What do you look for in a score?

I want to be moved. In all possible ways, according to my current mood each time.

I love when the music has an impact on me emotionally. I love when the music brings forth memories, pictures from my life; sometimes it's good when it brings forth certain scenes from the movie it accompanies. Therefore I prefer dramatic scores with an orchestra (and if there is a choir, all the better!) Sometimes when in the mood, a light comedy score can cause much joy too.

Back in the heydays of my soundtrack collection, I used to concentrate on themes. Anything that had a theme was worth collecting, and scores that didn't have a theme were of little interest. But my taste has greatly changed since then.

Now my favourite moment when listening to a new score is that amazing feeling of familiarity I start to get after the 4th or 5th listening when melodic moments and themes I hadn't even noticed upon first listening start seeping in. That moment when I can start anticipating the music and follow along. Although I do have a sweet spot for action and ethnically-flavoured scores, truly any type of score has the potential to create that feeling of familiarity. When it happens, it reminds me why I started collecting film music in the first place. It reminds me of how I felt when I first discovered the Field of Dreams theme.

J-F

Can we say that Star Wars both opened and closed an era of leitmotiv-based film music? 1977 marked the start of that era, and 2005 was pretty much the decline. Most things inside this "Star Wars window" seemed to be following a strong thematic current.

Would you also extract fun out of a melancholic score for instance?

I look for everything in a score. That's why I like scores.

Yup. Action, adventure, animation, over the top-cheesy romance stuff and bizarre stuff that comes from the future (e.g. Bug).

Without a "hook" action music is just organised noise.

I think us Elliot Goldenthal fans feel that "hook-less" organized noise can still be very, very engaging! But not everybody can pull it off like Goldenthal can.

I agree, Goldenthal is the master of organized chaos. No wonder other guys steal Robert Elhai as an orchestrator.

I can tell you that my standards in a score are tough. It needs to effective in the film, an interesting piece of stand alone music, accessible to a listener, something that as a listener I'll want to return to it again and again, professional sounding material. There aren't a lot of scores that measure up to these standards.
Thomas

It's nice to see how people look for so many different approaches to the same subject! Keep 'em coming.

Good topic, Gardner!
Aspects have been discussed before, especially on the Old Site, but it's something that's very worth revisiting.

As for my favourite type of score, well, it'll come as no surprise to anyone that I just want THEMES! I need something to be able to whistle to, to have a clear, preferably harmonic, structure. Something I can hang my coat on, if you know what I mean.

As for styles: I can take on anything. I love the minimalistic folk-ish stylings of Ry Cooder, I appreciate the electronic thumpings from Brian Tyler and Marco Beltrami, I enjoy the cliched brouhaha from Zimmer & co. But at the end of the day it's always the rich, lush, melodic, Romantic symphonic score that will really tug at my soul.

It's the melancholic Delerue that will break my heart. It's the jubilant Williams that makes me feel one with the stars. It's the reverent Rozsa that will make me believe.
And that's what works for me.

And that segues nicely into the second aspect of the question: how does it work?
I've asked myself that question for the longest time, and finally found out it's really simple: film music -at its best and purest functionality- will punctuate a certain feeling or emotion. It drives home a message the director (or even the composer in some instances) wants the audience to hear. And it simply works for me beyond the film.

A really good composer can push that button, and I won't need the action on screen to find my emotions triggered. It's a one-to-one manipulation of my feelings, and I love it.
In many ways film music is my Happy Pill (or melancholy pill, or action pill, or religious pill, or...).
And while it is addictive and expensive (), so far no ill effects on my health have been observed.

I too like when a score has a certain narrative structure. When I feel that the introduction is heralded clearly (whether by a glorious anthem, or by a soft and moody ethereal section, whatever fits the mood), followed by the "meat" of the film's multiple acts, building to a climax, and finally brought to a recapitulative conclusion that leaves you satisfied. I think that's why having the cues presented in chronological order is usually the best way to give the score better chances of bringing a satisfying narrative feel.

Good example of a fabulous score brought down a few pegs by an unsatisfying ending: The Hunt for Red October. It's not only way too short, but I truly feel this score shouldn't have ended with a Kaboom.

Example of a score with perfect narrative: Clear and Present Danger.