This chapter develops a strategy for scoring non-narrative or non-descriptive film segments. When developing a soundtrack for a movie, the composer is faced with the challenge of incorporating other tools and elements in order to create clear communication between the soundtrack and what is happening on screen. An effective approach to musical composition is sought for the non-narrative context. The main objective is to ascertain what other elements might be considered to meaningfully associate the screened events and the music tracks and then investigate how these elements may be most effectively scored. The research analyses a specific method for crossing from one modality or style to another, enabling the viewer to relate impressions and stimuli gained through one modality to another for a fully comprehensive experience. A table will demonstrate how the specifications of one modality can be calibrated in terms of another.
TopIntroduction
Music is a universal language. Film is also now a major contributor to cultural globalization, as more and more nations channel resources into their individual film industries. Together, music and film provide a fundamental channel for communication, allowing people to communicate their feelings, thoughts and emotions in a way that may be difficult or even impossible through spoken language. Cinema has become a powerful tool to influence international opinion. It can be termed a 'soft power' as it provides a window through which foreign spectators can see the richness and attractiveness of a particular country or culture (Keune 2017).
While music is an integral part of both narrative and non-narrative film, there are significant differences in how this medium of communication is employed. Narrative film revolves around story telling. A narrative often falls into two parts. The story is the focal point, but also there is a method of disseminating the story, often with sub-plots or diversions that eventually return to the main story line. Therefore, the sound track facilitates the gradual development of the story to the climax, where a lesson may be taught, conclusions reached, or the advantages or disadvantages of a certain course of action made clear.
A non-narrative film may also have an influence on the viewer, leading them to a conclusion, or using persuasion to adopt a particular opinion. However, this method of communication is more subtle. There is no 'story' as such which unfolds. The meaning of the film may not become immediately obvious as surreal images may be used.
It is necessary however to clarify what is meant by the expression non-narrative film. In the full sense of the term, the audience would not be able to recognize any image, as it would be nonrepresentational. This is actually impossible as a viewer nearly always has a desire to 'inject narrative where it does not exist.' (Aumont 1992:71)
So non-narrative films still have meaning, often dependent on the context. Abstract concepts are represented in various ways. For example, psychological themes involving panic, entrapment, sexual tension, are explored. The composer of the sound track seeks to communicate with the viewer by illuminating, elucidating, and revealing the meaning of the visual representations in a particular context.
Music and film share many common characteristics. Pitch can be perceived as high or low. Textures can be thick or thin. Melodies can be ascending or descending. Gestures and movements are often discerned by rhythm and pace. The limits of these boundaries can be measured and mapped and transferred from one modality to another.
This article is entitled “Surpassing Narrative and Non-Verbal Communication: A Cross- Modal Approach to Music Composition in Nation Branding.”
To surpass something means to go beyond, to excel, to exceed expectations. The Table presented later in this article will enable the composer to go beyond narrative and non-verbal communication by using a cross-modal approach, thus fulfilling the objective of this article in enabling the composer to provide the viewer with a fully comprehensive experience.