Any definition of a field as broad as science fiction must include or exclude particular works on an arbitrary basis. Science fiction, for the purpose of this essay, shall include space based films and fantasy films such as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but exclude films of the horror genre and those of a mystical nature set in the present day or the past such as The Sixth Sense and Ghost.

There are two functions of music to consider when discussing its use in film. The music which continues throughout the film thematically, which, more often than not, is composed specifically for the film; and what is mostly pre-existing music, which is being heard by both the audience and the characters, termed as being ‘within’ the film.

There are three key ways in which science fiction writers treat music that is within a film. There is the use of music of the past to illuminate a vision of the future (Stanley Kubric

[… the music is] doing two jobs at the same time. One, it’s underscoring the film. It’s providing an emotional link, a bridge between the movie ad the audience… it’s also telling you a lot about the cultures of this world.”

A special 20th anniversary edition of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was edited together. For its world premiere, Williams conducted a full symphony orchestra, who performed the complete score live, with the dialogue and sound effects pre-recorded on the film track.

It can be argued that every filmgoer will have some intrinsic knowledge of musical styles. “If not, an individual could not tell a song from the sounds of a cat-fight” . The level of understanding held would be dependant on the musical experiences a person has had up until that moment. The familiarity held by any one person to any one from will depend on the degree to which they have been exposed to that type of music. An understanding of one form then becomes the basis for understanding and analysing each new genre encountered.

Some topics in this essay:
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