Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson entitled: Using Leitmotif in Film Music.

My name's Mr. Norris.

Today we're gonna be focusing in on this specific technique of leitmotif, how it's developed and how we can use it to really bring our film composition to light.

Our outcome is I can create a leitmotif to represent a film character.

Some key words: The first is leitmotif, and this is a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea.

Major, this is a key based on the notes of the major scale, sounding generally positive and bright.

Minor, this is a key based on the notes of the minor scale, it creates a darker mood than a major key.

In the first part of today's lesson, we're focusing on what is a leitmotif? Two key genres paved the way for many of the techniques that film composers use today.

The first of these is program music, and this is music that tells a story through sound or tries to paint a picture of something through sound.

The other is opera where actors sing and act out the story on stage.

And in both of these, the music helps to tell that story by setting the scene with an appropriate mood.

Listen to this example of a piece of program music.

This one tells the story of a gathering of witches on a wild mountain at night.

How does this set the scene for this story? Pause my video, have a listen and see if you can think of a few ideas.

And there are many ways that this helps to set that wild scene and create an appropriate mood for this story.

But you might have picked up some of these.

There's the fast tempo and the fast rhythms. There's the minor tonality and there's these of chromatic notes as well, and there's also some sudden loud sounds.

And together all these features, along with others, create this sort of scary, wild mood that helps to create this image or set the scene of this story.

Now in both opera and program music, composers also tell the story by using musical themes called leitmotifs.

And these are musical ideas, musical themes that represent characters, places, or ideas.

And when we say ideas, it might be things like emotions.

There might be a theme that represents the idea of love or regret, for example, or any other idea that characters might be thinking about.

Listen to this clip from a famous opera called The Flying Dutchman.

This was written by a very famous opera composer called Richard Wagner in the Romantic Period.

And in this, the brass instruments in this clip play the leitmotif, which represents a ghost chip called the Flying Dutchman.

So this melody that you're gonna hear here is used to represent that ghost ship.

Throughout the whole opera, we hear this leitmotif, this melody, when we see the ship, so when it's on stage, or when characters talk or think about it.

So whenever it's mentioned, this musical idea is played in the music and that helps us associate this theme with that ship.

I'd like to pause my video, listen to this clip and see if you can pick out that really distinctive leitmotif, that really distinct melody in the brass instruments here.

You can do that now.

Now I'd like you to listen to this example of the leitmotif that's played later in the operas.

This is in a different scene and it's the same leitmotif, the same melody, but it's used very differently musically.

Pause my video, have a listen and see if you can think of a few ways that the leitmotif is used differently here compared to the example we just heard.

And you might have picked up on some of these differences.

It's performed by a solo singer, so it's not the brass instruments playing at this time, it's a singer using that same melodic idea.

It has a much slower and a more free tempo as well.

So the overall mood is much calmer and less dramatic.

And this is typical of the way that composers will develop leitmotifs by using them in different ways in different musical contexts when they're trying to communicate different things about the story.

In program music, which doesn't have the acting and the singing, but tells the story just through the music, leitmotifs are also used in a similar way.

This piece tells the story of an artist.

The leitmotif is used to represent his love for another character in the story.

And as the story develops, the leitmotif changes to represent how the love changes and how that relationship changes.

So the musical idea evolves and changes to match what's changing in the story.

In this clip, we can hear the violins playing that leitmotif in a very simple form.

Pause my video and see if you can pick out this distinct leitmotif in the violins.

Throughout the whole piece, we'll hear that leitmotif come up in very many different forms as that love between the two characters changes and as the story develops.

Now, that's really typical of the way that leitmotif is used.

It's not always the same.

It's gonna change and evolve to match the changes in the story.

Leitmotifs are only really effective if the mood of the musical idea actually suits the character.

Have a listen to this example.

Say we've got a character that's an angel, why would this leitmotif not suit the character of an angel? Let's have a listen.

(gloomy music) And here you might have mentioned some of these points: It wouldn't suit an angel because it has minor tonality which suggests something dark or evil, which is the opposite of what we would assume an angel is supposed to be.

And it's very low pitched as well, which suggests something dark or sinister.

So the way these musical elements are being used mean that this leitmotif would suit some characters, but it definitely wouldn't suit this character.

Let's check your understanding.

What could a leitmotif represent? I'd like you to choose all that apply.

A place, a musical key, person or character or an idea.

You can pause my video while you choose your answers.

And the correct answers are a place, a personal character or an idea.

Leitmotif can be used to represent any of those.

Well done if you chose those three.

Now, tonality and harmony are important elements to consider when we're writing a leitmotif.

That was a factor in that leitmotif that we just saw that didn't suit the angel.

Part of the reason it didn't work was because of the tonality.

How could different types of tonality and harmony represent different characters? So how could you think about how you are using tonality, different keys and different types of harmony to fit different characters most effectively? Pause my video and have a think or a discussion.

Let's explore some of these ideas then.

So major keys are more likely to suit good characters.

That's 'cause a major key generally creates a more positive atmosphere, so that's gonna suit a character that we want the audience to see positively.

On the other hand, minor keys and dissonant harmony are more like to suit bad or evil characters.

Minor keys because they create a darker more negative mood, and dissonant harmony 'cause it creates a sense of something strange or unpleasant or maybe a bit sinister.

Chromatic harmony, that's where we're in a key, but we use notes from outside of the key.

It could suit mysterious characters that the audience doesn't fully understand.

And that's because it's a bit more unclear, it's a bit more unusual and might create a sense of something a little bit strange or a little bit weird, so that's quite an effective way when we want to create a little bit of nuance to a character is using some chromatic harmony.

We can also think about how we use rhythm to effectively create leitmotifs as well.

That's an important factor in suiting that character.

Let's listen to these three different examples.

How do the different rhythms in these leitmotifs change our impression of the characters that they represent? So we're just focusing on rhythm, how does that change the mood or the feeling of these leitmotifs? Here's the first one.

(somber music) So just have a quick think about the kind of character that might represent and how the rhythms help to create that feeling.

Now let's compare that to the second example.

So how do the rhythms here change our impression of this character compared to the first one? (bright music) So again, just have a quick think about how those rhythms are different and what does that say about the character that that might represent.

And now let's hear the third example.

(soft music) So just take a second to have a think about how the rhythm in that example creates a certain impression of that character.

So you might have mentioned that the first example has sustained notes or long notes and it's quite a consistent rhythm as well.

So that creates a calm and sort of predictable feeling which would suit a calm and predictable character.

The second one had very erratic rhythms, which feels a bit more unpredictable, maybe a bit more energetic and lively and that would suit that kind of character.

And then the third one had very strong and accented rhythms that creates a sense of a strong, confident, maybe powerful character.

So although the notes are exactly the same in each example, just by changing the rhythms, we're totally changing the mood of that leitmotif.

A few common ways of using rhythms are representing an unpredictable, strange character with erratic rhythms like that second example.

Representing an active or an energetic character with fast rhythms. Representing a calm character with slow consistent rhythms like the first example we heard.

Or representing a strong, powerful character with strong accented rhythms like the last one.

So when you're writing a leitmotif as a film composer, thinking carefully about how you use rhythm to represent your character is quite important.

We can also think about how we use pitch and this has a massive impact on the feeling of a leitmotif as well.

Let's do the same exercise.

We've got three different versions of the same leitmotif, but they use pitch in slightly different ways.

What does changing the pitch do to the overall feeling of each leitmotif and how might that better suit different types of character? Here's the first example.

(bright music) Compare that to the second example.

(foreboding music) And now the third example, so thinking how the different use of pitch in these three examples would suit different characters.

(eerie music) Just pause my video, have a think or discussion about how the different use of pitch in those three versions of the same leitmotif changes the mood, changes the feeling of that leitmotif and might suit different types of character.

Pause my video and do that now.

And some of the things you might have picked up on are that low pitched melodies can feel quite dark and serious.

So that second example that was very low pitched but much more dark, ominous and serious than the first one.

The very high pitched one that was the third one we listened to, can feel quite eerie and unusual.

So if you want to create a sense of something a bit weird or creepy, putting it in a very high pitch range can be useful for doing that.

And melodies in the middle pitch range, like the first example, are more likely to feel normal and relatable, not quite so weird or creepy like the high one or as dark and ominous as the low pitched one.

So thinking carefully about just the pitch range that we use for our leitmotif can have a big impact on the overall mood and character of that leitmotif.

Let's check your understanding.

Which two features would best suit an evil and energetic character? Major tonality, minor tonality, fast erratic rhythms or slow consistent rhythms. Post my video while you choose two.

And the two best answers here are minor tonality because it's an evil character.

And remember, minor tonality is more likely to create a dark or more negative mood.

And fast erratic rhythms because that's gonna suit this sense of an energetic character, someone who's very lively, so consistent rhythms would create a sense of a more calm character.

Which of these would not suit an eerie, creepy character, moderate pitch, high pitch or chromatic harmony? I'll give you a few seconds to choose one.

And the correct answer here is moderate pitch is the least likely to suit an eerie or creepy character.

Using high pitch can be really effective because it sounds very unusual or creepy.

And chromatic harmony can create a sense of something unusual or strange as well.

So those two would be great if you're trying to suit an eerie or unusual or creepy character.

So for Task A, you're gonna listen to each leitmotif and answer the questions.

We're gonna start with example one.

There are three questions here, question one, two, and three that I'd like to complete.

What is the tonality of this leitmotif? How would you describe the rhythm? And what sort of character could this represent? Let's hear it the first time now.

(gentle music) So let me a think about those first two questions.

And let's hear it for a second time.

(gentle music) Try to make sure you complete question one now describing the tonality and having you think about describing that rhythm for question two.

Let's hear it a third time.

(gentle music) Once you've described the rhythm, now have a think for question three about what sort of character this would best represent.

I'm gonna play you at one final time.

(gentle music) And if you need to, pause my video while you finish answers to question one, two, and three.

Now let's move on to example two.

For question four, you're gonna describe the pitch of this leitmotif.

Describe the rhythm for question five and then again, what sort of character could this represent? So here it is for the first time, thinking in particular about question four and five, describing the pitch and the rhythm.

(mysterious music) I'll play you it a second time thinking about describing the pitch and the rhythm of this example.

(mysterious music) Let's hear it for the third time.

(mysterious music) And now I'm gonna play you the fourth time.

Once you've described the pitch in the rhythm, have a think about the sort of character this might best represent.

Here it is for the final time.

(mysterious music) You can pause my video while you finish off question four, five, and six if you need to.

Okay, let's go through this task.

Now, example one had major tonality, it had quite slow and consistent rhythms, so this would represent a good, calm, relatable character, someone that's portrayed positively to the audience.

Well done if you've got something along those lines.

Example two, well the pitch of this was high and I'd say it was very high.

The rhythm was quite erratic and jumpy.

It wasn't a consistent rhythm.

There was some fast notes in there as well.

So overall, this might best suit a strange, creepy, maybe eerie or unusual character, maybe someone who's a little bit sinister as well because we've got that chromatic harmony that creates a sense of something unusual.

So hopefully you can see the difference in both of those examples of how changing the tonality, the pitch and the rhythm can really impact the way that we see that character.

And it's really important as a film composer to think carefully when you're writing leitmotifs about how they really match the character that we're trying to represent.

Now we're gonna move on to look at composing a leitmotif.

So to create a leitmotif to represent a character, consider the traits of that character.

This is the first step.

Are they good or evil? Are they strong? Are they weak? Are they predictable? Are they erratic? Are they lazy or energetic? Are they sad? Are they happy? And do we want to portray them as unusual or normal? So these are some of the things we're gonna think about first before we even think about the music.

What are the traits of that character or the personality that we're trying to portray to the audience? Once we've done that, then we need to think about how we use the musical elements to represent that character and represent those traits.

As well as thinking about tonality, rhythm and pitch that we've already looked at, we need to think about things like articulation.

Accented notes feel strong and energetic, for example.

Staccato notes can feel sneaky or mysterious.

And use of legato can feel more calm and consistent.

So the way the notes are played has an impact on the mood of that leitmotif as well.

Timbre, a bright shrill timbre can feel exciting and dramatic.

A mellow softer timbre can feel calm and peaceful.

And a thin airy timbre can feel unusual or creeping.

And then dynamics as well, and this is maybe an obvious one, but loud dynamics are more like to feel strong and powerful.

Soft dynamics can feel calm, peaceful, or sad.

And sudden changes in dynamics can feel unpredictable and scary.

So we can think about all these different elements when we're writing a leitmotif to really match it perfectly to that character.

So here's a table that we're gonna use while we're doing this activity to plan out our character and to have a think about how the different elements can best suit them.

I've got my description of my character in the first box.

I've gone for sinister, powerful, evil, dark or strong, and I've tried to choose a few different words there to give a little bit of depth to the character.

I've not just gone for bad, I've made it nice and detailed.

I've chosen the tonality that I think best suits that character.

So because they're a dark, evil character, someone sinister, I'm gonna use minor tonality.

For rhythm, I'm gonna use slow consistent rhythms 'cause I want to create this feeling that they're strong and confident.

For pitch, I'm gonna use low pitch 'cause that creates more of a sense of something dark or evil.

For articulation, I'm gonna try and use some accents 'cause that gives a sense of power and strength.

For the timbre, I've decided I'm gonna use a strong, full, brassy timbre, so maybe a brass section or a few brass instruments together, again, to portray that feeling of power and strength.

And then for dynamics, I'm gonna play it loud again because that creates more of a sense of strength and power.

Let's have a look now at the process of creating a leitmotif based on that information.

So we've talked through why those different elements suit my character, the sinister, powerful, evil, dark, and strong character.

And now I'm gonna have a go at representing that improvising some different ideas to create my leitmotif.

My leitmotif should be quite short.

I don't want it to be long because if it's short, it means I can do more with it and change it and adapt it more later as we go.

So I've chosen trombones 'cause they're a really brassy, full, strong timbre.

I'm gonna use loud dynamics.

I've chosen low pitch on my instrument and I'm gonna play some accent in notes.

And because I want minor tonality, I'm gonna use the A minor scale, which is the white notes starting on A.

And if I really emphasize and base it around that note A, it'll make it feel really strongly in that key.

So I'm gonna be basing it a lot around the note A and the other notes in the A minor chord, A, C and E.

So it's improvise a few ideas and then I'll choose one that I like.

(bold music) So any three of those, any of those ideas would work reasonably well.

They're all based around the note A, they start on A and finish on A, and that gives it a really good sense of being in A minor and a stick to those notes of the A minor scale as well.

The one I think works best was this last one.

(bold music) I think that works well.

It's low, the notes are accented, loud dynamics and it feels quite strong and powerful because of those rhythms as well.

So that's me creating my leitmotif to represent this character.

And when you're doing the same, you need to make sure that the musical elements are used to suit your character.

So make sure you're thinking carefully about how those elements match the traits, the character traits, the personality of your character.

Let's check your understanding.

What type of articulation would best suit a calm and peaceful character, accented, legato or staccato? I'll give you a few seconds And the correct answer here is legato, that creates more of a sense of calm and peace.

What type of dynamics would best suit an erratic, unpredictable character, loud, soft, or suddenly changing? I'll give you a few seconds to choose the best fit.

And the best answer here is suddenly changing.

If the dynamics are jumping around suddenly from loud to quiet, it creates a feeling of unpredictability and that would really suit that character.

For Task B, composed a short leitmotif to represent your character.

Start by designing the character, describing them in up to five words.

And try and go into a bit of a detailed description there, choosing some interesting words to give a bit of depth to your character.

Once you've filled in that first box of the table with your character description, then complete step two, which is to complete the other columns, to identify how you can represent those features musically.

So for each of those elements, tonality and harmony, rhythm, pitch articulation, timbre and dynamics, think about how you can use those to best suit that character description.

What sort of tonality or harmony best fit this character? And then once you've done that, you're gonna compose a short leitmotif based on that information to suit your character.

It doesn't need to be a long, a short musical idea that fits with your character.

So you can pause my video now, give this task your best shot, get really creative with your character and then with your music and see if you can come up with a really interesting leitmotif.

For the final part of this task, we're gonna listen to this leitmotif.

How could this better suit a mysterious sneaky creature? Let's hear it.

(playful music) I'll play you it two more times.

Here it is for the second time.

(playful music) And for the third and final time, how could this leitmotif better suit a mysterious, sneaky creature? Here it is.

(playful music) You can pause my video while you finish off your answer.

Let's go through this one then.

So the first thing you can do is use some more chromatic harmony.

At the moment, it uses major tonality and there are no chromatic notes so it doesn't feel very mysterious or sneaky.

It might also be more effective if it used staccato articulation.

That's a really good way of creating a sense of mystery or something a bit sneaky.

Playing around with the rhythms is another thing you might have mentioned trying experiment with some different rhythms or even putting it in a different pitch range.

It might work more effectively in either a lower or a higher pitch range.

So there's lots of ways that could be adapted to make it better suit this creature.

Hopefully now you feel like you're getting a grasp of the sort of decisions you need to be making as a film composer to make leitmotifs work really effectively.

So let's review today's lesson.

Leitmotif is a technique that developed from opera and program music in the 19th century.

Leitmotifs are used to represent characters, places, or ideas.

They often change to match changes in the story, so the leitmotif will develop as the story develops.

We must carefully consider the musical elements to make sure that the leitmotif suits the character or idea.

This includes thinking about harmony, tonality, whether it's major or minor.

Things like rhythm, timbre, articulation and dynamics, all of these elements contribute to making that leitmotif really suit that character.

So that's the end of today's lesson.

Hopefully now you feel you've got a good grasp of the concept of leitmotif, how it works in film music, as well as in program music and opera.

And you've also started to get a feel of that process of writing leitmotif, thinking about those character traits and how the music can match them.

Thanks for taking part in today's lesson and I'll see you in another one.