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The heart of many a memorable motion picture is the musical score that presages, enhances, and evokes emotions as the story unfolds.<\/p>\nThe heart of many a memorable motion picture is the musical score that presages, enhances, and evokes emotions as the story unfolds.<\/p>\n
In Score<\/em><\/a>, a new documentary set for wide release in May, filmmakers Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader feature leading film music composers\u2014including John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, Quincy Jones, Danny Elfman and Alexandre Desplat\u2014who describe the extraordinary artistry and execution in crafting a memorable score.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether they\u2019re talking about their contemporaries or the greats of yesteryear, the composers express a profound admiration that\u2019s born of an intimate understanding of what makes a work groundbreaking or indelible,\u201d wrote Sheri Linden in the Hollywood Reporter.<\/em><\/p>\n The documentary begins with the silent film era. To drown out the distracting sound of a film projector, theatres hired a pianist or organist to convey the action or emotion. That changed with the debut of King Kong<\/em> in 1933, featuring the RKO Studio Orchestra and a score by Max Steiner.<\/p>\n Orchestral music became a fixture in filmmaking when Bernard Herrmann, a CBS staff conductor, met Orson Welles in the late 1930\u2019s. He wrote and arranged scores for several of Welles\u2019s radio series, including War of the Worlds<\/em>, then followed Welles to Hollywood, where he wrote the score for Citizen Kane<\/em>, which premiered in 1941.<\/p>\n Herrmann also is known for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, for whom he wrote the scores for Psycho, Vertigo<\/em>, and North by Northwest<\/em>. When you recall the frightening shower scene with Janet Leigh in Psycho<\/em>, you likely will \u201creplay\u201d the piercing violin sound Herrmann used to augment the horror.<\/p>\n The tempo changed in the 1960\u2019s when filmmakers turned to rock and roll tracks and other source music for such iconic films as Easy Rider<\/em> and Bonnie and Clyde<\/em>.<\/p>\n The next big shift was the reintroduction of the studio orchestra \u2014most notably by legendary composer John Williams. Williams is credited with reviving the interest in and use of orchestral musicians and large recording studios, such as Abbey Road in London, for his inimitable sound.<\/p>\n Finally, the film shows how today\u2019s composers are turning to unusual instruments\u2014tribal, traditional\u2014and to digital composition and production for their inspiration. One composer said that if the score gives him goose bumps, he knows he\u2019s hit the mark.<\/p>\n The film most recently received a Directors Choice Award for excellence in filmmaking at the Sedona International Film Festival<\/a> (SIFF). In a Q&A at SIFF, Holmes remarked on their difficulties scheduling time with the busy composers, yet overcame a frequent obstacle for independent filmmakers\u2014funding\u2014by conducting a global crowdfunding campaign to help defray post-production costs.<\/p>\n Thanks to Tucson-based Jodi Goalstone for this guest post. She\u2019s author of the entertaining blog <\/em>Going Yard, Offbeat Baseball Musings<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>celebrating her 20th year living in the Old Pueblo.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The heart of many a memorable motion picture is the musical score that presages, enhances, and evokes emotions as the story unfolds. In Score, a new documentary set for wide release in May, filmmakers Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader feature … Continue reading