How can a contemporary composer use film to enhance music?

Abstract

There is a body of literature on music in film, and some analytical writing on music video, but almost no writing that approaches the subject from the point of view of how the film might support the music. My research question is, therefore, how can moving images help a composer to communicate music to an audience? To resolve this question I first analysed a number of key music/film works and formulated a hypothesis that there are five modes where film can support music. These are by • First Mode: creating an ambience conducive to the appreciation of music • Second Mode: using filmic tools such as editing and camerawork to emphasise musical elements • Third Mode: supplying context about the work and its creation • Fourth Mode: embedding the music in a format that facilitates the music’s appreciation • Fifth Mode: embedding the music into the narrative structure of the film. To explore this hypothesis I created three music/film artworks that utilised the techniques above. These were a video installation, a film that creates a supportive ambience for a set of piano nocturnes, and a feature length music documentary that features a number of music videos. In the conclusion I will state that through these works I have shown that these five modes do indeed enable film to support music.