The subliminal and explicit roles of functional film music: a study of selected works by Hans Florian Zimmer

Date
2011-11-30
Authors
Ndebele, Vusisizwe N
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Abstract
The aim of this Research Report is to highlight the overt and more subtle roles that contemporary film music plays in the final presentation of a film. An analysis of selected examples by the renowned film music composer, Hans Zimmer, illustrates the techniques and musical tools that he uses to achieve certain effects which influence the way different scenes are perceived by the viewer/listener. Much of the debate revolves around the degree to which the music plays either an obvious or less obvious role in the multi-media modality of film and the techniques that the composer applies to achieve his/her desired dramatic result. I have drawn on the writings of current film music theorists in order to interrogate the interaction between music and some of the other art-forms that coalesce in the creation of the final film product.
Description
M. Mus. (Composition) by Coursework and Research, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011
Keywords
film music, implicit, explicit, film score, music as narrative, Zimmer, multi-modal medium, leit-motif, diegetic music, nondiegetic music, music encoding
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