Year 10 - Music
Developing mood in film music
Introduction to film music
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to use texture to develop music for a film scene.
Key Notes
- Film composers use different genres to help set the film in a time or place, and to create an appropriate mood.
- They also use specific instrumental clichés to create effects.
- These include using arco strings for emotional moments and brass to represent important or heroic characters.
- Developing the texture allows film composers to balance variety and repetition, and to build energy.
Vocabulary To Learn
- ostinato: a repeating musical idea that forms the basis of a composition (or section)
- genre: a category of music that has shared characteristics (e.g. jazz)
- texture: how many layers of sound are heard at the same time and how they fit together
- musical cliché: a commonly used musical idea or association
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The genre of the music tells us exactly what kind of film it is.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Film composers use different genres to help set the film in a time or place, and to create an appropriate mood. They also use specific instrumental clichés to create effects.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'ostinato'
a repeating musical idea that forms the basis of a composition (or section).
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The genre of the music tells us exactly what kind of film it is. Correction: This is not always true. Sometimes composers deliberately use genres that go against expectations. This might be for humour, or to create a strange clash. A good example would be A Knight's Tale, which uses modern genres in a medieval film.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Music guide library.