|
|
 |
|
 |
Posted: |
Aug 27, 2016 - 6:33 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
John Bender
(Member)
|
I moderate a Facebook forum called The Retro Euro Cult Film Score Society. We have about 750 members now, a number of whom are film professionals ( but mostly fans / collectors).
A few days ago I started a thread focusing on the “Big Band sound” in film scores (and the lack thereof in post 1980 scoring). I was very pleasantly surprised by an insightful reply from an actual composer - Craig W. Dayton. I found his comment of sufficient value to want to share it here. (In the past a core group of FSM Board commentators have helped me. I’m trying to express my gratitude by sharing this.)
First I’ll share my original instigating comment / question (of questionable value), then Craig’s valuable reply.
My comment / question:
“Film music post 1980 went into decline. It was bled dry of much of it's prior substance and overt personality. I have personally been effected by this. When I experience post-80s film music it seems as if the scores no longer communicate to me. The language of film music has become degraded, muddled, indistinct, basically striking me as having gone ambient - meaning heard but not acknowledged (translation: I can hear it but it communicates little or nothing).
And yet I watch and read with some degree of amazement as film score fandom carries on. At the various film score forums collectors rave on and on about current (and post 1980) scores and composers - many of whom I am familiar with - that I find impossibly dull and weak (frequently very loud but only shrill and hollow). What does this mean? It means these fans are young. I was born in 1955. These newer fans came to an appreciation of film music in the midst of it's post 1980 depression. In essence they “do not know any better” (my bias). For them post 1980s scoring IS film music. In a way they are innocently ignorant. I accept this.
The point then is this: film music is a valid language. It has a history, a pedigree, a discernible and evolving vocabulary. When I listen to pre-1980 film music (Golden Age / Silver Age) I am engaged by a vibrant language that I understand. When I listen to post 1980 film music it is as if I am listening to someone trying to speak to me with an extremely limited vocabulary - and they have a sock in their mouth! BUT - when one of these younger film music fans listen to post 1980 film music all they hear is a language they are familiar with, that they like, and that they understand. Fair enough (I suppose).
And now we can arrive at the question / poll. Yesterday I posted commentary (with mp3 link) addressing Count Basie's theme for the Lee Marvin TV series M SQUAD. This piece of music has always communicated to me very, very powerfully! But I have to imagine that many younger film music fans will hear it and respond "That sounds weird." or "That sounds old-fashioned and corny." Again, fair enough. But the question then becomes (to the younger fan) "What post 1980 film theme / cue do you find powerfully communicative of masculine aggression / urban violence / the allure of danger and action in the American metropolis?" In other words I am asking "Is there a post 1980s film or TV theme (non-homage or in purposeful Retro style) that powerfully communicates similar characteristics as Basie's M SQUAD?" If there is I would like to hear it. Please share an mp3 or YouTube link of any such cue / track / theme. I should mention I do not intend to attack or critique any film music shared. My intention is to expand my understanding of the film music vocabulary.”
And now Craig’s reply:
"John...I have my own theories on this issue. I'll try my best not to be too confusing, as I think there are a couple of things going on. Some of names mentioned in this post started off, or at least had some experience, writing for Big Bands, e.g., Henry Mancini. Many, if not most, of the film composers today, including the A-listers, NEVER had any experience writing for Big Bands (aka, jazz bands). Why is this important? If you have never written for a Big Band and stood before the band to have it played back to you (and learned from your mistakes) as I have been fortunate enough to have had the experience to do, then you really cannot get the "feel" (eventually) as to how to write for a Big Band. So...they don't write any music for Big Band. Here is another part of my theory. Actually, it is a couple of parts.
PART 1 - Nowadays, film composers use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to create mock-ups of the score that they are required to create so that the director can listen to it, before the the director is willing to approve the score to eventually go on to the recording stage (...as opposed to someone like Henry Mancini who would play the score on the piano for the director). I don't feel the it is easy at all creating a Big Band piece (like the M Squad) on a DAW. It is not "natural" and...very important...the virtual instruments, though getting better, really don't sound all that great for Big Band instruments, especially the trumpets and really really especially the saxes, which sound like kazoos. So if you are a young (or older) composer who has never worked with a Big Band and you are thinking about creating a Big Band piece for a movie...and you load up the virtual instruments for the DAW, and you start listening to them you would probably think...OMG, I'm not going to create this for a director. But, if you HAVE been someone who has arranged for Big Bands, you know that, once the parts have been printed out and recorded by live musicians that it will sound good. You have to have the experience to be able to tell a director to look past the sound of the DAW virtual instruments and be assured that the live musicians will make it sound great. So, in short, the experience is not there on the part of the composers. If I work on a low budget film and a director would ask me to create a Big Band score, I would ask...do you have the money for live musicians? If not, no way would I create the score using virtual Big Band wind instruments exclusively. SIDE NOTE: Composing for Big Bands is quite demanding, as there can be, let's say in Basie's case, 13 wind players and each might have his/her own harmonic line and there is voice leading to deal with. Frankly, it is very hard work.
PART 2 - For a VERY long time now, you have not heard Big Band music played on MOST of the radio stations. It didn't use to be that way. So, unless you were like me and were exposed to Big Band music and was able to compose/arrange for a Big Band for a couple of decades, you just don't know much about Big Bands and the power they can bring to a score. I might add that this is not only true for the composers...but it is true for the directors. The vast majority of the directors in the past were familiar with this kind of music. So many of the directors, especially the younger ones coming up, have no exposure to this music. So much of the music that they are familiar with is what they hear on the radio. That can be a problem for their film, but it is also a major headache for the film composers who often will have to beg the directors to open their thinking somewhat, and let the composer have his/her input. One last thing, and this is also important. Again, because of the DAW, some film composers (NOT me) have templates of virtual instruments. In today's world, you do have to write fast, and so having a template that you can load up with the instruments ready to go is helpful. BUT...and this is important...it is deadly to creativity, especially when it comes to orchestration. If you as a composer are so tied to the DAW that you cannot step back and say to yourself..."I want to start with a blank slate and be creative and experimental and not just put out another piece that is going to sound like the last one because I'm using the same setup"...THEN A LOT OF THE SCORES ARE GOING TO START SOUNDING ALIKE, and not only because of the DAW and template issue but because the directors insisting that you "write a score that sounds like such and such". See what I mean?
The composers in the Silver Age did not have a DAW. When it was time to compose a new score, out came the paper, out came the pen/pencil, and, more importantly...out came the creativity, that we seem to be lacking in today. CAVEAT: Not all directors are like this...many of the up and coming independent directors (SOME) are more open to new ideas and creativity, unlike so many of the A-list directors who, unfortunately, have their hands tied by the "suits" at the major studios. I'm sorry for the long post, but this is the way I see it. I hope it has been helpful."
|
|
|
|
