12x60' | Arts&Culture | HD

GBR 2019

3DD

for Sky Art UK

Before the invention of the “talking picture,”all movies were completely silent. The infusion of music into the film venue was brought over from theatres to films not only because of tradition, but to add a depth to the two-dimensional image that appeared upon the screen. An added benefit was that it covered up the cacophony of noise from the old-style projectors. Many films were accompanied by anything from full orchestras to organists and pianists. Books of music were published to provide ideas for scene music, categorized by mood, event, or element. Many films came with a “suggestion list” of what music to play in which scene. It was in the film Birth of a Nation that was the first to have a score compiled specifically for it.
In 1930’s with the advent of talking pictures, music once again established itself as a vital element in the film industry. At first, sound films followed the precedent set by their ancestors, using compiled “western music” (Classical music, usually from the 19th century.) This practice soon gave way, however, to the creating of original scores. Max Steiner considered the Father of Film Music, wrote the first completely original score for King Kong in 1933.
Though at first, music was used primarily as simple reinforcement, towards the latter half of the decade, these new composers began to experiment and to develop their own style of supporting the film’s plot and characters. The film composer had arrived.