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Elfman, Powell, Copeland on future of film musicArchive of old forum. No more postings.
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Topic: Elfman, Powell, Copeland on future of film music
James
Oscar® Winner
In their December 1999 issue (for the end of the century) Film & Video magazine asked a number of show biz people to briefly reflect on the past/current state of their trade, and their predictions for the next century. I've included here the three film composers they asked.
JOHN POWELL
Reflections: Prokofiev really brought the standard up hugely and Bernard Herrmann wrote the language of scoring. He could quickly evoke emotions with few notes, few instruments. Elmer Bernstein was another big influence. I was very affected watching The Great Escape. Another significant force in film scoring was Stanley Kubrick.
Predictions: We now literally have a world of music available to us for film. Modern production techniques are also changing the art. The manipulation technique, which is how modern music is made, is how I create some of my scores now. Another phenomenon is that film composers are becoming filmmakers because films are becoming more collaborative.DANNY ELFMAN
Reflections: I tend to be a pessimist, and I think that the state of film scoring has been declining over the last 10 or 15 years. The development of Dolby Stereo is the worst thing that ever happened to film music because it has caused filmmakers to go overboard with audio, particularly sound effects. Most big movies sound awful to me because there's such an immense amount of sonic material delivered.
Predictions: The optimist in me hopes these trends will reverse and that we'll see a return to more intimate filmmaking and more subtle use of sound.STEWART COPELAND
Reflections: People think rock musicians are my big influences, but Henry Mancini was the film composer who made me want to explore this area. His use of rhythm was fantastic. The theme to The Pink Panther is, for me, the beginning and the end of comedic scoring, the Don Giovanni of film.
Predictions: Technology has made it possible for anyone to write music for the synthesizer/sampler audience; the tools keep getting cheaper and cheaper. That puts an 18-year old kid on an equal footing with me, and it's a good thing, because film composition on one level is a purely instinctive thing. But there are two kinds of film composing, and one requires strict training in orchestral writing and arranging. The skills required will insure that this form stays in the hands of highly educated musicians who catch a break.
Jamesposted 03-18-2000 09:05 PM PT (US) Lou Goldberg
Oscar® Winner
Thanks for putting this info on the board.Powell--I would hope that filmmakers and composers could collaborate more in the future but I don't see it. Some directors have trusting relationships with composers but mainly "collaboration" means hiring the composer at the last minute, giving him/her no time to write, ordering them to compose a certain way, then rejecting their stuff anyway.
Elfman--Dolby is a great addition to movies, but it all depends on how it's used. Elfman is probably right in his pessimism that it's mostly used poorly. Scores get overridden or reduced to just another sound effect. There has to be a way to allow the composition of the sound to include score and effects in a positive way. But don't expect Hollywood to find it soon. In any case Danny, there's no going back.
Copeland--In some hands the newer technology may create another New Wave, in other hands it might just produce another Old Swamp. Still, the fact that 18 year olds might be able to create scores on the cheap and on the fly could produce amazing results, especially in independent films. My dark side tells me it also allows producers to get away with murder hiring cheaply-produced drone scores instead of using good composers and orchestras.
Lou--I think the future of film music depends, first, upon the talent of individual composers rather than trends, instruments, or techniques. But there isn't a lack of good composers. What brings down the quality of film music are current industry standards and practices and an overall lack of respect for film music's role in movies. If cinema wasn't aiming towards homogenized product, maybe film scores wouldn't be asked to conform towards the generic and formulaic (part of the fault lies with the public--a friend of mine works at a video store and says the single most frequently made statement is: "I don't want a film I have to think about." This is absolutely true!) No wonder composers are given little freedom to innovate and have an individual sound/voice. Of course, I don't think I'm saying anything we don't all already know.
NP: The Collector (Maurice Jarre)
posted 03-19-2000 02:57 AM PT (US) Old Infopop Software by UBB