Music Composers Unite!
media music - art or craft?
This came out of a forum discussion a while back where Chris Alpiar talked about the artistic merit of media music (film music in particular) compared to (oh I'm going to struggle for a term here!) art or concert or classical music.
Many of the composers in this community write media music; do you consider your work to be art or craft? Or perhaps how do you see the balance between the 2, as the cliche '1% inspiration, 99% perspiration' may ring true for many!
Is the natural home of contemporary music with images (music to picture)? I suggest that no other arena allows a composer to draw together so many influences and cross so many musical borders than music to picture. There are parallels here with opera I feel, where historically composers have found the marriage of drama, visual imagery and music is the ultimate home for their work. (At least with film you don't have to listen to that dreadful warbling - sorry, just had to get that off my chest!)
Referring back to the original discussion, Chris felt that media music might not throw up the next great 'art' composer. But with movies providing some powerful emotional experiences, is film the best contemporary home for music, and part of the art form that is film?
Update - 25th October 2008. If you are coming to this discussion hoping to get involved in the original topic, I would try starting a new forum discussion, as somewhere along the line it evolved (disintegrated? was hijacked?) into something equally interesting - (the future of music as a commercial industry, and in particular the effect of new technologies.
Many of the composers in this community write media music; do you consider your work to be art or craft? Or perhaps how do you see the balance between the 2, as the cliche '1% inspiration, 99% perspiration' may ring true for many!
Is the natural home of contemporary music with images (music to picture)? I suggest that no other arena allows a composer to draw together so many influences and cross so many musical borders than music to picture. There are parallels here with opera I feel, where historically composers have found the marriage of drama, visual imagery and music is the ultimate home for their work. (At least with film you don't have to listen to that dreadful warbling - sorry, just had to get that off my chest!)
Referring back to the original discussion, Chris felt that media music might not throw up the next great 'art' composer. But with movies providing some powerful emotional experiences, is film the best contemporary home for music, and part of the art form that is film?
Update - 25th October 2008. If you are coming to this discussion hoping to get involved in the original topic, I would try starting a new forum discussion, as somewhere along the line it evolved (disintegrated? was hijacked?) into something equally interesting - (the future of music as a commercial industry, and in particular the effect of new technologies.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Evan Evans on -
There is only enough money to go around to those who deserve it. By my companies estimates, there are in the neighborhood of 3000% more composers in the marketplace than needed. So some don't make it. So what? They didn't have what it takes. Flip burgers, houses, sell cars, move back home with mom and dad, go back to school, etc. There's nothing that Hans Zimmer is doing to anyone that they didn't create for themselves one way or another.
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Permalink Reply by pete whitfield on -
Do I get a prize or award or something for starting this thread! LOL! (Shoosh, if only I'd known....) I think I started this in a former life actually! Great to read the debate ladies and gentlemen. My work let's me see the work of some media composers and I have the utmost respect for them as their job goes way beyond putting notes in the right order!
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Permalink Reply by Chris Alpiar on
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Other than exploit them. The tales I heard werent about guys that sucked, but guys that worked at Remote Control for years, pulling back to back all nighters all year long. I cant quote the source because he specifically said he would deny it if asked (for fear of losing his gig there). I guess its just the concept of putting someone's name on some work when it wasnt really their work, or only in the most loose of terms. I dont know, maybe if someday I got the opportunity to work there I might change my mind, but from a clueless outsider's perspective it seems kind of out-of-whack
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Permalink Reply by Ronnie Doyle on -
I agree, totally. But the music still bears his name. I have no clue what goes on behind closed doors, but i would hope and expect Zimmer to do most of the leg work on scores bearing his name.
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Permalink Reply by phil Kelly on
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No doubt Zimmer does the "leg "work : getting the gigs, massaging the clients, other such essentials if there is to BE a gig at all.
...it's the actual heavy lifting ( conceiving and writing the stuff, orchestrating and /or programming, etc )
that's in question here.
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Permalink Reply by Ronnie Doyle on
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What has you so vehemently questioning this about him, Phil? I'm not attacking you, by the way, I'm just really interested, as I've never heard anyone speak of Zimmer in this context?
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( Ronnie asks )
>>What has you so vehemently questioning this about him, Phil? I'm not attacking you, by the way, I'm just really interested, as I've never heard anyone speak of Zimmer in this context? <<
Ronnie:
I'm not the only one here mentioning or questioning some of Zimmers practices -( Read Chris Alpiers post right up the page ) and talk to some young working composers in LA.
Aside from the fact that I personally have not heard any of his work that I've liked, HZ isn't the only ( or the first ) "user" in the scoring businesss. It's an all too common practice.
In an area of the film industry where there are estimated to be an oversupply of approximately 300% in ratio to available gigs to "composers" , such predatory tactics are inevitable but nontheless
prevalent.
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