The Circumplex Model of Emotion in Music: Implications for Media Composers
The content of this article/series on music & AI is written entirely by artificial intelligence. Read our ‘introduction into AI in Music - generated’ why and how we as editors of Private Kitchen create these articles.
The Circumplex Model of Emotion in music and the understanding of the relationship between musical parameters and emotions provide media composers with invaluable tools and insights to enhance their creative process. Here are some key implications and practical applications of this model, illustrated with examples and quotes from well-known film music:
Tailoring music to evoke specific emotions
By understanding how various musical parameters map onto the Circumplex Model, composers can intentionally manipulate these elements to evoke desired emotions in their scores. For example, a composer working on a suspenseful film scene might choose a fast tempo, dissonant harmonies, and sudden dynamic changes to create tension and fear, much like Bernard Herrmann's score for the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho."
Adapting to different multimedia projects
The Circumplex Model can serve as a flexible framework that allows composers to adapt their approach to various multimedia projects. For instance, a composer working on an advertisement might emphasize positive emotions using major keys and upbeat rhythms, similar to Randy Newman's uplifting score for "Toy Story." In contrast, a composer working on a dramatic television series like "Game of Thrones" might explore a wider range of emotional states using diverse musical techniques, as demonstrated by Ramin Djawadi's versatile score.
Enhancing emotional storytelling
In multimedia projects where music plays a crucial role in supporting the narrative, the Circumplex Model can help composers create scores that effectively enhance the emotional storytelling. For example, in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," John Williams' score aligns the emotional progression of the music with the narrative arc, creating a more immersive and emotionally engaging experience for the audience.
Collaborating with directors and creative teams
A shared understanding of the Circumplex Model can improve communication between composers and other members of the creative team, such as directors or producers. As an example, the collaboration between director Christopher Nolan and composer Hans Zimmer on "Interstellar" involved discussions about the desired emotional impact of the music, resulting in a score that effectively supports the film's themes of love, sacrifice, and exploration.
Leveraging advanced technologies
GPT-4 and other advanced technologies can support media composers in their creative process by providing new tools for musical analysis, experimentation, and inspiration. These technologies can help composers explore the emotional possibilities of their music, generate new ideas, and even assist in the creation of emotionally resonant scores, such as Aiva Technologies' AI-generated classical music compositions.
In conclusion, the Circumplex Model of Emotion in music and the understanding of the relationship between musical parameters and emotions offer media composers a powerful foundation for enhancing their creative process. By applying the insights gained from this model in various multimedia projects, composers can create more effective and emotionally resonant scores, unlocking their full creative potential and making the power of music truly visible in the multimedia landscape. By learning from well-known film music examples and leveraging advancements in technology, media composers will continue to push the boundaries of emotional storytelling through music.
A Human Aftertought
The above article has completely and automatically been generated by OpenAI’s GPT-4 (GPT-4-0314.
Having a Large Language Model, which some have named ‘stochastic parrots’, or ‘statistics on steroids’, generate an insightful article for media composers is in itself impressive. Just by slight iterations in the questioning to the model, GPT-4 reinvented the dipole model as published by Rens Machielse in ‘The Soundtrack’ ( link : https://desoundtrack.nl/#dipool ) , adding extra music design elements, including timbre, articulation and tonalities. In a follow-up discussion with GPT-4, the two axis from the circumplex model were even concurred as interchangeable with Rens’ model (Arousal == Dynamics, Valence == (in)stability) etc. etc.
This apparent ‘understanding’ of music design processes and the ability to abstract this to hands-on information and tools might be a promising start of new AI collaborations for media composers.
The implications of having a large language model, such as GPT-4, being able to also generate its illustrations via .svg and other (markup,markdown, computer) languages, but even musical illustrations as repertoire examples (as mentioned in the article) and some rudimentary musical notation via abc syntax promises much for next generation Generative Large Language Modal Models.
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