成人快手

What is a soundtrack?

Cartoon composer Daniel Pemberton pointing.
Image caption,
Film composer Daniel Pemberton

Have you got a favourite film or game that you like to play?

When you watch a film or play a computer game, the soundtrack is a really important part of the whole experience.

Have you ever noticed the music adds emotion and drama to the film or game?

The soundtrack will often express the emotions of the characters, in a way that words or gameplay can't on their own.

Cartoon composer Daniel Pemberton pointing.
Image caption,
Film composer Daniel Pemberton
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How are soundtracks composed?

Cartoon of film composer Daniel Pemberton looking really cool.

Have you ever wondered how a composer goes about creating a soundtrack?

An understanding of how the different can change a piece of music is a good place to start.

You might give your soundtrack more energy by increasing the tempo. Perhaps, you want to give a sense of danger, so you might use a pulsating rhythm.

Changing the different dimensions in a soundtrack can be very effective!

Watch: How do computer games use music?

In computer games, music is used in interesting ways to create an atmosphere or mood for the player.

Ninichi composes music for computer games. As you watch the interview, listen carefully to how the music she plays, helps convey an emotion within the game or helps create a sense of where the game is located.

Image caption,
A cartoon of a child playing a Doughnuts and Dinosaurs game on a phone

Music in a computer game can be used to:

  • Set the mood or scene within a game.
  • Accompany specific actions in the game.
  • Adapt and regenerate according to how your character responds to different challenges. This is called adaptive music.
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Watch: Do all films have music?

Cartoon character Hasan from Lightning Jelly playing his keyboard.

Although it's hard to imagine now, originally music was not part of a film at all.

Silent films had to be accompanied by a pianist who sat in the cinema and would improvise music for the film as it was played. It was a very different kind of cinema experience.

In this video, you'll meet Mike, who still does this amazing job. Mike has fantastic piano skills to help him improvise music for a silent film. He also has some advice for us, as we think about composing music for our own film or computer game.

Cartoon character Hasan from Lightning Jelly playing his keyboard.

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What are soundtracks composed with?

Cartoon of composer Hans Zimmer smiling with his hands placed behind his back.
Image caption,
Film composer Hans Zimmer

Composers use a variety of different instruments and tools to compose their soundtracks.

Some world renowned composers like Hans Zimmer, John Williams and Eimear Noone might begin on piano, before scoring the entire piece to be recorded and performed by an orchestra.

Cartoon of composer Daniel Pemberton dressed a superhero with headphones on.

Daniel Pemberton created his soundtracks for the Spider-verse animations, using a mix of traditional instruments, electronic instruments, recorded sounds and modern editing software.

Film and game composers often create their sounds in unique and very interesting ways. But importantly, they will always add to and enhance what you are seeing on the screen.

Cartoon of composer Daniel Pemberton dressed a superhero with headphones on.
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Activities

Quiz

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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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