For this short score I wanted to make use of some of the techniques discussed in lesson whilst remaining on theme with some of the aspects used by Joe Hisaishi when scoring Howl’s Moving Castle and other films. I did this through thinking about certain musical elements Hisaishi uses. 

One of these can be heard at the very beginning of the score within the pads. I used a descending chord sequence in which the chords are based around a stacking of 4ths above the root. This creates an uncertain atmosphere as the chords are not defined by a typical major or minor tonality. I think it reflects what we are seeing on screen as Sophie is flying towards an unknown location creating a feeling of moving into the unknown. 

I also utilized a piano to create emphasis on certain elements within the film. We see this at the start when she sees her old town and at the end when she becomes young when sleeping. I wanted these piano chords to reflect memories from Sophie’s life before encountering Howl. 

During the castle discovery and crash scene, I used a more typical Hollywood film trope of tremolo strings together using chromatism and tritonal note intervals to create a build of tension. I also used gain automation to add to a rise of tension and loss of control of Sophie flying the machine. At the point of impact with the castle I used spiccato strings to break the tension, creating an abrupt comical end to the section. 

In the following section where Marco and Sophie are reunited, I used strings and a I IV I progression. The movement from IV to I is a plagal cadence which creates a soft finish and returning to home feeling reflecting what is happening on screen.

For the last sequence of the film, I wanted to use pantriadicism. I used a pizzicato cello to add a layer of humour to the Witch of the Wastes snoring. However, this is then broken when Howl re-enters the castle. During this section, I trialled a few different ideas. I ended up deciding on using clarinets for this section with pantriadic ideas alongside a melody.  

Overall, I think my work matched the emotions on screen well. In improving I need to work on my logic beat mapping and think about how can the music flow more without feeling like separated sections. I think there is also room for more varied instrumentation.