Some of the most famous songs across the world are not pop songs, or classics from the 80’s, but the film scores to some of the most popular movies around the world. Film scores help to create a feeling for the movie and they add another level of emotion for the audience. One of the most successful film scorist is John Williams. Some of William’s most famous work is the scoring for Superman, ET, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Star Wars. These tunes are things that most people can recognize and hum along to after hearing just 3 or 4 seconds from the songs.
John Williams has been writing film scores for many years and in many different genres. He knows how to evoke audience emotion with only music. Most, if not all, of his scores do not have words. An example of the emotion that the audience can gather about a character from the scores is the Imperial March from Star Wars. The Imperial March is what plays every time Darth Vader steps on to the screen, or is about to appear on screen. This composition is very deep, letting the audience know that the character that they are about to see is intimidating and powerful. It also gives the audience a clue that he is a villain because the music is very dark.
Scores of movies are not only used to add another dimension to a character, but to address the overall feeling of the movie. The scores for fun and action packed movies like to Star Wars, Superman, or Jurassic Park were designed to make the audience have fun. The opening composition in Star Wars is an upbeat and exciting song that make the audience giddy to watch the movie and see what is in store.
John Williams also worked on the scores for very serious films like the Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and the Book Thief. These movies the goal of the music was to show the seriousness and intensity of the film. In the Schindler’s List, and the Book Thief, the goal is also to show the fear of the people who went through the experiences shown in the movies. These movies were not to have a fun and light atmosphere to gear audiences for a fun couple of hours.
Lastly, the scores of movies can be used to emphasize a situation that the characters are in. Even in a fun movie, a specific composition can be lower and darker if the situation that the characters face is intimidating. On the other side, if the situation is fun, then the composition is bright and exciting. An example of this is the action scenes in the Indiana Jones movies. These scenes are a little intense, but are more so fun for the audience to watch, and the composition reflects that with exciting music playing in the background to tell the audience not to worry too much about the character.
Scores of movies help to tell the story and the feeling of the movie itself. They help the audience to know what to feel and can help to enhance their original feelings toward the movie, character, or scene. One of the most famous and successful score writer is John Williams. Williams has done all of these things throughout his long and diverse career with films like Harry Potter, Home Alone, the BFG, and Catch Me if You Can.
