Recent Project for the Justice Conference

I recently had the opportunity to work with my good friend and studio partner, Ben Larson, writing music for an original video that was shown at the US Justice Conference in Bend, OR.

Here is the music we wrote for the video:

And here is the video:

Ben and I had a great time creating the music for this, even though we wrote it pretty much in its entirety in one day (15 hours in a row).

For more photos from the set go here.

Golden Globes: Trent Reznor and film music

Now that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have won the Golden Globe for Best Original Film Score, I thought I should try to explore my thoughts about Trent Reznor and Film music.

I read the other day that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have been asked to score the US remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

SIDEBAR – This is not a post about whether or not a remake should be made at all, only a couple years after the original foreign film was released (2009). Nor is this a review about Jacob Groth’s effort on that film.

The first thought I had about the news of Reznor and Atticus was that I wouldn’t like their score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and that maybe Trent should stick with writing his Nine Inch Nails music in his electronica/pop genre, because, in my opinion… he has created a lot of music that I love and have listened to for years!

After, thinking about it, I’m wondering to myself why I have contempt prior to investigation.

I’m still deep in consideration, but here’s what I know right now…
Out of all the scores that I’ve purchased this year, The Social Network is the only one that is almost entirely electronic.

When I first heard who was scoring The Social Network, I was looking forward to hearing it! I knew that Reznor could do many things musical. Combine that with the guy who wrote the very cool score for The Book of Eli, and I don’t really see how it could be bad.

Finally I heard it.

The Social Network was a great underscore for the on screen manifestation of Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay. I write underscore because, to be honest with you, aside from the electronic version of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, it isn’t really all that memorable to me besides being Reznor’s first foray into film scoring. And while it was different sounding compared to film scores released around the same time, it isn’t a stretch from what I was hoping Reznor could do. And in thinking of things that he’s already done like The Downward Spiral, The Social Network just seems like B-side Reznor noodleing. Harsh, but that’s how I feel.

If I had to guess, it sounds like Atticus deferred to Reznor. I can hear elements of him buried at sporadic intervals throughout the score, but overall… it feels like Reznor to me.

With all that said, I should also write that their first joint effort does not a voice make. (God that sounds pretentious). I guess I hope that when they do team up again for their next effort, I want them to flex their musical muscles, and blow me away like I know they can.

Getting close to the end of 2010

The end of 2010 is quickly arriving.

Here’s what I’ll be ending my year with:

• Listening to some Daft Punk Tron Legacy magic.
• Reading the Dies the Fire series by SM Sterling
• Writing a violin solo for my friend Stella
• Beginning work on music for the Murder-Mystery web series Curtain Call by Michael Stromenger
• Catching up on Dexter and Boardwalk Empire
• Playing with new software called Melodyne (this thing is a beast!)
• Taking the Arkansas Contractors Business and Law test (for my other job)
• Shipping a bunch of gifts for the Christmas Holiday.
• Playing Crackdown 2 finally (I’ve heard it’s not that good, but I don’t mind, I can always just replay Halo Reach)

That’s a lot to do in 2 weeks, but I think I can handle it.

Aliens of the space variety

I’ve always been a sucker for movies that are set in space, or have an element of space or spacey things in them. Having said that, it’s probably no surprise to you that I really love sci-fi movies.

Some of my favorites are The Fifth Element, District 9, Sunshine, Star Wars, Event Horizon, Independence Day, Avatar, WALL-E, Star Trek, Moon, Pitch Black, Deep Impact, Apollo 13, Contact, Aliens, Serenity, Firefly (I know this isn’t a movie… but it’s pretty damn brilliant!), etc…

You can see from this list that some of these would never make a “best of” list in a lot of people’s opinions. However, despite the negative points, I like these things because there are space based things… or aliens.

So with that, I finally watched the trailer for Battle: Los Angeles.  It looks pretty awesome, and it has one of my current favorite actors Aaron Eckhart. It also has Michelle Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan. With a $100 million budget and a director hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa (Jonathan Liebesman), I have high hopes for this movie. I’m not expecting District 9, but I hope at least it’ll be better than a Roland Emmerich alien invasion film circa 2010.

Another film that is out right now is Skyline, which looks like it’d be right up my alley, but I’ve decided to hold off until it hits Netflix based on  Ain’t It Cool News’ reviews.

One funny thing I found out while looking up info on B:LA was that Sony contemplated suing the Strause brothers over Skyline based on the fact that they may have used some of Sony’s resources while working on B:LA to finish their own film.

With this knowledge, is there an alien or space film you recommend I see?

My Top 10 Favorite Movies (List)

Just got home from seeing Jackass 3D, so I thought it’d be a good time to respond to Mikey the Pikey‘s challenge:

…my favorite movies…ever. The ones I don’t think I’d ever like to be without. The “deserted island” list, if you will. These are the movies that, should I encounter them randomly on television, I’ll stop whatever I’m doing and watch them, regardless of where they are in the film.

This is kindof an impossible task, because there are so many films/movies that speak to me in one way or another. So I’m making the list of those movies that match the second half of the above mentioned criteria, something that, if I randomly come across it, I’ll stop and watch.

After compiling the list, I realized that there aren’t a lot of heavy dramas in there. It’s not because I don’t like them, because I do, and I watch them a lot, often multiple times. But I guess I was going for the criteria set up by Mikey the Pikey. So, with that written, here is the list:

The Fifth Element – (1997; dir. Luc Besson; Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker; composer – Eric Serra)

I know the list is in no particular order, but this movie was the first in my mind, primarily because it’s my most favorite movie. I first saw this the year it came out, and I must say that, for me, it hasn’t lost any of its lustre. There are funny things, and serious things. An always beautiful Milla, and one of my favorite actors Gary Oldman. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s space based science fiction (after all, I was a space studies major (for about six weeks)).

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – (2001; dir. Peter Jackson; Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, Ian McKellan, Ian Holm, many other huge names!; composer – Howard Shore)

Of course, I absolutely love the entire trilogy, but if there’s one that I watch more than the others, it would be this one. I think it’s because there’s nothing better than the beginning of a journey, epic or otherwise!

How The Grinch Stole Christmas – (2000; dir. Ron Howard; Jim Carrey, Jeffery Tambor; composer – James Horner)

This one gets some heavy rotation around the end of year holidays. I don’t know why, but its pretty damn funny, and fun to watch. Favorite line that I quote often, “am I eating because I’m bored?” Even now I’m chuckling.

Muppet Treasure Island – (1996; dir. Brian Henson; Tim Curry, Billy Connolly; composer – Hans Zimmer)

This one I probably never would have watched because when I first saw it, I was a junior in high school and thought I was maybe a little too cool for the muppets. After my friend convinced me otherwise, I learned that I was in fact not too cool for the muppets, but perhaps not cool enough. Thank you Tommy C.!

Kung Fu Panda – (2008; dirs. Mark Osborne, John Stevenson; Jack Black, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman; composers – Hans Zimmer, John Powell)

I’m a sucker for a lot of the recent animated films beginning with Shrek and running through How To Train Your Dragon. Kung Fu Panda is just one of the ones that I like to have playing when I’m doing anything!

Talladega Nights – (2006; dir. Adam McKay; Will Ferrell, Gary Cole, John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch; composer – Alex Wurman)

A lot of people (and critics) panned on this movie, but that wouldn’t be the first time that I enjoyed something that others don’t.  I think people dislike the character that Will Ferrell plays (in most of his films). As for me… after a couple viewings, the performances grow on me. I actually don’t know if I could live without Talladega Nights anymore.

O, Brother Where Art Thou? – (2000; dirs. The Coens; George Clooney, John Turturo, Tim Blake Nelson; Music – T Bone Burnett)

I love everything about this period piece. The music, the characters, the acting, the setting, and the story (Homer’s Odyssey). I could watch it anytime. Anytime at all.

Run Fatboy Run – (2007; dir. David Schwimmer; Simon Pegg, Yank My Area (sorry, Hank Azaria), Dylan Moran; composer – Alex Wurman)

This charming movie is fun to watch and makes me feel good too. And ever since Shaun of the Dead, I’ve been a fan of Pegg’s. This is no exception. I usually look forward to anything that Pegg is a part of.

Shaun of the Dead – (2004; dir. Edgar Wright; Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield)

Even though this film had original music, the soundtrack contains a lot of existing music. And actually, it is one of my favorite soundtracks to listen to completely from start to finish due to its arrangement. So, aside from the soundtrack, the film kicks ass! Zombie killing is great fun, especially when done with and Edgar Wright slant.

Star Trek – (2009; dir. J.J. Abrams; Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana; composer – Michael Giacchino)

Look, another Pegg film. But seriously, I love this film. When it came out, I wasn’t keen on going to see it because it just didn’t look like it would be impressive. Thankfully, my buddy/partner Ben L. dragged me to see it. That was a good thing, because its awesome! The cinematography is spectacular, and I love the character performances. I also love Giacchino’s score… but you probably already knew that.

That’s 10 films… but I can’t stop there, so here are some alternates:

Army of Darkness – (1992; dir. Sam Raimi; Bruce Campbell; composer – Joseph LoDuca)

I watched this movie at least once a week my freshman year of college. I used many of the soundbites for ringtones. It has a cue from Danny Elfman. I don’t know if I need to say more than that.

Crank: High Voltage – (2009; dirs. Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor; Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam; composer – Mike Patton)

High octane. Great unintentional video game movie. Awesome hodgepodge score by Mike Patton of Faith No More fame. Statham rocks my face.

Shawshank Redemption – (1994; dir. Frank Darbont; Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman; composer – Thomas Newman)

When I first learned that this story was written by Stehpen King, my appreciation for him grew by leaps and bounds. When I learned that Frank Darbont would be directing AMC’s The Walking Dead (starts on Oct. 31st) it gave me the feeling that I wouldn’t be disappointed… that and there’ll be zombies (Jesus… why do I like zombies so much?). Great movie. I love when other things reference it. For instance, Family Guy. When they performed a cue from the original score, it helped remind me of another reason why I love this film!

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999; dir. George Lucas; Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd; composer – John Williams)

Chastise me if you must, but this is my favorite Star Wars film… based purely on its associative properties. It may not be the best one, but it is the one that is related to some of my fondest memories. The score from this film, was the only music in my car that summer for so many road trips that took place. I will never regret the decision to make this my favorite, not until programmed nanites rearrange my brain’s synapses.

The Bourne Supremacy – (2004; dir. Paul Greengrass; Matt Damon, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles; composer – John Powell)

I really love all of the Bourne films, but this one will forever hold a place in my heart because of its score. This was the score I listened to when I made the decision to actually go back to school to pursue my music composition education with the intent to compose for media. So thank you Mike S. for that!!

Well, there you have it. A list of films off the top of my brain that I would enjoy life just a little less without. There are so many that deserve to be on the list… but I honestly don’t want to keep looking up some of the information.

What can I say… I’m lazy.

3 things that excite me (right now)

I’m still over here in Chi Town, bankrolling my future, and trying to make my dad a pantload of money. When I’m not working, I’m usually surfing the net, or just vegging out (it’s a lot harder managing a railroad company than I imagined).

I  try to read, and I try listening to music, but I usually just end up reading about music. A couple things I’ve heard about but finally have actually gathered some information on is some upcoming releases that have me absolutely drooling!

Human Target by Bear McCreary

This is being released by La La Land Records on Oct. 19th for $24.95.

I’m excited about this score for a couple of reasons… Bear McCreary scored the lion’s share of the remake of Battlestar Galactica. Secondly, the score was performed by a live (and at times, HUGE) orchestra, and anytime that happens in the current entertainment market, I feel obliged to support that!

I never really got into the show, but I’m sure I won’t be disappointed by the score.

Elfman/Burton Boxset

I think the title pretty much says it all. This is the culmination of their work together, which is weird, because neither of them are dead yet ( …I kindof assume that they are going to do more together). It also has other goodies that help justify the price… a little.

You can pre-order the december release at burtonelfman.com, and be forewarned, they’re asking for $500 for this! Holy shit. $500?! And they are only making 1000 of these. So the question is, are there 1000 fanboy’s with $500 dollars burning a hole in their batman shaped money clip? And the even greater question, does my mom know that I want this for my birthday?

Even if she does, that is a lot to ask… however, if it were to be a combination birthday/christmas gift? Maybe then? I keed… Christmas is about ‘8 pound 6 ounce baby Jesus’ (I’m quoting Ricky Bobby).

But seriously… I’m not above begging.

Avatar

This rare artifact will be released on November 16th with a suggested retail price of $54.99, but can be pre-ordered from amazon for $35.99.

This version will have tons of extras, including more footage in the film itself (even more than the recent version that was released, er… re-released, er… showed recently in theaters. Anyways, they have lots of things on here like documentaries and deleted scenes and other cool goodies.

I’m just really excited to watch some Blu-Ray Avatar in my living room. I initially thought I might wait for the 3D version… but I don’t think I want to buy a 3D TV yet.

So there you go. Three things that I’m excited about. Am I missing anything?

Holy Crap – LOTR music book?!!

Figured I should put this (ain’t it cool article) and this (amazon link) on the blog before I closed my eyes.

Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll be my birthday (or Oct. 5th (which isn’t my birthday, but the joy from this would be near that))!

Oh happy day!

The Dark Tower on film

The Dark Tower is a series of seven books written by Stephen King. They are his answer to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and they are EPIC… epically awesome!

The first time I read through them was my sophomore year of college (the first time). I remember having a discussion with Mike S. (who doesn’t have a blog to link to… I mean besides the Curtain Call production blog. Okay, I’ll link to that one then) about how the first book is very unlike the two that follow.

Ever since I read the series and made the decision to make music my life, I had hoped that eventually I would be in a position to be part of the team that worked on the music if the series were ever put on the silver screen or the small screen.

It looks like I’ve missed the boat for both mediums (TV and movie). I saw a link from Mike yesterday that led me to  a deadline article discussing the deal that was recently reached. This deal would allow Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman, and Brian Grazer to produce the books into three feature length films and a TV series with Universal/NBC.

Obviously, its my dream to see these books as visual media, but I definitely felt a lot more comfortable when JJ Abrams had secured the rights to create the films. I felt that his style would be more in line with the style of the books, but that fell through due to Abrams’ schedule (apparently he’s popular right now?!).

So now, its the team team that created A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code. Both decent films, but a far cry from the subject matter that is The Dark Tower.

That’s all neither here nor there. It’s going to happen sometime, by someone. I can only hope that its going to be good. But now that it has potential again, everyone and their mom are making armchair casting decisions… so why not me?

Here’s the plan. Howard says that he’s going to direct the first film, and the first season of the television series with Goldsman writing. So my thoughts are that the entire production doesn’t necessarily need to have only one composer (not that any of them have only one anyway. I mean just look at the first season of Fringe, which has three separate credited composers. And look at Kick Ass, which has 5 credited composers.)

Who would be the good choice for composer on this project/s (besides me… anyone? Please?)?

• Michael Giacchino – If this project had only one person scoring the entire thing, I would want it to be Michael. If there were one overseer of other composers for this project, I would want it to be Michael. With the work that he’s done on Lost, Fringe, Star Trek, and his countless other great scores, I would completely trust him with the sound palette and music for the Dark Tower universe. Potentially this choice may be my lingering feelings of having Abrams lead the project.

• Marco Beltrami – He’s done some great stuff. I would like him to contribute to the music from Roland’s younger years. Maybe this is some typecasting from 3:10 to Yuma, but I’d like to hear it.

• Carter Burwell – I think if Carter tapped his Fargo side, he could write some tunes for the Calla.

• Mark Isham – I wouldn’t want him as the singular composer for the project, but I think his style would be great for some of the episodic material. Very ambient and atmospheric, I think he’d write some great stuff for following the beam.

• John Powell – I think John would be great for blending the orchestral with the electronic. He would be one I would consider as overseer for the entire project. Powell is still my number one choice for Ender’s Game though, so if that project came up and were to conflict with The Dark Tower, then he’d only be able to contribute a small portion of music. If that were the case, I would want to hear Powell’s “Blaine”.

Overall, I based my decisions on the subject matter. I don’t think a purely orchestral score will completely fit this project, because of the dimension hopping, the timelines involved, etc… But one cool thing about this story is that it has flavors of many things. It has classic western, New York City, crazy weird fantastical locales, Stephen King’s home, alternate realities.

I’m not saying that this project couldn’t be done by a few different huge names (ie. Hans Zimmer) but I just want the music to go a little deeper than what he may do… although I wasn’t disappointed with Inception, but it still sounded like the samples that he uses for everything else. Nor would I mind if John Williams were on this project, but I think it needs more than brilliant huge orchestral writing and development of leitmotifs.

In one article (or article’s comments) someone said that if the developers don’t consider this project their legacy, they may do a huge disservice to the material. For me, this also applies to the score. Much like Howard Shore’s approach to LOTR, whoever does this project I hope considers this their magnum opus. The project to which the rest of their life’s work will be compared. No pressure, but if this isn’t good… that would be bad.

All this being said, Ron Howard has most often worked with James Horner, who I wouldn’t mind taking this project. Danger motif, here we come.

So there you have it. Now it’s all up to KA. But in the meantime, have you read these books? If so, who would you choose?

The future, in short

Now that the Film scoring program that I was going to attend has been cancelled, I’ve found something to do in the meantime.

I’m going to work on the railroad a bit longer (to save up some more dinero for future endeavours), but I’m also going to write a freaking novel. I know, I know. I’m not really a writer, but I’ll have help.

My friend Ben and I are going to get busy writing a small epic, based in a steampunk world. I know, right? Steampunk is awesome!

Anyways, Ben recently brought to my attention NaNoWriMo, more specifically, National Novel Writing Month. The premise is that during the month of November, the challenge is to write (minimum) 50,000 words.

I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is “of course I’ll have time to do both the writing challenge, and compose a film score for Mike Stromenger’s Curtain Call, and work as a manager for a railroad office full time.

Anyways, more than any of these things, I am super excited to get back home to my wife, which is only less than a week from now.

A Slow Day

Not much going on right now (besides my current day job).

Waiting for Mike S. to finish filming Curtain Call so that we can start chatting about the score.

Just got the score for Iron Man 2 (Amazon.com, iTunes). It’s okay, but I’m still really obsessed with the score for Inception(Amazon.com (cheaper than iTunes for this one!)). I’m also excited about the score for Predators, which doesn’t get released until next month, or this next week at ComicCon (if you’re one of the lucky few), oh yeah, and the Batman Special Edition 2-disk set (La La Land Records).

Also, Matthew has begun the hunt for an apartment for us in Seattle. Exciting stuff!

Not too much else, so I’ll leave you with this picture:

It was brought to my attention by my wife on Facebook, and is from The Telegraph.

Also, I’d like to see some new blog posts (I’m looking at Herr, Mikey, Stromenger, Matthew), because I’m sick of twitter feeds and I want some actual meat to the information I’m taking in.