Rewind, Review, and Re-rate: ‘Score: A Film Music Documentary’: An Eye and Ear Opening Experience

Michael Clark
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Often confused with soundtracks, which contain mostly source material (songs with lyrics), a score is instrumental music composed and performed for a specific movie. For some people, the only thing they will listen to are film scores and quite a few in the know think it is overall the most interesting genre in present-day music.

Funded entirely by a Kickstarter campaign, former CBS TV journalist-turned-director Matt Schrader’s first and, to date, only feature, “Score: A Film Music Documentary” (SAFMD) isn’t a complete overview of a vastly underappreciated and overlooked facet of movie production, yet it is as thorough as it can be with its bullet-point approach.

‘Silent,’ Not Really

The first hint we get that Schrader knows his subject matter comes near the start, with the crucial role music played in the success of “silent” films. The role of musicians playing Wurlitzer organs (the first de facto synthesizers) in individual theaters across the country—often via improvisation—was, in some ways, more integral to the overall film-going experience then than it is in the present day.
Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Author
Originally from the nation's capital, Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Clark has written over 5,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.
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