A while back I rented the video NIGHT CROSSING just to hear Goldsmith’s
music. I wasn’t in love with the main title or the “Swiss Alps accordion” songs
and almost quit the movie. And then the First Flight theme played. Oh my, what a
magnificent melody, and its variations are gorgeous. To be quite honest, I’m
surprised we don’t hear more of this theme in trailers. It reminds me a little
of Newman’s Trucker’s Salute theme from HOFFA. It’s the kind of uplifting theme
that could be utilized in many trailers when trying to reflect such concepts as triumph,
achievement, or victory.

Also found Carlo Siliotto’s FLUKE absolutely gorgeous, and I wonder why after this
rich score, Siliotto hasn’t been offered more American films. (Maybe that
wasn’t a good experience for him and he’s avoiding us.) His main theme would also
grace trailers with a strong underscore.

Thoughts on those scores? Other themes from movies scores that “should” be used
in trailers but haven’t been?

NP Night Crossing

Of all the great instrumental works, both film,electronic,classical and beyond out there, and music editors keep using the same boring techno percussion swishes to punctuate flash cut, seizure inducing trailers...I tell ya, no one knows how to cut a decent trailer to save their life anymore!

Bring back Joe Dante and Allan Arkush to the trailer world! Those guys knew how to pack 90 seconds of action into a trailer, AND they got to use the original scores!

THE performance to get is by the SF Symphony/Bloomstedt(I believe is the conductor).

I need to trash my poor budget recording of Carmina Burana one of these days

NP: Superman

One side of me thinks that a film should be able to utilize it's own score for its trailer. This is a testment to the score itself, that it is indeed strong enough to promote the film. Plus, there is some consistency between the trailer and the film. It's prudent marketing: Audible Familiarity. Unfortunately, many scores aren't completed by the time of the release of their trailer or teaser. Other times, the score is just not strong enough or at least stong enough to carry a trailer like another choice of music might.

As Joan pointed out though, Hoffa is one of the best scores ever used for a trailer. It's brilliant. Which leads me to my first question. On the HOFFA score, track number 7 is actually titled "Hoffa Trailer". Has any other film score, to anyone's knowledge, ever put their trailer music on the actual score album? This is the only one I have ever seen. It would've been nice for certain albums (like JUDGE DREDD) to utililize this. It would also be nice if someone made an album that had trailer themes on it - the actual ones...not the John Beal "sort of like it" versions which inhabit THE JOHN BEAL PROJECT. There are other score compliations out there with the actual original score tracks on them. Why not one for trailers?

A recent trailer campaign I thought utilized music very well along with its images were the trailers for LORD OF THE RINGS:FOTR. Christopher Field's "Gothic Power" worked very nicely here, I thought.

I beleive they did this recently with Harry Potter. John William's used the themes he wrote for the film and scored the trailer.

Anybody know of any other examples?

quote:

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Originally posted by MWRuger:
I think they should go back to old system of scoring music for the trailer.

I beleive they did this recently with Harry Potter. John William's used the themes wrote the film and scored the trailer.

Anybod know of any other examples?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lightborne:
By the way, Sean, what are the trailerographies of Joe Dante and Allan Arkush? I didn't know Joe Dante used to be a trailer editor. So which are your favorites that they have done? I absolutely love trailers and looking at the editing style of them, both musically and visually.

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I think, although I'm probably wrong, that they cut trailers for their own films like PIRANHA, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD,etc while working for Roger Corman, and then maybe their films over at Avco Embassy(THE HOWLING,GET CRAZY).
Piranha sticks out, since it combines newly shot footage, uses the original score, and makes you WANT to see the film!

I just think that trailers now follow the same boring formula, and I LOVE trailers. I have several tapes with nothing but trailers on them, and I really do miss the great hyberbolic campaigns from the Golden Age, as well as the creative ads from the 60's and 70's.
A favorite is hard to come by, but these flash cuts, 'record scratching double-takes', and slow motion shots have got to go....and the boring tribal drumming too please
I guess I'm a bit biased since I love horror films and find they typically have the best trailers, at least for me. The last one I saw that had me interested in seeing the film was JEEPERS CREEPERS, but I loved that movie anyway.

So there ya go
Sean

quote:

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Originally posted by Lightborne:
On the HOFFA score, track number 7 is actually titled "Hoffa Trailer". Has any other film score, to anyone's knowledge, ever put their trailer music on the actual score album?

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