Forrest Gump

Japanese reissue of 1994 soundtrack adds two bonus tracks. Sony. 2005.

Price: $15.99

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Arrow of broken by Hans Zimmer

Arrow of broken by Hans Zimmer
28 Feb-2011 - La - Land Records released the remastered and expanded 2 CD-set score of Hans Zimmer's composer renowned Twentieth Century Fox 1996 struck a actioner broken arrow. Score of electronic-tinged of Morricone of the Zimmer not only propels mayhem of action of the film, but it also effectively themes of trademark of buoys Director Woo of honour, friendship and betrayal, creating essentially an emotional subtext highly loaded for conte fast-paced film away from nuclear weapons. Famous guitarist Duane Eddy performs guitar licks on what would become one of the iconic themes of the partition. Produced by Nick Redman, restored by Mike Matessino and mastered by Daniel Hersch, this special release of Broken Arrow features more than 30 minutes of original music. In addition, three sequels to the original version of the soundtrack of the film are presented as bonus and the exclusive features of the CD booklet, booklet in-depth film music writer Al Kaplan. It's an Edition limited to 3000 copies.

PODCAST: January 18, 2007: the best of 2006

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Georges Delerue's World Premiere..!

First world of Georges Delerue.. !
30 Mar-2011 - in the 1990s, Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge has contributed to the music box: film on listening, a French magazine devoted to bands sound film and intended for lovers of film music. At the top of record criticism, they interviewed film composers and directors, such as Philippe Sarde, Lalo Schifrin, Vladimir Cosma, Gabriel Yared, Claude Sautet, Luc Besson, Alexandre Arcady, and so forth.
More wise to this experience, they accelerated rhythm, creating a French label devoted exclusively to soundtracks: MUSIC BOX RECORDS. Its objective is to promote film music, producing original soundtracks in the full versions. Each CD will be produced in limited edition, in a spirit of collection.
The label is proud to announce for the first time available on CD, the first World 2 scores of Georges Delerue complete: The Incorrigible (The Incorrigible), directed by Philippe de Broca (1975) set more than one hour of music.
The partitions written for films of Philippe de Broca, whose qualities were long unknown to lovers of cinema and even fans of the music of Georges Delerue, always oscillate between irony and tenderness.
The score of the Incorrigible is lightweight, always ironic, never redundant with the image. Music for small Orchestra takes sometimes tones of a police officer, sometimes Andalusian, sometimes picturesque film.
The music of Va see MOM, Dad working contains a romantic feature "modal color" of the work of Georges Delerue during the same period. This score is enriched with several pieces of "pop-rock", which refers to what Georges Garvarentz, Michel Magne, Michel Colombier
or Francois de Roubaix would produce in the same period.The CD contains 63 minutes of music, featuring 15 minutes of original music.
New sequencing and control its new.
An 8 page booklet CD with booklet in English by Frederic Gimello-Mesplomb.

NEWS: An interview with Alan Menken on the beauty and the beast: Diamond Edition Blu - ray

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An interview with Alan Menken about BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIAMOND EDITION by Elaine Lipworth

Disney’s most requested film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST combines a poignant, timeless story with extraordinary music and the marvels of Disney animation at its best.?? With state of the art picture restoration, pristine 7.1 Digital Surround Sound and fascinating additional viewing, including behind the scenes features, deleted scenes and immersive games, this is the second installment in Disney’s new ‘Diamond Collection’. [The ‘Combo pack’ is a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD in a single package.]

The film has become a modern classic, indelibly embedded in cinematic history ? but equally relevant and entertaining now is as it was when first came out in 1991.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was the first of only two animated films ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. (The second was UP in 2009).

?The story is well known. Set in the picturesque French countryside during the late 18th century, it centers on Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life ?and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books.

Meanwhile, in a distant castle, a young prince has been transformed into a tormented beast under the spell of an enchantress. His servants are now ??animated household objects.? In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s inventor father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle and is taken prisoner, the beautiful girl comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father’s place. But with the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.

The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and the enormously talented voice cast includes Paige O’Hara as the voice of Belle, Robby Benson as the Beast and Richard White as Gaston. Angela Lansbury gives a memorable performance as Mrs. Potts, while David Ogden-Stiers is Cogsworth, ?the head of the household.?

Composer Alan Menken won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song together with the late Howard Ashman?? for? BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.? They received Oscar nominations for?? the songs BE MY GUEST? and BELLE.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was the first Disney animated film to inspire a Broadway stage musical.

Alan Menken ??has composed huge hits such as THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN, HERCULES, POCAHONTAS?? and ENCHANTED and?? has won more Oscars than any other living person. He sat down for the following? interview.

Q: You have been involved with so many wonderful Disney films, what does BEAUTY AND THE BEAST mean to you?
A: “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has been a perennial favorite of people who love Disney animation. They?? have a continued appetite to know more about it and to see it enhanced. That is incredibly gratifying. I love the film too. I just watched it? again and it is gorgeous. It is possible that it is even more beautiful than it was when it debuted. It is very gratifying to have this ‘Diamond Edition’.”

Q: Can you explain?? what it was that you did musically? with BEAUTY? AND THE BEAST?
A: ”All? Howard and I did? was to tell the story, which is very romantic. The setting is?? timeless and I just went to my gut, which is what I always do. With? this one, Howard was in his last days, although at the beginning I didn’t know that, but by the end of working on it, I knew that this was? a great artist’s last creation. I am sure that emotion informed what we did. We worked with a palette of French and classical and Broadway music and it was a culmination of a certain kind of? emotion for us. Also all these projects we do ? whether it is THE LITTLE MERMAID OR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST or ALADDIN ?? are? homages. This? one is an homage to the most romantic? parts of the Disney canon. Maybe I was channeling something special I don’t know, but it was clearly romantic and timeless and I credit Howard with a lot of what we came up with.”

Q: The music has everything: from poignancy, to humor and ultimately joy, how did you convey that spectrum of emotions?
A: “That is what we always aim to do.? As an ideal, the Disney musical?? is? always a combination of things that are joyful and things that are wistful and scary too and BEAUTY has all those elements. I can only be as good as the stories I am telling and? the characters that I am bringing to life. And with this film we were bringing some powerful things to life.”

Q: Can you specifically talk about the memorable musical high points of the film?
A: “Let’s take it chronologically. I had to come up with my version of? THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS?? by Camille Saint Camille Saint-Sa?ns ?(French composer)? at?? the top of the movie, which is a very impressive and very timeless? piece of music. We were weaving a spell and that’s the prologue music.? When we got to?? BELLE, I was really going for operetta, something?? to portray this innocent character in a world that is so protected and safe. And then transitioning? to the town where she is seen as odd, out of place, we have BONJOUR ,? when she is walking to the town and? everything is so busy and bustling? and?? she is oblivious to the fact that she is different from everyone else. The? song is telling the story of Belle going to the town and everyone’s reaction to her and getting to see Gaston and knowing he is infatuated with her? - but more infatuated with himself.”

Q: The song GASTON is funny and highly evocative isn’t it?
A: “GASTON is really tongue in cheek, it is a drinking song sung by basically a group of Neanderthal level guys in praise of a complete lug-head. So it’s hilarious and when we were writing that song I could not contain my laughter. It was very funny material.? Then we have BE OUR GUEST. I remember? I? said to Howard? ‘I’m? going to give you a song which will just be the dummy,? I said?? ‘this is it without me even thinking about it,?? then I’ll write something really good.’ So I sang the tune to him ‘ya da dum da da? dum ?ba ba ba ba ba ba ?’? and I said ‘now I will write the real music’.? Of course after struggling I couldn’t improve on that dumb piece of music that I wrote initially, because it was just right and it got out of the way to let Howard’s lyrics shine.”

Q: You won the Oscar for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST of course.
A: “I don’t think I had ever spent more time writing a song than with that particular one. It was the height of simplicity and we knew we would have to write a song that could have a life outside the movie.? So there was an extra dimension to the work we were doing and that really took a lot of time.?? SOMETHING THERE was a very quick replacement for a much more ambitious song called HUMAN AGAIN, a nine minute song that was in the end too ambitious for the film. A modified version of that song of course made it into the movie when it was re released and also into the Broadway show. Finally THE MOB SONG was almost like a macho adventure underscore?? and again something that was in its own way groundbreaking.”

Q: Can you discuss the wonderful comic elements, provided by Mrs. Potts (voiced by Angela Lansbury)?
A: Mrs. Potts is actually modeled on Mrs. Bridges from UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS, the character from the BBC series. She was the maid but ran the whole household. Howard was really channeling that?? when we wrote BE OUR GUEST. She is the most joyful, motherly presence with little Chip. They are so sweet and remind me of PETER PAN a little bit, which was always Howard’s favorite. He grew up loving PETER PAN.”?????

Q: What will we see that is special in this Diamond Edition?
A: “You will see HUMAN AGAIN, you will see storyboard versions of the songs we wrote, which means you will see some of the original visuals that we? were? writing to. You will see a history of Howard Ashman with pictures of him from his childhood, close to when he passed away and? you will get a real appreciation of? what he accomplished. You are going to see the connection between BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Broadway and the animated musical. You see how? often performers came from Broadway to animation and how much the animated musicals are now going to back to Broadway and bringing employment and opportunities to Broadway actors, producers and designers. You are also going to see some?? history of how BEAUTY AND THE BEAST came about.”

Q: Obviously it led to one of your eight Oscars ? you have more than other living person. What does that feel like?
A: “I feel very fortunate to be honest. I feel so privileged to have been involved with Disney and these musicals, because they are great matches? for my talents. That is why we have had the success we have had, because of the chemistry between what I do and what Disney does.”

Q: What are the themes of this classic story and the film specifically?
A:? “In essence BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is romantic in the deepest sense. It’s about? this girl who is bookish and lives through? the fantasies she has found in these books and she’s smart. She wants to be a good girl. In today’s world? she would be a very good student. But she is put into a situation where she meets a beast who? is primitive and he is enhanced by her intelligence. And she is enhanced by his tragic nature. It is about her compassion for him and that is what brings him to life again as a human being. All? that is very deep. If you look at the magical nature of the castle and the world of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, it really takes all of us into our ‘child selves’ . You can’t be in the movie and stay in modern day reality. You have to let go and become a child again which is what all the best of the Disney animated projects do.”

Q: I assume?? your own inner?? child is very much alive?
A: ”It is all about my inner child, entirely about my inner child. There is not a whole lot of calculation going on. But?? when I go back and watch SNOW? WHITE, CINDERELLA, PINOCCHIO, if you really stop and watch them, your child-self takes over. I write and exist from my gut and not from my brain. My brain gets me up in the morning and tells me where to go (laughs) but my gut tells me ‘this is the music we need here. This is the emotion we’re feeling now’; and I make?? more decisions from my gut than I do from my head.”

Q: I know you have been very much inspired by the great Disney classic? FANTASIA, does that movie continue to be an inspiration? Is it still close to your heart?
A: “Oh my goodness yes. To this day my favorite Beethoven Symphony is the 6th Symphony: The Pastoral. Well why is that? It is because of FANTASIA. In a way that film was my doorway into classical music, but I think I would have discovered it anyway.”

Q: Many of your films? have also? gone onto???? become enduring classics, like the early Disney films you mention. Were you born with this formidable talent? I know most of your family? were dentists not musicians.
A: “Well yes that is true. All the men in my family were dentists (laughs). My father, his father and brother, my mother’s sister’s husband?? and my father’s sister’s husband? - all dentists. But from my earliest time I was very responsive to? music and to how music reflected stories and drama. It is part of who I am. It is sort of an accident that I ended up being involved with Disney, because it never could have happened.”

Q: How did it happen?
A: “Back in about 1987 at the time that THE LITTLE MERMAID was being made,?? Howard Ashman was? actually writing a show with Marvin Hamlisch. I guess he could’ve gone to Marvin Hamlisch and said ‘do you want to work on this Disney animated movie?’ So I look at it as fate.? How else can you look at your own life? I feel very gratified and fortunate that I got to do those films and I would love to do more. TANGLED is coming out and that is wonderful.? And if I never do another one I will be very, very satisfied with my life, I’ve done eight animated musicals plus ENCHANTED and? NEWSIES. That is a huge amount of output so I feel very lucky.”

Q: Finally? can you sum up what is in store for lovers of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, with this new DVD?
A: “If you love BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and you love Disney animation, this Blu Ray/DVD set opens up a whole different dimension. You will see the directors and I and the producer talk about each moment in the movie? in detail, But it also has the story behind the scenes? and the sketches behind the scenes. It is really riveting and moving to me as someone who was involved, and I think it will be even more riveting for people who were not involved, to be drawn in by seeing it in this medium. It is beautiful. If you make room for this experience?? in your life ? no matter what your age ? it is really quite special. We all have very busy lives, it is often hard to stop for a second and put a movie like this on, but if we do:? it is a Godsend.”

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Diamond Edition Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is Available October 5th!

And the winner is...

And the winner is...
27 Feb-2011 - recently announced in Los Angeles! The Oscar for best achievement in music written for Motion Pictures, original music goes to the Social Network, the Chronicle of the foundation of Facebook, the social networking Web site . The music was written by Trent reznor and atticus ross. A fall evening in 2003, cycle of Harvard and engineering Mark Zuckerberg sits at his computer and with hard computer programming begins to work on a new idea. In a fury of blogs and programming, which begins in his room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. Only six years and friends of 500 million dollars later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but this contractor, success leads to personal and legal complications.

PODCAST: April 16, 2007: Mea Culpa!

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ARTICLE: Fimucité 3 in Tenerife (Spain).

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Last month, the third edition of the Fimucite film music festival took place in the Canary Islands, on the island of Tenerife in Spain. The brainchild of Spanish composer (and Tenerife native) Diego Navarro, Fimucite was created with the idea to not only celebrate music, but showcase the talented musicians who live on the island of Tenerife. When scoring the 2002 film Puerta del Tiempo, Navarro felt that he could assemble a live orchestra to record the score locally - not only in Spain, but more specifically in Tenerife. Pleased with the result, he put together the "Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir", and in the summer of 2007, the first Fimucite conference was held, with guest composers Don Davis, Sean Callery and Mychael Danna. In 2008, the festival brought over composers Christopher Young, Joel McNeely, John Frizzell, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil, as well as other film music industry guests, including a rather full panel of film music agents. The theme that year was Alex North's 2001, and included an impressive live performance of the unused score, with the help of Varese Sarabande's Robert Townson.

The main difference between Fimucite and other film music festivals is that the conference is entirely free. Sponsored by the local government as well as numerous other organizations in Tenerife, the only thing that people need to pay for are the concert tickets. This year, 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark sci-fi film Alien. It also happens to mark what would have been Jerry Goldsmith's 80th birthday, and in the spirit of both of those anniversaries, the Fimucite 3 festival decided to have their final concert celebrate the Alien films franchise as well as hold a tribute to Jerry Goldsmith. In addition to that, composers Clint Mansell, Mark Snow, John Ottman and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek would also have their music performed at other concerts throughout the festival. The Alien scores would be conducted by Diego Navarro, and the tribute to Jerry Goldsmith would be conducted by last year's attendee, Joel McNeely. At the last minute, however, McNeely fell ill and was unable to attend the festival. Mark Snow stepped up and would take over the conducting duties for that portion of the festival.

Mark Snow, Diego Navarro and Robert Townson discussing the Goldsmith concert

In addition to the concerts, panels were held at the TEA (Tenerife Espacio de las Artes). ASCAP's Nancy Knutsen spoke about performing rights organizations (Tuesday, July 21), Robert Townson and Diego Navarro spoke about the work that Varese Sarabande is doing on a DVD release of the Fimucite 2 concert (Wednesday, July 22), and each of the composers had a panel to discuss their works (Thursday, July 23). The panels went a little slower than one would have hoped for, since translating from Spanish to English (and vice versa) took time, but overall they were well received. Townson also held a panel about Jerry Goldsmith (Friday, July 24).

Diego Navarro, Manuel Diaz Noda and Robert Townson

The last panel that afternoon was a roundtable discussion featuring First Artists agent Robert Messinger, publicist Ray Costa, composers John Ottman, Mark Snow and.... David Arnold.? Arnold - who was not officially on the program - was visiting the conference to support his good friend Clint Mansell, but since Clint had left back to London and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek was unable to attend the roundtable since he was busy writing his current film score from his hotel room, Arnold was convinced to join in the discussion. It was a lively debate that focused around album releases, digital downloads, and more.

First Artists agent Robert Messinger, publicist Ray Costa, and composers John Ottman, David Arnold and Mark Snow

But the highlight of the festival was the concert series. The evening of Wednesday, July 22nd saw a performance of Clint Mansell and the Sonus Quartet performing a selection of works from his scores - primarily focused on the works of Darren Aronofsky. Held at the Teatro Leal in the historic town of San Crist?bal de La Laguna, the concert featured music from The Fountain, Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and Mansell's latest score, Moon. The show was more-or-less the same as the one that Mansell had recently performed in London earlier in the week, and was full of high energy.

Clint Mansell and The Sonus Quartet perform Requiem for a Dream

Friday, July 24th was the concert featuring the works of the guest composers. Beginning with Mark Snow conducting his works from "Millenium", "The X-Files" and Crazy in Alabama, the Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir did a marvelous job. As a fan of Snow's scores for "The X-Files", I have to say that it was a real treat to hear his traditionally synth music performed with a live orchestra and choir.

Mark Snow conducts "Surgery" from The X-Files: I Want to Believe

John Ottman's program included music from Valkyrie, Superman Returns, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and - in what is likely the fastest turnaround time from scoring for the film to live audience performance - two selections from Astro Boy. Ottman, who was a little concerned about the performances during the orchestra rehearsal, had his fears alleviated when the orchestra - under the baton of Diego Navarro - nailed difficult passages. It makes sense that the orchestra would only give 70% during rehearsals - but they gave 110% at the performance!

The second half of the concert featured music from Oscar-winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Finding Neverland, Quo Vadis, Unfaithful, Passchendaele and an extended selection of cues from the mini-series War and Peace. It was a lengthy portion of the concert, but was quiet enjoyable and well performed, again conducted by Navarro.

Diego Navarro conducts music from Finding Neverland

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Mark Snow, John Ottman and Diego Navarro take their bows

Saturday evening's concert was the highlight of the festival. Dubbed "The Biomechanical Symphony", music from Jerry Goldsmith's Alien, James Horner's Aliens, Elliot Goldenthal's Alien 3 and John Frizzell's Alien Resurrection were performed by the Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir, under the direction of Diego Navarro. It was a real treat to hear the Goldsmith material performed live, and the orchestra did an amazing job performing the tough material. A short overture from Brian Tyler's score to Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was also performed, and Tyler announced (via video) his intention to attend next year's Fimucite 4!

Diego Navarro conducts "Bishop's Countdown" from James Horner's Aliens

Diego Navarro conducts soprano Karolina Gorgol Zaborniak in "Lento" from Elliot Goldenthal's Alien 3

Brian Tyler announces his intention to attend next year's festival

The second half of the concert was the tribute to Jerry Goldsmith. Marking what would have been his 80th birthday, as well as the 5-year anniversary of his untimely passing - the concert was put together by Navarro with Robert Townson. Townson, a long-time friend of Goldsmith, decided to put together a program that not only showcased his diverse talents, but also focused on pieces that are rarely heard in concert (if at all)!

Mark Snow conducts the Goldsmith concert program

Conducted by Mark Snow, the second half of the concert began with the "End Titles" from Star Trek: First Contact, and then went to the "Main Titles" from Capricorn One, and choir master Cristina Farrais was employed for the "Main Title" from The Illustrated Man. The toughest pieces Snow had been practicing all week were "The Clothes Snatchers" and "The Hunt" from Planet of the Apes, and while it was a little rough in some areas, it was for the most part an excellent performance.

Mark Snow conducts "The Clothes Snatchers" from Planet of the Apes

Zaborniak returned to join the choir for "The Mission" from The Sum of All Fears, and the "End Titles" from The Swarm were heard for the first time in concert. Two traditional concert arrangements that Goldsmith had performed in the past were also played: "Carol Anne's Theme" from Poltergeist, and a suite from Gremlins. It was unfortunate that - with a full choir sitting there - no vocals were used during the Poltergeist piece, but it was still a very good performance. I still miss the synths in Gremlins, but that is a complaint that goes back to Goldsmith's original concert arrangements.

At this point in the concert, new awards were given out for people who had helped immeasurably to make the festival a success. McNeely received one in absentia, as well as Robert Townson, and Goldsmith's widow, Carol Goldsmith.

Carol Goldsmith receives an award from Diego Navarro

For the final piece of the concert, Diego Navarro came out to conduct a suite of music from Goldsmith's masterpiece, The Omen. It was powerful and epic, and an excellent way to conclude the concert. But it wasn't over! Two more encores were performed. First up was a concert arrangement of the main title to Total Recall, and the very last thing played was the penultimate way to conclude the evening: music from The Final Conflict. One of my favorite scores, The Final Conflict is full of powerful, epic and emotional music, and hearing it performed live with a full orchestra and choir was certainly one of the highlights of the year.

Diego Navarro conducts Goldsmith's masterpiece, The Omen

Next year's Fimucite is already being planned. Navarro and his team have a lot of work ahead of them - they will be celebrating the collaboration of Steven Spielberg and John Williams, in honor of the 35th anniversary of Jaws. With another Fimucite under their belt, the Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir is quickly establishing itself as a significant presence for world class film music concert performances.

Special thanks to Ray Costa, Diego Navarro, Pedro J. Merida, Ana Molowny and everyone else at Fimucite.

Tangled

Walt Disney Pictures presents TANGLED, one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the Kingdom's most wanted - and most charming - bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair.
TANGLED is a store of adventure, heart, humor and hair - lots of hair. The soundtrack matches the humor and adventure of the movie with original songs and score from legendary and 8 time Academy AwardR winning composer Alan Menken and TonyR and GrammyR nominee Glenn Slater. The quality abounds in the music with Mandy Moore singing on several of the new songs and the release of Grace Potter's new song 'Something That I Want'.

Price: $13.98

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Mark Snow was the X-Files

Mark Snow was the X-Files
9 May-2011 - La - Land Records has released The X-Files: a flight, an Edition limited 4-box CD, tracing the best musical moments of classic sci-fi television series Chris Carter. Mark snow created nine exciting and fascinating score for this legendary show seasons, elegantly and skillfully weaving a complex musical frame of paranormal mystery, suspense, terror, hope and love that has become as vital to the sustainable success of the series. Music of 40 episodes spanning nine seasons of the series are presented on four discs and complemented by a 40-page booklet, all this housed in an attractive reinforced cardboard box. This edition limited to 3000 units is more than 5 hours of incredible score.? A release of the must-see for fans of soundtrack and a beloved significant memory for all fans of this series.

PODCAST: November 9, 2006: Farewell to the King - Basil Poledouris, RIP

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Film CRITIC: Bambi (Diamond Edition Blu - ray)

Based on the beginning of the 20th century Austrian novel Bambi: a life in the Woods by Felix Salten, fifth feature-length film of Walt Disney Bambi animated film was in fact intended to be the second animation studio. ? feature this environmental history tells the story of the coming of age of a young fawnBambias he grew up in the forest. ? He makes friends with various creatures living there, including his friends Thumper the rabbit and flowering Skunk and a young doe named Tel. His absent father, the great King of the forest rarely appears, so he taught the way of life in the Woods mainly by his mother. ? but there is a danger lurking below, as man casual treads on their domain and soon Bambi must cope with living on his own. ?He transforms into a mature deer and his friends discover love, Bambi is seeking "twitterpated" - but eventually falling love with Tel, an act which itself brings new challenges.

Bambi is regarded as a classic tale of life, with more honesty more animated films have dared to tread. ? emotional and inspiring, Bambi is also a tour of beautifully painted backdrops and superbly moving music. Animated with a sense of realism, years to study the movements of the animals is immensely pay, and while the animals talk, the film is still used today still as point of reference to animate creatures. ? While he was not considered a financial on the original success (1942 - in the second world war)It was reissued in 1947, and several times during the next 50 years. ? released in DVD in 1997, Bambi now comes high definition in a Pack Blu - ray and DVD Combo stellar Diamond Edition, and even if owned you the old DVDIt's the inevitable release.

As with the other Disney animated features, the good people of Walt Disney Home Entertainment have spared no expense in making this really worthy of the name. ? Edition Diamond Edition version he did y no grain at all on this new transfer restored, and while the animation style is decidedly vintage at the time that it has been drawn, you would be hard-pressed to know that; the film is nearly 70 years, and yet it looks as if it was today. ? colors are lush and deep (forest green contain as many shades and nuances that it is just a feast for the eyes!)., and Blacks are darkwithout losing details in the shadows. ? it is, once again, a Visual presentation which was thrown out of the Park.

Audio is presented in a format English audio 7.1 DTS - HD HR, which is not without loss, but you really need to strain to notice a difference. 2 MB/s audio is very good. Sound effects are not really important in the vicinity and what benefits the more audio remix is incredibly mobile and lush musical score by Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb, who have also a few songs with a choir. additional audio tracks ? understand English Original Soundtrack restored (in Dolby Digital mono) as well as the French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Tracks. (Even the choral songs are in foreign languages, which are an additional benefit!)

This version of Diamond Edition includes all the features previously published DVDs, and a staggering amount of new material - including some supplements. ? rather innovative and somewhat revolutionary first, you can watch the film with an optional introduction for the film by Diane Disney Miller, and with DisneyView, which puts the new illustrations by Lisa Keene on the sides for those who want to experience in a window box. The extra first new major is the "Bambi: Inside Story Walt meetings - Enhanced Edition"(HD,_70_minutes) feature. ? This allows you watch the movie with picture-in-picture interactive experience that is similar to the "via the Keyhole" extra on the recent AlIce in Wonderland Blu - ray. ? all sorts of aspects of the production ".development history, animation, music, etc., are all explored here, but by an amazing recreation of transcripts of meeting real history with Walt Disney and his team ? go a little further, in many cases through the experience, you are able to branch to additional supplementary materialincluding a few short films of classic animation, all in HD. This is a phenomenal extra. ? is then up to the truly amazing "screen second Disney." ? with technology Spot411, you can dig deeper in the archives of Bambi as the movie plays, synchronized on your computer or the iPad. ? is really overwhelming, and I can only imagine what this will lead in the future. ?two "deleted scenes" (HD, 5 ?minutes) are included, and a sound recording of a song of lost demo, "Twitterpated" (HD, 2 minutes) is also included. ? "Bambi interactive galleries" provides a stunning wealth of artwork under the microscope. For children, there is an interactive game: "Disney's great book of knowledge", which is a book-like exploration of the forest of Bambi, where meet you friends and try to collect stickers through a series of mini-games.

As mentioned, all the previously released "classic DVD bonus" are included as well. ? two more "deleted scenes" (SD, 3 minutes) are included. ? in the documentary "the manufacture of Bambi: A Prince is born" (SD, 52 minutes), we get a look nice on the way in which everything is gathered. ?Much of it duplicates stories told in the meetings of the history feature, but it presented in a more traditional format here, and looks at the different areas of production, of history, the development of the character actors, Art Design, music, and the historic legacy of the film ? "Tricks of the trade" (SD, 7 minutes) is an old piece of archiving where Walt Disney explained how the Multiplan camera works, as well as its approach to the animation for the film. ? This leads nicely turned classic of animation "The old mill" (SD9 minutes), a film citizen 1937 who took advantage high camera Multiplan, and animation. environmental ? "Inside the Disney Archives" (SD, 8.5 minutes) is a look at the Animation Research Library to finally to the Studios. Disney Walt ? in this section, we have the original theatrical trailer, 1942 (SD, 2 minutes).

Playful, beautiful, emotional, touching, source of inspiration - are all adjectives that describe the film. ? This is no secret (in fact, Don Hahn discusses it in the "Making of Bambi" doc) that the film directly inspired the Lion King, and I can only wait with bated breath to see how Disney manages this film when it comes out on Blu - ray later this year. If it's something like what they have done here, it will be really surprising. Sporting a transfer beautiful, beautiful music, a touching history and a wealth of supplements new and classic, Bambi is one of those classic Disney features Animation that deserves a place in each video library. ?

Film CRITIC: Exorcist: extended cut (DVD), Director the

Released in 1973, the Exorcist is still considered one of the most frightening films ever made. ? directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty, based on his novel of the same name, there were two versions of the movie - the original version of 1973, and then in 2000, after a limited theatrical run, a version titled The Exorcist: the Version you've never seen is exit, which Friedkin reinstated cut and added scenes subliminal visual and sound effects to improve the voltage. ?, the film follows two scenarios that ultimately converge. ? Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) begins to cope with a crisis of faith while dealing with his mother ? Terminal at the same time, 12 year Regan (Linda Blair), the daughter of actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) begins to exhibit unusual behaviorsuch as seizures, increased resistance and extreme rudeness. Do not display medical tests that anything out of the ordinary and even Psychiatry does not display anything wrong. As the incidents turn more paranormal, and Chris is at the end of his mind, she turned to Karras for help. Believe that there is something unholy with the girl, Karras asks the permission of the Church to perform an exorcism. Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) - character - then arrives, intent to hunt the demon possessing the girl.

In an era of films which are intended to scare through moments "boo!", the Exorcist may seem rather slow and tame the current criteria. However, use of Friedkin slow tension, with some disturbing images, enables the public standing in the shoes of Chris as it attempts to deal with the abnormal behavior of his daughter ? in fact, it is not until well after the point at halfway of the film which begins to something really surnaturelet it is then that we are properly attached to the characters and can really enter the scenario emotional and spiritual.

Simultaneous with a new Blu - ray release of the film (which includes both versions), a DVD version only of the Exorcist: Cut the Extended Director "(essentially the Version you've never seen)") was published, with most of the same extras as the original DVD of 2000 release, but with a new transfer of the source remastered for Blu - ray.

The image quality is solid, with a few grains and no significant improvement edge or DNR or other objects that are usually used to tighten up a DVD transfer. The contrast is deep, with a large number of dark scenes filled with blackness. ? inky Audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (with French Dolby 5.1 Surround and stereo Spanish) and while it doesn't feel quite as immersive as it might be, sound effects and music certainly take advantage of the surrounds. ?, but the quality of the mixture is top notch, remastered for the 2000 "Version you ve never seen", giving us plenty of dynamic range. It is certainly a film in which lights and activate the sound.

Extras on this release are unfortunately anemic. ? comment of 2000 followed by William Friedkin is included, but it was not a very good track. ?, he spent most of the time telling what you watch on screen. ? in the sense, it works as a nice "English for the visually disabled" track, but glean you information it little beyond that. ? previous DVD out of the theatrical version of the film (the 25th Anniversary Edition) included not only a comment trail much better with Friedkin and Blatty, but was also a documentary, and many more on the production ? even the "Version you ve never seen" release included more extras, including the notes to production and filmographies, none is included here. ? Instead we get two theatrical trailers, four television spotsfor theatrical reissue limited film.

Aside from restoring again an improved image quality, it is unfortunately little reason to get this DVD. ? coming at a time when Blu - ray is starting to take off - especially with a version which includes two versions of the film in HD and a wealth of extras - this is a rather disappointing and unnecessary version.

PODCAST: February 6, 2007: Oscar Fever!

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Unknown to John Ottman Alexander Rudd

Unknown to John Ottman Alexander Rudd
17 Mar-2011 - varese Sarabande released the score for the unknown, the story of Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson), who wakes up after a car accident in Berlin to discover his wife (January Jones) suddenly recognizes him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has taken his identity. Ignored by the authorities of skepticism and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds one, tired and on the race. Helped by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunge headlong in a deadly mystery that will force to question her mental health, identity, and how far it is prepared to go to discover the truth. The pumping heart score is veteran action John ottman (Superman Returns, Fantastic Four, Valkyrie), with additional music by Alexander rudd.

Hop lays golden eggs... !

Hop lays golden eggs... !
4 Apr-2011 - music by composer award-winning the adventures of EB and Easter Island are number one at the box office. Universal Pictures HOP is 38.1 million to claim the title of highest Box-Office weekend opening in 2011 for the moment. The film is marked by the award-winning composer Christopher lennertz, who also collaborated with the Director of HOP Tim Hill on the 2007 Box-Office champion Alvin and the Chipmunks. Featuring Russell Brand and James Marsden, this combination of State-of-the-art animation and action online tells the story of a slacker out work which injures the Easter Bunny and hold him while he recovers. The score came out the Varese Sarabande Records. Director Tim Hill described Christopher Lennertz scores for Hop as "lush, diverse, vivid, magical, playful, yet unified." He added, "I love what Chris is doing with its themes and how he kept living in the orchestration percussion throughout." He found places to raise the scenes with the colours and signs of punctuation where I had never thought possible. The score as the major keys, ranging from a style of classical animation based on blues and percussion led parts, which all add up to a thrilling listening experience. "Hop producer Chris Meledandri (enchanted Me, ice age) was also impressed with a score of Lennertz for the film:"Chris wrote beautiful music for this film." "As a storyteller, music definitely added another dimension to the film weaving narrative, evoking emotion, building suspense and the support of humour," he explains. "When you take the film away, these standing compositions on their own;" in fact, they climb. ?

Sucker Punch

An action fantasy set in the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what's real and what is imaginary. She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls -- the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) -- to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm). Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey -- if they succeed -- will set them free.

Price: $14.98

Click here to buy from Amazon

INTERVIEW: It is one of us - interview with Austin Wintory

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SoundtrackNet recently had the opportunity to interview composer Austin Wintory about his recent works and his new score for Jordan's Academy Award submission, Captain Abu Raed. I've known and corresponded with Austin over the years since my days in college and the days of USENET groups, well before the plethora of websites now dedicated towards the art. He's "one of us", a fan and admirer of the art of film scoring, who made the enviable leap to full-fledged award-winning film (and game) music composer.

How did you come to go from being a film music fan to a full-fledged composer?

My obsession with film music started at about age 10 when my childhood piano teacher introduced me to some of Jerry Goldsmith's early scores, namely Patton and A Patch of Blue. Die hard fanatic since then. Almost immediately my piano lessons were geared more towards learning to compose, and from then till high school I was really working to hone my chops. Eventually went to study at NYU and USC, and somewhere in there started working professionally. My real professional training came in the form of lots and lots of student films and little indie shorts. That eventually led to features and video games and all the fun stuff I'm doing now. But truthfully, I'm probably more a fan of film music today than ever before!

Do you think your initial interest in Goldsmith affected your musical style when scoring professionally?

I am sure it was inevitable that my love for Goldsmith has influenced my writing! However, what I admire about him was his ability to synthesize his influences into a new and unique voice. It's really clear listening to his music that Goldsmith was into Stravinsky and especially Bartok, yet he's not the 'poor man's' version of either of those. He's truly his own animal. But beyond the notes themselves, what perhaps most influenced me about him was his sort of "clean slate" approach to each film. It almost seemed like he scored each movie having never scored a film before, there was such freshness and originality to his thinking.

Do you think having started out as a fan better prepared you for your studies as well as now, as it is a career?

Being such a die-hard fan gave me a fairly extensive knowledge of the existing scores out there, which ended up having one unexpected benefit. When I watch a film with the director during a spotting session, there's typically temp music throughout, and 99% of the time I can immediately identify where it came from. Since directors usually don't know the film music repertoire so much, it's a safe bet that they chose that music because it comes from a film they like. So basically, by identifying the temp music I'm able to get an insight into what sort of films they like and kind of gauge my approach bearing that in mind...

Who has been the most influential composer (and style) for you to this date?

Clearly Goldsmith again, though I am always so excited to hear or see something new of Elliot Goldenthal's. He just recorded a new Michael Mann score here in LA last week and I'm so thrilled to see him again in the world of film following his Grendel-related hiatus.

Who are your favorite a) past and b) present film music contemporaries?

Hmm that's a really tough one! I guess it's a cop-out to say Goldsmith for the first one. Like all else, I endlessly admire John Williams. Of the "founding fathers," my favorite was always Franz Waxman, though I've become especially taken with Alex North lately. He's a composer I didn't explore much growing up, but now I'm finding I really identify with his approach. As for today, I think Dario Marianelli and Alexandre Desplat are two of my heroes. I am so eager to see what each did with The Soloist and [The Curious Case of] Benjamin Button respectively. It's very exciting ...

Reviewing your credits, you've spent a significant time working composing for video games, how does that differ from scoring for films and for the concert hall?

The basic premise behind scoring a film or a game is the same; a director or producer has a vision for it and you're trying to figure out what that is and translate it into music. However, in my experience, what makes games so unique and special is the fact that there's opportunity for implementing the music in a truly non-linear way. I don't think there's any other medium in history that can create a musical experience like that, so it's exciting to be in such new territory. Also, the types of people that work in games are usually radically different personalities than those in film. No better or worse, just really different!

Does the non-linear aspect of writing the music present any challenges that a straight forward film or television score doesn't have? Do you have to be careful when you introduce themes or motif for fear they may be introduced "out of order" or be confused with other pieces meant for other action or scenes in the games?

The non-linear aspect of game writing is what absolutely sets it apart from films or TV, though there's also typically a fractional scoring budget so that separates them as well. However, despite it being non-linear, you can still exert quite a bit of control that resembles more traditional linear media. So themes or motifs being introduced too early are probably unlikely. It just means that the moment-by-moment execution of the music is somewhat left to chance. I think that this will get more and more free though as we develop more sophisticated music engines. Right now games are still pretty linear. But the rate of change is astonishing, so it'll be soon I've no doubt.

Which medium do you prefer writing for the most (game, film, or concert performances)?

Honestly I like to do all three to keep a complete picture. Games are great because you get to be really, really experimental. Non-linear composing is so foreign to most of us, so it's like shock therapy to work on a game. Films are tremendous exercises in dramatic instincts, so they really test you as a storyteller. Plus the collaboration is typically very one-on-one with the director, and that's usually an utter joy (depending on the director, of course!). In concert music you're your own master. Any musical idea is fair game to explore and that's tremendously liberating...

You were recently nominated for your work on flOw, which you've been attached to for a number of years, including the web based edition, how did you approach working for writing music for the different audiences (assuming the flash based version had technical limitations that a full console version did not)?

Well you pretty much nailed it on the head; the main difference between the various iterations of flOw was the technical limitations imposed on the web-based version. However, I have to say, those limitations are what led to the approach, which is ultimately why I got the BAFTA nomination I think. It's the classic story where people think I was being so "innovative," but in reality it would have been really difficult for anyone to do anything different I think. The limitations were that severe! But then working on the PS3 version we had so much horsepower that we could really take that initial approach and run like crazy with it. It was a blast! Truly that was one of the most fun and inspiring jobs I've ever worked. [Play "End Titles" from flOw]

Since you've worked on a wide variety of projects, both in size and scope, the inevitable question of budgets and size of orchestras become relevant... how have you had to adapt your writing style to accommodate these restrictions?

I try to be a purist and just watch a movie without bearing in mind the restrictions, then trying to figure out a way to score it how I want later. But obviously that's majorly idealistic. I remember reading a Mark Isham interview years ago where he talked about scoring a film with budget enough for 13 players, but the film had been temped with Basic Instinct. I've definitely gone down that road myself and I think it actually, like with flOw, can produce really interesting results. My goal with those projects is to dive head-in to the budget shortage, and really write a score that would feel somehow wrong if done on a bigger scale. Case in point, I just finished a film called Grace where we recorded 8 bass and contrabass clarinets at Abbey Road, and it came out awesome! It was surreal to hear so many of those beasts together...[Play "5m21" from Grace]

Given that it sounds like you're a purist when it comes to live performances, what's your view on synth based scores, or even utilizing "sound banks" (most famous being Zimmer's cache of recorded instruments) to help fill out with electronics versus using live players?

Every approach seems to have its right moment, though, yeah, I tend to be a bit of a traditionalist. Zimmer's use of pre-records and synths works beautifully with his overall composition approach. It stems so much from his background in the world of pop music producing, it's really hard to imagine a very "classical" approach from him. Though as soon as I say that, I remember scores like As Good As It Gets, which very well might be my favorite score of his, and that's totally pure and simple and not "produced" the way something like Gladiator or The Dark Knight is. So anyway, it's a technique I use a lot too, though not quite the same way he does. Sometimes there's a great sounding instrument you want to use, but it's not really "performable," or if it is maybe you want to use it so specifically that sampling it makes more sense. I recently did a score for a film called Print where I recorded lots of camera noises, like the shutter opening and closing, the flash case popping open, the flash charging, etc. Obviously "performing" that stuff wouldn't have been possible ...

Do you feel an electronic performance removes the "character" from the performance, almost creating a "too pure" environment that say, a happy accident during recording a live group may not provide?

When you're doing something with an electronic instrument, like a synth or something, you're obviously looking for that specific synth's character. A lot can be done to really "humanize" that performance, so by the end it's going to turn out great. On the other hand, I don't care how good an oboe sample is, a live player is simply always better. Even if you're looking for a performance very similar to the sample's performance, a live person gives you so much more nuance and subtlety. And also flexibility! Say a director says, "I hate the way he's playing that solo. It's far too emotional." At a session, you say "a little less dramatic" or something like that. With MIDI you have to go hunt for a sample to accommodate that, which you my or may not even have. It always just felt like a lot of extra work when a live player can facilitate it so much better. But even that's missing the point: people make music, not computers. If a computer is making music it's because someone used it as his or her instrument. As a great example, look at Michael Kamen's score to The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. He goes back and forth between live orchestra and Kurzweil keyboard samples. It's just part of the aesthetic and works fantastically. So is he "wrong" for doing synth versions of totally acoustic instruments? Obviously not!

How did you become attached to Captain Abu Raed?

Amin and I became friends after I had scored his AFI thesis short, called Morning Latte. He's the biggest film music nut I've ever met in my life. Growing up I could win any film music trivia game on earth and yet Amin puts me to shame... so when it came time to score Captain Abu Raed, he and I were very eager to collaborate. Initially, Gabriel Yared was interested. He saw a rough cut and was really passionate about the film. He and Amin met in Paris, and when Gabriel said he'd do it, Amin called me, feeling guilty, and said "Should I do this? I'd be stupid to not have Gabriel Yared score my first movie, right?" And I told him, "Yes, you would be!!" I really saw that Amin was conflicted. He was a huge of admirer of Yared's, plus having an Oscar-winner on your first feature is a great thing for a director. So I could see that, in the end, it'd be better for his career if he and I waited to collaborate until later. But then fate stepped in and Gabriel was booked to work with Anthony Mingella. Amin texted me from Paris saying that Gabriel couldn't do it and that he was thrilled that he and I could work together. Gabriel even emailed a show of support for both of us, and we've kept in contact ever since. It was unbelievably humbling and he's truly one of the classiest men in this business.[Play "In The Fog" from Captain Abu Raed]

Did you try to bring any of Yared's possible "sensibilities" into how you worked with the score? Or did you go straightforward with your own style and sound?

Any sense of "Yared-ism" in the score is surely born of my love for his music and totally coincidental. There are a few nods to composers in the score, though. Given the director's obsession with film music, he actually dedicated the film to Michael Kamen and Basil Poledouris. So for one scene I snuck a little Poledouris-ism in as a very intentional top of the hat, though it's fairly subliminal. In another place I had a little Kamen-esque motif, though I ended up taking it out because both the director and I felt it was way too obvious. Only later, after recording the orchestra, did we realize that it would only be obvious to people like us and that we should have kept it in! The only other little homage is extremely hidden. At one point in the film Abu Raed meets a frenchman at the airport who introduces himself as "Francois Trauffu", an obvious play on Francois Truffaut. The cue which starts the scene, a mere 14 seconds long, is a sort of strange re-arrangement of a transitional melody used in a cue from Jules and Jim. I changed it so much that only a side-by-side comparison makes it clear. Nonetheless I love those little nods!

While this is Jordan's entry into the 2008 Oscar race, how was it working on a foreign film? Where there language barriers, both literally as well as artistically?

It is Jordan's first-ever submission to the Oscars, we're all so excited! I discovered working on this project that the world of foreign films is a truly fertile place and one which I really, really hope to continue to work in periodically. I know Amin would like to make other Jordanian films in the future, but I also would love it if I could score the occasional French film, or Moroccan film, or German film, etc. With regard to Captain Abu Raed, it really didn't feel like I was scoring a "foreign film" though because Amin really wanted it to feel as universal as possible. So for example, the use of Arabic instruments in the score is really quite minimized in favor of a rich orchestral palette. It's meant to feel like a fable that could be told by any culture on earth, and so the orchestra seemed the best route to accomplish that. So in this one instance, there wasn't a single barrier facing me in terms of language or artistic approach.

What were some of the traditional instrumentation you chose for the score?

The score features tons of cello and oboe solos (inspired by the fact that Amin has two big dogs literally named Cello and Oboe!), in addition to violin, viola, harp and flute solos. Then there are obviously more truly "orchestral" moments. On the Arabic side, I used kanun and tablas, but also augmented them with blatantly non-Arabic instruments like sleigh bells, castanets and other hand drums. The idea was, again, to create a score which had certain "non-Western" elements, but which didn't feel specifically "ethnic." It really should feel as universal as possible. I think, now with a year's hindsight, I probably could have pushed this more, but overall it seems to get the job done.

Given you've now piqued your interest in foreign film, as it was, what non-US director would you most likely want to score for? (say if a Malle or Kirosawa were alive today)

Through this project I've had the great pleasure of meeting so many different Middle Eastern filmmakers. I recently saw a film called Falling From Earth by a very rawly talented Lebanese director named Chadi Zennadine and really loved the film. There's also a great Palestinian director named Hany Abu-Assad who's film Paradise Now is so damn moving (and funny enough, doesn't have a single note of score). I would love to work with him down the line. At Sundance this year I saw an incredible German film called Die Welle by Dennis Gansel. He really, really impressed me...

What was you initial approach to the project?

Well, like I said, Amin really wanted it to have a strong fable-like quality. So the first thing I did was write a main theme that would characterize Captain Abu Raed, as the man himself. The idea was to have it feel almost like a lullaby. It's an extremely simple theme, playable with one finger at a piano. Amin is so score-centric in his approach to filmmaking that it was critical for him to have a theme he could remember before a single cue was written. So after the theme was done I basically set about scoring the film in a pretty standard way.

Amin and I never really had any disagreements over particular cues, except the very end of the film. I won't ruin the scene plot-wise, but it's a really, really emotional moment. My initial version really understated it. The whole scene was practically just cello and oboe solos. Amin wanted it bigger and bigger and bigger and I wrote 6 versions that kept getting more obscenely epic, until it finally felt like we were watching the grand finale of Ben Hur. At that point I put my foot down and told him that I was certain we were ruining his film, so we looked again at the first version, which Amin agreed was a far better way to go. So I won the fight (and remind him of this daily...). [Play "Finale" from Captain Abu Raed]

What other disagreements or positive surprises did you have working on the film?

Those were definitely the highlights. I guess the biggest "positive surprise" was just how easy it was to work with Amin, having never really collaborated on this scale before, in three short weeks. He's very particular, but so amazingly open to suggestion. I hear composers say that about directors a lot, but I personally haven't worked with anyone else who blends those two attributes quite the way he does. It felt so smooth and FUN! We had a blast. But we're both quite sure that our best work is ahead of us. He's got some absolutely killer scripts in the works right now...

How did Lisbeth Scott come to be involved in the score and what exactly did you two do together?

Very late in the scoring process I randomly started listening to Goldsmith's The Sum of All Fears with its totally haunting main title cue. It got me thinking about the possibility of using a vocal somewhere in the score. Amin and I never really discussed it, and I know we're really opposed to the now-cliche "wordless female vocal" that proliferates through so many scores. But I also had this feeling that it could be used in a really downplayed way somewhere.

So, I guess not surprisingly, the end credits came to mind. Amin had all this gorgeous aerial footage of Amman he was going to use for part of the end titles, so he said, "Why don't you have the voice come in after like 40 seconds, instead of right at the beginning?" So that's what we did - the orchestra recalls the Abu Raed theme then brings us something totally new and rich right as the footage comes in.

The question became, "who should sing this?" We talked about a few pop singers and whatnot that we had connections with, but quickly started talking about Lisbeth. I personally think her solo from Munich is one of the most stunning vocal solos I've ever heard in a film, and something in that raw emotional vein is precisely what we needed. So I called her and she was working on [The Chronicles of Narnia] Prince Caspian, plus her latest album at the time, and was really, really swamped. So she said "why don't you send me the movie and then we'll talk." So I sent her the rough cut of the film and she called me back telling me how much she loved the film and would be thrilled to be involved. So I wrote her this solo, and she wrote lyrics which Amin then translated into Arabic and taught back to her phonetically. I showed up at her studio and she said, "I had an idea of how to approach this I recorded ahead of time, so let me play you this first." She played back the most stunning, emotionally pure and raw thing I could have possibly imagined. I turned to Amin and said, "I think we're done here!" I literally didn't change a note. Her melodic sense was such an incredible and simple counterpoint to what I'd done with the orchestra that it seemed more honest to the film than the actual line I'd written her. It was just a truly special and beautiful moment!

Given that you've received a wide breadth of experience with various projects, what was your favorite project to work on?

That's a tough one! At the time when I'd finished it, that was easily Captain Abu Raed. No film I'd scored had touched me in that way. But I've done nine films since then ... the film I did this summer, Grace, may be my new favorite if only because it was no-holds-barred experimenting. The director encouraged me to really just try anything and everything I wanted, so it's tough to top that! [Play "3m14" from Grace]

Who would you most like to work with on a project?

Joss Whedon?easily. I'm a big fan of all his TV shows, and of course Serenity. The way he mixes humor and drama just blows me away every time. I'll find myself laughing then suddenly burst into tears, or on the flipside I'll be sobbing then suddenly break down laughing. He just immaculately understands human emotions and how to convey that on screen. Other than him, I'm a big big fan of Alexander Payne, but honestly his relationship with Rolfe Kent is one of my favorites today. I would love to work with Payne someday, but only if some apocalyptic circumstance prevented Rolfe from doing so, because I always get excited when they have something coming out.

What would be your dream project?

I guess anything by Joss Whedon! I also know a certain someone who wants to make the great modern adaptation of "Treasure Island," so I guess for now that's my dream project...

So, what's next on your project schedule that you're able to share?

I've just today finished the mix sessions for a new film called Knuckle Draggers, a really fantastic comedy that came my way a few weeks ago. And up next I've got a holiday film due out next Christmas called Make the Yuletide Gay, as well as a dark drama called The Sunset Sky. There are a few other things, but they're all still in that foggy "negotiation" phase so I'll leave 'em off the list for now!

Special thanks to Austin Wintory and Amin Matalqa for help with the article. Photo credits: Dan Goldwasser.

PODCAST: February 25, 2007: SCL Oscar reception special

Sorry, I couldn't read the periods contained in this page.Sorry, I couldn't read the periods contained in this page.

Andrew Hewitt submarine

Andrew Hewitt submarine
2 May-2011 - moviescore Media released the score for underwater.?British composer Andrew hewitt, who had his elegant and effective score for cuckoo MovieScore Media, released in December, has written a beautiful orchestral for drama independent hit submarine. The film itself was a huge success among reviewers. The main theme is an elegiac piece for strings and harp, richly marked with a harmonic elegance that goes directly into the soul of the listener. Recorded in the Studios, score has also elements quirkier as a theme for Hammond organ and Air a short interlude piano fugatic. Submarine opens in theatres at the United States on 3 June. Despite its short duration, score Hewitt makes a strong emotional impact and MovieScore Media decided to make available as an EP short work in digital format for all fans of this exquisite composer!