Sound technique · used in 12 films
Letting a particular composer's or musician's style define the film's sound. The music has a recognizable voice that shapes mood and character.
Examples
David Lean · 1962
Jarre's overture is as long and patient as a desert crossing. The theme never announces itself. It builds up bit by bit. By the time the full orchestra arrives, the music has trained you to feel the scale and the slow time of the desert. The score pretty much acts out the experience at the center of the film.
Where to see it: The overture. Music plays over a dark screen before the film begins, and it sets up the patience the desert demands.
François Truffaut · 1966
Bernard Herrmann composed the score, and his music gives the film a cold, floating sadness. It marks the world as both gentle and dangerous. You feel the loss of books before you see them burn.
Where to see it: The old woman's library. The fire captain Beatty talks with Montag at a collector's house, and she chooses to burn herself with her books.
Federico Fellini · 1972
Nino Rota's score gives the film its warm, slightly carnival tone. The music keeps the loose episodes feeling like parts of 1 memory.
Where to see it: The vaudeville theater: Rota's music supports the lively crowd and gives the scene a nostalgic feel.
Federico Fellini · 1973
Nino Rota's music, a regular partner of Fellini's, gives the village a warm, nostalgic tone. The tunes feel like something half-remembered from childhood.
Where to see it: The Rex passes: villagers take boats out to watch the huge ocean liner go by, and the small boats capsize in its wake.
David Lynch · 1984
Toto composed the score, and a 'Prophecy Theme' is credited to Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno. A band best known for rock hits scoring a story set thousands of years in the future was a bold swing.
Where to see it: The battle of Arrakeen. Paul's Fremen forces defeat the Emperor's invasion at Arrakeen.
Kathryn Bigelow · 1987
The electronic band Tangerine Dream composed the score. Its synthesizers give the film a cold, dreamy sound that sits against the dusty setting. Your ears say space age while your eyes say old West.
Where to see it: The sunrise rescue: Mae breaks out of the car with Sarah and carries her into Caleb's arms as her skin smokes in the sun.
Ridley Scott · 2000
Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard's score mixes a big, sweeping orchestra with Gerrard's wordless singing. She sings in an invented language, so you feel the emotion without understanding a single word. Together, they give a huge film a human voice and keep it away from the usual sentimental music.
Where to see it: 'Now We Are Free' over the closing credits. Gerrard's voice is the sound of Maximus being set free.
Ron Howard · 2006
Hans Zimmer wrote the score, and it relies on strings and choir to give the puzzle-solving an air of religious mystery. Scenes of people talking in rooms feel like something dangerous is about to happen.
Where to see it: The Rosslyn Chapel finale. The characters reach the chapel at the end of the trail, and the score carries the final discovery.
Giuseppe Tornatore · 2013
Ennio Morricone's music has a voice you can recognize. It won the Italian David di Donatello award for Best Score and a European Film Award. The score adds romance to the story, which helps you believe in it.
Where to see it: Prague ending: Virgil visits a restaurant full of clocks that Claire once called happy, sits alone and waits.
Sam Mendes · 2022
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the score, which gives the film its own sound. Their music is a distinctive voice, and it also sits beside songs from the era played on a record player, such as Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Joni Mitchell.
Where to see it: The beach day: Hilary and Stephen go to the beach, where Stephen tells her about his first love, and Hilary angrily destroys a sand castle they had been building.
Luca Guadagnino · 2022
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross wrote the score, and Guadagnino asked them for a melancholic elegy built on acoustic guitars to fit the Americana look. The soft, warm sound makes the story feel like a love song, even at its grisliest.
Where to see it: The road trip. Maren and Lee drive across the Midwest, and the guitars sit under their travels.
Sam Raimi · 2026
Danny Elfman wrote a 23-track score that critics called cheeky. His winking, spooky style tells you the film is in on its own jokes. It lets you laugh at scenes that would feel cruel with a plain score.
Where to see it: The island survival stretch. Linda builds a shelter, finds food and kills a wild boar while Bradley lies injured.
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