Film scoring/Creating a mood with a melody


Interesting examples by FIREborn: Fear.ogg ---- Sad.ogg ---- Tired.ogg ---- Surprise.ogg ---- Joy.ogg ---- Fast like the wind.ogg.

Completed assignments: Create a mood

This school is:
Narrative film production - Wikiversity Film School and School of Music - Wikiversity Film School
This course is:
Film scoring
The pages in the course is:
Introduction to film scoring
Create the sound of fear from a single note
Create other moods from a single note
Create the sound of joy using a delicate rhythm
Create other moods from delicate rhythms
Quiz: Music which tells a story
Create a mood with a melody You are here!
Create a story with a melody
Quiz: The Spy Story - Who is who?
DVD-Video: Scoring your first scene - The Promotion
Create four motifs - Mama, papa, baby, and Goldie
Create continuity with a single motif
Foreground / Background music - soft vs. loud
Quiz: Watch a short movie - George Lucas In Love
DVD-Video: What is a "Spotting Session"? - Only A Dream
DVD-Video: Write two musical cues for Home Wrecker
More musical theory
Butchering Midi - The starwars theme
DVD-Video: How would you score Green Tea Smoothie ?
DVD-Video: Write a film score for Blindman's Bluff
Write a film score for Seduced by the Dark Side!


Moods created from delicate rhythms

Your assignment - A mood

Devise a melody which creates a MOOD.
  • 2 points. Be sure to tell me what mood your melody creates.
At the beginnning of these lessons, you created a mood simply from the natural sound of the instrument.
Now you create a melody which tells a specific mood. Try to keep the melody very simple and short.
  • Suggestions: "tired", "sad", and "happy".

Less than 6 seconds!




Hold that thought!
How do you end the melody?
Do not just fade the melody.
Instead, hold the last note.
Remember the basics
Remember that you can play a single note or a delicate rhythm behind dialog. Those are the only two forms of music which will not conflict with the spoken words of the actors.
Therefore, if you hold the last note, it is almost like holding that thought while the actors begin their dialog. Then you can slowly fade the single note.
How long should the melody be?
How long should the melody be?
The melody has to be only as long as needed to create the mood or story. For a story, the melody can be just enough that the audience recognizes the melody.
That can be as short as two notes. You do not have to play the entire melody. Just create the hint.
Remember, this is supposed to be subtle.










Examples of a melody which create a mood for the course on film scoring for musicians




From Oregon, Orsanct has completed this assignment. July 22, 2007




From Germany, Blueygh2 has completed this assignment. September 6, 2007




Joe Mac has completed this assignment. These pieces are played by hand on midi controller, using GarageBand synth texture "skye breath." Master setting: ambient basic. September 16, 2007




Tiago Louis Zontag (Zon) has completed this assignment. December 27, 2007




May 17, 2008
Reflections.ogg‎ .



Now for some more fun

The next page

Next is a fun pop quiz. You get to watch a movie and they make up stories. What fun! Creative pop quiz: The spy story - Deciding who is who?


Contact your instructor

Your instructor for this course is Robert Elliott. You can send me a quick email by clicking here.





NOTE: To submit assignments
To submit assignments, attach your completed assignments to an email and send it to me at "r_elliott innercite.com".