Author: Alice Rose Asbury

For my research I watched a fair few interviews with arguably 2 of the biggest music composers for film there is. Hans Zimmer and John William have created a vast catalogue of brilliant film music. Learning through interviews there methods to creating something of this scale felt vital as a composer to learn. One trait I learnt in both aspects was there close relationship towards there directors and the film process as a whole. They were constantly kept informed by the director but at the same time left to be creative and trusted to make something that fitted.

John Williams talked in one interview about creating the Indiana Jones theme tune. He talks about how the main theme itself is actually really simple and through spending a lot of time on the small section of notes they become sort of obvious and expected which is a good thing when composing for what may become a classic. I also noticed that they both went to great lengths to get to know the characters to create these themes. One example of particular interest was Zimmer talking about how he created the Joker theme for the newest trilogy of Batman films. He wanted something piercing that would not only scare the audience but intrigue them. He did this through creating about 9000 bars of unsettling sounds as he explains here.

In a different interview Christopher Nolan director of many major films wanted to have Zimmer create something that wasn’t necessarily what the genre of the film was but more on the key characters. He did this through giving Zimmer just a section of a script that described a son’s relationship with his father. This film later ended up being Interstellar, which was a massive sci-fi film. This is a good example of the director taking control and really understanding what he wanted the music to portray rather than the genre of the film itself.

Although these composers and directors are hugely successful I think it is important to research examples of what they have done in the past as they have achieved some truly incredible pieces of music that fit perfectly to the films. Putting this into context with my own work is not that easy; due to the nature of the directors I did not get a lot of guidance – which was good in a way as it tested my own skill. However, through being on set, having various copies of the script and working on post it enabled me to really understand the character of George and what the story was trying to achieve. The music needed to have this ability to make the audience feel sorry for this character (George) without giving to much away – even when the big reveal happens at the end. I also wanted to add a glimmer of hope to the music, I felt I achieved this through the two main chords which appear throughout. These examples are on a different level to what my film is, but the techniques used by Zimmer and Williams can still be used in similar ways.

For a 35 second section of our film (otherwise known as the radio track) there was a piece of music needed that needed to be well known. The original Director suggested ‘Cheek to Cheek’ by Fred Astaire; during post production we put in a temporary track by Vangelis called ‘One More Kiss, Dear’, this was of the same sort of sound and the lyrics had a closer relation to the film. After hearing the temporary track the 2nd Director decided she preferred this track. Because the track itself is copyrighted, we contacted PRS as shown below and created a cover of the original.

“John William’s is a great storyteller, his music is a reflection of the films story.” Giacchino, M (2011).

For this part of my research I decided to look at one of my favourite film composers Michael Giacchino. The quote above was taken from a short behind the scenes film of the film Super 8, which Giacchino composed and directed the music for. Giacchino talks about why he loves John Williams’ work in film music. John William’s ability to connect a piece of music to a film is incredible, through making something so iconic that its constantly connected to the film itself. Quite a lot of Giacchino’s recent and well known compositions have been revitalisations of previous film music – Star Wars and Star Trek. His ability to take something old and create a new fresh version – yet still just as iconic to me is what makes him an incredible composer.

In this interview Giacchino also spoke briefly about his methods to creating music for a big film. He said the most challenging aspect is sitting down with a piano and creating a piece of music that will become a part of the film and represent the entire film. Then continuing on from this he creates themes for relationships within the film that connect characters or highlight them. He also states that the best way to create something great is to believe in the story and love what you are making; without that passion you will struggle to make something great.

The film we are creating is on a different scale to Giacchino’s work however with all his work I feel like the most important aspect to me is the way he connects character through music. This is particularly apparent in the TV series Lost, throughout all 6 seasons the music develops alongside all the characters. This idea of themes are what I have taken from Giacchino’s work, to me this is what blends the music with a film, it not only portrays the story it helps the story itself move along with the film. I also found his description of his method’s useful and have attempted to use them within George as you can read in my music composition process blog.