Exam 2

Question 1

Genre

Answer 1

A term indicating a category based on plot, form, or content.
Example: Fantasy, action/adventure, epic.

Question 2

Stinger

Answer 2

An accent in the orchestra that accompanies a physical impact like a face slap or object hitting the ground.

Question 3

Technicolor

Answer 3

The first major process for creating color film in Hollywood. 3-color: Red, Blue, Green.

Question 4

Music anthology

Answer 4

A collection of musical excerpts organized by mood to accompany film.

Question 5

Musical

Answer 5

Musical Comedy: A popular stage and screen genre with numerous songs, singing, dancing, acting, etc.

Question 6

Key points: Birth of a nation

Answer 6

1) Specific Score for orchestra created for the film.
2) Music contained arrangements of several well-known melodies.
3) Leitmotifs that represent groups, individuals, and emotions.

Question 7

Expressionism

Answer 7

1) Predominantly German movement
2) Exploring the darker regions of the subconscious mind.
3) Nightmares, perversion, insanity
4) avoids tonal centers, nightmare-like sound with totally dissonant treatment that does not go away.

Question 8

Vitaphone

Answer 8

1) Sam Warner and Western Electric 1926
2) First practical system of combining recorded sound with moving pictures.
3) Length of reel of film timed to match one side of a record.
4) 8,000 theaters wired by 1929.

Question 9

Concert composer

Answer 9

A composer who creates music for performances in concert halls and opera houses.

Question 10

Movietone

Answer 10

1) General Electric for Fox Studio

2) First practical system to place recorded sound waves on the film itself.

Question 11

Key Points: Sunrise

Answer 11

1) Moody atmosphere
2) Use of leitmotifs (seduction)
3) Layered diegetic and non-diegetic music
4) First use of sound-on-film

Question 12

Key Points: Battleship Potemkin

Answer 12

1) Folk Melodies
2) Loud dissonant music – solders open fire
3) Descending lines – people flee steps
4) March character – Soldiers (trumpet & drum)
5) Loud! - heavy use of percussion

Question 13

Familiar with The Wizard of Oz’s accolades

Answer 13

1) Academy Awards 1939:
- Best Original Score (Stothart)
- Best Song “Over the Rainbow’ (Arlen)

Question 14

Familiar with the Hays Code

Answer 14

1922-1945 replaced in 1966
List of “don’ts” and “be carefuls”
- no picture will be produced that lowers moral standards of audience
- Correct standards of life shall be presented
- Laws, natural and human, shall not be ridiculed.

Question 15

Familiar with international film trends

Answer 15

• Early history of film is dominated by France and Great Britain (center of photography)
• France in the 1920’s: innovative, experimental, energetic. (Erik Satie). Surrealism
• Germany and Expressionism. Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Metropolis.
• Soviet Union
• All halted or destroyed as WWII began

Question 16

Short Answer: Concert composers and their struggle to write film music

Answer 16

Assembly-line production of Hollywood studios required specialists who devoted themselves to film almost exclusively. They wrote quickly and effectively but had little time for other music.

Concert composers did not fit well into this system. They tended to resent lack of control in the artistic process over the final product.

Question 17

Short Answer: Citizen Kane’s music and how it is distinguished from other films

Answer 17

1) Opening credits lack music
2) Orchestration for small colorful ensembles (low registers, tone clusters).
3) Extended dialog segments without music.
4) extended use of just two motifs
5) created a dark and somber mood to parallel the stark photography.

Question 18

Essay: Identify and describe four traits of the classical Hollywood film score heard in Steiner’s score for Gone With the Wind.

Answer 18

Classical Film Score Traits:

• Lots of music (wall-to-wall)
• full range of orchestral colors
• Strong melody
• Borrow familiar melodies
• Support for mood, setting, characters, and action.
• Leitmotifs and thematic transformation.

Question 19

Key Points: Gone with the wind

Answer 19

1) Scoring for full orchestra
2) Music reflects a variety of of emotional states
3) Music runs counter to Scarlett’s mood on two occasions
4) Use of leitmotifs
5) Arrangement of well known tunes (Dixie and taps)

Question 20

Key Points: Snow White & Seven Dwarfs

Answer 20

1) Memorable songs
2) Continuous music
3) More developed songs for humans
4) Simple tunes for dwarfs

Question 21

Key Points: Wizard of Oz

Answer 21

1) Cheerful music with twister
2) Gulch/Wicked Witch theme
3) Oz has colorful music
4) “Over the rainbow” represents Oz
5) Munchkins cheerfully sing about death.
6) Scenes contain several songs

Question 22

Key Points: Citizen Kane

Answer 22

1) Two 5-note motifs are the principle themes
2) Quotation of Dies irea
3) Orchestration for small colorful ensembles (low registers, tone clusters).
4) 19th Century dance music for the ‘fun’ montage
5) Extended dialog segments without music.

Question 23

Key Points: Casablanca

Answer 23

1) As time goes by is first heard as source music
2) The melody of As Time Goes By is treated freely during the flashback
3) Le Marseillaise represents France
4) The Germans are represented by dissonant harmonies and two patriotic tunes
5) Other source music includes “Cant help lovin’ That Man” and “Perfidia”

Question 24

Movie Palace

Answer 24

Large Theatre, Large symphony orchestras

Question 25

Nickelodeon

Answer 25

Small shops, showed films exclusively. cost a nickel to enter. only room for piano.

Question 26

Intertitles

Answer 26

Printed text inserted into the film showing dialog, commentaries.

Question 27

Essay: Discuss the role of songs in Stothart’s score to The Wizard of Oz.
o What do we learn about the characters and plot with these songs?

Answer 27

?? beats me

Question 28

Key Points: Don Juan

Answer 28

1) Synchronized Score for full orchestra
2) Music reflects emotions and suggests point of view
3) Don’s theme goes through thematic transformation
4) Donna Isobel has no theme.
5) Source Music (Trumpets)

Question 29

Key Points: Metropolis

Answer 29

1) Expressionist
2) Full symphonic score
3) Intermixing of multiple related leitmotifs
4) Transformation of false Maria into dance
5) Quotation of Dies irae

Question 30

Key Points: King Kong

Answer 30

1) Full Orchestra
2) Harsh harmonies
3) Lots of Brass and percussion
4) Range of emotions from love to terror
5) Leitmotifs and use of thematic transformation
6) Mickey Mousing
7) Some Mickey Mousing effects

Question 31

Key Points: Robin Hood

Answer 31

1) Technicolor
2) Colorful Orchestration
3) Use of leitmotifs (robin hood, march of merry men, little john, love, Richard
4) Simultaneous Diegetic and non-diegetic music
5) Action music to accompany fighting