What's the Big Deal With Film Scoring?

First, what is a film score? A film score is very often instrumental, and it is specifically made for a movie in order to intensify a story. Film score should not be confused with soundtrack, where soundtrack is more of the film company licensing songs or having songs written specifically for the film. , according to Quora.com. Most people, or your average movie-goer, perhaps don't even notice the film score. The people who generally notice it are those who are a bit more interested in movies and know what it takes to produce a film/film score, and all the work that goes into it and therefore can appreciate it. 

Now that we have a general understanding of what a film score is, what's the big deal? It's just background music, isn't it? Well, yes. But it's also something much bigger than that. A film score is mostly often instrumental and orchestrated background music to intensify and bring out emotions in the audience. Why is it that in films we are able to cry of sadness, get goosebumps, jump from being scared, or cry of happiness? Although what the audience see's in the film such as the characters acting is also important, it's the film score that ultimately brings out the emotion in people. 

Here is an example of Rocky with its film score, and without. (Sound effects were added by the publisher)

As you can see, it's completely different, isn't it? There's not much you feel when you watch Rocky run up those stairs in triumph, it almost looks silly. With the film score one feels inspired, like one can accomplish anything in their own life. Film scores play an important role in setting the mood of a film, and without them your emotions don't relate to what's going on in the film. 

Here is an example of a man who needs no introduction. Arguably one of the best film scorers ever, he has scored films for some of the best films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Jaws 2, Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Home Alone, Hook, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, among their sequels and more. His name is John Williams.

John Williams, like other film scorers, is able to enhance a scene or entire film. He's able to move the audience with tears, joy, anger, or any other emotion. The audience knows what may happen in a scene by listening to the film score. For example, when you hear the Jaws theme song you know a shark attack is about to happen, or something terrifying. 

If you'd like to hear more film scores done by John Williams, you can click here, and here. 

Another great film scorer is Hans Zimmer, having scored many of the films we know and love today. Here's some of the film scores he's done: The Lion King, Gladiator, Pearl Harbor, Hannibal, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Batman Begins, The Simpsons Movie, The Dark Knight, Inception, Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger, 12 Years a Slave, Interstellar, among more. 

How is it that in The Lion King, even after watching it several times and know Mufasa dies, some of us still cry? According to LosAngelesBrass.com, "music touches the emotion, the psyche, the things you cannot see...Without music it would be much more difficult to follow the emotional ups and downs of a film," and more difficult to go through the sadness when Mufasa dies and Simba is seen crying over his dead father. 

It's because of the film score that we cry during movies, or have fear something is going to happen. They tend to "heighten our senses," as bbc.co.uk says. Film scorers know what heightens our emotions such as certain vibration sounds, or infra-sounds (mostly linked with paranormal activity), and use that to induce emotions in the audience. So the next time you're watching a film and feel joy during a scene, begin to cry, get scared, feel inspired, or any other emotion, it's the film's score intensifying the movie.