Film Music: The Basics Kenneth Lampl (Australian National University, Australia) 9781032267456

A comprehensive introduction to film music, this book provides a concise and illuminating summary of the process of film scoring, as well as a succinct overview of the rich history of contemporary film music.

Written in a non-technical style, this book begins by presenting a brief history of film music from the last 30 years, covering topics ranging from blockbuster franchises to indie film scores. It explores film music from around the world, including Bollywood and European Avant-garde cinema, and film music in animation, like Disney-Pixar and Japanese anime. It then offers a guide to the language of film music analysis, the creative process behind composing film music, and the use of current technology. The book champions diversity in the industry, with case studies and interviews from a range of active film composers, including: Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel, 2019), Kris Bowers (Bridgerton, 2020), Natalie Holt (Loki, 2021), and Rachel Portman (Emma, 1996),

Complete with a glossary of key terms and further reading, this book is an invaluable resource for all those beginning to study film music, as well as lifelong film music buffs seeking to update their understanding of film music.

Kenneth Lampl is a Professor of music at the Australian National University where he is the convenor of the Composition for Film and Video Games Program. Lampl is also an award-winning film composer who has scored over 100 films including the first two Pokemon Movies, Frontera, The Furies, 2067 and Sissy.

"... a comprehensive look into the history and creative process of contemporary film scoring. A must-read for all lovers of movies and movie music."

-Pinar Toprak, Composer of Captain Marvel and Fortnite

" Although there are a few books dealing with music written for films there are none that I know of written by an accomplished composer. Kenneth Lampl's book contains numerous entertaining and instructive insights that are absent from other works in this genre"

- Bruce Beresford, Director, Academy Award-winning Driving Miss Daisy and Breaker Morant

"More than a how-to guide, and more than an overview of the history of film music, composer and industry insider Kenneth Lampl weaves together the best insights from the best in the business to understand why the soundtrack has come of age."

-Dan Golding, Host, ABC Screen Sounds

"Kenneth Lampl is a composer as capable of massive sci-fi epics as an intimately twisted psychological thriller. And you can tell that he's more than well versed in all the shades of soundtracks"

-Daniel Schweiger, The Film Music Institute