Score!
I have told you a few times before that I really like soundtracks - and we've made some lists looking at favourite songs from movies and favourite soundtrack compilations. Sometimes a song is elevated because of its role in a movie (think of Celine Dion's contribution to that little film Titanic - actually, if you can help it, don't!) And sometimes it's the music that lifts the film, making a movie (or at least a scene) more memorable.
So let's now look at score.
Songs can be used for score - often that's when they make that memorable moment - but the film's composer is employed to create evocative pieces of music in response to a scene, in reaction to the a
ction. He or she will be influenced directly by the vision of the film's writer/producer/director and by the speech and movements of the actors; the way they decide to play their characters.
Ennio Morricone is one of the world's most famous film composers - he's known for his work on Serge Leone's "spaghetti westerns" (particularly this piece) - but in actual fact westerns only make up about 10% of his film score work. The Italian composer has scored over 500 films, everything from his masterful ideas on The Mission to working on duds like Wolf and Mission to Mars. But it really is the western work that made his name: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West lead the way towards payday.
He went on to become influential not only to composers of film scores but to avant-garde jazzers like John Zorn and freak-out metal-punkers like Mr Bungle.
But the first film scores I took notice of were when someone famous from the rock world had crossed over. I was a huge Dire Straits fan as a youngster - so Mark Knopfler's scores to Local Hero, Cal and The Princess Bride were probably the first film scores I owned copies of and listened to without the moving-picture accompaniment. My favourite score of his is Last Exit to Brooklyn (I thought he totally phoned it in with Wag the Dog).
Prince provided the songs to Batman and that pointed me to Danny Elfman's score. Elfman has had a special relationship with director Tim Burton but has had plenty of success outside and away from Burton, including the theme song to a little TV show known as The Simpsons. Elfman, of course, was a member of Oingo Boingo before moving into the film scoring industry.
I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter's films, and Carpenter has often written, arranged and performed the score to his own films (something Robert Rodriguez has picked up - his Planet Terror shows, somewhat overtly, Carpenter's influence on the auteur-as-composer-too ethos). Mike Figgis is another one whose jazzy scores often accompany his own films (and I like his work too - both the music and the films).
Usually science fiction doesn't interest me hugely but there are always exceptions. Carpenter's Starman main theme (this time it's another legend of the film scoring world at the helm of the music, Jack Nitzsche) is one of my favourite pieces of music. And of course I'm a sucker for Vangelis' score to Blade Runner.
The other rock/pop musicians who made successful transitions to the world of film scoring, and whose work I admire both in the film world and when they make sporadic returns to their first career choice, are Ry Cooder and Randy Newman. Cooder I first heard, outside his 1970s classic albums, with his score to one of my favourite films, Crossroads. And of course his score to Paris, Texas ranks up there as one of the greats, in terms of people owning the soundtrack album; many, myself included, own the score and have not even seen the film.
Newman's scores I can generally take or leave - but they have his sound; his touch. He's done some fine film score work (I particularly like his work on Monsters, Inc) but it's more the fact that he branched out that I admire (I far prefer his songs to his scoring work).
But his cousin Thomas Newman is far more successful as a film composer - and generally recognisable: I can spot a Thomas Newman score now just as easily as a Randy Newman one.
I like being able to spot the work of a favourite and often it's easy enough to do: Angelo Badalamenti, Terence Blanchard, Carter Burwell, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, Clint Mansell, David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Conti. They are all - along with the others named earlier - favourites of mine and I reckon I can generally spot when their sound is guiding and shaping a film.
If you are interested in film scores and in learning more from listening, definitely pick up The Essential Michael Nyman, The Essential John Carpenter, The Essen
tial Ennio Morricone, Danny Elfman's Music for a Darkened Theatre Volume 1 and Vol. 2, Carl Stalling's career overview (he wrote and arranged cartoon music for Looney Tunes and Warners Bros) and Music by Ry Cooder. They are favourites of mine that I go back to time and again - often for reference these days, but just as often for a casual listen.
And there are so many individual film scores that I love - Taxi Driver is a current favourite (because I found a copy on vinyl recently; I'm not sure where my CD ended up).
But what are your favourite film scores? Remember we're not talking about soundtracks of songs, but music actually composed for a specific film. And who are your favourite composers? Do you pat yourself on the back if you can spot the composer during the film? Do you wait for the credits at the movies or when watching a DVD at home, waiting to see the composer's name? Or are you really not too interested in the music that accompanies a film?
What scores do you like? And who does the job well time and time again, in your opinion?
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How can you go past John Williams' score for Jaws... as Jack Black said in "The Holiday" - "two notes... and you've got a villain. Totally brill."
The rest of John Williams I can take or leave, although the Star Wars stuff has always been excellent.
I'm a big fan of Danny Elfman and I flatter myself I can spot his work in movies; I did in To Die For, one of the best films of the 90's, the Spidermans, Edward Scissorhands, Red Dragon, Beetlejuice... he has such a unique sound, always so perfectly in tune (no pun intended) with the film he's working on.
I'd have to agree with Kirsty, John Williams work on Jaws and Star Wars was impressive.
Clint Mansell has really come into his own especially on films like Reqiuem for A Dream and The Fountain although it would be interesting to see how much of the song writing is acutally the Kronos Quartet.
Charlie Clouser, former NIN member does some very interesting stuff although his choice of projects leaves much to be desired.
Ironically one of my favorite "scores" isn't for a film at all but for a video game (or series of games). Valves "The Orange Box" contains 5 games (3 in the Half-Life 2 series) each with their own individual scores. The HL scores are used in a wonderful way to lift certain sections of the game and increase the tension, the score to portal is more about adding a sureal edge (as it's basically one song - but a damn good one) and the surf rock for Team Fortress 2 is fantastic. I'm quite fascinated with reactive scores in video games (where the music is matched to actions on screen) and the seamless nature in which they work - and find it interesting to see what triggers are linked to the soundtrack (often visual setting, proximity of other characters and the actions you're engaged in).
I've also been involved in providing a score for a local feature length film (including the trailers) called "The Last Great Snail Chase". As a musician it was a real challenge to write for a film (though really we adapted our own material for it) and changes the way you look at producing music (in that it forces you to look at the goal of what you are making).
Definately John Williams and the Imperial March. Darth Vader wouldn't have been so imposing if he didn't have his own entry music. Same with Bruce the shark.
I'm always looking for new musical scores and composers for BrokenSea productions. Devon Anderson (found at www.podsafeaudio.com) is a great film score composer. Worked with him on several projects. Danny Elfman is a legend - he seems to be the composer for every big hollywood movie these days.
Tip of the hat to Howard Shore, and not only for his LOTR wizardry (pun intended). He's done choice stuff, although Mr Nyman would be my favourite.
Big Fan of Chuck Mangiones soundtrack to The Children of Sanchez.
Bernard Hermann of Taxi Driver, and Hitchcock fame was amazing. For a Director to edit his scenes around the music says something about his talents.
I think John Williams sometimes gets a bad rap, but he has some of the most recognised themes around. While he is mostly known for the big Lucas/Spielberg movies, his work and different styles is amazing. Catch Me If You Can shows off his jazz background.
And a quick mention of Don McGlashan whom has been scoring a few movies including Dean Spanley.
Best individual film score, for my mind, is Basil Poledouris' effort for Conan the Barbarian. It just complements the visuals perfectly.
Williams, while very good, doesn't quite hit the mark as closely. Take the main theme for Star Wars, for instance. If you listen to it in isolation, it could be for a western (cue comments about SW being a space western anyway).
Biggest range of compositions goes to, I believe, Elmer Bernstein. He did everything from the Great Escape to Meatballs to To Kill a Mockingbird to Wild Wild West.
And of course we should not forget the older composers who did film work. Shostakovich, for example, often made a crust from film scores.
Neil Young did a great score for that Johnny Depp film. Was it "Dead Man"?
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