Hitting the Right Notes: Film Directors and Composers in Harmony

By Charity Lofthouse and Professor Lester D. Friedman

Hitting the Right Notes: Film Directors and Composers in Harmony is a unique, multi-disciplinary volume co-authored by scholars from both media studies and music theory. The book features a chronological and systematic approach that concentrates on analyzing representative scenes from a broad spectrum of mainstream movies as exemplars. With a distinctive focus on versatile analytical tools from film studies, music cognition, and music theory, each chapter supplies background on the time period, director, composer, and their working relationship, then a close reading incorporates both visual analysis and musical elements beyond pitch and harmony. Robust yet accessible, Hitting the Right Notes highlights up-to-date ways of understanding film music, directly demonstrates their application across eras and genres, and displays the artistic magic directors and composers create together. It is essential reading for those interested in film and music.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1978833490
• ISBN13: 9781978833494
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher