Working in groups, list five films that have a memorable score or music.
What I will learn:
the impact of music and sound eff ects in fi lm-making
Films use theme music and incidental music. Theme music is used as part of the main soundtrack, while incidental music is background music. Both create ambiance
(atmosphere), but incidental music creates realism in a scene, for example elevator music or a band playing in a bar in the background.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG)
Look up ‘Ride in the Sky – ET’ on YouTube (2:39).
This scene is from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a classic fi lm directed by Steven Spielberg about an American family who fi nd a gentle alien living in their house. The alien – E.T. – is befriended by a young boy named Elliot, who tries his best to keep the alien a secret. Elliot wants to help E.T. to ‘go home’. In this particular scene, Elliot and his friends are trying to escape from the authorities, who want to take E.T. away to a lab to study him.
The music in this fi lm was written by John Williams. Pay particular attention to the music in this scene.
Steven Spielberg and John Williams have worked together for over forty years. Williams has scored (written music) for twenty-six of Spielberg’s films, including Jaws, War Horse and The Adventures of Tin Tin.
