The Wonderful World of Film Scores

We all have that favorite movie we never get tired of watching because of the plot, one or more favorite actors or the emotional thrill derived from watching the movie. Movie producers put so much work to ensure that each production is a masterpiece and earns an accolade in the hearts of the viewers.

Asides the character personification of the actor, the lines or dialogue delivery and the movie plot, there's a key element of every movie production which stirs the viewer emotions to the various scenes which make up the movie and that is the Score

Most movie beginning credits do not include the motion picture soundtrack producer and it's so sad that most movie viewers hardly go through the movie closing credits to note the names of the composers, producers and those who make up the soundtrack team of the movie hence, asides notable composers that are nominated at awards for their work, a large number of movie soundtracks producers are unappreciated.

Movie Scores form parts the main movie soundtrack. Sound has a way of altering the human mood and this phenomenon movie directors employ to keep their audience glued to the screens. This is basically because while watching a movie, the viewer goes through series of emotional transitions which include; Suspense, Fear, Apprehension, Elation, Sorrow, Joy, Thrill among others. This emotional transition is appreciable when experienced on a large scale such as when watching at movie theatres.

Film Scores rarely have lyrics except if they are sung by choir or soloists as par of a cue. Scores accommodate every genre of music, and the choice of music style depends on the plot and set of the movie.

Consider Ridley Scott's movie Gladiator
and try imagining the Maximus death scene without the eerie background tune as he drifts between consciousness and his state of delirium.

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The scene without the tune wouldn't deliver as much impact on the viewers.

Scoring a movie is an arduous task because it takes as much effort as the main production itself. The success of the score depends on the composers ability to interprete the scenes and creatively mix sounds to depict the emotions the scene would impact on the audience..

Often times, movies have different themes for characters, places, events or objects. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, employs unique themes for places and events such that a listener can identify the entire story line without watching the movie.

Processes involved in film score production include:

1. Spotting
2. Syncing
3. Writing
4. Ochestration
5. Recording

Notable film score composers and the movies they scored include the following:

Ennio Morricone
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This music maestro has composed over 500 scores for movies and television which include about 70 award winning movies. His most popular theme tune is for the movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

John Williams
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With a career spanning more than 60 years, John Williams is best remembered for the Star Wars movie.

Alan Silvestri
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With over 100 scores, Alan Silvestri has distinguished himself in many genres from sci Fi likeThe Avengers series to thrillers like Van Helsing. He has several Academy and Grammy award nominations.

Howard Shore
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Howard Shore has over 80 movie scores and has won 3 academy awards for best original score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

James Horner
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His score for the movie Titanic is the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time.

Hans Zimmer
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Also called the grand Master of all emotions, with multiple awards across several genres. Currently the head of the film music division at DreamWorks Studios, he has composed music for more than 150 movies including animations like The Lion King, Adventure Pirates of the Caribbean and Epics like Gladiator

Ramin Djawadi
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Ramin Djawadi has produced over 150 sound tracks and is popularly known for his work on the HBO series Game of Thrones

There are countless other great composers who ensure that our movie time are filed with so much emotion. Next time you watch a movie appreciate the movie soundtrack producers as well.