Role of the Composer in Film

Just about every movie one watches has music in it of some sort, whether adopted or as a score. Whether a B-movie or Oscar-winning one, movies typically have music associated with them. And a composer for film plays an integral role in the whole meaning of the film itself. As you may know from my previous articles, dance, drama and music all belong to the performing arts and are thus interrelated. As you can see, movies fall naturally into this category.

Some film makers elect to use existing music and work to fit it into the context of the film. Most, however, choose to commission a composer to create a certain score. This latter is actually a unique art that has a bit more to it and is different than simply composing for one's own self. Here, the art of interpretation is more heavily involved. The film composer has to understand all of the psychological and emotional aspects of the various scenes, plus must be intuitive and be willing to integrate properly with the entire piece so as to be part of the message of the film.

Just like a fine actor who becomes one with his character, the instrumentalist becomes one with the composition. Incidentally, the film composer so becomes one with the movie. In the same way that an actor fully researches his character and his role, a composer fully studies the collection of scenes in order to understand the true feelings of the characters and scenes. This goes beyond simply the obvious emotions involved, but requires a deeper, more insightful understanding.

For example, if the scene involves a child who just lost his parents, it would entail more than grief. There is a complexity of subtle emotions involved, such as anger, hopelessness, fear and uncertainty. A composer must see beyond the superficial and must conceptually get the meaning ofthe film and all of its various nuances. Therefore, he has to be alert, refined in his sensitivity and intuitive overall, all in addition to his essential ability to compose music. In other words, it's more than just choosing a minor (sad) key or a major (happy) key or diminished chords (for disturbed moods) or slow or fast tempos. The composer has to really interpret the entire movie and its intended message and translate this into the language of music so as to contribute to a whole entity as one final work of art that conveys its intended message to its audience. Know more here Composer IN-L

With a scene involving pure action, such as someone riding a horse or chasing a thief, this does not usually require such nuances, as it is more illustrative and not so abstract and subtle.

Incidentally, even nonmusicians can apply this principle to integrating music with certain activities. Examples: When playing music for a baby as a lullaby, one would not play heavy metal, or when incorporating music onto the website of a catering company that specializes in weddings, one would not include Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony No. 6, which has a tragic message, or one would not play the first theme of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, called Eroica, which has a victorious message, in the outgoing message of a funeral home. This may all sound strange, but surprisingly, this gets violated all the time! Try listening for it and spotting it out in society as an experiment and you will most likely see.