw0FneirhDCjaDgN4x_wvy-u&ust=1756429723787000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBYQjRxqFwoTCIDC3YOprI8DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. Scoring, Cinemagic. “How Composers Get Chosen for Films: A Look behind the Scenes.” Medium, 22 Mar. 2023, medium.com/@cinemagicscoring/how-composers-get-chosen-for-films-a-look-behind-the-scenes-440930de851a. Vanity Fair. “How “Dune” Composer Hans Zimmer Created the Oscar-Winning Score | Vanity Fair.” Www.youtube.com, 17 Mar. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=93A1ryc-WW0. Wikipedia Contributors. “Mission: Impossible (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Aug. 2025. Williams, John. “John Williams | Biography.” Www.johnwilliams.org, www.johnwilliams.org/reference/biography.