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Posted: |
Apr 1, 2015 - 6:17 AM
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By: |
Rick15
(Member)
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I was born in 1970.
The film scores that hooked me were the common ones...Star Wars, Raiders, ET, Jaws, Superman. All John Williams I hear you ask?? Probably also the most accessible at the time for me growing up....and all films that I had an emotional connection with.
As my...understanding... of film music grew, so did my collection.
Anyway...I was watching the movie "Dredd" tonight on TV. (I enjoyed it). It was released in 2012 and had a very electronic score. Which I think suited the movie. Although I guess it would be hard to listen to outside of the movie. I mean...I can listen to the whole album of the movies I mentioned above. with more recent films, I find myself only listening to my favourite one or two tracks of the album.
While I was watching 'Dredd', I was thinking about how it would work with an orchestral, leitmotif type score. And I couldn't see that working.
I guess I grew up with the orchestral leitmotif score. These days, film scores seem to have moved to soundscapes. I don't dismiss that - especially if it works with the movie. And I like some of that.
But it seems that time has moved on. And those sounds of the late 70's, early 80's are a thing of the past.
I miss those old days. And with the resurgence in popularity of Superhero (comic book) movies..It feels like there was an opportunity to return to that style of film scoring...orchestral/leitmotif...
But there has been no coherency at all. Well...with the story telling, yes. With the music..no.
Sorry all. I realise that time moves on and things change. I guess I'm being drunkenly nostalgic..
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post.
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I was absolutely set in that way of thinking. I was born in 1969, and my first encounter with film scores was with the work of John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry. I will always treasure their styles, the lush symphonic sweep of leitmotifs and melodies that carried the movies and found their way straight into my heart.
When scores diversified and experimented more with soundscapes I was shocked and appalled, rejecting that development.
But after a while I gave these scores a second chance and found out that they can be just as interesting or even masterful. I agree that many movies today need another kind of scoring than the 70´s and 80´s approach. The inherent optimism and joy and innocence of movies during those decades (despite the dark undercurrents of those political times) allowed for melodic power. Nowadays, there is no optimism, rather desperation and cyncism, a constant feeling of threat by powers that cannot be conquered. This atmosphere, I believe, is what caused films to become different and therefore scores as well.
Of course, one can still reject the new style of film scores, simply because it´s not one´s cup of tea.
But if one widens the perspective and opens up to another taste, one will find that film scoring still is very much alive and interesting and captivating, a vibrant form of art that has adapted and will continue to adapt. Because - and that´s the most important thing for me - a film score still matters.
A film score is still important, one of the most important elements of a film. Without it, a film loses its power. That audiences (as I assume) still need a film to be scored makes me hopeful.
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Posted: |
Apr 2, 2015 - 1:03 PM
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By: |
couvee
(Member)
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I am also a collector from the 70-s vinyl days. Soundtracks were by Goldsmith, Williams, Jarre, Delerue, Sarde, Bernstein, Mancini etc. When I started collecting even Herrmann was still alive, as was Rozsa. These were great composers, perhaps we were spoiled.
But for me it doesn't need to be a big symphonic score to make good music. These days we have composers like Pascal Gaigne and Bruno Coulais who do beautiful melodic intimate scores with great tunes that are memorable. They do very moving and effective scores for films, not just sounddesign. Good music is simply that, good music, even when played on just one instrument.
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Posted: |
Apr 2, 2015 - 1:23 PM
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By: |
Solium
(Member)
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While I was watching 'Dredd', I was thinking about how it would work with an orchestral, leitmotif type score. And I couldn't see that working.
I guess I grew up with the orchestral leitmotif score. These days, film scores seem to have moved to soundscapes. I don't dismiss that - especially if it works with the movie. And I like some of that.
But it seems that time has moved on. And those sounds of the late 70's, early 80's are a thing of the past.
I haven't seen the new Dredd so I don't know, but I recently watched the Robocop remake on Netflix and I kept thinking to myself how much better the film would have sounded with a Basil Poledouris score.
Also, I don't agree 70's and 80's sound is a thing of the past. It's rooted in classical music which is timeless. Cinderella, Wolf Totem, HTTYD 2, and other recent orchestral endeavors proves once again the viability and power of thematic scoring for any decade.
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Reviewing 2014 and sof 2015 I am under the impression that there is actually something of a renaissance of the symphonic / leitmotiv style. Scores like HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2; JUPITER ASCENDING; GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY come to mind among others.
And - as has been said already - the films themselves have changed a great deal: sound design, editing, camera work ... In many recent films a traditional score would seem anachronistic.
Volker
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Posted: |
Apr 2, 2015 - 1:43 PM
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By: |
The Thing
(Member)
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Certain styles of the "modern" sound are very appealing to me.
Fury, The Maze Runner, Need for Speed, for example.
I find the restrained, progressive nature of these scores quite relaxing to listen to. I don't need big themes if I'm listening to these, as I find they flow very well and build into something more brooding, rather than jarring styles of different paced themes.
I supposed it helps from having a wide ranging collection of modern progressive rock CDs which can be quite laid-back and relaxing, making a smooth flowing whole.
But it's the modern "banging and clattering" style that I don't like, or the metallic sound. Jackman's Captain America 2, for example.
I do enjoy Man of Steel, though. I like the intense wall of sound of that one.
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I thought The Maze Runner had pretty strong thematic material (though in more of a 'thriller' mode than the 'epic' mode I think many people hope for from sci fi after Star Wars...) -- one of the more "old fashioned" sounding blockbuster scores to my ears, and I really enjoyed it.
Yavar
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Posted: |
Apr 2, 2015 - 2:56 PM
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By: |
DS
(Member)
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I was born in 1986 and I too can't get into a lot of the contemporary film music for Hollywood productions. It's amazing to me how most Hollywood scores now are low-key, tepidly orchestrated, without themes and more or less just consist of little musical passages that start & go nowhere. As an aspiring filmmaker myself who knows other aspiring filmmakers, Movie Music itself seems to belong to a different approach to movies. Really, contemporary American filmmakers rarely seem to want scores there at all. Or they want the effect of a score but it has to be so subtle as to not suggest to people how to feel. In a way, that's the issue. A score tells you how to feel and a lot of filmmakers in the US seem to believe that people want the freedom to decide that themselves now. But it's not like these filmmakers want to be Ingmar Bergman or Luis Bunuel or Michelangelo Antonioni - these are people who want to make "Hollywood" movies but without "Hollywood" scores. There also seems to be a glut of filmmakers that aren't in any way sensitive to film music and/or don't know a lot about music in general, which results in poor or non-existent musical direction. I guess the editors are somewhat at fault too - if they keep temp tracking "Inception" and Explosions in the Sky onto movies by filmmakers who don't know anything about music it's no wonder why we aren't getting good or interesting scores anymore. Those arguing that American film music *hasn't* regressed are putting up a tough fight.
Meanwhile, Japanese (as bobbengan pointed out), Spanish, and French filmmakers are the ones who seem to consistently utilize traditional movie music these days. Maybe Italians as well. Directors and Producers in these countries have kept lighting a torch that Hollywood/Americans let burn out a couple decades ago.
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Posted: |
Apr 2, 2015 - 3:17 PM
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By: |
MikeP
(Member)
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I was born in 1962 and became exposed to film scores through my older brother's LPs of Bond scores, Ice Station Zebra, Shoes Of The Fisherman and so on.
My early album purchases began in the early 70's, I distinctly recall buying Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Enter The Dragon, Towering Inferno, Jaws and others.
Film scoring has changed, I look at the studios and directors who have voiced little or no interest in thematic scoring, favoring ambient or sound design or percussion driven music.
But yep, still, even with changes in styles there's a lot out there to like and love. The music may be different ( not all of it, others have pointed out examples of big orchestral music still being written ) but a lot of it is still interesting and some highly enjoyable.
After turning 53 just a week or two back, I still love the scores that raised me, and still find good things to listen to today. I won't be a fuddy duddy or angry old man 
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