How to Score a Movie by Alexander

How to Score a Movie by Alexander - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I were to teach a college course, it would be have to be about something I love. In my opinion, I could teach a class about film soundtracks, because I thoroughly enjoy a movie and a soundtrack when they are put together well. Throughout my life I have seen numerous movies in which directors pair certain parts of the film to certain songs or musical composition. To me, this kind of class would have to be broken into two parts: the movies with original compositions, and the movies that use popular songs to create a mood that can capture an audience.
This topic has inspired me, and even given me aspirations for a career. Watching movies like Pulp Fiction, where Quentin Tarantino can combine surf rock songs with 70’s pop music successfully, or watching movies like The Good the Bad and The Ugly, where Ennio Morricone wrote a score with climaxes in certain parts that can turn the audiences’ stomach to knots, have inspired me to want to be able to do the same thing. Just recently, I watched the movie Apocalypse Now, where the most prevalent song is The End, by the Doors. I had listened to this song for years before, but seeing how Francis Ford Coppola placed it in such vital times that could give one goosebumps; I can no longer listen to this song without my stomach tying up in a knot. I think that movie scores are often overlooked, and because of this, I would love to teach a class about them.