Paul Lord.Com - Composer





	All Music Copyright © PauLLord.Com 2006

Site last updated - 26 may 2006

Paul lord is a Film composer and soundtrack composer procucing film score licence free music for film, tv, games music - Music library, Indie film video composer (independant film composer) jingle composer and theme signature tune composer. Working not just as a film composer, music games composer - and jingle composer / tv composer & soundscape composer. A compoer for tv advertising agencies companies - from full scores to jingles, loops to atmospheric sound design and light underscore and licence free music procuctions. A Film composer, short film composer creating all kinds original scores. Various styles from other artists and film composers, obscure and original to mainstreem. New interesting artists like like Sue Wilkinson and Christopher Theofandis and Helen Sheppard through to the folk/pop genres like Paul Simon, Massive Attack and Aphex Twin and Hans Zimmer (The Davinche Code, High Incident). A huge fan of great jazz Labels like bluenote and the great jazz composers Duke Ellington (the Genius), Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter , (blue note) Horace Silver. A Transcriber of film music from old to new films; Early film composers like from the phenominal and pioneering film composer Max Steiner (King Kong, Ann Vickers, The Dawn Patrol). John Wiliiams (Star wars, Jurassic Park, Schinderls list. Bernard Hermann (of Course Alfred Hitchcocks right hand man). Ennio Moricone and his rousing scores he wrote for the the Spaghetti Western Era. Also a student of many different idioms including Modern, Baroque, Classical, Serialism, Atonal, Minimalism genres. www.paullord.com.

Article research: including - The Mask of Zorro, Davinci Code , The Mask , Gershwin, The Man in the Iron Mask , Son of the Mask , Grant green (Blue Note Records) Wynton Marsalis (blue note records) Artists, John Wilkinson Sound (platoon) Steve Reich, Bach, Beethoven, Philip Glass. Prokofiev to name but a few. Bill Brown, the inspirational games composer and his work on games like Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Pauls studio is equipped with a state of the art recording studio and one of the largest up to date sound librarys, professionally enginered for to broadcast quality! Paul's writes under several music houses, and also under his own freelance via paullord.com paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films The practice of synchronizing music with recorded images can be traced as far back as the silent movie era Surprisingly though its original role was not of artistic or creative motive. research The Mask of Zorro
The Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask
Son of the Mask
Grant green (Blue Note Records)
Wynton Marsalis (blue note records)
John Wilkinson Sound (platoon)
In the early days of cinema the auditoriums were very noisy, the noise from the projectors coupled with fidgety people tended to irritate rather than enthuse the audiences pleasure. In the need to drown out this noise a more amorous noise was added to the auditorium, ‘music’. A pianist was employed, his original role being to cover up all these noises and therefore alleviate most of the distractions. The pianist’s role also entailed enhancing the scenes with effects and musical embellishments. The Mask of Zorro
The Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask
Son of the Mask
Grant green (Blue Note Records)
Wynton Marsalis (blue note records)
John Wilkinson Sound (platoon)

Born out of the filmmakers desire to captivate the audiences attention, music’s role was eventually taken a step further. Music was used on the opening titles, often in the form of a full-blown symphonic score, accenting the director, producer and stars by cymbal crashes, staccato chords and other effects. What this did was announce that the film had started and had already achieved greatness, also highlighting the greatness of the director and actors etc. involved in the film.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4filmsThe Mask of Zorro
The Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask
Son of the Mask
Grant green (Blue Note Records)
Wynton Marsalis (blue note records)
John Wilkinson Sound (platoon)

In these early days the pianists composers and conductors had a wealth of existing music at their disposal. All the orchestral and piano works of the past coupled with countless works owned by music publishersThese music publishers recognized a major outlet for business in this new medium of cinema and were quick to make sure they had their share of the rewards. Stockpiles of music were catalogued and pigeonholed to suit every imaginable dramatic sequence or mood.
One of these production companies The Samuel Fox Company amassed an enormous library of music and was considered the storehouse for silent-film music. It was also the forerunner of the present-day canned music library ( Bazelon 1975 pp 13 -34).
Composers also seized their opportunity. Here was a new medium to compose for and the prospect of having their music used on a film was too hard to resist.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

As a result of this commercial attitude both by the publishers and filmmakers it is considered that music was almost stripped of any artistic or creative integrity. With such a mound of labeled/categorized music, standard cliches were concluded and Hollywood seemed to take the attitude of sticking with these tried and tested ‘shallow’ formulas. Traditional repertoire was also labeled and used in the same way. They utilized Asleep in the Deep as the ship went down, the ‘Fate’ theme from Carmen for appropriate circumstances, the ‘Bridal Chorus’ from Lohengrin to seal holy matrimony, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for moonlit nights and calm waters, the William Tell Overture for rainstorms and later for western heroics the list goes on (ref. Bazelon 1975 pp 13 -34).

paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

After the birth of sound and ‘Talkies’ (late1920s) the practice of scoring film music started developing new techniques. One of these new techniques was called Mickeymousing ; this term was derived from early Walt Disney Cartoons. These cartoons were the first efforts at precise synchronization between music and moving images. This method was a very descriptive way of enhancing images and many cliches were formed. Ascending/descending scale patterns were used for upward/downward motions, tremolo strings often discordant for suspense, characters walking - mimicked by slow or fast music often stopping and starting in sync with character, staccato brass to announce danger, low sustained tones for mystery, bassoons became associated with clown type characters.
One of the first composers to incorporate this ‘mickeymousing’ into the film score was Max Steiner. Classic examples of this technique can be found in one of his most popular films ‘King Kong’ – the scene where Kong climbs the empire state building is accompanied by ascending/descending melodic runs in a stepwise fashion.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Another approach was that adopted by the composer Alfred Newman Newman scored the original and classic 'Wuthering Heights'and also Love is a Many-Splendored Thingand .How Green Was My Valley. Newman’s approach was to capture the emotional atmosphere of the whole scene rather than mimic every little movement.

There is a definite contrast between these two techniques and their effect on a scene.
‘Mickeymousing’ actually describes/mimics a sequence often in microscopic detail and almost guides the audience into every new scene/event.
This technique is very descriptive, it highly enhances scenes of action but because it is often so detailed, it seems to leave little to the imagination. Newman's method of capturing the emotional atmosphere of a whole scene is more of a suggestive, almost sublime approach, rather than the often, blatant brashness of the mickeymousing technique.

1.3 From the 1950s to present day

Alongside the more popular clichés of film music there has always been the experimentation of the concert composer. New techniques of the twentieth century like the atonal music of Stravinsky and the twelve tone methods of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg are all there as a reference for the film composer to draw upon. Of course though these techniques are extremely dissonant and unpopular as far as the general movie going public are concerned. So for the film composer to incorporate these new ideas into his scores, he of course had to use them aesthetically, within context of a film. The use of atonal music could ideally be suited to films of a mysterious thematic psychological nature. There are many examples were elements of atonal music have been used for film: Aaron Coplands score for ‘Of Mice and Men’ is distinctly atonal, the string section from the film ‘Psycho’ has many rhythmic and harmonic similarities with Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’. Jerry Goldsmiths rousing score for the sci-fi thriller ‘Planet of the Apes’ and countless other late 50s – 60s horror and sci-fi films also contain atonal elements within their scores.

In the same way that musical techniques and styles have advanced (serialism, atonal music, avant-garde, minimalism, even in rock, pop, jazz etc.) this century, music technology has also advanced ‘enormously’, especially in the last thirty years.
Leo Theremin’s ghostly ‘Theremin’ invented in 1920 was one of the first major electronic innovations, then came the Hammond organ in 1935, this instrument was to be used widely for the next forty years. Early films and sound tracks were monophonic but by 1958 stereophonic sound became common place in the cinema followed by Quadraphonic in the early 1970s. These innovations gave the composer much more scope and clarity to the dynamics of his recordings.
In 1959 one of the first really dynamic synthesizers was invented it was called the RCA synthesizer and was capable of producing four musical tones simultaneously. Pitches, tone colors, vibrato intensities, envelope shapes, and portamento, of the four tones were encoded in binary form on a perforated paper roll. The perforations, which the composer made with a special typewriter-like keyboard, he specified the sounds' properties for every1/30 second, thus enabling the composer to produce musical changes faster and more precisely than traditional musicians are capable of playing.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Since 1959 technology has evolved rapidly leaving today’s composer with a wealth of gadgets, sounds and compositional aids at his disposal. Almost any sound can now be produced/reproduced with the aid of a sampler. With the aid of computer software and MIDI applications, the composer can now write and store all his work onto a computer, the computer will even score out his work onto manuscript. Within one composition he can utilize samplers sound modules and synthesizers all operating simultaneously to create any imaginable/unimaginable ensemble of timbres. The computer can now also handle the recording of audio sounds and simultaneously play them back with midi applications. On screen midi and audio mixers and even effects racks are all there inside the computer to manipulate and enhance his work at the touch of a computers mouse button.
There are also software applications called ‘Wave Editors’ that can design ‘original’ and new sounds. As if this wasn’t enough the composer can synchronize the computer with video and compose his music directly with the film or project he’s working on, in the comfort of his own studio. Technology has massively influenced and to a large extent changed the sound of both popular and film music. One film sequel which is traditionally associated with technology is the ‘Bond'films. Inherent in these films is a close link with the popular idiom; modern instruments gelled with the traditional orchestra. While always retaining the main theme tune we can see how modern technology has contributed in parallel sequence with the ‘Bond’ films. The 60s films saw the use of the electric guitar coupled with orchestral and early synthesizer instruments. This gradually evolved into the instrumentation used on the last bond film ‘Goldeneye’ (1995). Composer ‘David Arnold’ in partnership with 90's dance innovators ‘The Propellerheads’ utilized the sampler for heavily edited drum loops and effect sounds and various Roland and other analogue/digital type synthesizers, all synchronized together by the computer. The music for the ‘Bond’ films has always retained elements of the ‘famous’ original sound track; technology has been used to simply bring the sound up to date utilizing the latest sounds, often from the popular idiom.

paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Right from the early stages and to a certain extent today, the composer’s role in films was considered secondary, the ego almost of the director, producer and actor is of primary importance, after all - movies are a visual art. But if we were to strip all films of their musical enhancement and soundtrack the sensation is far weaker. The Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s are a good example of this. In the films ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ and ‘The Good, Bad and the Ugly’ dialogue is extremely thin with lots of silence. Composer Ennio Morricone fills all the gaps with rousing psychological connotations and background music, the music is very prominent and strong, almost stronger than the actual films.

It seemed for many years that the filmmakers had total control over the film score forcing the composer to work within narrow artistic boundaries and to use the common cliches - almost starving the composer of his natural creativity. These insecurities on the part of the director are possibly related with a deep fear of the music shining brighter than his film. To illustrate this point further one can look at the relationship between the great director Alfred Hitchcock and Composer Bernard Herrmann.
Firstly though, just by mentioning the two names together a certain scene from a certain film usually comes to mind – the shower scene from the 1960 film Psycho , and this is a prime example of music almost overpowering the film.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Another interesting point here is the fact that Hitchcock didn’t want any music for this scene almost furthering a common conception within the film composer fraternity that many directors have little understanding of music and its effectiveness. In the documentary ‘The Film Music Of Bernard Herrmann , Herman describes Hitchcock s intentions and his reaction on hearing the music he’d composed for the scene –
“ The shower scene had been a sequence of much discussion,’Hitchcock’ did not want music for it and I said, well leave it to me and go away on a holiday – and he came back and we showed him the film with music and he said of course we’ll use that and I said ‘Hitch’ you said absolutely no music, and he said, well………’improper suggestion’ (ref. to documentary).

Hitchcock and Herrmann had a working relationship for eleven years and spanned eight films, the relationship ended bitterly during post-production of the 1966 film Torn Curtain. At this point in Hitchcocks career he was allegedly under pressure from the Universal Film Company, calling on him not to use that old fashioned kind of score and that what he needed was something ‘with it’ and now (ref. to documentary)
Hitchcock walked onto the stage where Herrmann was conducting his ensembles performance of the score and hailed “What is this? What kind of music is this? This is not what I want” (ref. to documentary). Hitchcock sacked Herrmann on the spot after eleven years of loyalty. What’s interesting however are the remarks of composer David Raksin whom had heard the tapes and said, “I’m sure it was brilliant because I had heard the tapes and also I heard from the musicians in the orchestra who were playing, that when he finished with the main title they actually cheered, you know and they’re pretty Blase ”.
The writer and musician Christopher Palmer stated also in the documentary that from his experience of working in films and with directors that “there might have also been a sense in which Hitchcock was beginning to resent the enormity of the contribution that Herrmann was making to his films”.
What gives these arguments further validity is on seeing one of the highlights of the film – a brutal killing sequence that lasts for ten minutes. In the released version of the film there is not a note of music in the sequence. Herrmann originally scored this section and both versions are now available to hear, the difference is astounding (ref. to documentary). Without music, it just doesn't work - very little emotion/tension in scene, however on hearing Herrmann’s scored version, many emotions pertaining to the killer and nature of the scene are evoked – and again the music is very strong, almost overpowering.
Whatever Hitchcock’s motives for sacking Herrmann, the facts speak for themselves and the bottom line is - it is the directors film and the composer like the actor is merely a hired hand. So it seems the composer has to be gracious of the director’s opinion at all times and somehow has to balance this with his own conceptions of his craft.

Before a composer can get down to composing and orchestrating the film score he firstly needs to gather as much information about the project as possible. The way in which he gains this information is achieved through the following processes.

Meeting the director, script analysis
Spotting the film
Conceptualizing
Working out timings/synchronization

One of the first meetings usually takes place with the director. This is where the first composition ideas are formed. The meeting is usually in the form of some kind of screening were the composer is shown by the director either, short ‘rough cuts’ of the film or possibly the whole production, which may or may not include dialogue and effects. The director’s aim at this stage is to convey his vision on how the music should reflect the aesthetics and central idea of the film as he sees it. Composer and university lecturer ‘Braham Hughes’ described to me how on his first film assignment the director simply showed him about five takes of the film and basically said, ‘This is where I want the music’. The two-way conversation between the director and composer is extremely important especially at this early stage. Getting the directors views on what kind of music he wants for his film can save time and also lessen the risk of the score being dropped.
The director oversees all the creative inputs of his film including the acting, music, sound effects, dialogue and editing. In effect all the creative contributors are simply representatives fulfilling the directors vision. So the film composer must converse in length with the director and realize his vision.

On seeing the finished edit is where the composer can formulate more substantial ideas and get a better feel of the film. Composer, Braham Hughes’s method at this stage is to write down his initial ideas in the form of a graphical score (ref. appendix Braham Hughes interview). This is quite important as the composer is getting his own ideas down under the director’s influence and his feelings must be respected at all costs. This process is called spotting the film. Spotting the film often takes place in a small room using a KEM flatbed film editor. This device handles all the necessary stops and replays of the film enabling the filmmakers and composer to pinpoint exactly where music is required.
There are three important decisions to be made during the spotting process:

Which scenes require music
Where the music will start and finish
What kind of music does the film require

In order to evaluate what the director wants the composer has to ask questions.
The director might say, “I’d like the music to be in the rock idiom, something like the band ‘Queen’”. Immediately the composer could ask “on the lines of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or maybe something more like the anthem,’We Will Rock You’”.
He may say, “ I’d like something Jazzy here” the director’s conception of jazz might be a Frank Sinatra tune. The composer could play him examples of other forms of jazz like,
Duke Ellington or Miles Davis maybe even some modern Acid Jazz. The composer has to inquire into the director’s conceptions of musical style as he more than likely isn’t a musician. However in many cases directors know there music and often have a clear idea of what music they want composed.
Deciding which scenes need music requires the understanding of how music actually works in films. Music can have several different functions in film. As well as references to other well known films I have analyzed two highly acclaimed films in particular to illustrate these functions, a) ‘Psycho’, (1960 directed by Alfred Hitchcock, music by Bernard Herrmann) and b) ‘Schindlers List’, (1993 directed by Steven Spielberg, music by John Williams).

One of music’s functions in film is ‘Characterizing’. This is where the personality of a character is portrayed/enhanced by a musical theme or mood. One can portay by music the development of the character throughout the film. The composer can decide beforehand to give each character a different association. In the film ‘Superman’, his character is repetitively accompanied by heroic uplifting music. In the film ‘Psycho’, the ill-fated character ‘Marion Crane’ played by Janet Leigh is almost immediately portrayed with soft strings in a minor tonality. This links her character with a sad almost sympathetic emotion. Later on in this film when the murderous character ‘Norman Bates’ is introduced, the music changes to a somewhat more dissonant and dark color. The effect of this dissonance immediately lets the audience know (Consciously/subconsciously) there is something a little strange about this character. This technique can be found in many other films, another good example of this is in the film ‘The Good, Bad and the ugly’. Each of these three characters throughout the film are portrayed with appropriate musical color related with their personalities.

The next function of music is where two scenes are made to flow nicely into each other by the addition of music. This technique is used many times in the film ‘Psycho’ and as well as adding cohesion it almost manipulates the audiences emotion and prepares them for the next scene. This kind of idea could be compared musically with the cadence, the ending of one idea and start of another or the bringing of something to a head and then resolving it, or even the statement of an unresolved-imperfect cadence. In ‘psycho’ there are no obvious uses of tradition cadences because of the atonal nature of the music, however; the music simply calms and fades softly into each different scene. paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Music can also be used for providing a rhythmic pulse, in effect driving the action forward. In the futuristic film ‘Terminator’, a lot of the action sequences are accompanied by upbeat music with much more emphasis on rhythm and also modern instrumentation (Synthesizers, Drum Machines and samplers). The modern instrumentation here is an obviously link with the futuristic setting of the film. In the film ‘Psycho’, there is a scene where Janet Leigh is driving down the highway to the motel where she eventually gets murdered. The music here though atonal is much more pulsating and strong rhythmically.
The music in this scene is functioning in two ways; the strong pulsating rhythms are driving the action forward while the dissonance in the tonality evokes images of something bad about to happen. When she reaches the motel the music calms almost stating that this is the place where something bad is going to happen. Its interesting to watch this scene with the sound turned off; you can then appreciate just how manipulative the music is. In the documentary ‘The Film Music Of Bernard Herrmann’, film editor ‘Paul Hirsch’ described this same scene by saying, “The material was so simple … and yet the scene was absolutely gripping… and I reached over and I turned off the sound on the television set and I realized that the extreme emotional duress I was experiencing was due almost entirely to the music”.
This rhythmic manipulation can also be found accompanying many car-chases, airplane action sequences and many other situations related with action and movement. paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Music can also be used to capture/enhance the dramatics of a scene.
In the film ‘Schindlers List’, there is a scene where Jewish internees are being loaded onto train carriages ready for transportation to the gas chambers. As the train pulls away the next camera shot shows German soldiers sorting out their confiscated luggage into different piles. Clothes and family photographs on one pile (ready for burning) and jewelry and valuables on another pile (ready for selling). At this point the music cuts in, reflecting the whole nature of such an immoral event. Softly stated strings with piercing melodic motifs of a minor tonality almost provoke the viewer into a complete emotional breakdown. This also demonstrates the sheer power that music can give to a film.

Another technique is where the actual emotions of a character are portrayed. To some extent this can be quite similar to capturing the dramatics of a scene. As previously referenced to in chapter 1, the shower scene from the film ‘Psycho’ is a very good example of this. Accompanied by shrieking discordant strings, the music in this scene is reflective of three different things, the dramatics of the scene, the terror of the victim and also the mimicry of the stabbing. It without doubt fits the scene perfectly, possibly because the music relates aesthetically to more than one aspect of the scene.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

An equally important decision in film scoring is where not to use music. This decision is obviously finalized by the director but the composer of course does have his opinion.
In the film ‘Schindlers List’ there are many harrowing murderous scenes where Jewish people are shot in cold blood that have not a note of music. Why is this?
The answer is realism. There are certain situations when the director wants absolute realism. Music, however evocative, can detract from the realism, i.e. in real life when someone gets shot; there are no violins in the background. Taking into account this film is a depiction of a true-life story; an air of reality is justified with minimal use of music. Most of the music in this film is at a much lower level than dialogue and in effect almost creeps into the viewer’s consciousness in a sublime manner.
There are obviously many more similar uses of music in films; this is simply a list of some of the most important, with references to some highly acclaimed film scores.

2.4 Conceptualizing

The concept of the film score can be the central idea by which all cues and soundtrack are built. It is what gives the whole score strength and unity. The concept of the music is usually something that is linked closely with the dramatic theme, or central characters of the film. The concept could be in the form of instrumentation, sound, color or style.
Only when the composer understands the characters and script can he formulate the concept.

Composer Mike Post who wrote the music for the hit TV series ‘The Rockford Files’ used the following method to formulate the music’s concept.
Firstly he analyzed the central character’s (Jim Rockford and his father) personalities, their regional backgrounds and accents. He then analyzed the central characters motivations, laid back and simple (ref. Karlin/Wright 1990 pp. 82). From the conclusions of his analysis, the next step he took was to represent these qualities musically.
The sound track is very laid back, an obviously link here with central characters personality and motivations (rather simple and definitely not heroic).
The style of the music and the instrumentation are also linked with their characteristics. The use of Dobro guitar and harmonicas share a close affinity with west coast America, and are also linked with their backgrounds and accents. Though possibly not a musical masterpiece, it is fair to say that the music really does fit the series well. This has to be because of the music’s close relationship with the personal characteristics of the central characters.

Other musical concepts can be born out of a simple musical signal or motif.
Possibly the most famous example of this can be found in Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Close Encounters of the Third ind’ The alien message motif that recurs throughout the film is simply five notes. This was initially Spielberg’s idea. Composer John Williams composed about 350 five-note combinations. Then through several meetings with Spielberg they chose the one that would have the most haunting effect. This motif contains wide intervals like the perfect fifth and octave. There is a lot of space between these intervals and aesthetically and possibly unconsciously this motif worked well because of this relationship- i.e. widely spaced intervals can possibly enhance a film set in a widely spaced area and of course, the film is set in space. Williams however states that, “There was no real scientific reason other than it’s very simple; the intervals are clear and it ends on the fifth degree of the scale rather than the first so it’s like ending a sentence on the word ‘But’” (ref. Lacey 1998 pp. 4).

This is quite a different method of conceptualizing. Spielberg’s initial idea to have a five note musical signal that could relate to the aliens obviously turned out to be a good idea; the motif remains in all our memories. However, the motif was composed and then chosen simply by trial and error.
This is quite interesting because as previously mentioned; scientifically the motif possibly does bare some relationship with the theme of the film. However, Williams says he made no conscious effort to think in these terms. It could be a possibility that “the influence of the visuals and composing with the film in mind simply unconsciously conjured up original ideas that related to the film”.
Its comforting to learn though that a great film composer doesn’t always think in terms of clichés or scientifically; he can compose by trial and error or just simply on inspiration.
However, knowing the clichés and scientifics are important as you cannot always rely upon inspiration and a simple cliché could also spark off some inspiration. paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

With a good understanding of the musical concept and basic ideas of what music the project requires, the next step before the actual composing is to work out the timings.
The composer here wants to spot the small details of each scene for musical dynamics, pauses, crescendos, accents etc. To do this the composer has to have some numeric representation of the films length - rather like the concept of a tape counter on a cassette player. Nowadays this representation is in the form of a Sync-Box and a computer.
The sync box enables film and a music sequencer to be synchronized together. Depending on the music software this gives the composer several numeric formats, often beats per minute seconds and SMPTE. Computer software can usually handle the various frame rates that motion films run at, the standard format being 24 frames per second.
The older method was to punch holes in the optical track every 24 frames, thus producing a click every second. The evolution of computers and software makes this process of synchronization much easier and more accurate.
paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Possibly the most important skills needed for a composer in whatever medium are both compositional and orchestration skills. In the area of film composition in particular, the composer usually has relatively little time to finish the score. This is because the music along with the effects, dialogue and other post-production, is one of the final additions to the film. The filmmaker’s place deadlines for all post-production leaving the composer with the added pressure of meeting the deadline (ref. appendix Braham Hughes interview). Under these circumstances it is most desirable that the composer has a high level of compositional and orchestration skill. If the composer is slow in developing musical ideas and has little knowledge of musical forms, harmony and counterpoint techniques, he is without doubt restricted musically. This is not to say however that a film composer has to know everything about music, but the more skilled the composer, the more desired he will become within the industry. Composer John Williams has become of the most highly respected and desired composers within the film industry, possibly due to the depth of his knowledge. Williams’s served a good and long apprenticeship for his art, working with the Columbia Pictures Orchestra’ and other Hollywood studios for more than three years, and also studied at the renowned ‘Julliard School of music’ (ref. Lacey 1998 pp. 2). His orchestration skills are quite vast, as well as all his film scores he has written symphonies and concerti for flute, bassoon, violin and cello and voices (ref. Lacey 1998 pp. 5). Other musical skills are also highlighted in the study ‘Professional Integration for Composers’. These include; studio engineering skills (particularly useful for promotional purposes), performance skills (understanding the nature of performance), keyboard skills, aural skills, conducting and also improvisation skills. paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

It's surprising to learn how music’s original role in films was not of artistic or creative motive. It seems to have taken a long time (possibly because of this) for the film composer to earn some kind of legitimate artistic merit for his creative role within the film industry. It has to be said that this is probably due to the mastery of composers like John Williams and Bernard Herrmann. The quality and originality of some of John Williams’s work shines as bright as the classic films they were written for (namely. Schindlers List, Close Encounters of the third kind, Jaws, J.F.K, Star Wars etc. etc.). His music also stands perfectly well on it’s own, separate to the films. The soundtrack to the film ‘Star Wars’, for instance, has sold over four million copies - more than any other non-pop album in recording history (ref. Lacey 1998 pp. 1).

Through the experience of composers like Bernard Hermmann and his relationship with director Alfred Hitchcock, it is important for the media composer to understand his role in relation to the film’s director/producer. The director oversees all the creative inputs of his film, if his role is threatened by a composer’s, overpowering theatrics (as was possibly the case with Hermann/Hitchcock – ref.chapter 1), then the composer will soon find out whose role in film is the most important. It seems the composers best strategy is to simply ensure a good, respective relationship with the director, taking into account his vision and finally, realizing his vision to the best of the composers ability.

The musical skills that are required to become a good media composer, in a sense, are quite subjective; no two composers are the same, all have different musical backgrounds. The fact that simple pop music can also work well in a film may also suggest you can get away with just basic musical skills. However, the obvious skills such as: Composition - orchestration skills, and a good knowledge of other idioms are extremely beneficial. The more versatility and skill the composer has; will obviously augment the variety of work he will be able to seek. The more skills he has, the more desirable he will be to film companies. In order to get to the stage of meeting with filmmakers he must however, be aware of some of the non-musical skills. He has to be a good communicator. He must of course impress people with his musical skills, but if he has no intellectual skills, how will he persuade a director or an agent to take im on board? How will he solve technical detail? A good sense of dramatics is particularly beneficial too, after all; films are a dramatic art.
The composer also needs some good basic business skills and possibly a good accountant to deal with his self-employed status. Institutions like the Musicians Union, offer legal advice and also provide solicitors should the need arise. Considering the somewhat, volatile nature of the music and film industry as a whole, some kind of legal and financial assistance has to be seriously considered.

The survey of popular music students from three universities, showed that many of them planned to seek a career in composition after completing their studies (ref. Chapter 4. Figure 4.3). The role of our universities is to provide these students with a good musical education. Students wishing to ‘Major’ in a particular aspect of music should expect to receive the highest possible standard of tuition for his chosen module.
The results of the survey however, indicate in some areas this is possibly not the case. There seems to be little integration of the arts within the universities. Indicating that student composers are missing out on opportunities to work on media productions, theatre, plays etc.
As a result students are possibly not developing other aspects of composition skills. Such as, understanding how to enhance images or create moods for an actual medium, using musical ideas and techniques. Developing good communication skills through working with student directors and producers on actual projects. This survey only briefly looked at the structure and content of popular music courses. Further investigation on part of the universities could be beneficial and possibly further conclude that, more integration of all the arts departments is needed.paul lord composer music for video game music Adverts london nottingham derbyshire scotland UK england india california soundtrack composer library music production sound design music orchestral composer royalty free music licence free music music for films short films independant film cinematic soundtrack composition trailer music film tv ducumentaries music for website games composer film composer composer film tv bbc itv chanel 4 director producer audio design sound design multimedia paul lord game composer music for game composer for film short paul lord is a film british film composer like bill brown of style of john williams, Steven Gutheinz, Fariborz Lachini, media composer, orchestral movie composer film festival award winning composer music 4 films music4films

Bazelon. I. ‘Knowing the Score’, Van Nostrand Reinhold company (1975)
Karlin. F and Wright. R, ‘On the Track’, Schirmer Books(1990)
The BPI Statistical Handbook, The British Phonographic Industry Ltd., (1998)
Professional Integration For Composers by, David Burnard (Royal College of Music) and Christopher Fox (Huddersfield University), Burnard/Fox/PIP 1998
Britannica 97 CD-ROM (Database) (1996) ‘Early Developments in Electronic Instruments’, ‘Post World War 2 Electronic Instruments’.
The Film Music of John Williams (1998) http://www. Musicweb.force9.co.uk.film/ lacejw.htm
Sonoton Recorded Music Library, Fruit Farm House, Foxton, Cambs CB2 6RT.
Arena Films Ltd., 2 Pelham rd, London SW19 1SX.
The Producers, 8 Berners Mews, London, W1P 3DG
Hitchcock. A, ‘Psycho’ Universal (1960)
Spielberg. S, ‘Schindler’s List’ Universal (1993)
The Film Music of Bernard Herrmann (Video Recording) 24th February 1999 Channel 4

unrelated jazz other

The Mask of Zorro
The Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask
Son of the Mask
Grant green (Blue Note Records)
Wynton Marsalis (blue note records)
John Wilkinson Sound (platoon)