What is a soundtrack?
Have you got a favourite film or game that you like to play?
When you watch a film or play a computer game, the soundtrack is a really important part of the whole experience.
Have you ever noticed the music adds emotion and drama to the film or game?
The soundtrack will often express the emotions of the characters, in a way that words or gameplay can't on their own.
How are soundtracks composed?
Have you ever wondered how a composer goes about creating a soundtrack?
An understanding of how the different The different related musical ingredients that make a piece of music. Can include rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, texture, timbre and structure. can change a piece of music is a good place to start.
You might give your soundtrack more energy by increasing the tempo. Perhaps, you want to give a sense of danger, so you might use a pulsating rhythm.
Changing the different dimensions in a soundtrack can be very effective!
Watch: How do computer games use music?
In computer games, music is used in interesting ways to create an atmosphere or mood for the player.
Ninichi composes music for computer games. As you watch the interview, listen carefully to how the music she plays, helps convey an emotion within the game or helps create a sense of where the game is located.
Sarah: Hi, Nanichi.
Ninichi: Hi, Sarah.
Sarah: How is music used in video games?
Ninichi: One way is to use music to set the mood and to set the tone in a game. So, this is an example of a happy, uplifting track that I did for a empire building game where you essentially run a hospital.
UPBEAT HAPPY MUSIC
Ninichi: And so, the general idea is to just make people happy and feel comfortable in this environment. Another example would be this other game where the world has basically ended and so the track here is quite mysterious.
DARK MYSTERIOUS MUSIC
Ninichi: Another way that music is used in games is to help set the scene. So, different games tend to be set in different environments and in different locations, such as a beach…
RELAXED BEACHY MUSIC
Sarah: It’s tropical.
Ninichi: And then this. Actually, why don’t you see if you can figure out what this one is.
Sarah: Okay.
MUSIC WITH BUBBLES
Sarah: It’s definitely somewhere magical.
Ninichi: Yeah. So that one is set in a witches hut. Music is sometimes used to emphasise key moments in a game. Sometimes you may start off with slightly more chilled out music where you’re just exploring and you’re on a general level, trying to win points and so on. But then at another point, you may come across a big, bad boss. In which case, the music will intensify, it will change, it will feel more difficult. There are so many different types of games. For example, role playing games. The music is there usually to support the story, so it’s all about storytelling and character building. So each character may have a different theme. This is a warrior king, so it’s quite strong and fierce.
INTENSE MUSIC
Sarah: Yeah, sounds powerful. How do you get started on a project?
Ninichi: I’ll work with the game developer to try and understand what it is that they really want for their game. What sort of style they have in mind, what sort of mood they want to set. I will also play the game, if they do have any bits that I can play.
Sarah: So, what are some of the tools that you use when you’re composing your music?
Ninichi: Well, the brilliant thing about composing music today is that you can really do it anywhere. So, I use my laptop to create music and then on there, I basically have these different tools that let me score the music, so write it out and then also choose lots of different sounds to pull together to create the tracks with the video games.
Sarah: Have you got any tips or advice for someone who might want to get started in game composition?
Ninichi: I would say try and have fun with it. Grab as many games as you can, play them, enjoy them but also start noticing what the music is like. And then what you can do is play the game without any music and then have a go at creating your own version of the soundtrack.
Music in a computer game can be used to:
- Set the mood or scene within a game.
- Accompany specific actions in the game.
- Adapt and regenerate according to how your character responds to different challenges. This is called adaptive music.
Watch: Do all films have music?
Although it's hard to imagine now, originally music was not part of a film at all.
Silent films had to be accompanied by a pianist who sat in the cinema and would improvise music for the film as it was played. It was a very different kind of cinema experience.
In this video, you'll meet Mike, who still does this amazing job. Mike has fantastic piano skills to help him improvise music for a silent film. He also has some advice for us, as we think about composing music for our own film or computer game.
PRESENTER: This is what we know today as a silent movie.
But back in 1914, when audiences first watched Charlie Chaplin starring as The Tramp, they didn't watch in silence.
That's because musicians were employed in each and every cinema to play live music.
Their job was to watch the film and make up music that complemented the action.
Mike Nolan keeps this tradition alive.
He's been improvising music for old silent movies for 20 years.
I'm here to pick his brains.
So what top tips would you have for somebody who wants to compose music for action for the very first time?
MIKE: Ok.
The first thing I would want to do is really get into the mood of the film and the mood of the character.
You know, are they in a really blind panic?
I would think about, where are they, are they on their boat?
I would also think about the speed of the action.
Are they running away from that train?
Three great tips.
PRESENTER: Thanks very much.
What are soundtracks composed with?
Composers use a variety of different instruments and tools to compose their soundtracks.
Some world renowned composers like Hans Zimmer, John Williams and Eimear Noone might begin on piano, before scoring the entire piece to be recorded and performed by an orchestra.
Daniel Pemberton created his soundtracks for the Spider-verse animations, using a mix of traditional instruments, electronic instruments, recorded sounds and modern editing software.
Film and game composers often create their sounds in unique and very interesting ways. But importantly, they will always add to and enhance what you are seeing on the screen.
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