MD4M – WK 3 FILM MUSIC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoYtA6h5Shs
The objective of this task was to create a chase scene piece of music to Batman, starting from when he drives through the glass. I have made my piece 1 minute long, which fits with the events in that part of the movie.
Visually, I wanted to use a wide pitch spectrum to add drama and decided on using contrasting pitches with my piano. I also thought about use of Smalley’s Line, Circle and Square theory to capture the events.
When tracing Elfman’s Bat Theme, I noticed how effective the brass stabs were in adding rhythm and crispness amongst the warmer horns and low strings, so used a high pitched piano to replicate this.
A sequence technique that I applied for this task that I hadn’t done before was step sequencing, except I didn’t prefer to use it in the end. I learnt about the ways in which certain instruments are used in orchestra such as rhythmically, pitch-wise and texture building. For example, pitch-wise, high brass stabs add clarity to the bed of bass and middle.
This task was practice as research because I have considered a well known composers ways of creating music for film and tried to capture it myself. I wanted to particularly look at the way Elfman chose instruments for certain pitches and how he articulated them for each effect, for example the low bass strings were long and drawn out, where there would be an almost snare fill like trumpet section to signal change sharply.
Danny Elfman (1992) Batman Returns (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), US: Warner Bros Records. 9 26972-2. Score.
