Hello everyone! Today I will delve into one of my favorite techniques when it comes to the use of music in storytelling mediums. This technique is known as the leitmotif, and I can guarantee that every one of you reading has had the experience of listening to a leitmotif before, even if you don't think you have.
For those who don't know, a leitmotif is melody that is constantly associated with a certain character, event, etc. Another use is to create connections within sequels, or even prequels, to media that uses them. It is the German word for "leading motif."It is also a technique used in many major movies, such as the Star Wars series, The Godfather, Gladiator, and many Disney movies. I will now talk about one of the most known leitmotifs of all time, as well as a leitmotif that I have a large amount of experience with.
The first one I want to discuss is the Spider-Man theme. Assuming you've been alive within the past century, you have probably heard the Spider-Man theme at least once in your entire life.
This is the original theme. You probably recognize it. This is because the melody used in it has become Spider-Man's leitmotif, constantly following him until even modern day. One of its most recent uses has been during the marketing of Spider-Man: No Way Home. (2021) Its usage is shown below.
Through the leitmotif, Marvel was able to create a memorable theme that stuck with this character for decades. This created memorable moments whenever it played, which in turn gives a sense of nostalgia for long time fans. The most important part of a leitmotif is how it affects the story though. It is able to increase the value of emotional moments by playing a familiar melody, as well as create suspense, hinting at events such as the return of a previous character or foreshadowing that someone or something will come back.
I will now refer back to the Kirby series, as they do a miraculous job with the use of music in their games. I will be focusing on the leitmotif of one character, knows as King Dedede, a penguin that was initially an antagonist but later became an ally to the protagonist. His first appearance was in 1992, and as a result he has a large variety of themes that include his leitmotif, which has essentially become a part of his character.
Obviously the video is very long, but I recommend skipping to random parts and noticing how every theme shares the same melody. Every time this plays in game, it means you fight him, are in an area related to him, or fight someone related to him. No matter what the story is, this connects everything to him, showing how his leitmotif can be used to develop the story. I will analyze and compare two of his themes just to show how different these similar leitmotifs can be.
The first theme I will look over is the Giant Masked Dedede theme. It uses his theme to convey an antagonistic motive, as seen through the choir and electric guitar. This fits with how in this game he served as an antagonist. This is just a quick analysis, and the important parts will be more elaborated on when I compare it to another theme, but it is clear that the use of his leitmotif in this scenario was to make him seem like a threat. I will now move onto theme known as: The King's Turn to Shine.
The Leitmotif starts at around the 38 second mark. As you can see, even without the context, the leitmotif's tone was completely different while still retaining the same melody. (Known as Mt Dedede) It uses horns, as they are usually instruments that represent triumph and heroism. This represents how he sacrifices himself , assisting the protagonist with his journey and saving one of his loyal subjects.
Finally, here comes the true analysis. Giant Masked Dedede and The King's Turn to Shine are two great examples of how a leitmotif can be used to represent a character, while at the same time conveying several different meanings regarding the character. In this scenario, the different meanings would be that one uses heavy metal to represent his antagonistic behavior while the other uses horns to represent his act of heroism. This is what I love about leitmotifs. It doesn't matter if the melody is played with heavenly instruments or even with an extremely dark tone. No matter what, that leitmotif establishes that they both connect to one central character. (Or idea, event, etc.)
The reason I dedicated a blog post to this is that I want to include a leitmotif for the main character in my film intro. Obviously since it's an intro it would probably only be used once, but leitmotifs are huge parts of characters and including one would most likely make a more memorable experience, especially if done correctly throughout a film.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned! The next part will likely be examples of how music is used within the drama film genre. Farewell again, and make sure to continue reading!
The leitmotif starts at around
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