Film Music Clichés

Clichés have become so ingrained in our film culture that they can generate automatic
responses in the audience. These conventions have been subconsciously created since we
were children. Take, for example, every time we saw the queen or a military parade on
television; the scene was most likely accompanied with a brass band. We therefore made links
between brass and power, brass and war, brass and royalty. It is not surprising that when we
hear a horn playing with a character in a film that we automatically respond to this character,
believing that he or she is powerful.

Whilst we sometimes actively want to rebel against clichés, we must also remember that these
conventions exist because they generally work. However, clichés are always changing, new
ones are being created, and old ones being left on the side. The following is a list of musical
clichés that frequently occur in movies.

Wildlife programs often use percussive cues for

animals with energitic lifestyles. Minimalist music
has become quite a common feature of natural
history series. Geography is also important and
Animals - Ethno-music, such as native drums, have often
blended with traditional orchestral instruments to
enhance the location. For instance, in this sample
you can hear African instruments blended with
strings.
Xylophone, pitched percussion, mickey-mousing,
Cartoons -
slide-whistle
Danny Elfman is famously reknowned for scores
such as Batman, Spiderman and Planet of the Apes.
His idiomatic style is very brass and percussion
Danny
- orientated. This often involves using metalic and
Elfman
trashcan percussion instruments. His style is often
dark and menacing. The demo was composed as a
pastiche of his style.
Minor harmony, low register of the orchestra,
Dark -
trombones, horns, cellos
The piano is a very good instrument for enhancing
Desolation - desolate moments. A slow drone and a simple
melody can work effectively.
Music often starts or stops when a character opens
Doors -
or closes a door
Celesta, harp, glockenspiel, piano, slow harmonic
Dreamlike -
rhythm, high registered strings, lack of low register
String harmonics, tremolando, muted brass, harp,
Eerie -
slow moving harmonic rhythm
Minor harmony, low register of the orchestra,
Evil -
trombones, horns, cellos
Futuristic - Synthesizer, choir, lots of reverb
Celesta, harp, upper strings, lack of lower register,
Heavenly -
soprano choir
Hero - Brass, fanfares, masculine music
Heroine - A love theme on the strings or woodwind solo
Love - Love themes are generally played on the strings
Magical - Celesta, harp, glockenspiel, wind chimes
Majestic - Horns, brass, fanfares
Journeys in the mountains often include a sense of
wide open space, grandeur of the mountains, an
Mountains - ethnic feel, and a sense of action. This can be
achieved by a large orchestra, lots of reverb, ethnic
instruments, and a repeating pattern.
String chords, ostinato on tuned percussion, slow
Mystical -
moving harmonic rhythm
Tom toms, drums, timpani, ostinato, irregular
Ritual -
rhythms
Tom toms, drums, timpani, ostinato, irregular
Sacrifice -
rhythms
Atonal strings with sudden brass stabs which are
Scary -
reinforced by percussion
Shock - Stings with percussion or brass
Sleepy - Celesta, harp, glockenspiel, music box
Music often starts or stops when a character picks
Telephones -
up or replaces the handset
This Hollywood composer loves to use solo piano
over strings. He often uses lydian and aeolian modes
Thomas
- with a very simplistic melody over a drone (long
Newman
pedal note). The demo was composed as a pastiche
of his style.
Music often starts and stops where the characters
Travel -
travel in movies
War - Snare drum, brass, marches
A faster tempo is generally used when the wind picks
Wind -
up. The woodwind will often play scales.