HMU 495 Special Topics

Scoring for Media


Class Notes 02

Role Models and Temp Tracks
Spotting the Film

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Readings

Role Models and Temp Tracks:  OTT pgs. 21-31

Presentation of Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Music and Interpretive Anchors from Class Notes 01 Homework 1 & 2

  • Role Models and Temp Tracks

The not-so-hidden secret behind many modern film scores is that the credit "original score" has a somewhat dubious meaning.  It is not uncommon for a director or producer to present a film composer with musical ideas.  When these ideas make specific reference to a type of music, that music may be considered a Role Model for a particular scene or, perhaps, the entire film.  Similarly, if a film composer is unsure of a directors intent, a conversation about musical style, genre, and intent can often be greatly facilitated with pre-existing Role Models.

Role models can come from a variety of sources including:
  1. Preexisting media music (Imperial March (Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back: John Williams), Batman TV Series (1960's): Billy May
  2. Preexisting instrumental pieces (Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Dvorak's New World Symphony, Holst's The Planets)
  3. Preexisting songs
  4. Preexisting Genre (Blues, Funk, Classical, Liturgical, Classic Rock)


When a director, producer or music editor places the Role Model music in the working print of the film or in a rough cut of the film as a temporary soundtrack, the ensuing soundtrack or musical cue is known as a Temp Track or Temp cue.

A great challenge to any film composer is to understand the importance of the Role Model and Temp Track to the director.  Directors can tell you they are only mildly attached to a temp track when they really are inseparably in love with every note and how it aligns to the film.  Others will speak of the perfection of their temp music only to realize that there may be a better solution for a given scene.  When faced with temp music, composers must walk a delicate line between plagiaristic rip-offs and sources of inspiration for new music. 

 


Youtube videos run amok with examples of film scores that have obvious similarities to prexisting music.  Often the videos accuse the composer of anything from being "influenced" by a given corollary piece of music to downright plagirising that music.  However, without an understanding of the temp track presented to the composer, such accusations may be pointed at the wrong person.   Consider the following example of one of the most iconic film music themes of our time.  Is it "influenced by" Kings Row or is the creation of the theme more nefarious.  Do we know if the  Kings Row theme was requested by the director?  If so, can we accuse the composer of plagiarism?




    • Case Study: Runaway  Music by Andy Brick

      Synopsis: (a synopsis is very common in the development of a film.  It describes  in a single sentence or two, a brief summary of the most important elements of the story. 

      Runaway Synopsis:  lovely 50's fridge Chillie that has a great friendship with his owner, Stanley. One day a piece of Chillie breaks and Chillie doubts through out the day if it was his time to be replaced, in fear he runs away from home.

    • Read this exchange between composer and director (start at the bottom and read up)
    • Discuss possible Anchors


       Emily Rose Buchanan wrote:
      Hey Andy!

      Thank you for all those links :) To answer your questions, yes, the story is set in modern time, with Chillie being an old, worn fridge. As to the question regarding Chilile's reaction to the magazine, your first response was correct: "oh my god stanley is going to replace me and I'm going to die at the junk yard".

      Overall, I think the feel we are most leaning towards is a balance between the 50s style music and a more modern tone. The link to George Gobel show appealed to all of us to set the opening mood of the film- a more chipper, old-time feel.

      The temporary music we have in the film right now is more of just something we threw together for critique-sake. We are definitely not attached to it in any way.

      As far as cost goes, we were wondering what a good estimate would be?

      Thanks again!
      -Emily, Susan, Esther

       Andy Brick <andy@andybrick.com> wrote:
      Hi Susan, Emily, and Esther

      I took a look at the animatic and very much like the concept and styling you seem to conceiving in the opening color keys.   The animatic and your brief synopsis lead me to a number of questions about how you would like to approach the music and Id love to continue that conversation. 


      Here are a few of my very initial impressions:

      If Chillie is a 1950's fridge, does that mean that the story takes place in the same period.  Is Chillie old and thus breaking?  The reason I ask is that musically, I can personify Chillie, if he is old and falling apart that might call for a different approach than if he is relatively new and just had a bump which caused a piece to break off.  The temp score you have is very reminiscent of late 1950's commercial string ensemble writing.  I think thats a great general direction

      Here are some great themes from that period

      Jack Bennie Music  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el54XaHOqjE
      This is your life  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzNRRoPus14
      Jackie Gleason Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx_CudCLnD8
      Groucho Marx Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VIClGISd0
      the outter limits  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqTfuGasEro
      The buick Berle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsXs2jVC7fM
      Commercial opening to the Perry Como show (1st minute)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PemePvdqUrg
      Private Secretary @ 1:00  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-fTxIC0pXU
      The George Gobel show @ 5:20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-fTxIC0pXU


      The temp score could do more for the story.  Right now the audience is drawn to the handle break when Stanley picks the broken handle off the floor because the music points the audience to that moment as special.  If you wanted it at the actual break some seconds earlier that would also be possible  You could add emotional context that might not be immediately apparent.  For example, Chillies pull off the wall has some tension in the animation.  The music could dictate that tension as being almost any emotion (funny, stressful, scary) that you wish.  when Chillie picks up the newspaper ad, is his reaction "oh my god stanley is going to replace me and Im going to die at the junk yard" or is it more "You must be kidding me, you're not actually thinking of replacing me with THAT" ? I suspect its the first but these kinds of moments can be highlighted and clarified a lot through the score. 

      One thing I will do when we first start is ask a lot of questions to clarify your intent.  I realize that you all have quite some work to do before you get to the finish line but Id be happy to develop a few ideas for you in the coming weeks if that is something you would like.

      For now consider me on board.  Are there any questions you gals might have that I can answer for you?

      Please feel free to write or call as you like.

      Kindly
      Andy

       
      Huen Sin Yung wrote:

      Hi Andy,


      We have our old animatic  I can link you to so you can a general idea of our story. Right now it is being fixed and we are going to fix the animatic

      Here is the link to our animatic: http://vimeo.com/43748090
      Password to the video:paperplanes
      Just a breif synopsis: Our thesis is about a lovely 50's fridge Chillie that has a great friendship with his owner, Stanley. One day a piece of Chillie got broken off and Chillie doubts through out the day if it was his time to be replace, in fear he runs away from home.

      Thanks again!
      Susan



      1)  Director: Original Animatic with Temp Track as Role Model


      Runaway Animatic with Directors Role Model

      Animatic = Animated Storyboard:  A series of still images edited together and displayed in sequence with rough dialogue (i.e., scratch vocals) and/or rough temporary soundtrack (Temp Track) added to the sequence of still images (usually taken from a storyboard) to test whether the sound and images are working effectively together.
      2)  Composer Counters: Role Models of 1950's TV Sitcoms (representation of Epoc)

      Video @ 5:00 George Gobel show music by John Scott Trotter   

      After some discussion with the director, the team decided that the title music of the 1954 George Gobel Show had the "playful and carefree" feel they desired and well represented the desired epoch.

    • Optional: Present 1st part of runaway_presentation 2.0 powerpoint

George Gobel Show: Principal Phrase
    • jpg

      1. Upbeat quarter = 130
      2. Catchy Chromatic Melody
      3. Simple Harmonies employing Chordal 6th
      4. Small Orchestra with Clarinet & Sax


Runaway Final Animation with original score by Andy Brick

  1. Upbeat quarter = 130
  2. Catchy Chromatic Melody
  3. Simple Harmonies employing Chordal 6
  4. Small Orchestra with Clarinet & Sax

Homework #1 (HMU495_02_01)


  Part I:  The director for whom you are scoring is incredibly unsure of what the music should convey in This Scene In order to help the director, download the movie and provide preexisting temp track music  that serves each one of the 3 Interpretative Anchors listed below, attach that temp music back onto the film ensuring that the original sound effects remain intact, upload your final 3 examples with a title card before each scene that includes your name and the interpretative anchor your music suggests .  Make sure the file is in mp4 format. 

Part II:  Choose one of the 3 Interpretative Anchor temp tracks from part 1 and provide a theoretical analysis of the music.  Create a transcription of the music (called a "takedown") in short score format (2-5 staves) and annotate your transcription with your analysis.  Create a pdf of the file

 provide a URL the  files for both Part I and Part II here



Thanks to and Credit for the original film clip FilmScoreAnalysis

1)  Anthropological Anchor:  The scene represents the dramatic ascent of Ireland's iconic mountains.  Music conveys the cultural majesty of Ireland. 

2) Anthropological Anchor:  The scene represents the dramatic spiritual journey through the Kangkar Pünzum overlooking the Bay of Bengal

2)  Representation of an Epoch:  The music takes its cue from the costume and portrays the medieval origins represented in the costume design.

3)  Parallel Empathy:  The ascent of the mountain is symbolic of the  characters endless determination to, after years of searching, be reunited with her love. 

4) Anticipatory Empathy:  Although The ascent of the mountain is symbolic of the  characters endless determination to, after years of searching, be reunited with her love., upon her ascent, she will find herself alone, heartbroken and hopeless.

5) Anempathetic: Despite the audience seeing the protagonists  dream of being a daring adventurer , we are reminded that this young lady is nothing more than a terribly superficial girl who releshes sparkley nailpolish and hello kitty handbags more than the obstacles infront of her


Homework #2 (HMU495_02_02)

Watch the film Lincoln and consider the use of music




Film Score Theory Analysis
Jaws Title Sequence: Although this video seems to point to a somewhat suspect chordal analysis, another, or possibly additional interpretation is that it is a 12 tone presentation with two hexachords the
first hexachord resides within bars 1-16 C#, Eb,Enat,F, F#, G and its compliment appearing through to the end of the cue.



This week's Film Score Theory Analysis Courtesy of FilmScoreAnalysis