Introduction to Music in Film and Video

Introduction to Music in Film and Video explores the theory and process of how music combines with the moving image. Staff author Ashley Kennedy begins by exploring the incredible power of music and its effect on tone, emotion, and narrative in film. She incorporates real-world examples to show how music can define a scene's rhythm and style; how it can establish key cinematic themes; and how it can bring unity to shots and scenes. She then explains how to form a proper music plan for the film, from determining the goals and intentions to defining what type of music will serve the project best. After the music planning stage, comes the actual music selection—and Ashley goes through various options in using different types of preexisting music—as well as what it takes to collaborate with a composer.

Learning objectives
Understanding the impact of music on tone, emotion, subtext, rhythm, style, and theme
Setting the music plan
Working with preexisting music: public domain, Creative Commons, and production library music
Working with a composer