„GEORGE ENESCU” NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARTS, IAȘI

DOCTORAL SCHOOL-MUSIC DEPARTMENT

THE ECLECTICISM IN FILM MUSIC- Doctoral thesis

Phd student: Emanuela Izabela Vieriu
Coordinator: Prof. Ciprian Andrei Ion

The choice for this research topic - a vast one and still quite little explored in the
specialised music literature in România - represented a process of considerable length, due to
the determining factors noticed and noted from the very beginning: rich and diverse
filmography, the lack of a clear structure in terms of types of film content, as well as the
paradigms of film categories, the rather short research time relative to the direction of the
research.

However, the resources available and the ones searched for such as publications,
studies, articles, scores, audio and audio-visual materials – proved of utmost importance and
were aimed at improving the composition technique. They also proved to be an asset in terms
of the ability to operate in full knowledge with specific terms and notions, ultimately
contributing to my training as a musician. All these together are the basis of this doctoral
research, a period of intense study both from a scientific but also from a practical perspective,
a staged, structured and logical enterprise, which subsequently materialised in the thesis
entitled: FILM MUSIC. CODES, CONVENTIONS AND STYLISTIC INTERFERENCES/ THE
ECLECTICISM IN FILM MUSIC

Beyond the general vision in film productions, convention systems refer to aspects of
orchestration, ways of interpreting, various harmonic chains or melodic identities generally
accepted and placed by composers in their music, classified according to film genres. The
codes aim rather at the language of each film music author and at the personal contribution to
the list of style features, which include not only information about the compositional
language, but also reveals new meanings that are assigned, as appropriate, either to an
instrument, a sound identity or a rhythm etc.
 Furthermore, the interference of styles in a soundtrack is a natural and inevitable
phenomenon at the same time. In his study, A Syntactic Approach to Film Genre, Rick
Altmann stated that all productions contain at least two film genres because of the realistic
nature of watching a film. Thus, the music will undergo the same process, being determined
by a series of essential factors: the genre of the film which will indicate from the very
beginning the color palette used. Then, the director's vision together with the compositional
language both reduce the diversity of choices and further clarify the sound directions.
It is important that before actually writing the music the composer can identify the right
rhythm. More often than not, the temporary use of an existing work called Temp Track is
practiced, which can also inspire thematically.
The optimal illustration of the spatial and temporal coordinates, as well as of the
characteristic typologies brings extra realism and favours not only the manipulation of the
public's emotion, but also offers a quality viewing experience. Furthermore, regarding one of
the functions of film music, in order to enhance expressiveness the programmatic character is
a key factor which can reveal the composer's stylistic features. There are also a series of
micro elements involved in the script which are also found in the soundtrack, thus
emphasizing the defining eclecticism of film music.
The structure of the chapters and their content was designed from a historical,
aesthetic and compositional perspective. I monitored how the importance of codes,
conventions and stylistic interferences is reflected in the soundtrack. For example, in the
short history of film music in the first subchapter of the first chapter - The implications of
music in cinema - I considered the description of moments which were key to the evolution
process and which were related to the production technology as well as to the topics
addressed, to the increase of quality of the artistic act, in parallel with the progress of music,
which gradually detaches itself from the programmatic symphonic sphere and which begins
to contain, through individualisation, more and more of its own descriptors.
A comparative analysis between the features of music for short films and the one for feature
films reveals essential details about articulating sound content, its organization in a more
concentrated form or over a larger space, along with data on how they the styles, the themes
and the symbols involved relate to each other.
Conceiving a soundtrack involves a series of important steps, from a large number of
views of the production for the sake of subjectivism to tracing the paths to follow and
including the codes and conventions considered suggestive. Creating the composition sheet,
generically called the cue sheet in the list of generally accepted audio-visual terms, greatly
facilitates and shortens the relationships between the director / producer and the author of the
music, as it contains absolutely all the sound elements in concentrated form, targeting
orchestral parameters, rhythmic and melodic aspects, the language used, the timing, the
names of the possible existing arrangers and / or orchestrators.

The second chapter is entitled Film Music: Conventions, Codes and Stylistic
Interferences and continues the approach of the previous one, focusing on the classification
of composition conventions for each major genre with subgenres and hybrid genres: science
fiction, fantasy, western, drama, thriller, action, adventure and comedy. I analysed in detail
the music of some illustrative films from a compositional perspective, perhaps more than a
directorial one, from which we extracted the most original and most unusual codes. It is
important to mention that during the research period we watched a lot of films, as for some
there is no stylistic code or a series of clearly defined features. We could thus have the
opportunity to view, analyse, compare and select similarities and differences.

If we list some codes specific to each category, in science fiction films, then we have
frequently encountered artificial timbre, synthesizers, perfect intervals, all to render the
infinity of the cosmos, technological advances and the perfection of divine creation. Here I
can list reference productions such as The Cube, Interstellar. As a counter-example, 2001: A
Space Odyssey proposes the use of music in academia because in Kubrick's opinion, a man's
progress in knowing the extraterrestrial universe is an epochal moment, outside of time and
space, always relevant, as well as the indisputable timeless beauty of the chosen musical
pages. Symphonic music can also sound hilarious in comedy movies, being approached as a
quote in Ace Ventura - Pet Detective, for example.
Then, drama films are defined by the use of all chords in ample, wide-ranging
articulations, in themes with a sad, dramatic profile: The talented Mr. Ripley, Jane Eyre, but
also in this category we can find singing in whispers in the movie Ran, featuring the
soundtrack composed by Tōru Takemitsu or the sounds produced by synthesizers in A few
good men - Marc Shaiman.
Concluding on the second chapter I consider that each of the film genres and even
some subgenres deserve further research by compiling studies, articles and publications, by
creating reliable, innovative and creative educational materials for various platforms.
Therefore, some of the subchapters treated in the thesis can be elaborated, developed and
theorized in an encyclopedic or treaty of film music.

The last chapter - Paradise now: Compositional and Linguistic Aspects - represents
the materialization of the research itself, by applying it in the design of the soundtrack for the
Palestinian production of the same name launched in 2005 and directed by Hany Abu Assad,
production that won the Golden Globe for the same year for best foreign film.
The reasons behind this choice are linked, first of all, to the topic of the doctoral research,
namely the interference of styles in film music along with other elements that contribute to
obtaining a well-defined individuality both musically and in directing.
Secondly, for my own progress I looked for something that was "out of reach", which is why
the illustration of the Eastern perspective (Arab-Palestinian space) upon the world and the
society, portraying Muslim religious ideas and principles, driven by despair and religious
fanaticism were extremely different notions of the culture and of the space in which I grew
up, but also of the religion in which I was born and which I have preserved until now.
Choosing a film that I liked is another important argument which made writing an easy task,
as I aimed to obtain a quality final product that would help me evolve in the field of
composition.
Practical reasons also had a considerable influence. Thus, the film has a lenght of
about 90 minutes, the number of characters is small, the layout of the action is relatively
linear. In addition, although the composer Jina Sumedi originally wrote the music, the
director decided to give it up, keeping the production for launch without sound support, but
without giving up diegetic inserts (the time of early morning prayers that are heard in all
mosques in Nablus, the music on Suha’s tape, the scene in which Khaled sings and dances in
a hilarious way).
The elements of style in the production involve diversity in terms of describing local
practices and traditions, but also in terms of presenting the landscapes. The enormous
contrast between the development of Palestine and Israel is rendered through panoramic
views in order to highlight the dramatic effect that occurs in the minds of the viewers.
There are, then, a few directorial pillars on which the film is based and which seem to govern
the life of the main character, Said. Nablus, the city where he lives, is presented as a large
community but dominated by poverty and Israeli oppression. The hostile daily life, marked
by suffering, frustration and resignation will mark him deeply. However, the most directly
affected remains the family institution, many of which are made up of single mothers with
children. Said's father had been a collaborator; Khaled's father had lost his left leg when an
Israeli troop had him choose which leg he wanted to keep. Suha's father also gave his life for
the cause, but in vain.
The humiliation that Said received from an early age because of his father's choices
determined him to value his dignity even more and to stick to his values despite his poverty.
In fact, preserving honour is a cornerstone in Arab values, traditions and customs.
Love and friendship have the role of making the protagonist change his mind about his
decision to commit the suicide attack, to replace hatred with the feeling of peace, to resist by
peace and not by sacrificing his own life. But in the end, the sense of terror caused by
dishonoring his family will prevail, causing him to go ahead with the attack.
The script focuses on the story of the protagonist, the family, the traditions and the
customs of the community, accessing feelings of guilt and responsibility and is placed in the
area of psychological and political drama. Moreover, the artistic spectrum intended by the
Palestinian director is added. The latter approached the content by giving up the "black and
white" antagonism and proposing gray areas by illustrating human nature. Everyone lives in
their own way, decides according to their own principles, becomes weak or strong due to
different motivations.

The film introduces to the audience Said and Khaled, two young Palestinians who live
in Nablus as childhood friends. According to their wishes, they will be recruited to commit
two suicide attacks in Israel, Tel Aviv. From the moment of information until the final stage
we witness the process of the two becoming of age and the strengthening of the connection
between them through the prism of the different destinies that they have.
The description of the axes that are established in the cinematographic content represented
one of the major interests that were essential in shaping the soundtrack: East-West, Khaled-
Said, collaborator-martyr, Jamal-Abu Karem. The compositional directions that I adopted
focused on observing the conventions of the drama genre followed by the selection of the
most suitable ones for this production: the intense use of chords, piano, long articulations,
repeated microstructures, quartet interval, chords minor, plagal chains, open endings,
sequencing, sound pedals, delays.
The composition of the soundtrack for Paradise Now was in all instances - from the
initial sketch phases to the final ones, of materialisation and finishing of the sound material
suitable for production - a cornerstone and had an evolutionary role for every film music
composer, no matter what stage they are at at some point in their career. At the same time it
represented a unique opportunity to work under pressure, to know oneself, thus contributing
to the improvement of the composition technique.

In conclusion, we hope that the research work, its content, as well as the film, together
with the music will be inspiring and useful for students, current or future composers and
aspirants in the field of composition and to justify the effort, the work performed and
satisfaction of success.