E XAMPLES OF F INAL A NALYSES

Final Paper Music 80M Film Music June 2012 David Cope Misfortune Directed by George Gobel Music by Frank Karst

Misfortune follows the exploits of a down and out private detective in his quest for the murderer of a bank executive. Frank Karst's music is sparse but effective when used and helps define both the main characters and the principal moods of the film. The music under the opening credits presents us with the main character's theme, which then appears every time the detective enters or leaves camera view. Interestingly, this theme is orchestrated in different ways each time it appears. For example, when it plays under the credits, the music is performed by a small jazz band. When it appears at the film's climax (when the murderer is discovered) the orchestration is much fuller (orchestra) and louder so that we are compelled to hear its relationship with both the main character and the action. In fact, it is this pairing of character and mood that develops the theme as it occurs throughout. Much of the film rolls on without accompanying music. This is true of both dialog (which never has music accompaniment) and non-dialog scenes in which one would normally find music. This type of scoring is typical of Karst. For example, in his music for the film The Fortunate One, it's almost as if he expects you to expect music in certain scenes and when he doesn't provide this music it has a telling effect. A survey of many of his other films shows that this technique is particularly unique to his film scoring style. The effect- of not scoring scenes which traditionally would be scored-makes the music accompaniment all that more effective when it does occur. Of further interest is the fact that Karst and Gobel have made many films together and both composer and director seem at home with music used in this way. Karst often uses music across scene changes and does so effectively by providing continuous movement (quick tempo music) giving the viewer a sense of motion and the passage of time. Slower tempo music occurs primarily during scenes when the action typically slows down to accommodate the slower tempos. The music did not work effectively in the scene immediately after the murderer is discovered. The music continues to pound away while the action comes to rest. This presents the viewer with a contradiction which is never fully explained nor accounted for. I feel that the composer could have reworked this scene with an ear toward more exactly paralleling the action.

The diegetic music of Misfortune The stingers in Misfortune The few examples of Mousing in Misfortune The music under the final credits is Misfortune has an understated score but one which both highlights the film's dramatic moments and exemplifies the overall score style of its composer Frank Karst. I found the music well thought through and the manner in which it develops engrossing. Music in film can often distract one from the drama. In Misfortune, I found the music enhances and complements the film beautifully.

Make sure you tells us WHY you think music occurs as it does!

P APER EXAMPLE Another example of a film review for final paper The Vision Directed by George Jetson Music by David Canucope

The music for The Vision centers around a single overarching theme which slowly develops in complexity and ultimately arrives at a single, very loud, held harmony precisely when the main character (Jack Parr) sees the vision of a roasted turkey, two-thirds of the way through the film. The balance of scored and non-scored film is appropriate to the manner in which the film moves from more relaxed idle conversations to the various mini-points- of-arrival containing brutal Foley effects and "Moused" orchestral sounds as the various turkey vultures prepare for their final assault on the main course.

The entire first two-thirds of this film contain a series (7) of ever- increasing-tensioned scenes which ultimately lay the foundation for the film's major point of arrival. Each of these scenes is louder, faster, and thicker-textured than its predecessor, leading the audience irrevocably to the principal "vision." The theme is slowly transformed from a simple, almost child-like melody in a major key, to a complex, dissonant, minor-key abstraction near the point of arrival.

There are several allusions to other styles and music in this film, particularly to Bernard Herrmann (as in the turkey shower scene). I found these allusions unnecessary and at times annoying since they detracted from the overall direction of the film (e.g., I know that the turkey is headed to Paris and need not be told by the obvious quote of the French national anthem here). I particularly thought that the reference to Turkey in the Straw during the love scene to be outrageous.

The post-point-of--arrival film and its correlated music slowly become (as it was in the beginning) simpler, more consonant, slower, and major in key. This has the effect of resolving the film's conflict and giving the vision that Parr sees the centerspot in our mind's view of the entire film (apropos of the film's title). The end credits then verify the entire film by quickly (over just three minutes) reviewing the entire process.

The music for this film differs significantly from the other music for films by this composer (principally The Mockingbird Rancher, Chicken Little, Duck a la Ronge, and Dove Pudding) mostly in the use of contrast and lack of subtlety in Mousing certain scenes. Since this is Canucope's first film, the inadequacies I note here can be excused as mistakes of a novice film scorer. Canucope's most recent film (Bird in the Hand) demonstrates how far he has come from the days of obvious quotation and simple parroting of other composer's work.

On balance, Canucope's music for The Vision works beautifully to enhance the film's basic structure, reinforcing (without overdoing it) the underlying procession of tension as we approach Parr's vision and then appropriately resolving that tension as the film approaches its ending moments. While there are times (especially when the composer Moused the carving knife's actions) that I wished for slightly less explicit musical correlation, the music overall seems appropriate and effective for this film. I particularly suggest that the reader pay attention to the scoring for the scene when Bugs Bunny appears out of the belly of Parr's vision (Alien, anyone?) and the accompanying appropriation of Stalling's music at this moment. Clearly this film deserves it rightful place as the favorite among all films for Thanksgiving fare.

You’re a film music reviewer telling us why you think that the music is good or bad. Be sure to compare film’s music with music of other films by the same composer.

D EUS I RAE Don’t forget to listen for this in your film score. Not all films have it, but many, many do. So listen!