Hans Zimmer – Film Music

1. Hans Zimmer – Film Music Nathan Atkinson Music 1010

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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)

5. Hans Zimmer • 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

10. 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

11. 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.”

12. 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 >.