Elitism and Complacency

Elitism and Complacency: The Trouble With Hollywood FilmScores

WORDS BY James McCleary

Th ere are very few fi lmmaking components as well-equipped to establish a distinctive voice as the score. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) is arguably more recognisable for Vangelis’ game-changing synthetic score than for any narrative elements, Ennio Morricone’s work on  e Good,  e Bad and  e Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966) established the defi nitive template for scoring cinematic duel sequences, and John Williams’ Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) theme is among the most recognisable musical works in history, and yet it feels increasingly like sentiments such as Lucas’ famous line on the importance of sound, cited above, have been quoted so oft en in fi lm discourse as to be glazed over rather than internalised. Th e importance of a unique musical presence has gradually become less desired over the years, resulting in another easy shortcut for Hollywood towards designing a truly risk-free production line for their output. In mainstream circles, composers are no longer being chosen for their compatibility with the project, rather because they have a reputation for a specifi c, tried-and-true style which has proven popular in their past works. composers are no longer being chosen for their compatibility with the project, rather because they have a reputa“Sound is 50% of the moviegoing experience” George Lucas

To this end, the producers on the highest levels of mainstream fi lmmaking have essentially narrowed the fi eld of eligible composers to a small handful. Any upcoming blockbuster which has an epic and emotional scope will more than likely be assigned to Hans Zimmer, while a fi lm marketed with the key buzzword of ‘fun’ will inevitably be off ered to Michael Giachinno. On the other hand, any quirky Oscar contender will become putty in the hands of Wes Anderson-emulator Alexandre Desplat, with Th omas Newman picking up the slack by covering the more weighted prestige dramas. To this end, the producers on the highest levels of mainstream fi lmmaking have essentially narrowed the fi eld of eligible composers to a small handful. Any upcoming blockbuster which has an epic and emotional scope will more than likely be assigned to Hans Zimmer, while a fi lm marketed with the key buzzword of ‘fun’ will inevitably be off ered to Michael Giachinno. On the other hand, any quirky Wes Anderson-emulator Alexandre Desplat, with Th omas Newman picking up the slack by covering the more weighted

Consequently, this diverse range of fi lms have all begun to sound virtually identical; I dare anyone to try and distinguish between Hans Zimmer’s work on Widows (Steve McQueen, 2018) and his work on X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Simon Kinberg, 2019). Th is has had a massive eff ect on the gradual blending of Hollywood fi lms into one grey mass of copycat content aiming only for inoff ensive reactions, an approach that is quickly becoming the standard in a post-Marvel landscape. virtually identical; I dare anyone to try and distinguish between Consequently, this diverse range of fi lms have all begun to sound virtually identical; I dare anyone to try and distinguish between (Steve McQueen, 2018) and his (Simon Kinberg, 2019). Th is has had a massive eff ect on the gradual blending of Hollywood fi lms into one grey mass of copycat content aiming only for inoff ensive reactions, an approach that is quickly becoming the standard in a

Th ere are still a respectable number of unique players in the fi eld of fi lm scoring, however they have largely become dependent on independent projects managed by specifi c directors to realise their work, which rarely leads to prolifi c career paths. Daniel Lopatin has produced unsettlingly offb eat scores for both Good Time (Josh and Benny Safdie) and Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019), yet those remain his only two fi lm credits to date. Similarly, Michael Abels’ memorable and thematically tuned work on Jordan Peele’s fi lms Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) have garnered no recognition from the industry whatsoever. Th e opportunities off ered to these experimental composers are few and far between, as the market has seemingly turned its head away from new and exciting ideas in favour of swelling violin hero beats, leaving the responsibility of giving these fresher voices the space to execute their rejected visions to lower-end, more outgoing fi lmmakers who cannot aff ord them the widespread recognition they deserve.

Th e Academy Awards have a part to play in this bias against modern fi lm composers, having consistently given the majority of the nominations in the Best Film Score category to old favourites. Th e 2020 Academy Awards have only cemented this issue, having assigned four of the fi ve spaces to returning composers, including the aforementioned Alexandre Desplat, John Williams and Th omas Newman, alongside Randy Newman, who appears, based on the originality of his score, to have mistaken Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019) for a particularly morose sequel to Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995). (Noah Baumbach, 2019) for a particularly morose sequel to

Th e only remotely interesting voice in this category was Hildur Guðnadóttir, who brought considerable depth to the arguably undeserving Joker (Todd Phillips, 2019). Her ultimate victory is a slight glimmer of hope for unconventional fi lm composers, though it should be noted that, in stark contrast to Newman and Desplat, Guðnadóttir has booked no additional projects for the foreseeable future. Th e greatest achievements in this category may occasionally yield recognition, but they are evidently not enough to change the fact that the deck is stacked high against the more distinctive contenders. Th e only remotely interesting voice in this category was Hildur Guðnadóttir, who brought considerable depth to the arguably undeserving Joker unconventional fi lm composers, though it should be noted that, in stark contrast to Newman and Desplat, Guðnadóttir has booked no additional projects for the foreseeable future. Th e greatest achievements in this category may occasionally yield recognition, but they are evidently not enough to change the fact that the deck is stacked high against the more distinctive contenders.

Th ere is no corner of the fi lm industry which could be considered remotely accessible to the majority of the talented artists working today, however I believe that the practice of fi lm scoring should absolutely be the one to pave the way for a more open-minded system to develop in the future. Th e scoring process is the perfect testing ground for artistic risks in high budget scenarios, precisely because the bankability question is not nearly as much of a threat in this portion of the process. Avengers: Endgame (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019) did not earn $2.798 billion at the box offi ce because of the high demand for Alan Silvestri’s score, rather due to its focus-tested storylines and spectacular marketing prowess. Th ere is little to lose in lending opportunities to composers like Lopatin and Abels, who appear to have something more provocative to contribute than the recycled industry leaders. If the century-old precedent is anything to go by, the results could change the fi lmmaking world forever. Th ere is no corner of the fi lm industry which could be considered remotely accessible to the majority of the talented artists working today, however I believe that the practice of fi lm scoring should absolutely be the one to pave the way for a more open-minded system to develop in the future. Th e scoring process is the perfect testing ground for artistic risks in high budget scenarios, precisely because the bankability question is not nearly as much of a threat in this portion of the process. Avengers: Endgame (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019) did not earn $2.798 billion at the box offi ce because of the high demand for Alan Silvestri’s score, rather due to its focus-tested storylines and spectacular marketing prowess. Th ere is little to lose in lending opportunities to composers like Lopatin and Abels, who appear to have something more provocative to contribute than the recycled industry leaders. If the century-old precedent is anything to go by, the results could change the fi lmmaking world forever.