a technique in which the film music copies movement on screen (e.g. ascending notes in time with a character ascending stairs)

a chord containing four notes that is useful for creating a feeling of sudden drama

a combination of notes which create a harsh or tense sound - opposite of consonance

Identify the mickey-mousing in this clip

British English CC

when the characters run up the stairs, the melody ascends up a scale

when the first character falls off the roof, the melody quickly descends

when the second character jumps down the stairs, the melody ‘jumps’ down

How is mickey-mousing used in this clip?

Silent movie suspense clip

With music

What musical features help to create a feeling of suspense here?

Task A Q.1-3

Task A Q.4

Which chord feels most tense? Chord 1

Which chord feels most tense? Chord 2

Which chord feels most tense? Chord 3

Creating music for a suspense scene: step 1

Creating music for a suspense scene: step 2

Creating music for a suspense scene: step 3

Task B feedback video

Tension in early movies

Music

How music shapes film

Action in early movies

Scoring a silent movie

Representing characters through music

Motivic transformation

This unit explores film music and how composers use music to enhance mood, atmosphere and storytelling. Pupils study common film music techniques and themes, and apply this knowledge by composing and performing music to accompany visual scenes, developing their composition and performance skills.

Film Music

music that matches a character's movement

music that is played by musicians 'inside' the film (e.g. a band on screen)

the filmmakers always created it exactly to fit with the film

Which statement is not true about music in silent movies?

a fast rhythm playing in an exciting scene

a minor chord playing when a character hears sad news

an ascending scale playing when a character climbs up a wall

a leitmotif playing that represents a particular place

Which of these is an example of mickey-mousing?

How many notes are in a diminished seventh chord?

How many semitones are between each note in a diminished seventh chord?

Which of these is not a typical feature of music in suspense scenes?

Movies without recorded sound are known as __________ movies.

Silent movies were the most common type of movies between the 1890s and when?

Which statements are true about music in silent movies? Choose all that apply.

__________ runs were a common feature of melodies in chase scenes

When is a title theme typically first heard in a film?

A leitmotif can represent a __________, place or idea.

Tension in early movies

Lesson outcome