A Theory Of Film Music.

[lowdown]

Nice little fifteen minute video regarding 'Temp tracks'.

http://youtu.be/UcXsH88XlKM

[Mornats]

I watched that a few days ago. It's a really good insight into temp tracks. There's a follow-up one too which is also interesting although I can't remember where it was linked from.

[christofloffer]

that was pretty interesting. i have been trying to record little soundtrack style tunes recently. i got tired of longer tunes as they all sound really similar without any lyrics, i still mess about with them but i can do a 2-3 minute soundtrack idea in an afternoon and move on to another idea. i really enjoy putting a tune to a particular emotion or picture/scene. i am not that good at it yet but its much more my cup of tea than a complete tune thats always left wanting for lyrics.
i do like the old symphonic soundtracks but they are far beyond my scope of use as i just get baffled by the scale. nonetheless they are effective and i dont think it matters if they are truly original or not as they are there to serve the picture, not necessarily as a standalone piece. i prefer the more modern methods. it does lose a sense of grandeur at times but it can be beautiful and subtle. my favourite modern soundtrack would be the nick cave/warren ellis one for the assassination of jesse james, i could listen to that all day.
the only bits of modern soundtracks that i honestly loath are those godawful tortured strings like the ones in insidious which just sting my ears, and that obnoxious bassy swell like the one in interstellar/dark knight/inception etc etc that has made me fear the opening scenes of many modern films. they would be fine in moderation but they are just exaggerated and irritating.

[Mornats]

[quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1474363588' post='3137353']
the only bits of modern soundtracks that i honestly loath are those godawful tortured strings like the ones in insidious which just sting my ears, and that obnoxious bassy swell like the one in interstellar/dark knight/inception etc etc that has made me fear the opening scenes of many modern films. they would be fine in moderation but they are just exaggerated and irritating.
[/quote]

You'll hate my entry for this month's composition challenge

[christofloffer]

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1474388957' post='3137610']
You'll hate my entry for this month's composition challenge
[/quote]

i dont dispute that those sounds have places and uses. its just that the film music industry seem to have gone "ooooh! a new toy!" and shoehorned them into as much as possible and made them as loud as possible to show them off. i tried watching interstellar with headphones and nearly blew my eardrums out despite being unable to hear the dialogue.
to my mind a good soundtrack should be almost entirely forgettable until after the event. at the time it should be subtle and make you really engage with the film. film scores that become iconic are usually done so by association with an iconic film/scene. it should be a whole package.

as it happens i dont dislike your tune this month. the first section reminds of the playstation game "alien trilogy" soundtrack, which was one of my favourite games as a kid. there are certainly sections of the second half that are a bit more that way but its much more balanced and rhythmic. the strings may be chaotic but they follow a pulse and rhythm, whereas the insidious strings dont and are just noise. i could easily imagine it being quite effective in a horror flick.

Edited September 20, 2016 by christofloffer

[DorsetBlue]

Thanks for sharing that, I passed it on to my daughter - she is basing her GCSE Music composition project on Movie Themes.

[Mornats]

[quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1474393166' post='3137667']
i dont dispute that those sounds have places and uses. its just that the film music industry seem to have gone "ooooh! a new toy!" and shoehorned them into as much as possible and made them as loud as possible to show them off. i tried watching interstellar with headphones and nearly blew my eardrums out despite being unable to hear the dialogue.
to my mind a good soundtrack should be almost entirely forgettable until after the event. at the time it should be subtle and make you really engage with the film. film scores that become iconic are usually done so by association with an iconic film/scene. it should be a whole package.

as it happens i dont dislike your tune this month. the first section reminds of the playstation game "alien trilogy" soundtrack, which was one of my favourite games as a kid. there are certainly sections of the second half that are a bit more that way but its much more balanced and rhythmic. the strings may be chaotic but they follow a pulse and rhythm, whereas the insidious strings dont and are just noise. i could easily imagine it being quite effective in a horror flick.
[/quote]

I did post my comment with some jest I agree with you though, you can't just have huge boomy scores or screeching strings without them meaning something or relating to something. Check out the classic bike chase scene from E.T. below. This track has stuck with me since the 80s as it aurally describes the action on screen perfectly. I love how the rise and falls of the strings are synced with jumps on the bikes.

[url="https://youtu.be/Ct6O2nSOMlI?t=63"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6O2nSOMlI&t=63[/url]

Thanks for the comparison to the Alien games. I found those to be some of the scariest games around. I remember spending most of my time running backwards firing randomly into dark corners and whimpering like a little girl.

I do use one of the £2 Spitfire sample libraries called Scary Strings in one part that sounds just like the Insidious strings you mentioned but I hope the use is just subtle enough.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Mornats

[lowdown]

Some session footage and interview with John Williams on the writing of ET. (Bike scene).
Just about one of the most iconic cues ever written., with Orchestral film music at it''s best.
John Williams is an absolute genius.

http://youtu.be/Nx7NiJHIlGs