Dramatic Film Score. Visual & Performing Arts Essay

Dramatic Film Score
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Dramatic Film Score
Films are industrial productions that capture real life. The result of multifaceted technological procedures varies between casually shot movies and multimillion-dollar movies. During the early cinema, there was no amateur filmmaking, and therefore, films were only produced by corporations and institutions.
The Realization of Films
From 1888 to 1971, Max Steiner introduced one sound in the film medium, which caused musical filmmakers to start searching out for composers. However, directors had the perception that any music added to their work would cause distraction or alter the meaning of the song. Steiner indicated that the addition of music into scenes would alter the meaning significantly. For instance, in cases when the wrong music was introduced, the scene would lose its meaning. Therefore, the music scores introduced in dramatic films between 1927 to 1933, had little significance. However, in 1933, the perception that directors had on introducing music scores in dramatic films changed significantly. For example, the “King Kong” film directed by Selznick had hired Max Steiner for the music. The music score introduced in “King Kong’ film changed the normal trend and thus, it was regarded as the first “Dramatic Film Score.” The introduction of music scores in films before the production of King Kong’s film was not always noticed. Conversely, Steiner’s score was different because it accompanied the film symphonically.
Steiner had been given the freedom to do all he could in the production of the film. As a result, Steiner composed a music score that transformed the way scores were written before. Steiner’s score becomes the film’s primary focus in the film scoring because he had followed the film's actions with music meticulously. Moreover, Steiner ensured that he emphasized, accented, and underscored the image and narrative of the film with the music. As a result, the music fitted the film perfectly and told the story on its own.
Music scores and film need to join perfectly as in the case of Steiner because it enables the film’s movement and image to match systematically and rhythmically with the music. Also, it draws people’s focus and attention on the film. An example of Steiner’s systematic matching of the film with music score can be identified in the Skull Island scene, whereby he reinforced the chief’s steps with a descending notes sequence in the tuba. Furthermore, Steiner was credited together with other few composers in inventing better approaches of synchronizing music scores with film using “click Track.” As a result, Steiner was nicknamed “the father of film music, and his synchronization techniques and working methods are still used in the current world. With all his achievements, Steiner also introduced the idea of having a motif or musical theme that accompanies certain situations and characters in a film. The idea had been founded on musical composition in Europe, mainly in large symphonic and opera places. In the film, the motifs and themes were known as Leitmotifs. They were short and represented the chara...