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Read the texts and assignments carefully and answer every question.

FILMMUSIC

Music is played in almost every film. The  music usually plays in the background.

Film music has a very important role in a film. The music can enhance the atmosphere of the film and the emotions of the actors.

In order to express an emotion in the music, the composer will have to make certain musical choices that match the emotions.

Research Film music

Film music has several features. Read them carefully:

• Feature 1: The music ensures that a certain tension/atmosphere/emotion is experienced and amplified.
  
• Feature 2: The music follows an action. The music amplifies the movements that can be seen.
  
• Feature 3: The music ensures continuity in the film images. This means that the film is experienced as an ongoing whole. This is an effect that stands out in film trailers: different pieces of film scenes are pasted one after the other and the music is the glue that makes a whole of it.
  
• Feature 4: The music ensures that it is clear in what time and place the movie is set. Certain sounds are added to the music so that you have an idea of where it is set or when is set.
• Feature 5: The music is a character recognition element. Important characters have their own musical theme that is used throughout the film, for example  a theme for the hero and a theme for the bad guy.

How many different soundtracks did you hear in the Truman Show?

1. 12
2. 18
3. 22
4. 28

Listen to the music from a scene in the Truman Show
Argue what feature you hear in this scene.
(See previous sheet)

Listen to the music from a scene in the Truman Show
Argue what feature you hear in this scene.
(See previous sheet)

Listen to the music from a scene in the Truman Show
Argue what feature you hear in this scene.
(See previous sheet)

Listen to the music from a scene in the Truman Show
Argue what feature you hear in this scene.
(See previous sheet)

Studio or live?

In The Truman Show you could see that live music was played during the recordings.  In the silent era of film silent films were commonly accompanied by live musicians in an orchestra, a theatre organ, 

and sometimes sound effects and even commentary spoken 

by the showman or projectionist.

In the sound era of film an orchestra would play the 

soundtracks live in a studio. Watch a live orchestra while  

recording the soundtrack of the Disney movie Frozen. 

Bioscooporgel van Bioscoop Tuschinsky, Amsterdam

Nowadays, the sampler is often used for film music. A sampler is a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal. The recorded digitized sound signals are called 'samples'. With most samplers, you can edit these sounds digitally. You can cut off pieces of them, adjust the volume, flip the sample (so that it can be played backwards), etc.

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that artificially (usually electronically) generates sounds and sounds. Modern synthesizers often use samples. With the current samplers and synthesizers it is possible to make the sound of a guitar, clarinet, a church organ or a concert grand piano sound. Thanks to the high quality of sampling, practically no difference can be heard.

The Dutchman Junkie XL is known for 'A little less conversation': a remix of a song by Elvis Presley. He is now a well-known film composer for major Hollywood Films.

In this video he gives a short masterclass in which you can see how he uses samples from his synthesizer.

Famous soundtracks