ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years, 8 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Yes, films are made all the time that use non-orchestral scores (The Consequences of Love, Human Traffic, Lilja 4 Ever all spring to mind as having decidedly non-orchestral soundtracks) and if a (variant de jour of techno) soundtrack suits a film, sure! It won't suit most films, but most film audiences don't listen to dance music.

I guess one limitation is that dance music dates extremely quickly, to the point where an on point score might be stale by the time the film is actually sold and released, and sound clunky in 5 years which reduces the residual tail of sales, whereas an orchestral score is timeless. Human Traffic did rerelease a version with a new soundtrack a few years later, although I personally thought it probably had more to do with licencing than keeping it fresh!

10 years, 7 months ago - Kays Alatrakchi

Will heavy metal ever be legitimized as credible film composition? What about Polka?

I think there are a couple of issues that I have with the OP. First of all, what do you exactly mean by "legitimized"? I hear electronic scores all the time, hell...I'm working on one right now! Right off the bat, I can think of a number of films and composers who have embraced electronic textures and sounds, ranging from Martinez, to Julyan, to Zimmer, to Powell, to Murphy and the list goes on and on.

If by your question, you intend to ask why doesn't more film music sound like dance music then I think it has to do with the dramatic needs of film vs. the needs of a dance club. Film music needs to be "programmatic" while generally speaking, IDM isn't. As I'm sure you know, scoring a film is a very different process than creating a club track, with a film composer needing to be aware of a myriad of specific considerations while working within the constraints of creating a creative work that needs to fit inside another creative work. Having said that, there are projects that lend themselves quite well to dance-y type of tracks, such as Run Lola Run and The Matrix as a couple of very popular examples. I think it's just a matter of finding the right fit.

I guess a better question might be "Will directors start making more films that lend themselves to an IDM score?

10 years, 7 months ago - Elu Eboka

Would love to hear some of your stuff

10 years, 7 months ago - Elu Eboka

Exactly!!!

10 years, 7 months ago - Michael Chandler

I agree Elu. As an ex-DJ myself, I've long thought about how electronic could or should be used more in film. For my money, two of the greatest soundtracks were 'electronic' in Blade Runner and Twin Peaks - though not 'dance'. And I'd agree with Paddy that dance music does date very quickly.

That said, all my recent films had electronic soundtracks. My thing has been the drum'n'bass and dubstep end of the spectrum and some of the genre directions in the last 5 years lend themselves incredibly well to soundtracks - I'm thinking the Burial sounds and more minimal yet melancholic sounds. But that's just my personal preference (Geeky DJ alert!)

10 years, 6 months ago - Lauris Beinerts

Indeed, I remember Gone Girl having a lovely soundtrack (without remembering any themes in particular, which as was pointed out above is great)!

While I think that traditional dance music is not best suited for films (simply because it is much more active and not something you'd expect in the background), I don't think that is true for IDM (obviously, we can have a long discussion about what IDM is...). I think IDM would make great soundtrack! I have a short script set in a dystopian future, that I've always imagined to have something like Ulrich Schnauss or Boards of Canada as soundtrack. But then, it wouldn't work for everything, while orchestral music is so universal!

I also think, there's a few great examples of films that use other than orchestral soundtracks! From the top of my head "Donnie Darko", Darren Aronofsky's "Pi" and anything that David Fincher has done (often with Trent Reznor).

10 years, 6 months ago - James Bayliss-Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5-FJsYj1ck

nuff said. Best Electronic 'score' ever


Must watch for Daft Punk fans

10 years, 7 months ago - Elu Eboka

I feel different about dance music dating really quickly. I think the sounds of synthesizers, and digital effects have been around for so long that as long as you're making something innovative with them they should be timeless. Perhaps not has prestigious, but equally timeless.

I recently watched The Knick, and the series composer Cliff Martinez used alotta 'Acid' type sounds. In fact it sounds like it came straight out of a TR-303. The series soundtrack gives the show a sharp and intense feel that i dont think could be as pronounced if using traditional styles of composition. Keep in mind that acid house as a genre, died in the 90s. So how can it be dated but still sound so fresh? Its only one example but if more filmmakers were open to a bolder use of electronic music, we wouldnt feel so wary of sing it.

10 years, 8 months ago - Marlom Tander

I've heard a lot about the Gone Girl music and how great it was. I loved the film. I love music. I have a big IDM collection.

And you know what, I never noticed the music in Gone Girl.

Which is great, because it means that it did it's job - influencing me without intruding.

10 years, 6 months ago - Kim Halliday

Coming into this very late (I've been in Memphis!) I think there's enough evidence of great non-orchestral music in films (Moon, Book of Eli, Requiem for a Dream, the remade TGWTDT all spring to mind) but I'm not sure any composer does their thing with the objective of winning an Oscar! The earlier comment about Gone Girl is the key - what I always try to do is make sure that the music fits the work.