Quick questions on Film and game music explained: N(A)-Level Music

Film and game music sets the mood of a scene before and during the action. Calm scenes get slow tempos, soft dynamics and warm harmony; scary scenes get dissonance, low rumbles and sudden loud chords (stingers); exciting scenes get fast tempos and driving rhythms. The music tells the audience how to feel, often more than the pictures alone.

Music can follow the on-screen action closely. In a chase, fast percussion and a quick tempo match the speed; at a sudden shock, a loud stinger hits. When the music lines up tightly with specific actions (a footstep, a fall), this close matching is sometimes called mickey-mousing. The music rises and falls with the drama.

A leitmotif is a short, recognisable theme that stands for a particular character, place or idea, and returns whenever that character or idea appears. A bold brass theme for the hero, a sinister low theme for the villain. Leitmotifs help the audience follow the story and can be varied to show a character changing.

Game music has an extra job: it is interactive and must adapt to what the player does. It often loops to fill unknown amounts of time and changes when the situation changes (calm exploring music shifting to tense battle music when an enemy appears). Unlike film music, which is fixed to a scene, game music responds to the player in real time.

Explain what a leitmotif is and what it is used for. [2 marks]

Describe two ways music could support a tense or scary scene. [2 marks]

Explain one way game music differs from film music and why. [3 marks]