Alright, so now that I'm finally finished with school (Master of music, yeah!) and I have some more free time (actually, not that much!), I decided to devote some time to studying musical scores. Specifically, video game scores. Why study video game scores? Honestly, to better myself as a composer, and because I'm pretty damn good at analyzing and picking music apart like this. While I'm at it, though, I might as well share my findings, right? Sure, it might be completely counter-productive giving potential rivals in the video game music market this kind of edge, but hey, maybe I'm just that confident.
So the first score we're going to take a look at is from Assassin's Creed: Revelations. This score has two composers, Jesper Kyd (from previous AC titles, and also Borderlands) and Lorne Balfe (he tends to work with Hans Zimmer a lot). These two have very distinct styles, Jesper being more ethnic and exotic, and Lorne being more emotional and, well, BWAAAAM (ala Inception) (I wonder if it was really Hans Zimmer that came up with that BWAAAM idea, I hear it every now and then in this soundtrack). The score is 3 CDs long, about 3+ hours of music, and I've listened multiple times in order to come up with the following breakdown.
There are 5 game scenarios that the music applies to:
1. Cutscenes (Scripted Music)
2. Cities (No Action)
3. Low Intensity Action (Sneaking)
4. Medium Intensity Action (Chases / Easy Battles)
5. High Intensity Action (Battles / Emotional Moments)
But first, we need to talk about the main theme first. And here it is, have a listen:
But hey! Down here! Keep reading, because I know you can multitask. This theme is actually TWO themes! Now, I can't say this with 100% certainty, but I'm pretty damn sure one of them was written by Jesper, and the other by Balfe. Why do I think this? Mostly for stylistic reasons. Jesper's theme, the first theme, is so damn lyrical and pretty. Balfe's theme, the second theme (at 3:50) is very, well, Inception-y, and we know from his work history that that's his kind of style (the same applies for Jesper).
By the way, I threw together a score real quick, if you're interested:
So what makes a good main theme? In short, simplicity. Both themes use very few different pitches, and movements between pitches is usually by step, and very rarely by a large leap. This makes it simple, and easy to memorize, and even more importantly ... easy to sing. Both are strong themes in this way, and also in differing ways. Jesper's theme (the first one) is strong because it uses such short phrases, such small fragments. It's like when you're trying to memorize a speech, and you work through it 3 or 4 words at a time, by phrase. It's memorable because it mimics human speech. Lorne's theme is memorable in a slightly different way, in that each note is on a strong beat. It's melodically and rhythmically simple, which again makes it easier to memorize, whether you want to or not. I could get in to harmonic analysis, and talk about chords, but I laid it all out for you in the score above. Yeah, Jesper does that neat key change from g minor to c minor, and it's so damn subtle and barely noticeable, and amazing, but you can work through that on your own. I'll give you a hint, though. There's no pivot chord, it's a technique called "parsimonious voice leading." (Have I linked you to this page, yet? I think I have.)
1. Cutscenes
Scoring for cutscenes in video games is virtually identical to scoring for film. The action and dialog is scripted, so the music should directly reflect that, and should do so at very specific moments, to capture/enhance specific emotions. This isn't what I really wanted to talk about, what I wanted to bring up is how pretty much every cutscene track in Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a variation of one or both of the main themes. Seriously, listen for yourself. Notice how fragments from one of the themes gets used, perhaps in a different order, or perhaps over slightly different chords, or with different instruments. Definitely more the first theme than the second, I guess, but I know I heard that second theme once or twice when I listened to the whole soundtrack.
The Mentors Return
Passing the Torch
You Have Earned Your Rest
If it's not re-working one of those two themes, it's just playing chords, and barely or no melody. This is all to reinforce the main themes, can't have new melodic material being introduced and confusing us, right? No, stick with those two themes and beat them in to our minds. And I absolutely love it. And you know what else I love? The Abstergo Industries "cutscene" music. (Okay, I lied, there's actually 3 themes, but this one doesn't turn up quite as much. Go back to the first YouTube video, above, if you want. You know that part where the first theme ends, but before the second one starts? Well, it plays the same chords as the track you're listening to now, in the Abstergo Industries track. Neat, eh?) What's even neater is at 1:27 in the Abstergo Industries track it plays the first theme ... but it's twisted, and deformed. It has such a powerful effect on me, especially after hearing the first theme in all its purity so many times. And the AI version is warped, has leaps, and is a bit dissonant? That's just awesome. And doesn't it just make perfect sense, in context with the story?
Alright, that's all I'm going to share for today, but soon I'll be posting some new music based on my findings while studying this soundtrack. What's the point of doing all this work if you're not going to use it, right? Stay tuned!
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