Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the ugly

Discussions about composing, arranging, orchestration, songwriting, theory, etc...

Moderators: Frodo, FMiguelez, MIDI Life Crisis

Forum rules
Discussions about composing, arranging, orchestration, songwriting, theory and the art of creating music in all forms from orchestral film scores to pop/rock.
Post Reply
User avatar
FMiguelez
Posts: 8266
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Body: Narco-México Soul/Heart: NYC

Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the ugly

Post by FMiguelez »

So says Ennio Morricone...
from the article wrote:]While acknowledging the many directors who understood the emotional power of music – with Hans Zimmer (Gladiator) and John Williams (Schindler’s List) among the industry’s most brilliant composers – he said: “The standard of composition for film has deteriorated. I have suffered a lot in watching many films because of that.

“There are some directors who actually fear the possible success of music,” he added. “They fear that the audience or the critics will think the film has worked because there was a very good music score.”
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/j ... are_btn_fb

What do you guys think?
Mac Mini Server i7 2.66 GHs/16 GB RAM / OSX 10.14 / DP 9.52
Tascam DM-24, MOTU Track 16, all Spectrasonics' stuff,
Vienna Instruments SUPER PACKAGE, Waves Mercury, slaved iMac and Mac Minis running VEP 7, etc.

---------------------------

"In physics the truth is rarely perfectly clear, and that is certainly universally the case in human affairs. Hence, what is not surrounded by uncertainty cannot be the truth." ― Richard Feynman
User avatar
cuttime
Posts: 4291
Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS

Re: Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the u

Post by cuttime »

It's a good article, and while I understand the cost factor that he mentions, sometimes electronic scores are entirely appropriate. The score to "Ex Machina" comes to mind. It is very sparse and minimal, and it compliments the elements of the movie very well. I am unfamiliar with any of Barrow and Salisbury's other works.

I'd also like to say that the work of Hans Zimmer has deteriorated significantly IMHO, since he's been working with Christopher Nolan. For example, the score to "Interstellar" is overly loud and obnoxious and is one one the worst things about the movie. The score constantly drowns out dialogue and made the movie an overall unpleasant experience for me. That leaves Williams as the only one with a consistent track record who has yet to disappoint. We'll see what the new "Star Wars" movies bring.
828x MacOS 13.6.5 M1 Studio Max 1TB 64G DP11.31
User avatar
mikehalloran
Posts: 15133
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Sillie Con Valley

Re: Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the u

Post by mikehalloran »

The score to "Ex Machina" comes to mind. It is very sparse and minimal, and it compliments the elements of the movie very well.
I liked that one quite a lot.
That leaves Williams as the only one with a consistent track record who has yet to disappoint. We'll see what the new "Star Wars" movies bring.
For myself and many others, Star Wars was the "Holy crap! Did you see that movie yet? How about that score?" film.

True, there were many movies with great scores before it but somehow, John Williams took it to a new level beyond How the West was Won, The Magnificent Seven, Lawrence of Arabia and so many other Big Music Movies that preceded it.
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5.2, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 Pro, Toast 20 Pro
User avatar
stubbsonic
Posts: 4600
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:56 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Contact:

Re: Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the u

Post by stubbsonic »

I love it when a score conveys the all the different flavors of magic, whimsey, tension, humor and other feelings. I especially love to hear themes that represent various characters or concepts that help create a hidden structure for the film. It is a very sophisticated craft ... well, at least it should be.

I've seen films where the score rides the emotional arc of each scene, but there is nothing going on compositionally. It sounds like things layered on (like we've seen in some process vids) without much "craft" or depth going into them.

That kind of scoring doesn't bother me as far as my experience of the film, but it often saddens me that it was such a missed opportunity.

But I'm talking about... well, "tasteful" isn't a strong enough word... masterful use of the tools and sounds at hand to create the very best support for the story and the film.

There's a good reason that many people have seen the first few Star Wars films again and again.
M1 MBP; OS 12, FF800, DP 11.3, Kontakt 7, Reaktor 6, PC3K7, K2661S, iPad6, Godin XTSA, Two Ibanez 5 string basses (1 fretted, 1 fretless), FM3, SY-1000, etc.

http://www.jonstubbsmusic.com
User avatar
cuttime
Posts: 4291
Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS

Re: Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the u

Post by cuttime »

The masters of the streamers and punch (think Jarre and even Hamlisch) seem to have all died off. The DAW has replaced a lot of the arithmetic for sheer convenience. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and shouldn't be condemned, per se. The movie "package" of the 20th century included in the price of the ticket a concert. The theater was an entirely different experience from a Netflix stream. I can understand why a new director might be intimidated by a strong soundtrack, when his hard earned screen time might be interrupted with an instant message or an email.

Recent film scores of interest, (again "electronic") are the Reznor-Ross scores to the last couple of Fincher movies. These scores transcend the leitmotif-song structures of earlier scores and provide soundscape backgrounds that are something other than foley and sound effects. This doesn't mean I want to go out and buy the hit single, as there was never one intended.
828x MacOS 13.6.5 M1 Studio Max 1TB 64G DP11.31
User avatar
monkey man
Posts: 13918
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Good film scores have been replaced by the bad and the u

Post by monkey man »

Many of the "low-budget" VI-rendered "scores" I've heard these past few years, especially in the action genre, have been pathetic to the point that they defy description, at least by me.

Call up a sophisticated synth patch, strike a note, and make a cup of coffee. Done.
Call up a string patch, octave-double to taste, strike a note and check Facebook. Done.

Mac 2012 12C Cheese Grater, OSX 10.13.6
MOTU DP8.07, MachFive 3.2.1, MIDI Express XT, 24I/O
Novation, Yamaha & Roland Synths, Guitar & Bass, Kemper Rack

Pretend I've placed your favourite quote here
Post Reply