CREATING MOODS
Project 5

  • There is limited space and time in a motion picture. You need to be economical with your music, not just for the normal reasons.
  • Half the time when you have a film cue, something else is happening in the movie.
  • Either there is action on the screen or someone is talking, etc.
  • The human brain has a limit to what it can process. The more notes you have, the less processing time for watching the movie.
  • When you write a SONG, you want to keep the audience completely engaged in your music. You want lots of notes and lots of instruments.
  • But this is NOT true in a MOTION PICTURE. Most of the time, you want to create a mood without the audience having to think about it.
How Music Can Change A Film

Tension and Relaxation
 Musical Elements that produce tension
1. Repetition – of almost anything
2. Jagged Articulations
3. Dramatic Devices
4. Increased Volume
5. Wide Intervals – especially ascending
6. Non- Chord Tones
7. Dissonant Harmony
8. Ascending Lines
9. Extreme Register of Instruments
10. Alternating Directions
11. Emphasis on Passing Tones
Musical Elements that produce Relaxation
1. Decreased volume
2. Notes of longer duration
3. Smoothness in articulation
4. Silence
5. Descending lines
6. Rest or Space
7. Emphasis on chord tones 8. Consonant Harmony ​
Hulk Ending Theme - SAD
Click above for YouTube videos on instruments and how they can be used to create moods
ASSIGNMENT 1
"Create a theme that evokes FEAR"
  1. Create an audio file that evokes FEAR
  2. One File using at least 4 separate tracks
  3. Each example must be 20 seconds in length.
  4. Use a different sound (instrument) for each track
  5. Use volume and pan changes for each track
  6. Be creative and think about layering.  Not all tracks need to be playing at the same time. 
  7. ​Save as:  "Project 5, Fear, LAST NAME"
ASSIGNMENT 2
"Create a theme that evokes SADNESS"
  1. Create an audio file that evokes SADNESS.
  2. One File using at least 4 separate tracks
  3. Each example must be 20 seconds in length.
  4. Use a different sound (instrument) for each example
  5. Use volume and pan changes for each track
  6. Be creative and think about layering.  Not all tracks need to be playing at the same time. ​
  7. ​Save as:  "Project 5, Sad, LAST NAME"
ASSIGNMENT 3
"Create a theme that evokes HAPPINESS"
  1. Create an audio file that evokes HAPPINESS.
  2. One File using at least 4 separate tracks
  3. Each example must be 20 seconds in length.
  4. Use a different sound (instrument) for each example
  5. Use volume and pan changes for each track
  6. Be creative and think about layering.  Not all tracks need to be playing at the same time. ​
  7. ​Save as:  "Project 5, Happy, LAST NAME"
ASSIGNMENT 4 - FINAL
"Create Fear, Sadness, and Happiness as one music file, using several music tracks"
  1. Create ONE music file, using several tracks to create a ONE MINUTE piece that demonstrates FEAR >  SADNESS  >  HAPPINESS.
  2. Use at least 4 tracks of music.
  3. You may use the Loop Library / Record your own clips.
  4. The file should start with 10-20 seconds of FEAR, then 10-20 seconds of SADNESS, then 10-20 seconds of HAPPINESS.
  5. ​Save as:  "Project 5, Final, LAST NAME"