# Blog on film cue analysis



## bryla (Nov 8, 2010)

Hi guys -

I posted the first analysis in my blog on analysis of specific film cues. I know many of you are much more experienced than I on this field, but it's intended for those who study film music. Hope you like it:

http://thomasbryla.blogspot.com/2010/11 ... 6-258.html

Best,
Thomas


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## realstrings (Nov 9, 2010)

Hi Thomas, that looks really thorough! I like this kind of analysis that gets inside the music and explains how it communicates ideas and emotions. I guess what would make it really sweet is video of the cue with your analysis points layered over it, with something like YouTube annotations. Sure, it's a copyright problem, though YouTube seems to ride rough-shod through those worries!


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## bryla (Nov 9, 2010)

Hey realstrings! Thank you.

I thought of that, and that is why I strongly advice to loop the cue on ones own DVD. You can't just read these kinds of analysis, and that is what I 'hate' about all the film music books out there. They provide the score with the time code and such, but you can't see what color their faces are, what angle they are shot from etc... This is why I plan to choose movies that I'm sure many people have at home - plus it's in the beginning of the movie, so you don't have to search that much.


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## vicontrolu (Nov 9, 2010)

This is great Byrla. I am gonna follow your analysis. 

Bookmarked!


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## gsilbers (Nov 9, 2010)

the analysis is great, the format is very boring. a skinny column with only words is a bit dry. sorry im picky and you wanted feedback  

besides the youtube idea which is great, but not that legal unless its in a educational context (maybe, dunno for sure) which in this case is, 
but why not show with score examples? maybe just on piano score just to get the jist of it. 

anyway. the substance is there and its good, the packaging is a bit weak. 
maybe you want more traffic to your site for some reason or just sharing writing info..
so i dunno, just my thoughts. 

thanks for sharing though.


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## bryla (Nov 9, 2010)

well posting the cue on youtube is breaking copyright law. posting score is breaking copyright law.

I'm not looking for traffic to my website, nor am I looking for any 'feedback' on the way I present it. The format is there, and it works if you have the DVD. What I'm looking for feedback on is maybe what you made from it, having looked at the cue.


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## mducharme (Nov 9, 2010)

I somewhat regret having to say this, as I really believe in the value of music analysis, and I can see you have put a lot of time and effort into this, but.... I really fail to see how such a detailed analysis of such a short cue is of benefit, especially a cue that is fairly unimportant, just standard underscore.

I did a complete analysis of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony lately, if I had written it in that amount of detail, it would have been several hundred pages.. as it is, I can barely fit it into 21 pages.

That begs the other question - why focus on a short cue by John Williams of all? If you have free time to analyze music, I think it makes more sense to analyze concert works rather than film scores. I love his music of course, but I find I sound like John Williams when I do not want to, even when I try not to. We are so deluged by his music you almost have to try hard to not sound like him.

IMO, too many people focus on analyzing music by their favorite film composers and do not really spend time looking at the music that inspired that music to begin with. Why not analyze some concert pieces by Stravinsky/Bartok/Vaughan Williams/Ravel/Richard Strauss/Sibelius etc.?


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## realstrings (Nov 10, 2010)

I think if Thomas gets something from the process of analysing the music of a film cue then it's worth doing. Each to his own. For me, music analysis is about linking music language with emotions, and film is an emotional experience. 
I blog also, and not necessarily something than anyone else wants to read, but by publishing stuff online I hope I give more thought to my expression than if I was just keeping it to myself!
The failing in music books is that the one thing you most need as you read is the sound of the music. The web lets you bring all the elements onto one stage - sound, moving images, graphics, notation, text and interactivity. It's a shame copyright law hasn't adapted to the 21st Century yet! (No, I don't have a workable answer to that!)


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## bryla (Nov 10, 2010)

Mike I'm sorry you think that about me, since that is definately not the case. I study all those you mentioned and many more! The case with this cue is it's function as underscore! A discipline I find hard to do and hear that a lot of other composers do a crappy job of. Preach that to someone else please.

The two hours I spent transcribing and writing this is nothing compared to weeks I've spent on Barber, Vaughan Williams, Grieg and months and years on Ravel, Debussy, Holst, Bartók and Stravinsky - and then all the great jazz legends like Parker, Davis, Hancock, Jarrett and this and that... 

Anyway if it's of any help:
www.thomas.bryla.dk/cueanalysis.pdf


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## DynamicK (Nov 10, 2010)

Thanks Thomas, I found this very useful. 
I embrace any opportunity to learn from others who are more talented than myself. Looking forward to your next cue.


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## DynamicK (Nov 10, 2010)

bryla @ Wed Nov 10 said:


> Anyway if it's of any help:
> www.thomas.bryla.dk/cueanalysis.pdf



Thanks...this thread is getting better :D


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## mducharme (Nov 10, 2010)

bryla @ Wed Nov 10 said:


> Mike I'm sorry you think that about me, since that is definately not the case. I study all those you mentioned and many more! The case with this cue is it's function as underscore! A discipline I find hard to do and hear that a lot of other composers do a crappy job of. Preach that to someone else please.
> 
> The two hours I spent transcribing and writing this is nothing compared to weeks I've spent on Barber, Vaughan Williams, Grieg and months and years on Ravel, Debussy, Holst, Bartók and Stravinsky - and then all the great jazz legends like Parker, Davis, Hancock, Jarrett and this and that...



I was not aware you had done all that analysis work, it's excellent that you've done that. It is just that I often see a horse-blinder focus on film music (like I once had, years ago) and incorrectly assumed that was likely the case here. So, sorry about that.


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## David Story (Nov 10, 2010)

> Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:58 am
> bryla @ Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:51 am wrote:
> 
> Anyway if it's of any help:
> www.thomas.bryla.dk/cueanalysis.pdf




Bryla, that's the clearest, most insightful analysis I've seen on a film cue. 
The rhythmic flow between dialogue, editing and music are the basis of effective underscore, you make that clear. 

EG:The dialogue in bar 1 is imitated in the bar 2 music. We can see it's a motif for the cue. 
The music changes in bar 6, but slightly after the edit, reinforcing, not anticipating.
A series of shots is bridged by the score in 16-18.

Harmonic motion supports the emotional tone, changing on words and actions. But it occurs on the downbeat, so it's more musical and natural sounding.

Textbooks rarely show the dance between score and picture this well. If I look carefully, I can see how it all fits. Better than verbal, imo.

You have a gift for making analysis fun, graphically.
Please continue, sir. Thanks.


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## bryla (Nov 11, 2010)

DynamicK and David thank you very much!

I'm planning the next cue, but I have specific criterias for that.

Mike: no worries, I too don't care for young composers that automatically state that John Williams and Hans Zimmer are the greatest on earth ever! I just happen to think that John Williams is one of the best composers that take both editing, dialog and actions into account when planning out his music


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## xenno (Nov 18, 2010)

This is really superb. I agree with David and applaud your process of combining the score with the dialog, in a notated process.

I understand a little of the banter, o/~ but I also implore you to attract people to your site, it is nothing short of, say helping promote a DVZ library, and if you aim to have something intellectual, that can help even just one person out there, then by all means, market away.

This work is good to analyze the final product of dialog, visuals and music together, but when it comes to all of the essential departments working together to make a film and keeping track of how the music fits, using some sort of road map; this process doesn't exist. There needs to be a road map of some sort, to help congeal the parts together, that everyone could follow, including the director.

There are budget breakdowns, casting breakdowns, storyboards, audio breakdowns, even directing breakdowns or notes that help remind the director what type of feeling is needed for which scene and the types of ideas to help the actors get to their mark. When it comes to music, that is when it is the most scariest for the diò  '   íµÉ  '   í¶  '   í¶Û  '   í¶þ  '   í¸  '   í¸G  '   íºG  '   í»„  '   í¿`  '   í¿{  '   í¿¨  '   í¿Õ  '   íÁ¼  '   íÁï  '   íÊû  '   íË$  '   íÎ1  '   íÎt  '   íÔÌ  '   íÔÜ  '   í×B  '   í×K  '   í×m  '   í×  '   í×›  '   í×¦  '   íÛÌ  '   íÜ  '   íÜb  '   íÜˆ  '   íàó  '   íá  '   íâ
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