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Film scoring/Creating continuity

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Interesting examples by FIREborn: Fear.ogg ---- Sad.ogg ---- Tired.ogg ---- Surprise.ogg ---- Joy.ogg ---- Fast like the wind.ogg.
This school is:
Narrative film production - Wikiversity Film School and School of Music - Wikiversity Film School
This course is:
Film scoring
The pages in the course is:
Introduction to film scoring
Create the sound of fear from a single note
Create other moods from a single note
Create the sound of joy using a delicate rhythm
Create other moods from delicate rhythms
Quiz: Music which tells a story
Create a mood with a melody
Create a story with a melody
Quiz: The Spy Story - Who is who?
DVD-Video: Scoring your first scene - The Promotion
Create four motifs - Mama, papa, baby, and Goldie
Create continuity with a single motif You are here!
Foreground / Background music - soft vs. loud
Quiz: Watch a short movie - George Lucas In Love
DVD-Video: What is a "Spotting Session"? - Only A Dream
DVD-Video: Write two musical cues for Home Wrecker
More musical theory
Butchering Midi - The starwars theme
DVD-Video: How would you score Green Tea Smoothie ?
DVD-Video: Write a film score for Blindman's Bluff
Write a film score for Seduced by the Dark Side!


Additional info about melodies in movies

Creating continuity with a motif

Applying a motif to a movie.
If you use the same motif throughout the movie, you create continuity.
And if you play the motif in different ways, you create new moods.


Melody creates continuity three ways

Another use of melodies
You can use melodies to create continuity.
1. All the shot of a scene
In a scene, you need some kind of sound which makes people feel that all the images are from the same scene. (Same location, same actors, same subject, same goals, etc.)
An easy way to create continuity for a scene is to have the same background sound (ambient sounds) and the same musical theme throughout the scene. Therefore, playing a short melody, or even a single note, or a simple rhythm during an entire scene gives the scene continuity. But what works best is to use musical themes.
2. Adjacent scenes
Two scenes can be tied together with music. When music from one scene continues into the next scene, it brings the two scenes together.
3. Unrelated scenes
Even though two scenes are not related, the action in one scene can be tied to the action in another scene much later, by playing the same music in both scenes.


Playing the same motiv (melody) in different ways to create different moods.


Your assignment - Part 4 - Continuity

Create continuity and emotion with a single melody.
Pick one (1) of the musical motives from above and play it three (3) ways.
As an example, you can play the Baby Bear's motif as "tired", "sad", and "happy".
2 points each. Keep this very simple. Only three to six seconds long.

(Note: You just take the same 7 notes and play them in different ways using another other musical instrument.)

Use the same motif (melody) but play it differently.


Papa Bear
A seven note musical theme.

Sleepy Bear
The same seven note musical theme.

Angry Bear
The same seven note musical theme.

Hungry Bear
The same seven note musical theme.



or



Baby Bear
A seven note musical theme.

Baby Bear Happy
The same seven note musical theme.

Baby Bear Sad
The same seven note musical theme.

Baby Bear Sleepy
The same seven note musical theme.

Examples of a musical motiv played in different ways to create a mood for the course on film scoring for musicians




  • Orsanct has completed this assignment. July 25, 2007




  • Blueygh2 has completed this assignment. September 6, 2007




  • Joe Mac has completed this assignment. September 24, 2007







Adjusting the velocity

The next page

If you play live instruments, you can do this next exercise. Exercise: Foreground / Background music


Contact your instructor

Your instructor for this course is Robert Elliott. You can send me a quick email by clicking here.





NOTE: To submit assignments
To submit assignments, attach your completed assignments to an email and send it to me at "r_elliott innercite.com".