Modern Day Films

Modern Day Films: An Overview

  • Modern Day Films often use inventive and unique approaches to music composition and sound design, reflecting the evolving landscape of contemporary cinema.

  • Ground-breaking technology is prevalent in the creation of score and sound effects such as synthesisers, digital samplers, and computer software tools.

  • Often, music in modern films is an eclectic mix of traditional orchestration, electronic styles, and popular genres such as rock, pop, R&B, or hip-hop.

Film Scores in Modern Day Cinema

  • Composers like Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman have pushed the boundaries of traditional film score composition, utilising synthesizers and digital sound manipulation in conjunction with traditional orchestral elements.

  • Non-diegetic music, or background scores, play a big part in setting the mood and atmosphere. This music is not part of the story’s reality and is only heard by the audience.

  • Diegetic music, or source music, is music that is part of the narrative itself and can be heard by the characters in the film.

Using Themes and Motifs in Modern Day Films

  • Themes and motifs are commonly used methods to represent characters, ideas, or emotions. They are recurring musical elements throughout the score.

  • Howard Shore’s Leitmotif technique, famously used in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, assigned specific musical themes to characters, places and even ideas, which recur in different contexts highlighting their evolution throughout the series.

Sound Design in Contemporary Cinema

  • The role of sound design becomes crucial in modern cinema, especially in genres such as sci-fi and fantasy. The creation of unique sounds can transport an audience to entirely new reality.

  • Ben Burtt’s work on the Star Wars franchise is an excellent example where the sound design is as iconic as the music score itself.

Importance of Popular Music in Modern Day Films

  • Directors often use popular music tracks as part of their film’s soundtrack. These could be pre-recorded tracks or specially commissioned pieces.

  • Apart from evoking specific era or culture, it is also a form of product placement and provides additional marketing avenues through soundtrack sales.

Recognising Film Music Styles in Modern Cinema

  • Listening carefully to the music in films and identifying the use of diegetic and non-diegetic music can enhance your understanding of modern film music.

  • It is also beneficial to identify recurring themes or motifs, appreciate sound design and understand the use of popular music in the film context.

  • Develop a keen ear for identifying different music styles and be open to various genres that have made their way into modern film music. It’s a fascinating field that is continuously evolving.