How Hans Zimmer Creates Emotion Through Film Scoring?

 by Eva D

One of the most notable pieces composed by Hans Zimmer is the ‘Cornfield chase’ as featured in the movie ‘Interstellar’. The main theme is fairly simple, revolving around just five notes that repeat with a few decorations throughout. This simplicity is contrasted by the faster notes introduced by supporting instruments which increases the momentum of the piece while still restricting the harmonic movement. As the main theme returns, there is a crescendo (increase in volume) and build up for emotional impact. The reason that in this moment we feel nostalgia is because the mesolimbic system in the brain is activated. Part of this system is the striatum which is a subcortical structure involved in reward processing and memory retention. After much repetition of the same few chords, we expect there to be some emphatic moment as we have listened to other music before and our striatum has recognised this as a routine behaviour of enjoyable music. When the rewarding moment arrives, the striatum recognises this as a moment of climax we have experienced before and felt excited during and it releases dopamine, causing a feeling of joy. 

The theme:

As previously mentioned, the main theme of ‘cornfield chase’ consists of 5 notes which repeat. The start of this phrase uses perfect 5th (A-E), perfect 4th (B-E), major 3rd (C-E) and major 2nd (D-E) intervals, respectively. The interval of a 5th at the beginning uses the tonic (first note) and the dominant (5th note) of the scale of A minor, which is also the key of the piece and is used to establish a strong sense of tonality. The interval of a 3rd acts in a similar way as the 3rd degree of a triad (1-3-5) establishes the minor aspect. You’ll notice these stable intervals are interrupted by 4th and 2nd intervals which, within the context of the melody, create tension. This is especially apparent with the major 2nd as a very dissonant sound is created from two notes so close together. The reason we hear this dissonant sound is due to a structure in your ear called the cochlea, which is a spiral shape and is lined with a sheet of tissue called the ‘basilar membrane’. Specific sections along the basilar membrane are tuned to specific frequencies with nerve cells connected to each section in order to separate the frequencies we are exposed to. As the frequency of the two notes in a major 2nd are close together, the basilar membrane can’t separate their frequencies and a phenomenon known as ‘beats’ is produced (not like a drum beat). This is due to the interaction between the compressions and rarefactions of the sound waves from both frequencies, causing variations in the volume which create a pulsating sound. This is perceived by the auditory system in the brain as unstable and causes the perception of dissonance. The alternating dissonance and consonance also activates the brain’s reward system.

The increase in volume at this moment in the piece also contributes to the positive feeling. Louder noises increase the fire rate of neurons in the auditory cortex which is connected to other limbic structures in the brain. Some of these structures include the hippocampus and amygdala which are associated with emotional experiences. This shows the correlation between loud moments in songs, and the positive or highly emotional feeling evoked. 

MRI studies have shown that when listening to music, the prefrontal cortex, specifically the medial prefrontal cortex, is activated. Dysfunction of the medial prefrontal cortex has been associated with reduced empathy which facilitates the idea that it allows us to experience, or partially, experience the emotions others are feeling. Zimmer uses many woodwind and brass instruments in ‘Cornfield chase’ which have a timbre similar to that of a human voice. The brain may perceive these instruments as being highly expressive, making us feel empathy towards them as they convey such strong emotions. 

But how is this joy sustained throughout sad, minor moments in the piece?

One theory proposed by scientists: There is a negative feedback loop between the hormone dopamine and the hormone prolactin. Prolactin acts as the body’s compensatory mechanism against grief and feelings of sadness. When listening to slow, sad music that simulates real sadness, the brain mistakes it as genuine sadness and releases prolactin in order to combat this feeling. As the negative emotion was never there in the first place, the brain is left with a pleasurable feeling. 

Another factor representing this is the aesthetic judgement of a piece of music. The orbital frontal cortex links past behaviour to emotions they may provoke and is observed to be active during the process of deciding whether or not a piece of music was beautiful. This would be judged based on functioning harmonies that can be happy or sad versus completely dissonant pieces that are not typically deemed as beautiful. This may suggest that a large influence of what makes certain people feel sad towards sad music or happy towards sad music is their personal favourite genre. Some people may not like Hans Zimmer’s music (as diabolical as that may sound) and may not have previously listened to ‘Cornfield chase’ expecting it to share features in common with his music. When these features appear, the orbital frontal cortex recalls the emotion they felt the last time they heard something similar and that specific negative emotion becomes associated with that stimulus. The exact opposite may also be true as the majority of people enjoy simple chord progressions such as those used in ‘Cornfield chase’ and will associate a positive feeling to the stimulus.

The default mode network is multiple small regions in the brain that become active during times when someone is zoning out or reflecting on past memories. The DNM is thought to be related to our sense of empathy and the emotions of ourselves as well as others. Studies show that when people listen to music they enjoy, whether it be happy or sad, their DNM becomes more active and may cause unsolicited personal thoughts. These thoughts can further emphasise the emotional response of music when they are associated with specific feelings. Interstellar is highly thought provoking as a film and has its complexity perfectly complemented by Zimmer’s music.