"The Prestige"
Score one for originality
Ethnic sounds, electronics and a 'less-is-more' aesthetic are changing the sound of mainstream movies.
Nov 14, 2006
What does a Hollywood film sound like? Invariably, the answer involves the grand scale of a lush orchestral composition full of sweep and bombast, one that works overtime to highlight the thrills, chills and romance of a big-screen spectacle. But increasingly, composers -- with the encouragement of their directors -- are setting aside the swelling strings and crashing cymbals, opting instead for more intimate, experimental compositions that push the boundaries of what a Hollywood score should sound like.
One of the most unusual nonorchestral scores belongs to Fox Searchlight's summer comedy "Little Miss Sunshine," for which composer Mychael Danna used the Denver-based indie rock band DeVotchKa for both original songs and underscore.
"Traditional orchestration won't go away -- and shouldn't," Danna says. "But it's fantastic that there's now a recognition of more than just standard orchestral score. ... For me, the first big question in the film-scoring process is always the concept behind the score, and right from the beginning, the directors (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) and I felt the music of DeVotchKa was a perfect musical analogy for what the film was saying. Using the band for songs and score was a limitation that didn't feel limiting at all."
For most composers, simply having the score itself treated seriously, no matter what musical approach is taken, is a reward in itself. And for those composers creating unconventional work, having those scores heard and appreciated is cause for encouragement.
One of the most unusual nonorchestral scores belongs to Fox Searchlight's summer comedy "Little Miss Sunshine," for which composer Mychael Danna used the Denver-based indie rock band DeVotchKa for both original songs and underscore.
"Traditional orchestration won't go away -- and shouldn't," Danna says. "But it's fantastic that there's now a recognition of more than just standard orchestral score. ... For me, the first big question in the film-scoring process is always the concept behind the score, and right from the beginning, the directors (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) and I felt the music of DeVotchKa was a perfect musical analogy for what the film was saying. Using the band for songs and score was a limitation that didn't feel limiting at all."
For most composers, simply having the score itself treated seriously, no matter what musical approach is taken, is a reward in itself. And for those composers creating unconventional work, having those scores heard and appreciated is cause for encouragement.