Hans Zimmer – Film MusicNathan Atkinson

Music 1010

What is Film Music?

Music played in conjunction with a screenplay, film, etc.

Used as background noise, to add another level of emotion to the visuals and dialogue, to add more entertainment value to films, movies and other visual media

Primary purpose is to set the mood or tone of the film.

History of Film Music

Began as silent films with live orchestra, similar to an Opera or Ballet

Sometimes bruiteurs or “noisemen” were used in theaters to create early live sound effects .

Piano played a large role in shorter films – Siegfried Kracauer, author of Theory of Film, remembers childhood movies as having a drunken pianist who paid no attention to what was happening on screen but played random tunes, following no pattern or beat

Aspects of Film Music

David Raksin – “You may not be able to have the correct development or correct proportions in the sequence because you can’t be developing something musically when the picture’s doing something else.”

“Music seems to capture our emotions... The music is in some way transmitting an emotional message which is responded to by the listener in the appropriate way.” (Lack, 284)

Born Sept. 12, 1957 in Germany Began musical career playing keyboard/synth for the

band The Buggles as well as other bands during the 70s and 80s.

Began composing in 1980s, mixing and fusing tradition orchestral music with electronic elements

Hans Zimmer

Composing the Score

Zimmer says he habitually procrastinates and requires a deadline for motivation to finish his pieces.

He was hired 5 weeks before the original Pirates movie was to be finished and wrote the score in one evening.

Use of leitmotif – using the music to describe or introduce ideas and characters, e.g. – Joker – screechy cello line

Inside the Movie

Hans Zimmer tries to place music “inside the film.” Music from the Batman movies reflected characters

and surroundings. It wasn’t “larger than the story line”. Music from Inception “tells the story”. It is inside the

film and is part of the story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=UVkQ0C4qDvM&feature=player_embedded

Movies

Well-known movies scored by Hans Zimmer: Dark Knight Trilogy (worked with Howard Shore on Batman Begins) Man of Steel Sherlock Holmes (2) The Bible Pirates of the Caribbean (all movies) Inception Gladiator The Lion King (parts of the soundtrack) Rain Man The Last Samurai

Awards

Nominated for Oscar: 1989, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2010, 2011

Won Oscar: Lion King – 1995 Best Music, Original Score Nominated for Golden Globe: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004,

2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 Won Golden Globe: 1995 – Lion King Best Original Score;

2001 – Gladiator Won Grammy: 1995 – Lion King; 1996 – Crimson Tide;

2009 – Dark Knight

Interview with NY Times

“…I so couldn’t care less about awards. I know I’m not supposed to say this. But when you work with Chris Nolan, when you work on a movie like ‘Inception,’ it’s for the adventure.”

Works Cited

Morgan, David. Knowing the Score. 1st ed. HarperCollins, 2000. 7. Print. "Hans Zimmer - Awards." . IMDb.com, Inc.. Web. 20 Nov 2013.

<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001877/awards>. Larsen, Peter. Film music. 1st ed. London: Reaktion Books, Limited, 2005. 19, 21. print. Lack, Russell. Twenty Four Frames Under: A Buried History of Film Music. London:

Quartet Books Ltd., 1997. 284. Print. Binkley, Christina. "Hans Zimmer: The Maestro in the 'Batcave'." Wall Street Journal.

(2011). Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703775704576162250644951060>.

Itzkoff, Dave. "Hans Zimmer Extracts the Secrets of the 'Inception' Score." NYTimes.com. NY Times, 28 Jul 2010. Web. 21 Nov 2013. <http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/hans-zimmer-extracts-the-secrets-of-the-inception-score/?ref=music&_r=1 >.