Sound/Music, film language - analysis E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) & 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Listening Task One.

Film: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Release: 1982

E.T. is a an American science-fiction/fantasy film, it tells the story of Elliott, a lonely boy who befriends an extra-terrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on earth. Elliott and his siblings keep E.T. hidden from their mother and the government before helping him return to his home planet. The music was composed and conducted by longtime-Spielberg collaborator John Williams. The clip in question takes place toward the end of the film and shows Elliott, his brother and their friends being chased by the government as they escape with E.T. on their bikes, planning to take him to his spaceship so he can rejoin his own species. 

The music is deep and orchestral - the opening of the clip is loud and instinctive, with percussion instruments possibly sleigh bells or a similar instrument being played repeatedly to give the sharp "E" sound you here in the first few seconds of the clip. The opening of the clip contains a high-pitched instrumental sound that raises the tension substantially, the boys are on the run from the federal government hence the need to alert the audience to the reality of the situation.    

After the first few seconds the sound of the percussion instruments drops of significantly and string instruments accompanied by well-time drum beats and a consistent use of brass instruments most likely a trumpet. At this point Diegetic sound interrupts the soundtrack, with the sound of tyres screeching on the tarmac and the noise of the bikes bumping around on an uneven dirt-track road. At this point about 20-30 seconds into the clip the pitch has dropped off slightly to make it more comfortable for the audience to listen and watch, while much of the music is now dominated by string instruments probably a combination of violins and cellos. Despite a change in pitch the tempo itself remains the same, it is frantic and intense, a car chase is taking place on screen naturally the composer John Williams wanted to heighten this tension as much as possible, creating the best possible experience for the viewer. In certain instances the use of the string instruments peak and a cymbal is used creating a clashing tone that serves to break up the music. 

Around 48 seconds the music tapers off, employing a sound bridge to help the sound transition between sequences with more fluidity, the music now symbolises a sense of relief, they have not triumphed quite yet but they are on the home-stretch, they have outran the police and other government forces and can now slow down ensuring E.T. is transported safely to his spaceship. The tempo and pitch decline significantly and ambient sounds like birds tweeting can be heard over the music in the background.  

The tempo and pitch rise again quickly at about 53 seconds as the police, reporters and other individuals sudden spring out from behind the boys on their bikes, the use of string instruments goes into overdrive at this point and the violin is used to increase the pace while the tension onscreen rises. The orchestra strike the violin violently and with greater ferocity this mirrors the strenuous physical exertion that is required in order for the boys to out-peddle those frantically pursuing them on foot. From one minute onwards there is once again a prolonged build up as the boys realise their path is blocked, Elliott closes his eyes and you can see him concentrating very hard, visibly straining in fact trying to find the strength - E.T. then uses his abilities to raise the bikes up into the air right just before they would of been blocked in by the authorities. The violins and other string instruments change in tone, as this is a triumphant moment for the boys - although the pitch remains high to display the magnitude of the situation. The tension on the ground had reached a climax and it looked as if the chase was over and then just at the last minute the action is taken to new heights - literally! 

The pitch, tempo and similar sound is then maintained throughout the flight and continues once the boys touch back down on the ground where the clip ends. 

Film: Star Wars

Director: George Lucas

Music: John Williams

Release: 1977

Star Wars, later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an American epic space opera/sci-fi film. In the story, a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance and led by Princess Leia plots to destroy the Death Star space station, which carries a planet-destorying capability created by the Galactic Empire. The conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmboy Luke Skywalker when he inadvertently acquires the droids containing the stolen plans for the Death Star. After the Empire begins a destructive search for the missing droids, Skywalker agrees to accompany Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to return the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance and save the galaxy from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. The Music for the film was composed by John Williams and the clip I will be analysing above takes place at the beginning of the film where the starship belonging to Princess Leia is intercepted in the course of a secret mission by a massive Imperial Star Destroyer. An imperial boarding party blasts its way onto the captured vessel, and after a fierce firefight the crew of Leia's ship is subdued. The dark, forbidding figure of Darth Vader then appears on board.  

Seeing as both the music to E.T. and Star Wars were composed by John Williams just five years apart it is important to recognise the similarities between the music in these very different films. Williams as well as being a composer is a conductor and pianist meaning orchestral music once again plays a pivotal role in the films soundtrack, despite both films being in the sci-fi genre. 

The clip opens with a deep orchestral sound, a violin is the most likely instrument being used although its possible other string instruments such as a cello are also being used. The tempo of the music is fast and creates a sense of urgency onscreen - the violin plays as the camera tilts down showing an incredibly detailed wide shot of space, complete with stars and planets. The need for a grand opening with orchestral music is understandable given this shot is setting the scene and the vast expanse of space is awe-inspiring therefore the tempo, pitch and instruments used is justified. 

Immediately after the camera is done tilting Princess Leia's spaceship appears onscreen being attacked by the Star Destroyer, Diegetic sound effects begin mirroring the visuals, lasers are shown being fired from the Star Destroyer at Leia's ship, because of the loud special effects and the Dogfight taking place onscreen the films score is actually undermined - the non-Diegetic sound begins competing with the Diegetic sound and the orchestral music goes into overdrive, the pitch rises sharply but despite the tension onscreen the tempo remains pretty steady. A similar orchestral tone is maintained for the first 30 seconds or so until the shot switches to an interior shot, showing the events transpiring inside Leia's ship, at this point the orchestral sound continues but the pitch has dropped off substantially as the events onscreen become more chaotic, there is dialogue, the sound of men moving around and the noise made by the craft shaking.

The orchestral music continues to rise and fall but at this point it is has taken a back seat so to speak, Leia's forces have been scrambled to repel an invasion of the craft, at this point there is a sense of impending doom but also excitement among the viewers as they prepare to bear witness to a epic shootout. The sound levels at this point in the clip are appropriate; there is audible dialogue therefore the music cannot drown that out but the consistency adds to the tension as those on board are faced with a decision: run and hide or stay and fight.

The orchestral sound we have become accustomed continues as the ship's crew prepare to be boarded, then just one minute mark the sound changes distinctly. The sound of what appear to be trumpets takes over and produces the majority of the sound; the music is tense and sinister - it clearly symbolises the presence of evil. In fact, the music is similar to the Imperial March, another piece of Star Wars music that was composed by John Williams, although it doesn't appear until the second film The Empire Strikes Back (later released as Star Wars episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) released in 1980. The Imperial March is better known by it's unofficial title: Darth Vader's theme, hence why it sounds menacing. It's likely that Williams was inspired by this short piece of music in the clip above when it came time to compose a lengthier piece of music to accompany Vader's presence, although not as grand or epic as Imperial March the music in the clip above nonetheless does the Sith Lord justice. 

Among the trumpets and possible trombones there is the occasional interruption of a drum sound, along with the characteristic string instruments that continue throughout, to one degree or another. At around one minute and sixteen seconds the music changes again, the sense of foreboding that necessitated the change in music around the one minute mark ends. We no longer suppose or assume Darth Vader and his Imperial Stormtroopers are coming, we now know their arrival is imminent. Vader and his Imperial boarding party at this point have moved into a small boarding craft that is rising up from beneath the rebel ship. Once the action cuts to the events transpiring outside the musics pitch rises considerably as those inside prepare to be boarded. The action cuts back inside once more before the raid begins, once again the sound levels have returned to the level they were at around the one minute mark, the main sound we can here is Diegetic, a siren dominates what can be heard and is presumably a warning signal for Leia's forces to scramble into positions before the assault begins.  

There is some Diegetic sound at this point, mainly mechanical noises that take place off screen, but nevertheless can be heard by the characters in the clip, these mechanical sounds imply that Vader has finally landed successfully after a prolonged arrival that raised the tension to a level that can barely be comprehended. At one minute and thirty-five seconds the Stormtroopers begin to break down the door, sparks fly and the music changes once again; it speeds up drastically, there's a change in tone and the string instruments dominate the soundtrack - this is remained for the duration of the time spend breaking through the door, then the music peaks as the door explodes, the music then tapers off as much of the audiences attention is now occupied with the exciting visuals. Sound effects are used to mimic the noises of the blaster weapons as by this point in the clip (1 minute 46 seconds) the whole arena has erupted into a firefight. Much of the screen-time is now dominated by the exchange of fire between the Stormtroopers and the Rebels, the colourful lasers that appear when the blaster weapons are fired light up the screen and naturally artificial sound effects accompany each shot.  

By this point the music has become much more sporadic, it only stands into interrupt the bursts of particle beam energy fired from the blaster rifles and the screams of dying men. The orchestral music continues as is right up until two minutes twenty-three seconds but has as I said, it has taken something of a backseat to the mesmerizing visuals, high-octane explosions, rampant destruction and mass casualties that appear throughout the duration of the clip. All this changes very quickly however when Vader first appears, there is a slight build up to his entrance, again reminiscent of the Imperial March heard in later films. Soon afterwards we hear characteristic sound of Darth Vader breathing. There is no music while he inspects the dead this symbolises a level of authority and respect, in the same way people tip their caps to Tommy Shelby in the Peaky Blinders, people stand aside and fall silent in the presence of Darth Vader. Subtle background noises can be heard, it appears to be the exchange of gunfire, we are left to presume Vader's Stormtroopers are crushing what little resistance is left on board the ship. The fact we don't get to see this firefight despite it being the visual focal point before Vader arrived says a lot about how significant the character is, we would rather watch Vader inspect the dead in silence than watch his henchmen murdering the opposition. Once Vader proceeds away, eagerly followed by the Stormtroopers the music starts up once again, this signals two things. Firstly, given his enormous power its almost as if he's personally allowed the music to begin once again and secondly, the fact the orchestral music begins again is appropriate as we once again feel the sense of doom that is characteristic upon the arrival of Vader. If you have watched the film you will know the sense of dread felt is justified as Darth Vader soon begins brutally interrogating the crew and ordering his Stormtroopers to search the ship for secret documents he believes are on board. However, that section of the film is not included in the clip above nor is it part of my detailed analysis, in the end the clip finishes will Darth Vader making his way deeper into the storm accompanied by his Stormtroopers, we await to see what happens next with a sense of trepidation and apprehension.

Film: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Music: ambiguous (discussed below)

Release: 1968

Comment on Plot:

The film consists of four main sections, all of which, except the second are introduced by superimposed titles. My clip takes place during the first section of the film, entitled The Dawn of Man. Therefore I will only discuss the plotting of the first chapter in order to keep my analysis concise. The story begins with a tribe of herbivorous early hominids foraging for food on the plains of Africa, living in the desert alongside them are a pack of tapir's; a large herbivorous mammal, similar in shape to a pig. 

The lives these man-apes lead were arduous; perpetually starving, the victims of drought and lack of food. Constantly competing and striving to stay alive, one day a leopard kills a member of the tribe and another group of man-apes drives them from their watering hole. Defeated, they sleep overnight in a small exposed rock crater, they awake to find a black monolith has appeared in front of them. They approach it shrieking and jumping, eventually touching it cautiously. Soon after, one of the man-apes, referred to as "Moon-Watcher" in Arthur C. Clarke's novel but left unnamed in the film, realizes how to use a bone as both a tool and a weapon. They start using the newly invented weaponry to kill prey for food. Growing increasingly capable and assertive, they reclaim control of the watering hole from the other tribe by killing its leader. Triumphant, the leader of the victorious tribe throws his weapon-tool into the air as the scene shifts via match cut. The subsequent match cut spanning between three or four million years has been described as the most ambitious in film history.   

Comment on Music:

The previous two films I discussed were clearly and definitively composed by John Williams, the same cannot be said however for 2001: A Space Odyssey, the question are to who composed the score we listen to on screen as the film plays is somewhat ambiguous, but nevertheless I will attempt to answer the question sufficiently. In terms of the music we hear, 2001 is best remembered for making use of two classical pieces. The former, Johann Strauss II's best-known waltz, The Blue Danube, is employed extensively during the space-station docking and Lunar landing sequences. The latter, Richard Strauss' tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is utilized extensively in the early portion of the film. Interestingly, the initial fanfare - entitled "Sunrise" in the composer's program notes - became particularly well-known after its use in the film, by this point however it was already 72 years old and originally inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel of the same name, this is significant because the film itself has been seen by many people not just as a literal story about science, evolution and space adventures, but as an allegorical representation of philosophical, religious or literary concepts. Some have interpreted that the film in its entirety acts as a allegory for Nietzsche's works and ideas. 

Music plays a crucial part in 2001, 

  

spark notes
we are start dust the bone is us and the bone is the spaceship