Music in Film: Settling the Score introduces students to the dynamic world of film and, more specifically, the art of film music. The text explores the various reasons for including music in film, the essentials of sound, the origins of film, scoring techniques, the business of film, and more. The book emphasizes the early development of music in the silent film era, which helped shape the way we understand film music today.

The book guides students through the development of film music by examining the composers of yesterday and today, as well as the musical genres that have helped shape this vital industry. Students learn about what music accomplishes in film, early recording techniques, Hollywood’s influence on film music, the re-emergence of romantic scoring, and more.

Music in Film, provides students with the essential tools they need to understand some of the most important aspects of music for the cinema without necessarily having any musical training. The text is well-suited for courses in film music, film, history of the cinema, and film appreciation. It is also an ideal text for novice film composers who are trying to break into the business.