Film Music, anyone?

[smottie]

I agree with You all but sometimes I realize that there wasn't any music in a film I just saw. Must have been a good movie, eh? Independent films??
I think there were almost no music in Cast away, except for just one orchestration by Alan Silvestri, the theme... and that wasn't all that independent.
Maybe anyone can contribute with other examples of films without or almost without music?

When having a conversation on musical moments in movies, it must involve Lalo Schifrin for his jazzy and atmospheric, escalating car chase-score in Bullitt.

McQueen

Mcdowel
In If from 1968 there's a scene when all the students are dashing out of school and in that very moment our ears are filled with a fantastic organ-tune by Dietrich Buxtehude. (1637-1707) A great moment and a tremendeous example of using music from another era in a film of our time.

S

[djdave]

Maybe anyone can contribute with other examples of films without or almost without music?

When having a conversation on musical moments in movies, it must involve Lalo Schifrin for his jazzy and atmospheric, escalating car chase-score in Bullitt.


S

Funnily enough, Schifrin's music stops when the actual car chase begins proper. There's tension-building music as McQueen's Mustang begins to follow the villains' Dodge Charger.....but then when the driving really starts, the music stops. That was actually McQueen's idea and it's a testimony to the power of Schifrin's music that people remember music throughout ALL of the action between the two cars.

Film scoring is as much about deciding where NOT to have music as where to have it. For example, in All The President's Men, david Shire's score doesn't begin until 20-odd minutes into the film. Certainly, the director and composer may decide to have little or no music (except for the Main and End Titles, perhaps).

In the early days of sound pictures, studios became over-enthusiastic about the use of music and a lot of those films are practically wall-to-wall musical soundscapes. The best example of constant music are the Looney-Tunes and Warner Brothers cartoons.

There was music in it, but in Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick insisted on using contemporary period pieces.

[smottie]

Funnily enough, Schifrin's music stops when the actual car chase begins proper. There's tension-building music as McQueen's Mustang begins to follow the villains' Dodge Charger.....but then when the driving really starts, the music stops. That was actually McQueen's idea and it's a testimony to the power of Schifrin's music that people remember music throughout ALL of the action between the two cars.

Yes, now I remember... Its been a while. It's true that when they're buckel up and really starts racing, the only music we hear is some kind of a "fugue" between Ford & Mopar. Just those 2 roaring V8. Another funny thing is that McQueen seems never o get out of gears to shift... It sounds to be like 37 or something. Tough job, anyway... That may explain why american drivers in general prefer automatic transmissions. But, ok... It's not a question about music - maybe it's more about technicalitys due to bad skills in the sound-effect department... I know this gear shifting issue is up to discussion on several forums, so I rest my case for now.

:lol:

[djdave]

McQueen was quite heavily into his own image by that period of his career. He wanted the sound of the engines and gears to be prominent i.e. make his character's driving look good, and not overshadowed by the music. Because he had the clout he had, that's what he got. I don't know whether or not the director and composer would have reached the same decision on their own.

Incidentally, speaking of car chases involving Steve McQueen, there's a beauty in his last film, The Hunter, which is set in a wheatfield. McQueen is driving a Trans-Am and is being chased by a combine harvester. Sounds ridiculous, but it's not.

The best music for a McQueen film has to be a tie between The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, both by the late, great Elmer Bernstein.

[trbc08]

I really like Ennio Morricone... I've loved his music ever since I went through my spaghetti western phase in 8th grade. Interestingly enough, I found out that he's also very revered among a lot of musicians that I like. I also like Philip Glass' score for the 1931 Dracula... And the score for the first Hammer Studios Dracula film (the name of the film in question escapes me).

[djdave]

For top line film composers, there's good money to be made. John Williams is an obvious example: he's a multi millionaire and can command huge fees for his work. John Barry is another, although for 1980's Somewhere In Time he did it as a favour to his mate, Jane Seymour, who was in the film. People in this band can ask for up-front fees, plus a percentage of the CD sales. And, of course, they get royalties every time the music is played....

But for most film and TV composers, just like most writers and most actors, they probably just about make a living.