Through an exploration of how music is used in 15+ film scenes from the past 85 years of international cinema, Inside the Notes: How Music Works in Film is a 2-part interactive lecture that will give filmmakers, musicians and film lovers new tools to interpret film music. By understanding the categories of sound and types of musical instruments heard in film, and unpacking the eight common functions of music in film, you will gain new ways to hear how and why film music is so emotionally powerful.
Examples to be experienced and analyzed in this lecture will be drawn from films including: Citizen Kane (1941), Ben Hur (1959), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1967), Malcolm X (1992), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), The Lord of the Rings (2001), Slumdog Millionaire (2009), Moonlight (2016), If Beale St. Could Talk (2018), Black Panther (2018), Us (2019), Bootlegger (2021), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), Sinners (2025) and more.
Schedule
• Session 1: Tuesday, May 5, 7pm - 9pm
• Session 2: Tuesday, May 12, 7pm - 9pm
Participants will need access to Writing Materials (pen, paper/notebook). Any additional materials will be sent in advance via email.
Instructor
Drawing out deep emotions, Jack Hui Litster's music tells stories. Pivoting effortlessly between traditional and modern, acoustic and electronic, Jack consistently delivers intense musical creations. A multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Ottawa, he has performed across Canada and internationally. His original compositions have enhanced an array of films, podcasts, operas, dance and choir performances. Jack composes and records music for filmmakers including Christian Guérin, Tom Peters, Iyore Edegbe, Mark Corless, Gabriel Harb, Conrad Osei, Deena Al-Saweer, Andrew Brannen, Ruth Kabengele, Kenneth Joe-Ezigbo, Jason Dai, Liam Quigley, Colin Ziraldo, Nana Boncano, Lenzz, Rachel Durling and Rachel Gray. When he is not composing and recording music, Jack is active as a music educator, teaching courses and private lessons on music production, composition and film music at Carleton University. Jack is the co-chair of DARC's Board of Directors. Hear more at jackhuilitster.com