Author(s)

Yuezhu Yu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Northeast Normal University, School of Music and Dance, Jilin, Changchun, 130017, China

Corresponding Author

Yuezhu Yu

ABSTRACT

The leitmotif in film music functions as a crucial cross-media narrative semiotic system, constructing deep-level storytelling logic through audiovisual interaction. This study integrates theories from musical semiotics, cognitive psychology, and film narratology to reveal the tripartite functional mechanisms of leitmotifs in temporal-spatial construction, character development, and suspense generation. Key findings demonstrate: 1) Leitmotifs form distinctive auditory codes through pitch contour, harmonic progression, and timbral markers, with their repetition and variation creating "musical montage" (e.g., the descending treatment of the Ring theme in The Lord of the Rings signaling corruption); 2) Emotional transmission follows a "perception-emotion-meaning" three-stage processing model, with neuroaesthetic experiments confirming specific motifs can activate coordinated responses in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (exemplified by the violin theme in Schindler's List); 3) The digital era witnesses a "hypertextual" evolution of motifs, manifesting in electronic timbre reconstruction (Blade Runner 2049) and algorithmic-generated narrative experiments. The research provides theoretical breakthroughs in understanding film music's cognitive mechanisms while offering methodological guidance for transmedia storytelling. The study particularly contributes to decoding the cultural adaptation of Western-originated leitmotif techniques in Asian cinematic traditions, revealing how pentatonic-based motifs (e.g., Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) achieve comparable narrative efficacy through alternative parameter configurations.

KEYWORDS

Leitmotif; Film Score; Narrative Function; Emotional Transmission; Neuroaesthetics; Semiotics

CITE THIS PAPER

Yuezhu Yu, Narrative Function and Emotional Transmission Mechanism of Leitmotifs in Film Music. Art and Performance Letters (2025) Vol. 6: 1-6. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/artpl.2025.060401.

REFERENCES

[1] Feng, C. C. (2025). The narrative function and expressive pathways of human voice in film music: An interdisciplinary perspective. Film Literature, 17, 126–130. 
[2] Liu, L. (2025, April 16). On the emotional transmission and artistic expression of the French horn in film music. China Film Journal, p. 011. 
[3] Feng, X. X., & Zhang, X. Z. (2025). Historical and practical dimensions of classical art music in film scoring. Contemporary Music, 5, 2, 17-21. 

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