How Composers Make Music Sound Scary
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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What techniques do horror movie composers use to terrify us? A lot of techniques are thanks to Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer whose music was used by director William Friedkin to score The Exorcist and Stanley Kubrick to score The Shining
Penderecki's music can be heard in the works of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, and has even inspired the scores of modern horror films such as Bird Box. Nahre Sol and LA Buckner explore the techniques used by Penderecki and use them to compose their own music for an original film starring Toussaint Morrison from America From Scratch.
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We like music. You like music. Let’s break it down. Sound Field is a PBS Digital Studios web series produced by Rewire.org. #SoundFieldPBS #Rewire #PBSDigitalStudios explainer dorian mode horror movies dies irae
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Wow! Can't believe you managed to get Jack White to star at the end.... plus his stunt double!
His booking fee was almost our whole budget 🙄
hahaha joke of the day right here
Fantastic! Great examples and explanations.
Horror movie soundtracks on one side brought a public awareness to modern classical and experimental music, but at the same time, created the mentality that *any* form of dissonance or extended technique is inherently "scary", even when it's explicitly not meant to be. There's this shallow, one-dimensional idea of what "scary music" is, and that only prevents people from getting in touch with things they could find very exciting otherwise. It raised a wall.
But dont u think that thats the reason lots of dissonance is used? because its inherently scary? i agree that dissonance can be used beautifully and in more meaningful ways tho
In this video it's pointed out that penderecki found his voice/sound inspired by the terrors of war. Surely, theres a more scientific reason why these dis-chords, if you will, feel so inherently disturbing.
@@krystawisner6043 No, not inherently scary. Dissonance produces tension, which could feel a lot of different ways depending on the context.
Shout out to Mike Oldfield, one of the most underrated musicians out there, who composed the main theme for the movie.
Kwijiboz Totally agree! I would like to see a future Sound Field video on Mike Oldfield’s Music, especially to cover the following:
1. Why did Exorcist director William Friedkin choose Tubular Bells as the theme over the rejected score?
2. Mike mentions that Tubular Bells was inspired by Bach. How did Bach influence Tubular Bells?
3. Why is Tubular Bells called Tubular Bells? I’d like to know more about this percussion instrument.
@dark day Care to tell us what's the main theme then?
@@CapCrunch45 Quite simply, tubular bells are tuned pieces of metal in the shape of tubes (like pieces of metal pipe), which sound like bells when struck with a mallet. You may also know them as "chimes".
ruclips.net/video/mjACsPhDJDE/видео.html
As far as the Mike Oldfield piece being titled "Tubular Bells," a bit of the history of the piece must be explained. Mike Oldfield put out an LP in 1972 called "Tubular Bells." It was conceived as one long piece that would cover two sides of an LP, in this case, about 49 minutes. Near the end of side one, there is a section in which Oldfield introduces a repeating rhythmic theme, to which he adds successive layers of instruments, one at a time, as a voice announces each new instrument's entrance. The last instrument that comes in and tops off the complex panoply of sound is, you guessed it, the tubular bells (or chimes).
It's a little known fact that Friedkin wanted Tangerine Dream to score the film, but they were unavailable at the time.
They later went on to score his next film, "The Wages of Fear".
Thank you all for the comments.
Axe through the door, Nahre's just trying to find the time signature.
😂
Even though it's not film, the horror music in the video game silent hill 2 does an AMAZING job of scaring you with the music. The music itself and the sound effects as well. Awesome video guys!
Akira Yamaoka is one of 2
reasons I became a composer, an absolute legend in his field.
I had the joy of seeing him in my home town a few years ago with the vocalist from the 3rd and 4th games soundtrack. If you ever have the chance, I can't recommend it more!
The Silent Hill franchise in general has some great music!
I know a lot of people don’t like the movie adaptation, but it’s probably my favorite video game movie and I love how they used music from the games.
Interesting side note to "children's songs" used in creepy context and the idea of a Leitmotif in film: These techniques were pioneered in live-action "talkies" by Fritz Lang in his 1931 classic "M" - about a child murderer and how a city reacts to his presence. He uses Grieg's famous theme from "In the Hall of the Mountain King" as the theme, whistled by the murderer himself. In one scene, you have a group of preteen kids doing a ""Ring a Ring o' Roses", except they're singing "wait, wait just a while, then the black man will come, and with his cleaver make scrap meat out of you" (rhyming in the original German of course).
Love M great example!
When I applied for citizenship in the U.K. the immigration agent told me I was "eligible for citizenship in a nightmare country".
Herrmann also used a lot of minor major seventh chords in his work, which is a big part of his sound in Psycho
Really love how this turned out! Thank you so much for including me :)
Always great to talk to you EJ! P.s. can’t believe you gave Endgame a good review. Seems not like you
Sound Field Ha! I may be a horror junkie, but I do love a good event film. Can’t wait to see more film-related episodes on Sound Field :)
A great soundtrack can make a movie into a blockbuster..."Jaws* would not have been as good without that iconic piece of music.
@JESSE B Agreed Jaws is amazing for more reasons than just its music
John Williams’ music has always been apart of each movie he scored. Not just background, but incorporated into the story.
He and Steven Spielberg have made great movies together.
"Dies Irae" is in EVERYTHING tho!
8:12. I have to correct you. John Carpenter directed 'The Thing' in 1982, but Ennio Morricone (The Great), scored the music for that classic film.
Well, Carpenter kinda composed most of it though. That's at least what I've read over and over since the late 80's.
Carpenter also contributed to the score:
exclaim.ca/film/article/john_carpenter_and_alan_howarths_music_to_the_thing_is_coming_to_vinyl_for_the_first_time_ever
@@stephenjohnson7078 Thanks for jumping in on this!
@@thegrimyeaper Yeah sorry we left out Ennio Morricone, we should've mentioned his name too, but Carpenter really wrote the music with him.
Perfect way to start off the day; by starting off with Sound Field
You're the sweetest!
Horror soundtrax hav a big place in my heart ,it follows has a beautiful soundtrax and so does Halloween esp covered by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Thom Yorkes Suspiria soundtrax etc
This is the reason why I became a movie, and television music composer. I love the horror sounds. I love composing different types of music.😊
I remember the first time I saw the score for 'Threnody.......Hiroshima' by Penderecki at age 15. I was somewhat confused. That 'Wall of Sound' noise at the very end appeared as a continual thick black line on the score (can't remember how many bars). Frakk me, what a noise...!!!
This is awesome! I’d love to see the score
thank you for that totally 100% completely original horror short
Okay okay hear me out.
Gaming music.
Resident evil main theme
From Marylin Manson.
It's worth it.
We hear you!
How about the basement one from resident evil directors cut?
Actually, Marilyn Manson composed the theme for the film version of "Resident Evil," not the game itself. But, yeah - that's a deliciously eerie piece of music!
I watched "It - Chapter 2" last week and said to myself - would be interesting to hear Nahre's take on Music in Horror Movies. And well, you already did :).
Don't feel too bad about not watching horror. I have watched some, and generally regret it later!!
This was a great video, once again. Both of you put together a lot of awesome facts and then discuss the material in thoughtful and thought-provoking ways. Every time I watch one I kind of want to go poke around on the piano...if I had one, haha!
I am unashamed to admit that I have A) never seen any version of the The Shining and B) was actually shivering with tension by the end of this.
I think that horror scores have benefited hugely from 20th-Century experimental music, but even better, they've done more than just about any other type of film to bring that "weird music" into the consciousness of the general public. You can flatten someone who is certain that "orchestra music is always pretty" just by mentioning "Jaws" or "Psycho."
Also, I am very glad to know the name of the Penderecki piece!! I always called that the "spidery creepy music" and my violinist friend laughed and laughed...and wouldn't explain why!
Thank you for another wonderful episode!
Polymorphia was also used in The Shining. RIP Penderecki.
What scene please ?
Great video! And it is a good follow up topic after the last one.
So let me give you one song to combine these two.
Schoenberg - Farben as choir version.
12 tone music is good for horror.
I'd include bowed waterphone (reverberating metallic shrieks) and "skittering" sounds (pizzicato strings or random percussion).
Yes all good techniques!
Little kids hauntingly singing off key, the creepy old music box/untuned toy piano, the shrill suspense violin, deep base, Thumping heart beat, repetition, repetition, repetition, so it sinks in your brain.
I was breathing hard the entire time I watched this episode lol...I’m such a punk lol😀😀
Dario Argento's "Susperia" also includes some very tribal sounds with chorus chants that made it otherworldly, like in "The Shining" where Wendy is looking for Danny in the hotel as all hell breaks loose.
Italian Horror directors and especially modern J-Horror have some of the creepiest STs.
I've always thought music is what makes for top-shelf Horror & suspense. Great analysis!
EJ Moreno who we talked to in this video is the biggest fan of Suspiria
Nice vid... I also noticed that modern horror film music tends to utilize percussions like the Murray Talk Show scene in Joker (Although it isn't a horror film, that scene was suspenseful)
Now, things are getting really interesting here with this awe-inspiring work and the excitement consistently reaches its apex in every new enthralling episode! ❤️🧠🚀💥 My encounter with this inspiring video is one of the truly definitive moments for which I consider myself very lucky that I live in this information/technology age/era in which the Internet culture shapes our lives significantly and through it, we can have unlimited access to mind-expanding, transcending contents like this magnificent (as always!) episode! Although I really love all of your episodes to this date, this one is one of my personal favorites now along with the episode on Avant-Garde, outsider artists and what even greater is that it's just the 8th episode in the show and you always provide top-notch quality content so I can't even imagine how upcoming episodes would be! 🤯 What I love most about this incredible show (also about life and nature) is the diversity in every respect; everything is diverse and unique including musical backgrounds of the hosts, their distinctive valuable contributions to discussions, philosophies, approaches, listening preferences, and various selected subjects for the episodes, different genres, artists, styles, eras, movements, etc. and in my opinion this highly diverse nature is one of the main reasons why this show is truly great and innovative in every aspect! Kudos to your big effort and dedication! Also, new acting scenes totally deserve appreciation, too, I love watching them, they've added a new dimension to the show that's for sure! 😃
And it's also such a great coincidence that yesterday, I was just listening to one of my favorite modern composers, Jonny Greenwood's "48 Responses to Polymorphia" which was influenced by the legendary Penderecki's singular composition and I was simply amazed by it and now this amazing episode has influenced me a lot to delve into more! 🎉🔥🚀
If there would be an award for "Best Newcomer Show/Series on RUclips", I'd definitely pick the winner as this show without a single doubt! I mean, I feel alive intellectually and emotionally when I see the new uploads and always try to watch them again and again to learn something new and exciting! Even, after watching every new episode, I try to collect my impressions and feelings towards them to write a grateful and thorough comment. Since the show and the dedicated crew behind it are always trying to be at their peaks in terms of quality and effort, this is gradually building up a rewarding pressure on me to write a more solid and informative comment in every new episode and this clearly indicates that you've achieved something amazing and inspiring: despite the fact that you try to connect with people and touch their lives in this entirely virtual platform and in this day and age, you've literally managed to re-create this Renaissance atmosphere in which both you and us learn constantly through this high-level interaction and enthusiasm! In other words, this is not just a music education show from now on, it is more than that, this show is becoming a whole new education movement that consists of high-dose philosophy, psychology, literature and every form of art either aural or visual, in short, it's about every music-related subject that can be exciting and inspiring for highly curious minds of all ages and backgrounds on the Internet!
Long story short, we can't thank you enough and I'll always support what you'll do next! You deserve all the appreciation and recognition and I'm sure that you'll get much more of them sooner than you've expected!
P.S. It's so interesting that the word "avant-garde" is derived from the French military term "advance guard" in English. According to Collins English Dictionary, it means "a military unit sent ahead of a main body to find gaps in enemy defences, clear away minor opposition, and prevent unexpected contact" or "a temporary military detachment sent ahead of a force to prepare for a landing or other operation, esp by making reconnaissance". Therefore, advance guards are relatively small in number compared to the main troop, they're ahead of the main body and they sacrifice themselves in order to protect their main force/troop against possible attacks. From this definition that can be said that an "advance guard" should have vision, foresight and strong observation skills in order to predict possible attacks by being ahead of others while approaching incidents. It seems this definition can provide a solid reference for the value of "avant-garde", outsider artists in the history of art, too.
During the World War II, Nazis and Soviets (during the war’s aftermath, in Eastern Europe they suppressed the works of iconoclastic Avant-Garde composers such as Arvo Part and Gorecki, Penderecki too) banned the works of avant-garde artists including Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and Debussy through the bureau called "Reich Music Chamber" and they also banned Jazz at the peak of hate, intolerance, and racism by claiming that these modern forms of music are "degenerate" and "inferior". Therefore, it is of great importance to preserve the cultural legacies of these oppressed vanguard artists who have significantly changed the way we understand the nature of music with their creative outputs and influential stance.
As the one and only John Cage once said: "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas, I'm frightened of the old ones." seems relatable for today’s world and cultural conjuncture. Maybe one day people from the next generations will find today's music and art highly conventional and conservative, too, who knows, but I think what matters is to find encouragement to try to find new means of expressions in sound by thinking outside the box, to me only in this way the diversity and richness of the artistic endeavors can be enriched with either progression or regression, sometimes regression can lead to progression depending on the perspective and vice versa but I think what's important is that if every artist would try to stay within their comfort zones without attempting to try something novel or profound, this would become a serious danger for art in terms of creativity and diversity. Therefore, in my opinion, what remains valid is that the need for visionary and creative people like you in the music and media scene are increasing and it's really great that you have this encouragement to create something iconoclastic and inspiring here to influence people!
As always a truly enchanting episode and please keep up the great work! I've learned so many valuable things through this enthralling work! Thank you so much! ✨🙌🙏🎉
Big love and respect and kudos to your this immense influence, dedication, love and effort you put in every outstanding work of yours!! I just love this show so much! ❤️🧠💥🎶
Ok calm down Shakespeare 😅
TLDR.
Damn this was super interesting and informative, thanks!
The "come and play with us" scene is so scary that even in this homage I was nervous when he was approaching a corridor felt unease when the girls appeared. Fucking great scene!
It’s uncanny
I would say if there is one classic horror music technique, it is tremolando strings, particularly in the low register cellos.
Very informative video. Now I know why a piece of music sounds so scary.
Kind of wished you also talked about why Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells was used as the theme to the Exorcist. I heard that it was based on Bach. Maybe a follow up video?
Arguably, Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was the catalyst for the way Friedkin handled music in The Exorcist. For instance, Ligeti's piece "Dies Irae" - used to depict the monolith, symbolized the mysteries of the unknown, which is not that far removed from the basic elements of horror. In any case, the sci-fi and horror genres have always had strong similarities and sci-fi/horror hybrids (Frankenstein, the Alien films) are quite common. You do mention the mention the use Penderecki and others (including Ligeti again) in Kubrick's The Shining (1980), so that's good.
This was so interesting and informative! Thank you.
Glad you learned something, thanks for watching Trenna!
I hear horror music whenever I see Kellyanne Conway.
Me too, as soon as I glimpse her grisly visage a stinger chord echoes loudly in my mind and then the shrieking violins start playing in my head when she starts speaking.
I'm surprised you didn't mention use of ultra low frequency Infrasound in the 19 Hz and below range which is sometimes used in film to give viewers an uneasy sickly feeling.
axnyslie Hawkwind knew this. Dik Mik played 'sound generator' and would regularly make audience members (probably already on acid) oscillate, crumple and throw up with ultra-low frequencies.
i love this channel!
THANKS FOR LOVING US
Love this explainer. Perfect for the novice. Just to add a couple of points: It may not be considered a horror movie today, but Jerry Goldsmith's score for 1968's Planet of the Apes beats the Exorcist by five years, and it's very dischordant and unnerving in the same way. I can't imagine what audiences in 1968 must have thought. But then, Italians like Morricone et al had been doing this all through the 1960s, especially in the Giallo film genre. And finally, there was the bass player for struggling British blues band Earth who came out of a horror movie with a monumental, music-changing epiphany: to write rock songs that were meant to sound ominous and scary, just like the horror movie scores of the 1960s. His name was Geezer Butler, and the band renamed themselves Black Sabbath after that. You many have heard of them.
This was fantastic. The breakdown of how these are composed is perfect. Thank you. You’ve never seen a horror film all the way through? Girl, you gotta get on that. Evil Dead is a great place to start. :)
Black metal can have different flavors of scary. Sometimes is creepy or brutal but often it's scary but gentle, it feels like calmly sinking into a see of darkness.
Man, Carpenter's score for the Thing is legit. Good work guys!
Now I know where the soundtrack of Dead Space comes from.
A lot in this video also reminds me of early Resident Evil scores.
Absolutely loved it. This is easily becoming one of my most favourite PBSDS channels ❤️
Thanks for watching Shan!!!
Shan What is PBSDS?
@@ProcrastinatingGameCat PBS Digital Studios
Good video but I think you guys missed one of the most important scores. Halloween!
WatchDog Pug yep even Trent Reznor has done a cover oh shhhh keep the cool things for ourselves as hipsters are just yuppies of today.
That 5/4 piano pattern against sixteenth notes. Absolutely unreal how so much was able to wrung out of so little.
WatchDog Pug ur right
🎬 "The Exorcist" A classic movie with so little music. 👌
I think Goblin (Italian Prog rock) also made a difference in this field.
Love horror movies so glad y'all covered this aspect of them.
OMG I love this channel so much
Thanks for watching !
Rest and peace the greatest Composer Krzysztof Penderecki !!!!!!!!!!
My favourite example of juxtaposition between pleasant and dissonant is the "Go Tomorrow" theme from the series "The Haunting of Hill House". It has a melancholic and nostalgic sound interspersed with these small chromatic walk-downs that really creates that slight feeling of unease or creepiness. Perfectly captures the overall feeling of the show
We love the recommendations! Thank you
Riding a bike in an office with the lights turned down is creepy as fck! lol
Super interesting video! With horror games for instance, it's the audio that unsettles me, I am completely desensitized to images. I just stumbled upon your channel and as an experimental musician and horror fan, i'm impressed! Great production and information. Subscribed!
They forgot about Iannis Xenakis's Metastasis, the official song of every uninspired modern horror movie film score.
Amazing work as always! Thank you for doing these videos.
Absolutely loved this episode! :D
I know it's impossible to cover it all but i was really hoping you'd mention Colin Stetson's work in Hereditary!
Also i couldnt stop thinking of a Thelonious Monk meme about scary tone clusters.
Also i thought the devil's interval was a flat ninth?
Thanks for your amazing work!!
We reached out to Colin for an interview but couldn’t make it work in time
Nahre, you didn't look scared enough when the axe went through the door!🤪😜😆☺🐴🤓🤣
Great video , just what I was looking for without knowing it
horror music could work well in other genres. top work
I'm teaching myself how to use virtual synths in the Caustic app to create music and the things that Nahre explained in this video really moved my understanding of what I'm doing to a new level. I feel inspired to use this new information about the ways to create tension in sounds by using these specific configurations of notes, immediately. Thanks!
Here for Nahre~
IMO the quintessential horror movie sound is a Waterphone.
They’re so cool! I’ve wanted one since I first learned what they were (which funnily was from an episode of Storage Wars)!
Really useful! I'm just to embark on scoring my first horror film, which is well out of my comfort zone so I'm trying to absorb as much info as I can. You've given me some great insights. many thanks!
Congrats for this video. Very informative. However, I'd add REVERB to the sound ingredients for horror music. Dry acoustics (for both music and foley) can't work at all in horror movies.
Loved this episode! Prediction: noise music will make its way into soundtracks. Happy Halloween!
Good prediction Mark!
Very cool! keep this up, I'm loving the show
Gunnar! One of the first comments. Thanks for watching
Another great episode!
Thanks for watching Andrew
this is terrifying. in a good way.
I really enjoy this video. I would love to see more about music and cinematography. Keep the great works guys. You are the best :D
You're the best! Thanks for watching
You guys are great! I enjoy watching you and learning!
Nahre please watch the Exorcist this weekend!
Wait... you're making me enjoy learning? How?!
No way this isn't educational, it's fun!
Good analysis, what about the new Suspiria directed by Luca Quadagnino
X-MISMA-X Thom yorke is a genius
I watch EJ through his AHS reviews, really cool to see him here! Horror is such a big family like that. Awesome video! I came here from the Fantano video and been loving all these older ones
Thanks Leon, I'm so glad you watched! EJ and Fantano are great. I hope you stick around for our future vids
'The Thing' was scored by Ennio Morricone but it's very much in the Carpenter vein.
'Doctor of monsters'. That must be the coolest job ever!
That was great. Thanks for the upload!
Gyorgy Ligeti’s choral music is terrifying
This video is at another level........
So glad I found this channel. Very interesting and informative.
Penderecki's early experimental music has been the "go to" music for any horror or deep drama film for decades. The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980) and Fearless (1993)
The Bela Lugosi version of Dracula didn't have a score (until Universal commissioned Philip Glass to compose one in 1999).
if I was a filmmusic composer, I wouldn’t be able to write music for horror films as I’d have to watch them......
i LOVE the acting 😭
Horror music, horror films, Nahre Sol... instant like! ;)
When i started playing the piano the first things i played were horror film themes..specifically from john carpenter (he created the old Michael myers soundtracks and the fog which is a underrated movie)
Also so happy you mentioned the thing lol my favorite horror movie
That's a great way to learn piano!
Horror elements are implemented in songs in the underground rap scene City Morgue, Kamiyada+, GCSY. I'm sure you guys can list more.
Coty Morgue's "Thresh" really shows the sounds discussed in this video. Great work Sound Field. PBS is blessed.
Really cool, 🙃😁
I love your work!
Thanks for watching Kevin! We are doing it for you
Ennio Morricone was the composer on The Thing
Yes, but that particular piece was composed by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth.
@@damianoakes2592 No, that's all Morricone (although he'd given Carpenter a few possible musical ideas that were inspired by Carpenter's own film scores). John Carpenter ultimately selected the one that most closely resembled his own style.
@@ursaminorjim Nope, Carpenter and Howarth composed additional music to fill out the score (because Morricone's score was finished before the final cut of the film.) You can hear Morricone's score on any music streaming site (some of it was unused), and it's strings and brass, whereas the Carpenter and Howarth stuff is synth based.
@@damianoakes2592 Oh? I stand corrected, then! Makes sense, though. I mean, I get that a master composer like Morricone would be able to create a soundalike score. But those synth sounds are TOTALLY Carpenter/Howarth!
For metalhead horror music was sweet
I did not learn much today but I love this series.
3:08 I will though, all the time lol.
I listen to Cap when I want a fitness boost, Iron Man when I want to feel more techie, so on and so forth, but yeah spooky music when I want spooky vibes of course too.
I just love this channel!!! make more stuff about movies!
We need all the love we can get!
@@SoundFieldPBS Yeah, Im sure you can feel the love from Brazil!
And this is a good theme for next video: love songs!
The Shining's score is by far my favorite
Toussaint KILLED it as Jack!
Yeah he did!
I got excited when they said America From Scratch was involved with this video. I can hardly wait for your big return to youtube!
@@Dorian_sapiens I can't wait for America From Scratch's return either, but mostly because we make that show too!
Sound of horror is the sound of chaos, in a heartbeat? Got it.
Loving this channel.
This was so great! As a spoken word artist experimenting more with cinematic and moody background music (I have 3 singles coming out named "Restored Ruins", "Ghost Town" and "A Haunted House"), this was so inspiring! Definitely gonna use more of those tips in my future music. Thanks!
We are excited to be able to help fellow songwriters and musicians! Can’t wait to hear your upcoming singles
Thank you! I would love to share them with y'all! :)
I've seen Donny Hathaway use that same string siege in Come back Charleston blue with Tim's high.