What is the purpose of a film's score?

The purpose of a film's score is fundamentally to enhance emotional impact and establish mood. A film’s score helps to evoke specific feelings in the audience, guiding their emotional response to the narrative and visual elements. This musical background underscores key moments, builds tension, underscores joy, or evokes sadness, effectively shaping the viewer’s experience.

Scores are carefully composed to complement the storytelling, often existing as an emotional landscape that supports the character’s journeys and the film's themes without taking center stage. While a strong score can be memorable, it primarily serves the function of enriching the film's atmosphere and directing the audience's reactions, rather than telling the story itself or overshadowing other elements such as dialogue or visual effects.