National Film Score Day

Recognize and show appreciation for the musical masterpieces that have accompanied some of the most amazing stories on film by celebrating National Film Score Day! 

History of National Film Score Day

Film scores are the music behind the film that doesn’t include any vocals. This musical accompaniment ushers the viewers into the story, usually before the dialogue even begins, setting the tone for the moment and then moving the story into the scenes that are to come. This is a special type of musical composition that requires a great deal of talent and incomparable skill.

Founded by Jeffrey D. Kern with the purpose of National Film Score Day is to highlight the talent and skill of the amazing composers who write scores for films. The date was set as a nod to the release of the film, The Jungle Book, on April 3, 1942. A year later the score, written by legendary composer Miklós Rózsa, became the first ever score from a non-musical film to be released as a commercially recorded soundtrack.

National Film Score Day brings to the forefront the composers of this incredible music, celebrating and honoring their notable contributions in people’s hearts and in the industry at large.

How to Celebrate National Film Score Day

Show some love and appreciation for those who create seamless transitions in films through the music they compose. Enjoy celebrating National Film Score Day with some of these ideas:

Watch a Film with an Incredible Score

One of the best ways to give heed to National Film Score Day is to begin by paying more attention to the musical compositions that accompany movies. While they contribute so much to moving the story along, they often go unnoticed. In honor of this day, however, it’s time to notice those film scores!

Consider watching one (or many) of these films from recent years with excellent scores in honor of this day:

• The Social Network (2010) with composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This film score was a first try for these band members of Nine Inch Nails and turned out to be a huge success, winning the 2011 Oscar for Best Original Score.
• The Shape of Water (2017) by French Composer Alexandre Desplat. With a score that was intentionally created to create the sense of immersion and floating, this one won the 2018 Academy Award for the Best Original Score.
• Titanic (1997) from composer James Horner. Reaching into the backgrounds of the story’s characters, this score brought a unique composition to the theme of this tragic story.
• The Lord of the Rings (2002) by composer Howard Shore. Epic in just about all of the ways, this fantasy film is a feast for the eyes and the ears with its triple Oscar-winning score that features at least eighty different themes and motifs.

Research Some Film Score Composers

Most film score composers spend a great deal of time behind the scenes. But National Film Score Day offers an ideal opportunity to bring them into the limelight. In celebration of this day, perhaps it would be fun to do a little research about a favorite film composer and then share the findings with friends or on social media.