 |
 "8
Free, 7 Free, 6 Free…." The words move across a still
frame of film for a count of eight. A popping sound is heard
as a vertical bar wipes the screen. Immediately, the 100-piece
orchestra begins to play, the music’s tempo building to
match the chase scene. A minute
later the musicians finish and the room buzzes with excitement
at hearing a live orchestra play the film’s score for the
first time.
Score, the music written specifically for a film, is a vital
part  of
the film-going
experience. Score enhances the film’s story and fills its
pauses with sound. Score can be so subtly tied to the drama
that an audience might feel a swell of emotion without even
noticing the music. Or a film score can be powerful, heightening
the tension in a horror or suspense film. In the early days
of silent films, music was played with the film to drown out
noisy projectors. The fact that music added so much texture
to a film soon became obvious, and it wasn’t long before
every silent movie was accompanied by a live pianist or orchestra.
After sound was added to movies, creating music specifically
for a film became the norm. |
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