Lecture 12: MUSIC 246
Dude forgot to post week 12 lectures
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Breakthrough film was Rain Man (1988)
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Early films such as Rain Man and Driving Miss Daisy (1989), made extensive use of synthesizers / samples.
- samplers created sound of actual recording
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Thelma & Louise (1991), The Lion King (1994)
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The Thin Red Line (1988)
- director Terrence Malick
- ”Journey To The Line”
- marks the first time Zimmer experiments with a new style: Hybrid-Orchestral: no separation between orchestral instruments and synthesizers.
- spacious and powerful: a fusing of electronics and orchestra. Often has an emphasis on timbre and rhythm rather than melody.
- not focusing on melody. focus on the sound of instruments
- the music was composed before the film was completed.
- Terrence Malick used Zimmer’s music and timed the edit to his music.
Most notable collaborations are with director Christopher Nolan, such as The Dark Knight.
- Minimalism: simple idea - repetition - complexity of layers - slow changes over time.
- Best shown in Interstellar
Interstellar (2014)
- slow repetative development of basic thematic idea
- addition of multiple layers building the intensity
- graudal build in dynamics and range (gets louder and instruments get both higher and lower) wrote the music first Showed the ending scene of Interstellar
Inception (2010)
- often omposes music during or even before the film is in production
- music and film are edited simultaneously
- cues sometimes assembled from multiple pieces of music
Youtube Clip: Inception - the Final sequence
- minimalist - simple basic idea
- gradual build through layering
- slow build in dynamics, range, and rhythmic complexity adds the electric guitar at the end, when Cobb makes it pass customs. proceeds to add even more fucking instruments.
- notice the music doens’t play the scene when Cobb enters the dining room and sees his kids, no playing the drama nor hitting the action - limitation
- Zimmer doesn’t
Youtube Clip: Inception - The Kick
- key moment is when Robert’s father says, “I was disappointed you tried.”
- beginning of hybrid-orchestral, minimalist build
- cue is assembled from three pieces of pre-recorded music composed by Zimmer before the film was finished.
- Nolan and Zimmer would have sat in the room, and decide which music and where to put the music, fade out and come in.
- Braaaaaams, or Brhaaaaaaaams. Wall of brass instruments.
- In dream state = time slows down
- What the dreamers to wake them up, plays “je ne regrette rien” ,if you slow down the brass part, it coincide with Hans’ music of Braaaaams.
The Zimmer Effect: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Music by Tom Holkenborg
- DJ / Producer Junkie XL
- Electronica
Influence on Movie Trailers: Trailer would start using Zimmer sounding like music. “Two Steps From Hell” is a company that will make grandiose music like Zimmer’s style.
Mike Zarin starts writing score that sounds like Zimmer. Cmes up with Braams. Later Mike Zarin and Zach Hemsey does the teaser trailer.
Dune (2021) Limitation of the music, doesn’t play the picture when dialogue comes in, they tune down the sound. Unlike James Horner who would play the scene very tightly.
New Trends: Neo Minimalism
Max Richter “On The Nature Of Daylight”, used in numerous pictures. For instance, used in the beginning of Arrival (2016) montage.
Johan Johansson, won a couple Academy Awards. For
Hildur Guonadottir Joker (2019)