192 !!Chapter 11
cult to hear a lightly orchestrated musical cue if countless explosions hap-
pen simultaneously and the actors’ voices are agitated and loud.
Film composers study a film in order to understand the underlying
motivations and subtleties of the characters. Composers are able to com-
municate and interact with directors who help them determine the proper
musical solutions to various complex dramatic and/or comical situations.
Musical solutions are subjective and can pose conflicts between compos-
ers and directors. When composers and directors decide on a musical
direction, the process becomes less problematic.!!Consumers download
music from games. ‘‘Steve
Schnur... claims that 24%
of those who played the lat-
est Madden NFL game ei-
ther bought or otherwise
downloaded a song they
discovered on the game’s
soundtrack, which included
music from the musical
groups, Fall Out Boy, Foo
Fighters, and Godsmack,
among others. For the car
racing game, Need for
Speed, that figure rose to
34%’’ (Billboard, May 20,
2006).Game composers do not write
while viewing the final video. They,
most often, receive a description of
the game, which may be a storyboard
containing cartoon-like pictures of the
characters, detailed descriptions of
the characters, and the various situa-
tions the characters will encounter
throughout the game. [Therefore,
Steve Schnur seeks out composers
who have well-defined communica-
tive skills; talent, including the ability
to write memorable musical themes
and thematic variations; and musical
vision.] Composers often suggest
interesting musical solutions that dif-
fer from the original views of the cre-
ative team. Jobs are frequently
awarded to them. Many composers
are competent but do not contribute a
unique musical perspective. Creators
generally want them to expand on their basic musical visions.
Composers must work with both music directors and the game pro-
ducers. [Not all video game companies have musical directors.] If a cre-
ative team cannot communicate in an imaginative manner with
composers, the musical solutions expected of composers will generally!!‘‘MTV Games/Harmon-
ix’s Rock Band, with Elec-
tronic Arts distribution and
marketing, is the first game
to let users earn the ability
to download full albums
from such acts as the Who
via Xbox Live or PlayStation
Network’’ (Billboard, July
28, 2007).not meet the vision of the creative
team. In the video game industry,
composers are considered an intrinsic
part of the creative team. Music makes
as significant a contribution to the
game as does the animation and the
computer graphics.
Another difference between film
composition and game music compo-
sition is that film music is written in
a linear fashion. Viewers watch films
from beginning to end. Game com-