Key learning points

1. Music can effectively create a sense of atmosphere, for example, creating feelings of tension, danger or drama.
2. Repeating and adapting a motif throughout a film score can help us to follow a narrative.
3. We need to think about the structure of the music when scoring so that the music clearly enhances the visual narrative.

Keywords

• Film score - on original piece of music composed to accompany a film or television programme that contributes to the narrative by adding emotion, tension or drama

• Scoring - creating original music for film or television that enhances the narrative

• Atmosphere - using music to create the emotional mood or tone of the narrative

• Motif - a short recurring musical idea in a film score that represents a place, character, emotion or idea

Common misconception