AOS2 - Film and Game music 1990 - present

Question 1

Examples of famous Film composers?

Answer 1

Hans Zimmer, John Williams

Question 2

What is a leitmotif?

Answer 2

A recurring melody that’s associated with a specific character, setting, emotion etc

Question 3

Features of a leitmotif (3)

Answer 3

Short - the opening part should be one or two bars long so that whenever someone hears it, it is quickly recognised

Distinctive - should have a certain rhythm and an identifiable accompanying harmony

Consistent - Melody and rhythm should stay the same to remain recognisable

Question 4

What was the texture of early video game music?

Answer 4

Either monophonic or basic polyphony as the technology used to make it was quite limited

Question 5

What is a MIDI and how did it advance game music?

Answer 5

A MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) allowed instruments to be connected electronically so a computer could control the inputs of drum and synths at the same time.

This allowed game composers to use different instrumentations a lot easierand for it to sound similar to a film score

Question 6

What is a DAW and how did it advance game music?

Answer 6

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is a piece of software that can be used to make tracks. Examples of DAWs are Logic Pro or Garage Band.

This made game music production a lot more efficient