Overview/Resources for Film Scoring

From Berklee Library Research Guides

Books

The Art of Film Music: Special Emphasis on Hugo Friedhofer, Alex North, David Raksin, Leonard Rosenman by George Burt MT64.M65 B87 1994  Check Availability From the publisher: Burt (music, Rice Univ.), himself a composer and former student of Babbitt, Mil- haud, and Sessions, is well qualified to offer this inside look at a complex art. He covers a lot of ground in just six chapters, making extensive use of dozens of musical excerpts and scene summaries from classic films from the 1930s through the 1980s. More about this book:

Composing for the Films by Theodor W. Adorno MT40 .A37 2007  Check Availability From the publisher: This classic account of the nature of film music aesthetics was first published in 1947. Its value comes from a unique combination of talents and experience enjoyed by the book's authors. Eisler's time at Hollywood gave him a particular insight on the technical questions which arise for composers when music is used in the production of films; while Adorno was able to contribute on wide aesthetic and sociological matters as well as specifically musical questions. More about this book:

Film Music: A Neglected Art: A Critical Study of Music in Films by Roy M. Prendergast ML2075 .P746 1991  Check Availability From the publisher: "That Mr. Prendergast is unusually well-equipped to discuss both the technology and the aesthetics of film music is revealed once more in this second edition, particularly in the new section on synthesizers. And in this discussion he is disarmingly frank and perceptive. The hands-on experience he has had as one of Hollywood's leading music editors has allowed him to make comments and judgments that serve the history of film music." —William Kraft, composer, from the Foreword. More about this book:

From Score to Screen: Sequencers, Scores, & Second Thoughts: The New Film Scoring Process by Sonny Kompanek MT64.M65 K65 2004  Check Availability From the publisher: Scoring for film has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. With the advent of MIDI, sequencers and low-cost recording gear, just about any composer anywhere can score a film. Well-known composer Sonny Kompanek teaches this new film scoring process at prestigious New York University and now he shares his secrets within the pages of From Score to Screen. Learn about the cast of professionals you’ll work with as a film composer. Find out how to meet people in the business, network, and create a promotional demo. More about this book:

Getting the Best Score for Your Film: A Filmmakers' Guide to Music Scoring by David A. Bell ML2075 .B42 1994  Check Availability From the publisher: Getting the Score is a director's guide to film scoring. This resource written by film composer Alain Mayrand aims to cover all technical and aesthetic aspects of film scoring as well as providing a unique window into film scoring.

On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring by Fred Karlin; Rayburn Wright MT64.M65 K3 2004  Check Availability From the publisher: This is a detailed, comprehensive textbook directed at composers and meant to be used in conjunction with videocassettes or films, VCRs with audio-dub capabilities, soundtrack albums, other books, periodicals and trade publications, and advice from experts, 77 of whom are quoted. A "click book" of over 200 pages, used to precisely calculate musical tempos in conjunction with film cues, is included. Highly technical exercises appear with blank staffs for notation, turning part of the book into a workbook. More about this book:

Ennio Morricone's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Film Score Guide by Charles Leinberger ML410.M675 L45 2004  Check Availability From the publisher: [this] guide illuminates theoretical and structural aspects of Morricone's music, it also examines relevant non-musical issues which contribute to the audience's total experience of the film. [The library has several more books from this series Scarecrow Film Score Guides ] More about this book:

Complete Guide to Film Scoring: the Art and Business of Writing Music For Movies and TV by Richard Davis Reserve MT64.M65 D38 2010  Check Availability From the publisher: Learn the art and business of writing music for films and TV, including: the film-making process, preparing and recording a score, contracts and fees, publishing, royalties, and copyrights. More about this book:

Global Soundtracks : Worlds of Film Music edited by Mark Slobin ML2075.G55 2008  Check Availability From the publisher: This stimulating collection of essays analyzes the music of films ranging from mainstream and subcultural American films through case studies of those from China, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, Latin American, and the Caribbean, and includes a variety of key films, periods, and studio practices. The focus of the essays is the social and cultural meanings of film music, not just composers' careers and the musical support of storyline and psychology that are the center of most film music studies. Global Soundtracks is the first anthology to suggest methods for understanding how the conventions of standard film music became localized and expanded around the world in many different periods and cinema systems, and to suggest comparative approaches of analysis. More about this book:

Magazines and Journals

Film Music  Periodicals  Check Availability From the publisher: The latest news and industry information about music for film and television.

Film Score Monthly  Periodicals  Check Availability From the publisher: Today, thanks in part to efforts like FSM, there exists a broader understanding and appreciation of the original dramatic underscoring composed for motion pictures, television, and new media such as videogames -- and of the talented composers who create it.

Journal of Film Music  Periodicals  Check Availability From the publisher: The Journal of Film Music is a forum for the musicological study of film from the standpoint of dramatic musical art. The analytical tools and methodologies of historical, systematic, cognitive, and ethnomusicology all are relevant and essential to this study, which seeks to both document and illuminate film practice through source studies, analysis, theory, and criticism.

Film Magazines Available Online

These online magazines are available "on demand" both on and off the Berklee campus to enrolled Berklee students, as well as Berklee faculty and staff.

Film Criticism From the publishers: Founded in 1976, Film Criticism continue to present the very best writing from a new generation of film historians, theorists, and critics representing many different disciplines, cultures, and critical perspectives.

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Journal of Popular Film & Television From the publishers: Articles dedicated to popular film and television in the broadest sense. Concentration on commercial cinema and television, theory/criticism, interviews, filmographies, bibliographies, stars, directors, producers, studios and networks.

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Literature Film Quarterly From the publisher: Articles on individual motion pictures, interviews with directors, screenwriters and literary figures, reviews of current film adaptations of literary works, reviews of books concerning film and responses to articles and reviews.

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Film Web Resources