a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea

an important genre of theatre and music through the 17th-19th century

rhythms which accent the strong beat (beat 1 in the bar) or mainly land on the beat; they are predictable and repetitive

Heroic-sounding leitmotif

British English CC

The leitmotif will change to sound more negative and evil

What kind of characters would these suit? Clip 1

What kind of characters would these suit? Clip 2

What kind of characters would these suit? Clip 3

How do the different rhythms change our impression? Clip 1

How do the different rhythms change our impression? Clip 2

How do the different rhythms change our impression? Clip 3

What does changing the pitch change about its character? Clip 1

What does changing the pitch change about its character? Clip 2

What does changing the pitch change about its character? Clip 3

Creating a leitmotif for the hero

Creating a leitmotif for the villain

Task B feedback audio

Representing characters through music

Music

How music shapes film

Action in early movies

Tension in early movies

Scoring a silent movie

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

Which are usually represented by leitmotifs?

What important genre of music first used leitmotif?

What were the first movies that used recorded sound known as?

What type of tonality would best suit an evil character?

What type of rhythms would suit a character that is unpredictable?

{{}}-mousing is when the music matches a character’s movements.

Which type of chord is very effective for creating a dramatic moment?

to create a clear structure, including verses and choruses

to tell the audience about characters or places

Which of these is **not** a purpose of film music?

Which are typical features of silent movie chase music?

use of dramatic chords (e.g. diminished seventh)

Which are typical features of suspenseful music in silent movies?

Starter Quiz

When was the era of silent movies?