film music midterm terms

Music

Sound organized by time to communicate moods, thoughts, ideas, and emotions.

Leitmotif

Recurring musical theme representing a character or situation.

Mickey Mousing

Music closely aligned with physical motion on screen.

Click Track

Metronome like audio click heard by musicians to sync music with the film.

Spotting / Spotting Session

Meeting between director, composer, and music editor to decide where music should be placed.

Streamers

White lines moving across the screen to mark synchronization points.

Punches

Holes punched in film frames to signal tempo or cue changes.

Cue Sheet

A list of suggested music for specific moments in a silent film.

Mood Music Compilations

Collections of music designed to match different emotional themes.

Main Title

Music played during a film’s opening credits that sets the tone and introduces key themes.

Diegetic Music

Music that characters can hear within the film’s world.

NonDiegetic Music

Underscoring heard only by the audience.

Stinger

A short musical phrase used to punctuate or emphasize dramatic moments.

Zoetrope

A spinning cylinder with slits; creates the illusion of motion.

Phenakistoscope

A spinning disc viewed in a mirror to animate sequential images.

Praxinoscope

Improved zoetrope using mirrors for clearer, brighter animation.

Zoopraxiscope

Early movie projector that projected images from rotating glass discs.

Cinématographe

Camera, projector, and film developer invented by the Lumière brothers.

Kinetoscope

Edison’s peephole film-viewing device using short loops of film.

Vitaphone Method

Synchronized disc recording and film projection powered by the same motor.

Movietone Method

Sound printed directly onto the film strip.

Wurlitzer Organ

Large “one‑man orchestra” designed to accompany silent films.

Moviola

Upright machine used for film editing.

Theremin

Electronic instrument played without physical contact; produces eerie or sci‑fi sounds.

American Fotoplayer

Player piano with built‑in sound effects used for silent films.

Studio System

Film production model where major studios controlled production, distribution, and exhibition.

The Paramount Decision

1948 Supreme Court ruling that ended studio monopolies.

Block Booking

Studios forced theaters to buy films in packages.

Movie Palaces

Large, luxurious theaters offering immersive film experiences.

Music Department

Post‑production team overseeing all musical elements.

Composers

Created musical ideas.

Orchestrators

Chose which instruments performed the music.

Copyists

Wrote sheet music for musicians.

Musicians

Performed the film’s score.

Music Editors

Fine‑tuned the placement and editing of film music

Booms

Operators holding microphones during filming.

“Blimping” of Cameras

Soundproofing cameras to reduce microphone noise pickup.

Consonance

Stable, pleasant, resolved sound.

Dissonance

Harsh, unstable sound that needs resolution.

Opera

Dramatic storytelling through singing instead of speaking.

Jazz

Music featuring swing, blue notes, complex chords, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.

Tempo

Speed of the musical pulse.

Timbre

Sound quality that distinguishes one instrument/voice from another.

Dynamics

Variations in loudness or intensity to create emotion.

Melody

Series of pitches forming a coherent musical line.

Pitch

Highness or lowness of a sound.

Motive

Short, distinct musical idea.

Key

Group of pitches based on a scale. Major: Brighter sound and Minor: Darker sound

Harmony

Pitches that accompany a melody.

Chords

Three or more pitches played together to create harmony.

Rhythm

Pattern of sound and silence over time.

Beat

Underlying pulse of the music.

Meter

How beats are organized.