YW Movie Composer

[Wolf]

So, I was reading DW (Deep Wizardry) this afternoon, and the only choice music I had to listen to was the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. I wasn't sure how they'd fit in with my reading... but I found it was almost perfect. I could picture other scenes from the series to music like the score I was listening to, even though it was a totally different movie.

So what do you guys think about Howard Shore doing the music score for the [PLEASE!!!] movie? John Williams and Hanz Zimmer have always been favorites of mine as well, and Klaus Badelt is pretty cool as well.

But Howard Shore... mygosh. His work is amazing.

You guys?

[SilveredBlue]

Nonononono! You know who'd be PERFECT?

John Williams! The Star Wars guy! Then in HW, he could put in a little bit of Darth-Vaderish music when Dairine says, "Darth Vader, here I come!" and all that other stuff.


Welll....actually, maybe Howard Shore for DW, AWAb, and the other more "Earth-based" books, and John Williams for HW and W@W and the other "spacey" stuff.

Hey, didn't the BEMs' lasers shoot with a Star Wars sounds? (Wolf: pew pew pew! )

[Birdhead]

Knock Knock.

Who's there?

Howard.

Howard who?

Howard Shore like it if he'd give us the downbeat!

(If you've ever seen Howard Shore conduct, which I have, you'll get why this knock-knock joke is my favourite of all time. The LOTR soundtrack is certainly beautiful, but the man cannot direct an orchestra to save his life.)

[Wolf]

SilveredBlue, I just had to press both my hands to my mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. I can't believe you remembered my Star Trek pew - pew conversation! (They really dooooo though.... ohGOSH.)

I really like your idea... ohmygod. What if they like.... conspired with each other? That would be... that would so wicked it would floor me.

Birdhead.... am I going to have to YouTube things? I'm absolutely "Shore" my band friends would get your joke, but I'm not certain I could "Handel" the hilarity of the inside jokes you all have. (Yes. Yes I went there. ^_^ )

[Birdhead]

*groans and whacks you with a pillow* That was pretty awesome.

I actually don't know if he's on Youtube, all I know is that I saw him conduct the NZSO a few years ago and thought 'Hmm, he's kind of off the beat' and I mentioned that to my violin teacher and she told me that knock-knock joke and said it'd been doing the rounds among the Welly musician community!

[SilveredBlue]

Hey! Every single person who's posted here has an award thingy! (all three of us, right, Blue.)

Uh. That was off topic.

Wolf: An elephant never forgets. And neither does a bookworm. *pew pew pew!!*



If you guys make any more composer jokes this thread will soon be longer then a chopin lizst. *collective groan* See, I'm punny too. Uh, funny. Yeah, I meant funny.

Really? He can't stay on the beat? How confusing for the orchestra.

[Wolf]

I was perched on a stepstool last night at work, reading DW, and my colleague says to me, "Mygosh! You look so collegiate!" I laughed and responded, "Too bad the book's about Wizardry." :P

So I was reading DW today, I'm at the part right before they do the song, and.... ohmygosh. Howard Shore has to have a part in this. It's amazing. Can you just imagine all the deep-dark-Mordor music playing while Nita and Kit dive down to the depths of the ocean, a grim task ahead of them? oOh, I've got chills!

And of course Nita makes a comment about Dair's Yoda pajamas... teehee. So it would be rude to not offer John Williams the part. Although yes, I know that has to do with movie rights and not composer rights. But it's the principal of the thing! Teehee.

[araine]

Well, depending on the number of royalties that the studio is willing to pay, they could pull from the Star Wars score. (That would probably depend on the box office pull of the first movie and hopefully second!)

Of course, even if they did not pay royalties, they could still ostensibly pay homage to the Star Wars leitmotifs. After all, there are plenty of ways (scoring, instrumentality, etc.) to invoke that same style of music without using the same notes. Think about the number of Star Wars parodies out there - most all of them did not use the original John Williams score, or only adapted it, but managed to invoke the exact same feeling!

[Birdhead]

Really? He can't stay on the beat? How confusing for the orchestra.

Really really obviously, too, so it's also confusing for the audience. I believe the orchestra decided to, um, gently ignore him a little, which is really SHOCKING in a professional orchestra, but a decision I totally understood. (he may have gotten better for all I know, so I shouldn't really be so mean - conducting is a skill to be learned, after all.)

I really want to play the funny composer pun game but you really need a visual for my fave:

[Kathy Li]

Just me, but I could totally go for James Horner (Avatar, Titanic), Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes, The Lion King, Da Vinci Code), or Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Lost). All three of them could handle the big big moments of wonder, huge action pieces, and the quiet moments, as well as quirky humor.

[Wolf]

Oh! James Horner! I know him!
*clicks on link*

Ahaaaaa.. I remember I stayed for the credits for Avatar and thought he sounded familiar and looked him up...
Okay... Zorro... Titanic... Balto (OHMYGOD I LOOOVE BALTOO!!!!)... Jumanji... Casper... Braveheart (I thought that was John Williams???)... The Pagemaster (<3)... The Pelican Brief... Honey I Shrunk the Kids... Land Before Time... *batteries not included (<3)... Cocoon... Star Trek III... Something Wicked This Way Comes... Star Trek: Wrath of Khan...

Of course there's more, those are just the titles I recognized/saw. Hanz Zimmer is also amazing.

Now, I don't recognize Giacchino... *clicks*
Woah he's the guy who does the music for LOST?!?!!! He did the Star Trek movie???! Sky High had good music, I remember....

OHMYGOD. Stop right there! He was the one that did the music for The Incredibles?! I LOVE YOU! I've been looking for how I can get this music!!!! Okay I officially know and love this guy. (I guess he helped with the Jurassic Park sequel? Cuz I'm pretty, pretty sure John Williams did all three movies...)

Kathy Li thank youuuuuu <3

And of course, I agree with all your choices. =D

[Kathy Li]

When The Incredibles came out, I kept telling people, "it's the best damn James Bond score ever written!" The coolest thing about that score is that Giacchino insisted not only on the huge brass section, but also on recording it in analog on tape. Nobody does that any more. But he didn't want the flat cleanliness of digital recording. He wanted all the warmth and the feel of the '60s humungous brass scores, so they did it '60s style.

The only other guys I know who spent that much loving care on doing it Old School-style were the folks who worked on Animaniacs. They actually got to record in the same recording studios that Carl Stalling used for the old classic Warner Bros. cartoons, which is why the music sounds so similar: identical acoustics. Unfortunately, that studio got torn down a few years ago and is no more. (sigh). And, of course, if it weren't for Carl Stalling, I'd have no classical music education whatsoever.

[Birdhead]

I liked Hans Zimmer's work on Pirates (Caribbean, not Penzance). But, thinking carefully about this this weekend, I'm tempted to say that I'm not sure an epic symphony music score would be what I'd want... I'm pretty tempted to say that I think an indie teen music soundtrack would be pretty damn awesome. Or, maybe, think Harold and Maude soundtrack, only a little bit updated, like maybe the Postal Service (I think "Such Great Heights" would be an awesome song for some bits in SYWTBAW or even the moon scene in DW.) Or maybe even some stuff from the 80s for that classic Apple IIIC-and-Journey feel.

Of course, there are moments where I'm not sure I'd buy anything with lyrics, like most of the classic finales. But then I wonder if instrumental covers might not work just as well... I love me some timpani, but sometimes I think an electric guitar can do the same thing just as interestingly.

[SilveredBlue]

Man, I loved the Incredibles soundtrack. It was totally awesome. I went around singing the theme for days: "da da DA da duuuuh..."

Actually, I think maybe an indie-pop-thing would be good for the first halves of SYW and DW, and most of HW, but SYW and HW need some big orchestra stuff for the ends...there's gotta be some strings when the Lone Power appears on Sleipnir with the perytons and the darkness flowing around him....I mean, "Bruises" (Chairlift) wouldn't exactly work there.

And Deep Wizardry has to have some big choral melodies for the whalesong and especially the Song, and some really sweet, sad music for Nita's state of mind before her attempted sacrifice and Ed's real one. Although some silence, like the Nita-and-Carl-on-the-beach scene, with nothing but the waves, would be really poignant.

But yeah, some fun 80's stuff and a Star Wars tribute would be fun for HW.

[sharklord]

Hans Zimmer did Sherlock Holmes? Hmm... I can actually sorta see it though.

You can link Sherlock's sound to elements in Pirates of the Caribbean, which can easily be linked to Gladiator.

I think Zimmer might overwhelm the story though, as would John Williams. What about Klaus Badelt, who did the score for the newer version of The Time Machine (one of my very favorite scores)?