Here at Minnich Music, we know music is a wonderful thing. It can be beautiful, moving, exciting, sad—it can even be healing! But did you know that also music makes the movies? Film score composers, such as Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Howard Shore, and the legendary John Williams, work hard to create music that, truly, makes a movie what it is.
Movies without the Music
Arguably, the music makes the movie. That’s not to say that music is the only part of a movie that makes a difference, but a movie is never the same without its score.
Think about the startling, rousing opening notes to the Star Wars franchise—millions of people around the globe know those first few bars of music. They know the movie, they know the exact point in the movie in which the music is played. More than that, the opening most likely flashes through their minds. For many, the music even elicits a shiver of excitement and drama. And if they don’t know those notes, they most certainly know the “Imperial March”, the theme of the Empire and Darth Vader. And all with just a few first notes!
Music adds another dimension to a scene. Take, for example, the iconic scene at the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Here is the original scene with fanfare scored by John Williams:
Movies without the Music
Arguably, the music makes the movie. That’s not to say that music is the only part of a movie that makes a difference, but a movie is never the same without its score.
Think about the startling, rousing opening notes to the Star Wars franchise—millions of people around the globe know those first few bars of music. They know the movie, they know the exact point in the movie in which the music is played. More than that, the opening most likely flashes through their minds. For many, the music even elicits a shiver of excitement and drama. And if they don’t know those notes, they most certainly know the “Imperial March”, the theme of the Empire and Darth Vader. And all with just a few first notes!
Music adds another dimension to a scene. Take, for example, the iconic scene at the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Here is the original scene with fanfare scored by John Williams:
And here is the scene again without the music (and some sound effects, as you’ll see!):
The scene falls flat—the excitement is gone. Without the music, there is nothing of the pomp and circumstance of the scene with John Williams’ iconic score.
The Genius of Film Score Composers
The best film score composers are incredible at matching their music to the very core of a movie and a scene. They have to be able to complement the tone, the feeling, and the action (or lack thereof). Film scores deepen the emotion of the scene and heighten the drama and action; film scores take you to highs and lows you just wouldn’t feel without the music.
This video shows how very different the tone of a scene can be depending on the score:
The Genius of Film Score Composers
The best film score composers are incredible at matching their music to the very core of a movie and a scene. They have to be able to complement the tone, the feeling, and the action (or lack thereof). Film scores deepen the emotion of the scene and heighten the drama and action; film scores take you to highs and lows you just wouldn’t feel without the music.
This video shows how very different the tone of a scene can be depending on the score:
Music truly is vital to making a movie what it is. From sci-fi to action to romance to historical dramas, there’s nothing like music to set the stage!
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