Berklee Update

Strange to think that the first unit from the Grad. Certificate is already over! I submitted the last assessment on the 16th of September, and the last 6 weeks were a deep dive on a chosen film and as suggested by the poster above, I was working on the score by Dario Marienelli for Atonement. 

Through numerous assessments I transcribed a selection of cues to analyse the different musical mechanics that Dario was using to help tell the story, and suggested possible motives behind his choices. 

The thing about this score that stuck with me the most is how well it aided the structure and pacing of the film. The film is neatly divided into three acts, and the score is similarly structured. With each act the cue’s centre around one of the three themes –  Briony’s Theme, The Dunkirk Theme, and Robbie and Cecilia’s Theme.
Of course, within different cues references to prior or succeeding acts are made, but broadly speaking the score sticks to this structure. This choice by Dario fully serves the pacing and narrative of the film, and creates a lasting memory of the score in the viewers mind – the themes reappear many times throughout the film, so the viewer is sure to remember them! 

Inspired by the film I picked up the novel by Australian author Ian McEwan – and put it down quickly. I’ve tried Ian’s work before, and have never been grabbed by his style of writing. But I’ll save that for a different rant maybe. 

So, a weeks break from Berklee, then straight on into the next unit – Compositional Voice!