2006-10-03 10:53:29 · 14 answers · asked by Gavin C 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
Yes and no.
Film music was once a clear genre. Silent film music is an obvious genre. Film music from the 30's to the 50's can clearly be identified as a genre. Like rock or punk or industrial, film music split out into many directions including soundtrack (music inspired by or pre-existing, but chosen to go with a film), show tunes (music that was written to go with a musically themed movie) and film music that was scored to picture.
Just like rock & punk. It used to be a genre. Now it's branched out into so many directions that it's lost it's meaning.
2006-10-03 12:22:56 · answer #1 · answered by Laura T 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is, as anyone who's good at composing it will confirm.
Good film music has to support the mood of a scene without drawing too much attention to itself. This makes it unlike almost all other kinds of music except muzak, and muzak is so irritating that it generally attracts attention.
Great film music supports the mood of a scene without drawing too much attention etc, but is also worth listening to in its own right; Georges Delerue's music is a good example (he did scores for a lot of Godard's movies in the 60s), Howard Shore is another (check out the astonishing music he wrote for David Cronenberg's movies in the 80s/90s). John Williams writes music that works fabulously well in the movies he writes it for, but tends to be a bit banal if you try to listen to it for itself.
The greatest composer of film music is for my money Bernard Herrmann, whose achievements outside film scores are fairly negligible, but as a film composer he's a giant - imagine doing the music for Citizen Kane, Psycho and Taxi Driver.
2006-10-03 21:52:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is usually in the genre called "Sound tracks" or "soundtracks". Similar generes are "Movie Soundtracks", "Film Soundtracks", "Original Scores".
It is not "Showtunes" as others have suggested. "Showtunes" are usually songs from theater musicals such as "Showboat", "My Fair Lady", "Sound of Music", "The Rocky Horror Show".
Showtunes are also labelled as "Original Cast Recordings".
Of course, you can have "Showtune" "Soundtracks" when a theater musical is translated to film. For instance, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".
2006-10-03 18:08:03 · answer #3 · answered by Knowledge Seeker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any cultural thing, types of music, types film, art movements etc can be classified into official and unofficial "genres" or groups which indicates a commonality.
2006-10-03 18:03:33 · answer #4 · answered by bumbleboi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Film music = MUSIC IN FILMS is called a SOUNDTRACK.
A genre is a "category" like Action film soundtracks, or movie musical soundtracks, or sci-fi soundtracks.
Genre = category.
2006-10-03 18:01:51 · answer #5 · answered by alwaysbombed 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it is. It may include film scores from composers like Angelo Badlamenti, Eric Serra, Trevor Horn or a prominant pop artist providing music for a film like Amie Mann did for "O'Brother Where art thou"?...hope this helped :-)
2006-10-03 17:59:56 · answer #6 · answered by The Richest Man in Babylon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no - but film score requirs is a very specific skill
2006-10-03 18:05:22 · answer #7 · answered by James B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes 'Movie Soundtracks'
Peace!
2006-10-03 18:02:54 · answer #8 · answered by AZRAEL è 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, according to itunes, Yes! :-)
2006-10-03 18:00:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, showtunes or soundtrack has sort of become one.
2006-10-03 17:58:38 · answer #10 · answered by SneakyStilo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋