Film/Music

Born to Dance

Jimmy Stewart WB, written by Cole Porter

Swing Tire

RKO, Astaire/ Rogers

Aaron Copeland

started Americana sound in classical music. Invented quintessential American sound (known for rodeo, bill the kid, appalachian kid). Condered the greatest americana composted of the 20th century. Wrote ballets, movies "the red pony" played in a lot of concert halls

Marc Shaiman

Did comedies, comes out of pop music, in 1980s worked on SNL, has gone back to musical theater ○ Movies- City Slickers, American President

Blade Runner

Vangelis again, electronic scores became more widely accepted, they were an economic advantage, pay 1 studio guy instead of full orchestra

Contemporary film composers: Danny Elfman

"Edward Scissor-hands" was his favorite ○ "Good Will Hunting" ○ Self taught, likes doing music that's "very anything."

Excalibur

"Twilight of the Gods"- Wagner "Carmina Burana"- Carl Orff -first instance of this being used in mainstream -once this was used, it was overdone

Holiday Inn

"White Christmas" album has outsold any song or album up to date. By this you could go into the studio to record a musical number and then film to the prerecorded track. WWII something about missing home at Christmas came out to this song, resonated with Army population

Saturday Night Fever

"Staying Alive"- Bees Gees, This movie was built to showcase "Bee's Gee's" songs. Maneger was smart at marketing, used movies to sell their songs

Terence Blanchard

25th hour (2002), close to 20 movies for Spike Lee, used jazz

Philadelphia

Bruce Springstein

Midnight Express

First electronic score to win Academy Award, scored by Giorgio Moroder, synth whiz, producer of Donna Summers, Daft Punk, etc.

Shrek

Modern movies using old covers, "Then I saw Her Face"

Shall We Dance

RKO, Astaire/Rogers, lots of action in one take

A Clockwork Orange (electric score)

Rossini/ Beethoven used on synths, Walter Carlos AKA Wendy Carlos, transgener

Randy Newman

1 hit, "Short People" ○ "Cold Turkey" first score ○ 1st career= songwriting, Film scoring= second career ○ "The Natural," and "The Avalon- nostalgic waltz, magical ○ "Toy Story" was his first pixar film. He says, "If you're doing a cartoon, you really have to play what's on the screen. I love working with musicians who are some of the best caliber. The people at pixar are so kind. Feel appreciated by the pixar people." ○ "Bug's Life"- a lot of music following the action ○ "Monster's Inc" 1st oscar for "If I Didn't Have You"

Becky Sharbow

1980s music supervisor was on screen and then music coordinator. Very quickly the term spreads.

8 Mile

Academy award, eminem, first rap song ever to win an oscar

Easy Rider

Adds to the notion that you don't need a traditional score, no credit yet for the music supervision.

Prexisting songs in moves: The Graduate

All music was simon and garfunkel, Ms. Robinson was the only new song for film

Hollywood Revue of 1929

Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, "singing in the rain" was a song originally writing for this movie but became a theme song for MGM who owned it. Was son a lot and then finally used in signing in the rain the movie- studios owned it and made a profit

The Godfather

Bach Prelude playing during baptism of his son. -could be source of music, juxtaposition w/ crime scene, switching back and forth, music naturally got darker

Moulin Rouge

Baz Lerman movies always all to wall songs, takes "Roxanne" and makes it a tango mash up scene.

Help

Beatles movie, some say this started the music video

Rachel Portman

British tv in 80s, english film industry was more open to woman than in the US, Emma, Cider House Rules, best known female composer in film.

James Newton Howard

Called in early stages before shooting, went to USC, went on road with Elton John and started arranging for him, 1985 stars working with films in synth realm because cheaper, can work in any genre, experience with pop/ rock ○ Burlingame - "He should take John Williams' spot at the top one day because he can do ANYTHING" ○ Movies: Hunger Games, The Fugitive, Signs, Dinosaur

Howard Shore

Canadian, original music director of SNL, started out doing movies with Cronenberg and occasionally for Scorsese ○ Movies: Silence of the Lambs, Lord of the Rings (used 5 diff tolkian inspired languages for choirs+ themes, counter themes, sub themes), Hugo, Philadelphia ○ Lord of the Rings: used different themes for different characters ■ The Ring has its own Boys' Choir theme ■ Personally orchestrated every note in all 3 LOR movies

Top Hat (Dancing Cheek to Cheek)

Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rogers

James Horner

From the valley, one of today's most successful composers, partners with James Cameron ○ Movies: Aliens, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Titanic (convinced Cameron to put Celion Dion song in movie)

Love Me Tonight

Jeannette McDonald lead operatic soprano singer, whole series of movies with MGM, the depressions musicals into fashion, going to movies, great way to escape for a while

Dick Tracy

Madonna won academy award for best song

John Corigliono

New york based, highly rated in NY classical music, picky w projects, altered states (avant grade) "The Red Violin"

John Powell

One of the most respected composers today, big into animated movies, background in orchestral music ○ Movies: Happy Feet, ice Age, Original Shrek, Bourne films

Batman

Prince wrote and album/soundtrack as score of Batman "Party Man"

Chariots of Fire

Seamlessly blends synths and classical sounding strings, cliché theme, men running on the beach, composed by Vangelis (Greek composer), made synthesizer albums more popular in Europe.

The Sting

Set in Chicago 1926, old Scott Joplin ragtime music. african american Composer was a high hit after the movie came out. Rag was in turn on century even though movie took place in 30s. loved the rags though and thought it would be perfect for the high humor of the movie.

Ralph Vaughon Williams

UK, wrote music for propaganda movies during war in 1939, him + walton= most famous english composers in film world. "49th parallel" "Scott of the Antarctic" turned this into his 7th symphony. This movie put his name above even the title of the film.

Alan Silvestri

Usually partners with Zimekis, has one cut on the bodyguard album ○ Former rock drummer, went to Berklee ○ Movies: Forrest Gump (songs set up time period)

William Walton

Wrote for theater, film, radio, concert hall, operas, Hamlet and Richard III

Moog synthesizers in Switched on Bach

become a popular classical film score using electronic sounds. Wendy Carlos won an academy award for this.

Flashdance

composed by Giorgio Moroder, "What A feeling" won best song, overall recognition by the Academy that rock and roll was here to stay.

Apocalypse Now

effective use of pop songs in film, uses lyrics appropriately (set in Vietman), this was the music people were listening to in Vietnam in the 60s (The Doors), perfectly cut with visuals.

42nd Street

happy song during murder scene, attracted audiences

Blaxploitation (term)

only one clip. Blaxploitation - Shaft (1971). Song "shaft" won academy award. Movement to make movies for blacks, featuring blacks, created by blacks. Directed by black, set in harlem, Isaac Hayes, well known soul artist. Set off his career. First black artist to win academy award for best song.

Music Supervisor

relationships with studios, production companies and directors, record labels and artist management. Had a say in who the composer was going to be (creation of scores for movies)

Dangerous Mind

"Gangsta Paradise" used in into 40 years after blackboard jungle. Song went to #1

Warner Bros: saw that short cartoon films were working for Disney, started doing their own version "

"Powerhouse"- Raymond Scott's song that Carl Stalling picked and used. Anytime machinery was used in WB cartoon, this song played! ● "Long Haired Hair"- Carl Stalling ● "Rabbit of Seville"- Carl Stalling

Disney Songs: "Skeleton Dance" "Three Little Pigs" "The Old Mill" Snow White:

-Carl Stalling -Frank Churchill (our teacher says he's genius)○ song became popular overnight, first successful song from a cartoon in American animation, 1933= depression so it acted as an anthem of hope -Leigh Harline, last experimental animation before Snow White ○ No people, just animals and their life around this lake -first feature length film, first original soundtrack recording

Forrest Gump

57 songs, 44 were master recordings (the original hits). 1 scene would have 3 songs in 1 min and 23 seconds. The score was there to provide emotion content, time frame showed through the song, composed by Alan Silvestri

Manhattan

All Gershwin music, used to characterize New York, opening is Rhapsody in Blue

Platoon

Barber, Adagio for Strings, two scenes used it. Considered one of the most profoundly sad pieces of classical music. Was a temp for movie, but the composer they hired could write anything nearly as sad so they kept this one.

Carl Stalling​- Disney's business was all about branding. So, his name was not on any of the songs he wrote for Disney. Songs said written by "Disney."

Carl Stalling went from Disney to Warner Bros. ● Disney cartoons were sweet and family orientated, WB were more satirical ● Stallings acted as a kind of music supervisor, picking songs he felt were fitting ● Warner Bros owned a bunch of people's catalogues of music so they could use existing songs in their cartoons without paying for them

Classical Composers: Leonard Bernstein

Conductor of New york philharmonic, best known musician in 20th century America, wrote west side story, on the waterfront, used tv as educational medium

Amadeus

Deconstructed Mozart's requiem- hear it as if he's coming up w it on the spot.

Philip Glass

Film people either love him or hate him. Started writing for theater. "Koyagnisgatsi" made glass known. "The Hours", he was a minimalist, controversial in the music world

Films with electronic scores: Forbidden Planet

First all electronic score, created by recording sounds from little machines and splicing tapes. Music's union demanded that MGM didn't title it "music' because no musician played on it. Barrons never did another score- wasn't very successful

American Graffiti

George Lucas, wall to wall old rock n roll from the early 60s.

Live and Let Die

Hire rock bands to score a film, James Bond film, Paul and Linda McCartney, used demo in opening title. First bond song nominated for an academy award

Midnight Cowboy

John Barry= credit for music supervision- his job on this movie was to try and find the right rock n roll sounds + contemporary sound like authentic New York, Barry also wrote some underscore; creative supervision for finding songs.

Elvira Madigan

Mozart's piano concerto no. 21, became known as the Elvira Madigan concerto, movie made the concerto popular

Hans Zimmer

Not classically trained, when people found out they didn't respect him as highly ○ Most successful composer working today in Hwood- people love to work with him ○ created a diff business model for the film composer-- head of "Remote Control Productions"= system of studios where he has surrounded himself with other composers, arrangers, etc-- he involves other with his process-- assistants help him so the detail work of altering theme to fit speed, but he writes the basic material, because of tech can tinker with film right up to last minute so need helpers for small details that change every time movie is tinkered ○ comes out of rock and roll, born in Germany, great with tech ○ Movies: Rain Man (brought him to America), Thelma + Louise (combined blues with synths= typical early zimmer score), As Good as It Gets (all orchestral, no synth), Thin Red Line (minimalist / emotional approach), Gladiator (won oscar), Lion King ○ Created company in 1990s called Media Ventures (now called Remote Control) ○ Most of today's major film composers start as apprentice at Hans Zimmer's studio

The Andromeda Strain

scored by Gil Melle, director wanted an electronic soundscape, nothing singable

Beverly Hills Cop

Pointer Sisters, Netron Dance, funky song for a thrilling scene.

2001: A space odyssey

Richard Strauss, Gyorgi Ligeti, Johann Strauss. Needle Drop Score, "The blue Danube," Waltz, Johann. Playing while in the satellites are in space. Marking something so futuristic seem mundane, satellites almost dance.

Viva Las Vegas

Rock and roll becomes a force in film and reaches the public, Elvis stared in movie and already made rock and roll so public.

Blackboard Jungle

Rock around the Clock, director/writer Richard Brooks wanted to make a movie that sounded like what was really going on in high school. Marked the beginning of the rock era and the idea of licensing pre-existing songs (1955)

Classical music as underscore: Brief Encounter (1945)

Started in England, risky at the time because it was about two married people that fall in love with each other. Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, romantic composer, so use of big sweeping and melodic phrases

Michael Giacchino

Very sought after, New Jersey, wrote for his team of video game makers because they had no money- did a video game based on Spielberg movie, JJ Abrams wanted his orchestra for movie b/c heard in video game ○ Movies: The Incredibles, Star Trek, Ratatouille, Up

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids

contemporary pop song writing still happening while rock n roll was infiltrating film

Shaft (1971)

title song written and performed by Isaac Heyes. moved away from symphonic score. changed the film industry, song had huge impact during opening title "Blaxploitation"- slang made specifically to appeal to African American audiences, attract a certain audience w sex, drama, violence, hip score. Hollywood jumped on the band wagon and made many blaxploitation films

Thomas Newman

trademark was a rich sound! "Shawshank Redemption: ○ "American Beauty" ○ "Road To Perdition"- wanted to rise to the occasion of the great film, says music can ruin a film. He wanted to support the film as tastefully as he could. ○ "Finding Nemo"

Alexandre Desplat

○ Based in Paris, will hit a mood and sustain for 3 or 4 minutes (diff btwn european and american composition- Am just hits things over and over again) ○ Movies: The Kings Speech, Argo, Girl with a Pearl Earring (gained popularity), The Queen