Table of contents

For your final project, you can choose to either compose and develop a leitmotif or to compose a score for a film clip. These options are explained further below.

  • On Blackboard, go to Final Project Signup to indicate your choice.
  • Projects are due anytime between Dec 6–7.
  • Optional revisions are due Dec 12.

Option 1: Leitmotif Composition

For your final project, compose a melodic leitmotif for a game/film character, and develop it with two leitmotivic development techniques appropriate to the narrative of the game/film.

Composition

Analysis and Self-Evaluation

Because there is so much subjectivity involved in composing for media, it’s imperative that you give me a thorough self-evaluation and analysis so that I understand your choices.

Answer each of the following questions. Your responses will guide me in giving credit for each of the compositional requirements. Be as specific as possible, giving timestamps and/or measure numbers to guide me to specific locations. In total you should probably write around 350 words.

  1. What is your character’s name and what film, TV show, or video game are they from? (No need to go into detail—I can google it if I don’t know about it already)
  2. In your original leitmotif, what musical topic(s) are you evoking? How did you choose that topic? What musical materials (notes, timbres, rhythms, etc.) are communicating the topic?
  3. In your two variations, which leitmotivic development techniques did you choose? What does each development suggest about the character’s narrative? (This could be something that really happens in the story, or a new narrative point of your own imagination.)
  4. Where and how did you use any of the following compositional techniques we discussed in class?

Submission (Dec 6–7)

Upload your project on Blackboard sometime between Dec 6–7.

Your submission should have three files:

  1. A .pdf of your score for all three leitmotif versions (if you wrote a score at all)
  2. An .mp3 of all three versions of your leitmotif (generated in MuseScore by going to File > Export…)
    An .mp3 is not required if you only write for solo instrument + keyboard (or some other combination I can easily read at the piano.)
  3. Your analysis

Rubric

Objective Points
Choice of topic 10
Execution of topic 10
Choice of harmonic language 5
Execution of harmonic language 5
Explanation of development 10
Execution of development 10

A detailed rubric is available on Blackboard.

Example project

View an example of an A+ leitmotif project here.

Option 2: Film Score Composition

Here is a folder full of animated film clips that have been edited to remove their music. Each clip is around one minute long. For your final project, compose a score for one of these film clips, incorporating certain techniques from our class.

Composition

Analysis and Self-Evaluation

Because there is so much subjectivity involved in composing for media, it’s imperative that you give me a thorough self-evaluation and analysis so that I understand your choices.

Answer each of the following questions. Your responses will guide me in giving credit for each of the compositional requirements. Be as specific as possible, giving timestamps and/or measure numbers to guide me to specific locations. In total you should probably write around 350 words.

  1. The Intro to Film Music chapter lists several functions of non-diegetic music. How does your music function in relation to the on-screen material? Give specific functions and their numbers, drawn from the numbered list in the chapter.
  2. What musical topic(s) are you evoking in your composition? What aspects of the film clip relate to your chosen musical topic (for example, a character’s identity, a setting, an activity, etc.)? What musical materials (notes, timbres, rhythms, etc.) are communicating the musical topic?
  3. Which 20th-/21st-c. compositional technique did you incorporate into your score? How does this technique work with the film?

Submission (Dec 6–7)

Upload your project on Blackboard sometime between Dec 6–7.

Your submission should have three files:

  1. A .pdf of your score (if you wrote one at all)
  2. A .mp4 or .mov of the clip synced up to your score, or an .mp3 of your score (generated in MuseScore by going to File > Export…) that I can sync up easily myself. 
    An .mp3 is not required if you only write for solo instrument + keyboard (or some other combination I can easily read at the piano.)
  3. Your analysis

Rubric

Objective Points
Choice of topic 10
Execution of topic 10
Choice of harmonic language 5
Execution of harmonic language 5
Analysis of function 10
Cueing 10

A detailed rubric is available on Blackboard.

Example project

View an example of an A+ film scoring project here.

Late submissions

Late submissions are okay and will not result in a reduced grade directly.

Late submissions are ineligible for revisions, however.

Revisions (optional; due Dec 12)

Those who submit their final projects on time will receive quick feedback so they may make revisions. As with the other compositions all semester, revised grades are averaged together with your first attempt grade to yield your final grade for the project. This means you can earn back up to half the points you lost on your initial attempt.

Revisions absolutely must be submitted by Dec 12 at the very latest.

Collaboration (optional)

You have the option to work in pairs. If you choose to do this, use the following additional guidelines:

  • If writing a film score: Score a clip that is at least 1.5 minutes long.
  • If writing a leitmotif: Write a love theme or a battle theme that combines the leitmotif of the chosen character with that of another character.
  • Writing: As part of your analysis, you should also include an extra description of your compositional process and work distribution, approx. 150 words in length (so your analysis would total around 500 words instead of 350).

Both collaborators will receive the same grade.

Composition Format

The way in which you compose this music is left deliberately open-ended in order to cater to everyone’s diverse strengths. You may choose to notate something more traditionally in MuseScore, as we’ve done for the other composition projects, or if you prefer, you may choose to do a purely electronic composition in a DAW.

Extra Credit

For extra credit, you may include extra instrumental/vocal parts and/or a proper recording (not just an .mp3 export from MuseScore). Some extra credit will be given for this as long as the rest of the requirements of the project are met. The amount of extra credit is at the discretion of the instructor, not exceeding 5% of the project grade.