The Varying Focus of Different Elements in Film Scores

Thinking about scores throughout the history of film scoring, you can observe the shift in styles and, with that, the change in focus concerning what is the key emphasis within a certain style.

In earlier film scores, let’s say from the 1960s, composers like Bernard Herrmann emphasized melody as well as orchestration. For example, repeating motifs associated with specific characters or aspects of a movie.

John Williams' scores are also heavily focused on melody and orchestration. He is probably the one composer where almost anyone can hum or whistle a melody from one of his scores (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, ET, Indiana Jones, etc.).

Now, try to hum or whistle a Hans Zimmer tune. His music often has a lot more to do with evolving ostinatos, steadily growing tension through repeated notes, and stacking lots of musicians to create less conventional and modern uses of the orchestra.

Philip Glass, on the other hand, has a lot to do with varying arpeggiations and the choice of harmonic progressions.

Mica Levi’s “Under The Skin,” on the other hand, at least in my mind, is a strong and incredible score but for different reasons. It’s the crafting of unusual tones by warping things, like recording, slowing sounds down, those eerie sliding pitches in the synths and strings, etc.

Just some food for thought. Of course, it’s very general. There are endless other factors and aspects to the above-mentioned composers’ scores. Thinking about these factors and how they affect the films is interesting to consider when approaching films that I score.