In 1949, there was a famous western film called "The Red Pony" directed by Lewis Milestone. During the preview, viewers said the acting was great and the direction was great. However, there was a problem. The audience was laughing! For a film based on the suffering of ponies, there was no reason to laugh. So why was the audience laughing? It turned out that the music played along with the film made them laugh. So what did they do? They approached Aaron Copland, commonly referred to as the “Dean of American composers” and one of the greatest film musicians, to ask if he could rewrite the film's accompaniment. The effect was noticeable, as at the release of the film the audience did not laugh, but focused on the deeply moving story, reminiscent of the legendary old west. So how was Aaron Copland able to change the reaction of an entire audience, simply by changing the music that accompanied the film? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Music theory is a set of laws and rules based on music. This set of laws can be implemented in many different ways. It is a rudimentary basis on which combinations of notation, tonality, tempo and rhythmic notation are based. When used correctly, composers can create the most wonderful and profound works of art that can influence how we humans can perceive our surroundings when we listen to music. This is why the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Chopin are still famous today, despite being centuries old. When music theory is applied to film, it greatly amplifies the emotional output of certain scenes, characters, or locations within the film. This is why films like “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” and even Disney films have such an iconic look. Some songs and locations in these films were distinguishable by the emotions felt while watching them. But how do composers like John Williams and even foreign film composers like Yojiro Noda use music theory to create unique songs and pieces? First, I'll delve into writing music. These will be the techniques used, such as leitmotifs and the use of the major triad. Next I will talk about the first composer I chose to analyze, John Williams. I will talk about various things, such as his history in composing music for famous films and the common techniques he uses in writing music. I will then analyze his piece “Welcome to Jurassic Park” from the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. I will break it down and point out key details that impact the piece and audience reactions. Next I will introduce Yojiro Noda, the lead singer of the J-rock band Radwimps. Since he and John Williams make different types of music, I will also have to describe his artistic style and musical background. Next I will present his piece of music, a song called "Sparkle" from the movie "Kimi No Na Wa", a Japanese animated film. Musical Techniques When writing film music, composers often use harmonic devices to develop the "identity" of the pieces. Harmonic devices are intervals and notes that are played along with the melody to create a harmony. Basically, when two notes of different pitches are played together, this is the result. There are several types of harmonic devices used to create harmonies, and each has the power to enrich the sound of music and give it tonality, the musical word for emotion. But first we need to understand what the notes are and what the different scales are. In music theory, notes can be named with leletters of the alphabet AG. When put together they create scales that go from the lowest to the highest pitch. There are different types of scales that order these notes differently. Flats and sharps can be added to these notes to create expression. A sharp can raise a note while a flat can lower it. These note combinations can be used to create different types of harmonies that convey different emotions. When harmonies are created using only the notes in which the song is written in the key, it is called diatonic harmony. If a piece of music is in the B major scale, all the notes will belong to that scale (B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, and A♯). The opposite of this is called chromatic harmony. Notes are also taken from scales that are not used in music. Chromatic harmonies usually add color to music, hence the name chromatic. When used, it tends to amplify the emotional delivery of the music. Harmonies can be consonant or dissonant. What classifies them as Consonant or Dissonant is the interval in which the notes are played. For example, the interval of a perfect fifth is classified as consonant, while an interval of an augmented fourth may be classified as dissonant. A consonant harmony usually sounds stable and balanced, with its notes working together perfectly. However, dissonant harmony can be used to create tension and suspense, due to its unpleasant nature. Dissonant harmonies are often found in jazz and similar music, while consonant harmonies can be found in classical music, such as Shostakovich's Fugue in A major. With all these different types of harmonies, composers have a tool in which tonality and emotion can be expressed through music. However, there is also another tool that composers make use of: musical phrasing. Since music can be an expression of emotions, it must be divided into “phrases” and “phrases”. Just like in physical speech, it's best to follow one idea and take a break before continuing another. In music, this is called “phrasing.” It is used to show how groups of musical notes are played. These musical thoughts can usually be 4 measures long and end with a cadence. These cadences serve as musical punctuation of the phrases. They are made up of two final chords and can be strong or weak. There are 4 types of cadences. The first is the perfect cadence. This cadence is mainly used to end the music. This is structured by a movement from the 5th chord of the scale you are playing in, to the 1st. An example of this would be if you were playing in the F major scale, it would be the C major chord to the F major chord. Perfect cadences are commonly used in orchestral music, where it would be a repetition of the chords of the perfect cadence before ending with a grand conclusion. Next is the plagal cadence. How the perfect cadence is used to end a musical phrase. However, instead of moving from chord 5 to chord 1, it moves from chord 4 to chord 1. This in turn creates a smoother transition, with a softer conclusion than the perfect cadence. This cadence is also known as the "amen cadence" because of its common use in church hymns. Next is the imperfect cadence. If the perfect and plagal cadence are periods, then the imperfect cadence is a comma. While the first two conclude a musical phrase, the imperfect cadence does not quite conclude the phrase, letting the listener know that there is still more music. This is caused by moving from any chord on the scale you are playing in to chord 5. If someone were to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", but not play the last chord, it would bean imperfect cadence. Finally, the last cadence is the broken cadence. This chord moves from chord 5 to chord 6 and serves to surprise the audience when they are expecting a perfect cadence. Since the perfect cadence is the only cadence that starts at chord 5, they expect the chord to be the first. However, playing the sixth chord adds an unexpected dimension of color and tone to the music. The unique aspect of the interrupted cadence is that it can be played in two different keys. It can be played in a major key where you start at chord 5, a major chord, up to chord 6, a minor chord. It can also be played from chord 5, always major, to chord 6, but this time chord 6 will be a major chord. Changing the key signature on the broken cadence can have quite dramatic effects in several ways. Tonality and harmony are the best tools a composer can use when expressing emotions through music. When used correctly, music can express a wide variety of emotions and stories. John Williams John Williams is an accomplished pianist, conductor and film composer who has composed many famous repertoire for films such as the Star Wars films, Indiana Jones Films, Jaws and many others. In cinema, it has become impossible for scenes to have an emotional effect without the right music to accompany them. Williams is an expert at manipulating the texture and tonality of his pieces to suit every single mood or gesture that might be expressed by an actor or setting. In an interview at the Oscars event on July 21, 2014, John Williams was asked to share his thoughts on the idea of ​​"movies being able to connect to the humanity of characters." To which he replied: "It's magic, and it's not a bad idea to quote the words of Alfred Hitchcock, which are 'In film, music represents the words that cannot be spoken.' Music unites entire peoples. Music unites entire religions. I don't think any of us fully understand how it works.” Williams' approach to creating music involves a universal understanding of music as a form of language Jurassic Park" When writing the music for this film, Williams wanted to capture the wonder of seeing multiple creatures come to life after being extinct for 65 million years. His scores in this film were full of mystery and overwhelming excitement. It was inspired by award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom. He was in charge of producing the sounds of the dinosaurs. Williams incorporated it into this music, imitating the act by managing the orchestra in a more animated arrangement, with unusual escapes from the standard musical variations, which they created. a shrill, altered effect. This gave Williams a happier tone than he expected. The song "Welcome to Jurassic Park", the theme of the film, focused on two central moods that conflicted with each other: happiness and fear. This leitmotif is the most memorable of all films. It is a passive theme that plays with a delicate and seductive tone that conveys a strong awareness of encountering dinosaurs in the park, such as the dinosaur we meet at the beginning, the long-necked Brachiosaurus. The song is first heard when the main guests of the convoy reach this behemoth of a creature. The string section leads the sequence to express the eternal elegance with delicate highs that meet the divine presentation of what was presented on the screen. This song is built on a simple repetition of 3 notes, from Bb to A, then back to Bb. This is also called neighbor note figure, which creates graceful tones. This song revolves around the first note of the scale it is in, Bb, making it tonic. This gives the piecea feeling of soothing calm, but gets stuck as the song continues to return to Bb. This gives the feeling of being amazed and in awe at the sight of something, as reflected in the scene where our main characters are amazed by the sight of the Brachiosaurus. In terms of melodic scale, the song also moves from note to note in seconds, occasionally jumping into thirds. This creates the feeling that the song is easier to follow, even singable. Rhythmically, the song can be compared to a hymn, as the melodies and harmonies move in tandem, synchronizing in taking notes at exactly the same time. This creates a song that is not contrapuntal, but harmonic, creating a positive and profound feeling, reminiscent of the reactions of our characters. Finally, the harmonies of this piece are built on three chords, all major: I, IV, EV This is where most of the emotional drive of the piece comes from. Some combinations of chord progressions that create the feeling that Yojiro Noda Yojiro Noda is the leader of the J-rock band, Radwimps. When you think of a music composer for a film, you would think that a rock artist would be the last choice. When asked who his favorite artists and inspirations were, he replied “Radiohead, Bjork, Elliot Smith, The Flaming Lips, Hiromi Uehara, John Frusciante, Ringo Sheena and Chara. I tend to be influenced by female singers. I think it's because it's something I can't be. I also like gender-neutral vocals and music.” This would mean that his music composition style seems heavily influenced by jazz and hip hop. Compared to John Williams, it would seem like two differently contrasting musical styles. While Williams favors slow starts and stops, thematic and sweeping orchestras, Noda prefers the strumming of the electric guitar and the pounding of the drums. Even more, it would be strange for rock music to appear alongside the dramatic love story of a Japanese anime. Its music would be more like action, fast-paced anime with a fast-moving plot with suspense and other themes that you wouldn't find in a drama anime. However, Yojiro Noda had the ability to create a musical style that contrasted with what was happening on screen, and yet make it work. This is shown in great detail in the 2016 anime "Kimi No Na Wa" or "Your Name". The scene might be a scenic train ride through the Japanese countryside, where some might expect an expansive soundtrack, as if to mimic the grandeur of Japan's mountains and vast fields. However, Noda has implemented his own rock musical style, as seen in scenes involving songs such as "Zense Zense Zense" in the film "Your Name" played along with mundane actions such as cutting a tomato or a vending machine spitting out a can of coffee , yet I still felt shivers down my spine, listening to the drum-heavy track and watching at the same time. This is probably due to the fact that during the making of “Your Name,” director Makoto Shinkai and Yojiro Noda worked on both the music and animation at the same time. Whatever the feel of the music was reflected in what was happening on the screen. Sharp cuts to different actions and different people, with an almost frenetic feel accompanied by the drums at the exact same moments the cuts were made. Similar to a music video, Yojiro Noda successfully combined his rock music with the smooth beat of “Kimi No Na Wa.” Except for one song, “Sparkle.” This piece is the most iconic of the song played along with the film. However it is not rock. But it's not even contemporary. This masterpiece has become known as the most diverse work of.