Film Music Sound Analysis

Today, I listened to the ending credits music of ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’, imagining the three-dimensional arrangement of the orchestra performance. I could visualize the placement of the instruments, and see the shape and movement of the sound.

I felt a depth of spatial sense, realism, and brightness in the music that I couldn’t experience in MIDI music. However, the truly magical experience was that this music wasn’t just a recording of an orchestra performance.

Of course, it’s natural to add additional instrument sourcing and mixing after recording, but in Nicholas Hooper’s music, I could feel musical transitions of scenes that were not present in traditional music. It was as if various scenes were blended into one screen with a crossfade, adding virtual scenes to the orchestra as if they were instruments.

Listening to this music gave me the sensation of watching a video. Especially the performance of the triangle and glockenspiel seemed to float and play above the orchestra, creating a mystical feeling.

Well-crafted movie music creates a wide hall in the mind, filling it with a rich sound, providing a sense of satisfaction. And sometimes, it is even surreal. It’s a dreamlike and fantastical unreality, different from being unnatural.

I got many acoustic ideas. I should refer to them when mixing.

After analyzing the choreography, I felt the need to slightly modify the direction of the arrangement.

Initially, it seemed better to arrange the bassoon melody in the introduction more rhythmically and layer the main melody with the oboe and clarinet.

As much as I wanted to arrange it more elaborately to match the lively atmosphere, I needed to incorporate comical elements that suited the mood of the choreography, considering the background situations of the preceding and following scenes.

Overall, it seems necessary to emphasize the melody and rhythm of the woodwind parts to bring out dynamism.