The late David Allen's long gestating project, "The Primevals," is finally being completed. Here is a link to the indiegogo where you can watch a trailer for the project:
Looks wonderfully pulpy and fun, and the stop-motion animation is as spectacular as any I've ever seen - easily as great as anything by Ray Harryhausen, which is no small compliment.
Composer John Morgan was one of Allen's very good friends, and he was always Allen's first choice for composer (Morgan previously scored Allen's short film "The Magic Treasure," which is a bonus feature on the Criterion DVD of the fun low budget genre film "Equinox"). I'm sure Morgan will pen a wondrous score for "The Primevals" if he indeed scores it.
"The Primevals" is nearly finished and will be released in 2022. I understand that it took a lot longer than anticipated due to the pandemic.
No composer has been announced yet, but here's a New Years update from Charles Band:
"I’m sure you will all be very glad to hear that we’re wrapping up visual effects. All of the animation, matte paintings, compositing, and animatics are winding down with only a few stragglers left to address in the coming weeks. Also, we just recently had a day of inserts and stunt photography, filmed by Howard Wexler, to pick up a few shots we’ve wanted to get for years!
We want to take this moment to wish all of you a Happy New Year and to thank you once again for helping us release David Allen’s life-long dream project.
2022 WILL be the year of The Primevals, and we think you’ll feel it’s been worth the wait!"
Chris Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of "Delirium" magazine, wrote on Facebook back in June that Richard Band is the composer:
"Now - armed with a gorgeous full symphonic score from maestro Richard Band, this beautiful film can finally be seen."
Here is the official trailer:
The movie looks fully achieved as an extremely sincere homage to Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien, with beautifully accomplished stop-motion animation. I'm really looking forward it.
I have no idea if the music in the trailer is the original score. If it is, it doesn't really sound "full symphonic" to me. It does kind of sound like one of the synth scores Richard Band wrote for Moonbeam back in the 1990s ("Dragonworld," "Prehysteria," etc.). Actually, one could say it sounds a bit like John Morgan's "Demon in the Bottle" as well (the film score, not the suite Morgan/Stromberg recorded with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra).
It's certainly a wonderful project for Richard Band or any composer, but I'm wondering why David Allen's friend John Morgan didn't score it.
Incidentally, over twenty years ago at a convention I saw a trailer for this film that was created "in house" at Full Moon and it curiously had James Newton Howard's "Outbreak" as a temp track.
I only knew of this as a long-lost incomplete project, I had no idea they were working on it until they started publicising the trailer launch recently.
It's certainly a wonderful project for Richard Band or any composer, but I'm wondering why David Allen's friend John Morgan didn't score it.
Probably because David Allen isn't around anymore and Charlie Band is.
Very excited for any and all new Richard Band music, though.
I have no idea if the music in the trailer is the original score. If it is, it doesn't really sound "full symphonic" to me. It does kind of sound like one of the synth scores Richard Band wrote for Moonbeam back in the 1990s
I doubt it's this score, Band has much better samples these days. Unless he's specifically trying to recreate that era since the live action stuff was shot in '93/'94, I think?
Ooh, very intrigued by this assignment. Yes a score by my old buddy John Morgan would have been great too, but Richard Band being afforded an actual orchestra again?? I’ve gotta hear this.
It sounds very similar to the trailer music (i.e. reminiscent of Band's 1990s fantasy scores like "Dragonworld" or "Doctor Mordrid"). Contrary to earlier reports it does not sound like a "full symphonic" score, but rather a synth score with some real instruments.
As somebody who has been intermittently following this project since the late 1990s, I always imagined this film having a Golden Age of Hollywood style of score. That said, I don't mind it having a score that sounds straight out of a 1990s Full Moon/Moonbeam film - that approach is certainly fitting for "The Primevals" (which, of course, *is* a 1990s Full Moon/Moonbeam film, albeit one that took decades to finish) but it's going to work in a different way than a Golden Age score would have. I do look forward to hearing what the entire score sounds like.
It sounds very similar to the trailer music (i.e. reminiscent of Band's 1990s fantasy scores like "Dragonworld" or "Doctor Mordrid"). Contrary to earlier reports it does not sound like a "full symphonic" score, but rather a synth score with some real instruments.
Did we see the same clip? The music in this sounds much more symphonic than any of Band's 90s output. I'm not saying it is an actual orchestra, but it's nowhere near the chintzy samples of the early Full Moon era.
While I agree that the synth (or mostly synth) orchestra in the "Primevals" clip sounds closer to a real orchestra than "Doctor Mordrid," for instance, I still find the overall style here reminiscent of those 1990s scores (at least from what I've heard so far).
Does anyone know if it'll be available for non contributers?
From the Indiegogo site:
"In the announcement, Charles mentioned that the physical discs should be out by Halloween. The streaming premiere has to be set first. The partner streaming company or companies have not been signed yet."
It will be a big orchestral score. I asked Mr. Band who is currently a guest at the MOSMA film score festival in Málaga about it. He said the string section alone consists of 50 players. He gave a hint that in tonight's concert there will be some selections from the score. Can't wait.
It will be a big orchestral score. I asked Mr. Band who is currently a guest at the MOSMA film score festival in Málaga about it. He said the string section alone consists of 50 players.
Wow! Well, not that I was unhappy with that I inferred was going to be a mostly (or even all) synth score, but this is far more exciting (though this news does make me wonder about the music in the clip and trailer - are they comprised of synth mock-ups?). I wonder where the score was recorded?
If you are able to, please let us know how the Richard Band concert goes tonight and if there are indeed any selections from 'The Primevals" performed (though I would love to know what the entire program consists of). I read about the event and it sounds wonderful.
It's not a Richard Band concert per se. They will play many other things too. You can see the program on www.mosma.es under eventos and the date. Sorry I am too stupid to copy the direct link with my mobile.
It was indeed a terrific concert. My only reservation was that they chose to amplify the orchestra through the speakers which made everything sound a little shrill. Otherwise the orchestra played much better than the last time I was there. They also a choir of approx. 30 singers. It was also the first time I saw the Ondes Martenot being played live (for Loki, Obi-Wan Kenobi and best of all for the Doctor Who theme).
The Richard Band suite was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the parts from Remote finally being able to hear it with a full orchestra. The suite ran for about 20 minutes and you just wondered why the studios never hired him for their big blockbusters.
The theme from The Primevals was presented as an encore. It was only the main theme lasting less than two minutes. But it was a big sweeping theme (think along the line of something like Legends from the Fall but sounding like Band).
Loki and Obi-Wan Kenobi were a surprise. I only sampled a few pieces before which didn't particularly impress me except for Williams theme. But the two suites performed here were quite spectacular.
The other highlight aside from the Band pieces was the Doctor Who suite - a true tour de force.
The concert ended with a lenghty suite from Avatar 2 which made a damn good finale.
And some more good news. I briefly talked to Mr. Band after the concert and asked him about whether there would be soundtrack release. He told me that everything was signed a short while ago and that the soundtrack will be released on CD and vinyl.
