A Master Class in the Art of Film Scoring with Andrew Rogers

Scoring a silent film for a theater organ is an art form that requires years to master. Through our Silent Film Series we bring in some of the country’s most notable artist to accompany our films. They are often asked about the process.

The importance of music in a film was perhaps best described by Francis Ford Coppola: “Music is 50% of the movie, but an inexpensive part compared to the rest of the movie itself.  Usually applied late in the game. Music is one of the tools to enhance the virtues or correct a flaw in the film – performances, photography, help create  continuity where there wasn’t, try to give emotion where there wasn’t, to clarify ideas or what the audience should be focused on. So it has many tasks it needs to do.”

How to achieve this? That is the subject of this master class.

On Oct. 20th, Fr. Andrew Rogers will share some of secrets this art form. He will take they audience through the process using scenes from the classic ‘Nosferatu’ to illustrate.

Some of the areas that will be covered are:

• When do you let the tension up?
• What do you want to emphasize?
• Don’t play anything familiar?
• Associating music with a character – With music – What can I add to the film that’s not already there?

Silent films were never silent, there was always music.

90% of silent films no longer exist. Few film scores survive intact from those that remain, and musicologists are still confronted by questions when they  attempt to precisely reconstruct those that remain.  In  many instances, the  music bore little or no relationship to what was happening onscreen. Later, as  films got longer, the music became  more important.  Early  blockbusters like “Birth Of A  Nation” in 1915 had full scores for full orchestras.

Music explains things you can’t put into words. Things are shot out of sequence, edited, etc. The music is a way to glue everything together. Music can move a dull scene along, increase the tension or pull at your heart strings. In short, music completes the movie.

Join us as Fr. Andrew Rogers demonstrates how this is achieved.