• Categories

Vanilla 1.1.4 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

 
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    Thanks Alan!
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
  1. John Williams doing TinTin... that's the best news ever!!!!
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    DazzledByYou wrote
    John Williams doing TinTin... that's the best news ever!!!!


    With the innuendos that TinTin was infamous for, I'd be careful the way you word that.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemonStar
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    I pray he's back to score the last Harry Potter film too.
  2. FalkirkBairn wrote
    Christodoulides wrote
    Is that for real? How does he do it?! shocked

    Quite impressive!

    "Tesla coils can also be used to create music by modulating the system's effective "break rate" (i.e., the rate and duration of high power RF bursts) via midi data and a control unit. The actual midi data is interpreted by a micro controller which converts the midi data into a PWM output which can be sent to the tesla coil via a fiber optic interface. The YouTube video Super Mario Brothers theme in stereo and harmony on two coils shows a performance on matching solid state coils operating at 41 kHz. The coils were built and operated by designer hobbyists Jeff Larson and Steve Ward. The device has been named the Zeusaphone, after Zeus, Greek god of lightning, and as a play on words referencing the Sousaphone." Wikipedia

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1O2jcfOylU

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEG-1iYpgKU


    These vids sure made my day. Incredible what they can achieve with these cool avant garde instruments. But I sure as hell couldn't stand to listen to a whole CD of those sounds, cool as it is.
    "considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    Steven wrote
    DazzledByYou wrote
    John Williams doing TinTin... that's the best news ever!!!!


    With the innuendos that TinTin was infamous for, I'd be careful the way you word that.


    Really?? I know diddly-squat about Tin-Tin.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    Timmer wrote
    Steven wrote
    DazzledByYou wrote
    John Williams doing TinTin... that's the best news ever!!!!


    With the innuendos that TinTin was infamous for, I'd be careful the way you word that.


    Really?? I know diddly-squat about Tin-Tin.


    Maybe I'm thinking of another show? I too know shit all about TinTin.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    Steven wrote
    Timmer wrote
    Steven wrote
    DazzledByYou wrote
    John Williams doing TinTin... that's the best news ever!!!!


    With the innuendos that TinTin was infamous for, I'd be careful the way you word that.


    Really?? I know diddly-squat about Tin-Tin.


    Maybe I'm thinking of another show? I too know shit all about TinTin.


    And maybe you think right!? As I said, I really don't know.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemonStar
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    I grew up watching the 1990 Ellipse TV series and loved the main theme. I wonder what theme JW will compose for this...
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    What do you mean with "innuendos that TinTin was infamous for"?

    TinTin was one of my favourite comics when I was young! What a stories, what an imagination, what an adventures. I'm a bit afraid about the movie being computer generated though. So far none of these real life CGI movies were good or convincing (even Final Fantasy, which was made years before Beowulf or the Polar Express looked better than those two)
    Kazoo
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    He means he was gay.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2009
    Um, not necessarily.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemonStar
    • CommentTimeMar 22nd 2009
    I've got every single Tintin comic as eBook PDF format on computer now actually. Love reading them!
  3. DreamTheater wrote
    But I sure as hell couldn't stand to listen to a whole CD of those sounds, cool as it is.

    LOL!!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeMar 26th 2009
    Listen to John Williams' NEW Great Performances opening theme.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqwk5xY-Nrg

    Classic Williams!

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    • CommentAuthortjguitar
    • CommentTimeMar 27th 2009
    It's good. smile
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 27th 2009
    I think it's kinda disappointing, just so-so. Also, I have problems with that whole überpatriotic "A Great Nation Needs Great Art" tagline that even Williams' music underscores. He had the same problem with that recent Spielberg short A TIMELESS CALL. Big, empty words about how great America is. Williams is one of my biggest musical heroes, but he could do with a little restraint now and then.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthormarkrayen
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009
    I can see where Thor is coming from, especially in the case of "A Timeless Call". My view though is that Williams' unegoistic approach to these kinds of projects is perhaps one of his greatest virtues. He is not trying to do something "extraordinary", nor is he trying to "raise the bar" or "challenge" the aesthetics of the art. He is merely trying to serve a very simple purpose within a particular preconcieved framework, and in my opinion does so better than anybody. The piano/glockenspiel instrumentation of the theme coupled with driving horn triads is a familar concept heard in at least a dozen of his scores. He takes no creative risks, and knows exactly how to ensure the functionality of the music. For me this all makes perfect sense when working for a television medium: the result is crystal clear with an absolutely unmistakable intention and audience impact. But naturally, I am more interested in hearing the premiere of his viola concerto on May 26. I've booked my flight to Boston and can't wait!
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009 edited
    markrayen wrote
    I can see where Thor is coming from, especially in the case of "A Timeless Call". My view though is that Williams' unegoistic approach to these kinds of projects is perhaps one of his greatest virtues. He is not trying to do something "extraordinary", nor is he trying to "raise the bar" or "challenge" the aesthetics of the art. He is merely trying to serve a very simple purpose within a particular preconcieved framework, and in my opinion does so better than anybody. The piano/glockenspiel instrumentation of the theme coupled with driving horn triads is a familar concept heard in at least a dozen of his scores. He takes no creative risks, and knows exactly how to ensure the functionality of the music. For me this all makes perfect sense when working for a television medium: the result is crystal clear with an absolutely unmistakable intention and audience impact. But naturally, I am more interested in hearing the premiere of his viola concerto on May 26. I've booked my flight to Boston and can't wait!


    Well, there are plenty of times when Williams has "raised the bar" and ventured into exciting new territory. Everything from IMAGES to the Irwin Allen TV scores to CLOSE ENCOUNTERS to JAWS. And in a retro way, even STAR WARS. So it's not like he's uncapable of that. No, I think it's more a matter of having this whole patriotic sentiment INGRAINED in their subconscious ('their' in this case meaning Spielberg and Williams). So in a way, I guess there's no getting around it with a project like this. It's a culture difference, basically. Imagine if something like A TIMELESS CALL had been made in Norway! It would have been lambasted, slaughtered and - I think - not even SHOWN on Norwegian television screens. It would be FAR too propagandastic.

    So what am I saying here? Probably that it's part unconscious American culture and "sentiment", part a conscious unwillingness to step outside oneself and look at it from a slightly different angle - both musically and filmically.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthormarkrayen
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009
    Great point! I think Williams has often dived into new territory with his creative boldness and accomplished much with it. I was only referring to this particular sort of commission where the mere functionality of the composition is meant to be it's dominating feature.

    The exaggerated patriotism in the music can indeed be overwhelming, and it is something that concerns me too. You're absolutely right in the assertion that a program like "A Timeless Call" could probably not have been made in Norway - and I'm glad for that. But something that worries me is that people here don't seem to be so alert when the patriotism, or "americanization", comes from the music. To use an example of personal experience, the short film you commented on in the other topic the other day featured some sort of action cue from Hans Zimmer's "King Arthur" (I think) on it's temp track. I considered that terribly inappropriate and so the approach I offered wasn't nearly as interested in creating suspense and terror. I had to pay for that decision in the form of a very cold shoulder from the film's producers, as well as a significant portion of the score cut out and my name cut from the list of contributors on nrk's webpages. Also on another film project I was asked to specifically imitate Thomas Newman's famous "bouncy pizzicato" style heard in so many american films and television shows (f ex. "Desperate Housewives"), and thereby commercialize the film. Again I refused and eventually only agreed to deliver one single cue with that approach. The result was then that that single cue was cut and pasted a half a dozen places across the film and slightly spoiled the artistic direction I was pushing the film towards - in favour of a more glamourized and hollywood-like approach. In a way I am thankful that I still am an amateur composer since I work for free and can get away with doing exactly what I want - at least most of the time.

    I think the unwillingness you mention to view things from a slightly different angle also applies to the way american styles and trends impose themselves on other parts of the world. Especially with music, as we all seem to be so uncritical and accepting of things we hear on television, as opposed to what we see or percieve linguistically. The awkward and strangely unfitting fanfares that accompany the titles for the sports programs on tv2 for instance? I find myself having to turn off the sound even though they only last a few seconds! In sharp contrast, nrk have some fantastic musical sound design for their programs.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009 edited
    Well, TV (music) operates under a completely different aesthetic than film music, and doesn't always include a close relationship between the text and the music. It's just as much about "flow", to combine segments, to draw attention etc. - at most about creating channel identity (more than program identity).

    In an ideal world, Williams would have listened intently to the actual words of this TV intro or the TIMELESS CALL short and thought: "Ok, these are big words bordering on uncomfortable patriotism. I'll let them stand on their own and withdraw to a more restrained approach - perhaps avoiding music altogether for long stretches (esp. in the short). That will make it more believable and easier to swallow". But I realize that would probably be considered too "artsy" or ambivalent in a nation craving big emotions, big effects, big words, clear unilateral meaning, "loud presence". So he's probably doing what he's asked to do. I just want MORE than that. Or perhaps it's just a Europe vs. USA culture thing.

    Whenever music and film pull in the same überpatriotic direction, it comes off as clichée or parody. AIR FORCE ONE is a good example, where both the film AND Goldsmith's music takes it so much overboard that it becomes over-the-top - but in an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek way. It's difficult to say the same of something as serious as a documentary film about American soldiers in Iraq (A TIMELESS CALL) or a TV transmission of serious stageplays (GREAT PERFORMANCES).

    By the way, thanks for your behind-the-scenes recounting. I guess it's a given that "temptrackitis" is prevalent in Norway as well - even at student film level.
    I am extremely serious.
  4. Thor wrote
    Well, TV (music) operates under a completely different aesthetic than film music, and doesn't always include a close relationship between the text and the music. It's just as much about "flow", to combine segments, to draw attention etc. - at most about creating channel identity (more than program identity).

    In an ideal world, Williams would have listened intently to the actual words of this TV intro or the TIMELESS CALL short and thought: "Ok, these are big words bordering on uncomfortable patriotism. I'll let them stand on their own and withdraw to a more restrained approach - perhaps avoiding music altogether for long stretches (esp. in the short). That will make it more believable and easier to swallow". But I realize that would probably be considered too "artsy" or ambivalent in a nation craving big emotions, big effects, big words, clear unilateral meaning, "loud presence". So he's probably doing what he's asked to do. I just want MORE than that. Or perhaps it's just a Europe vs. USA culture thing.


    For some reason, reading this has reminded me of the atrocious sentimentalism of Spielberg and Williams' collaboration on AMISTAD. The underscoring of Anthony Hopkins' monologues in court at the end of the film - unforgivably saccharine.

    But then you see something like the restrained folk-like piece Williams arranged for the Obama inauguration. Or his martial characterisation of Nixon's Republican Convention Address in Oliver Stone's NIXON. He clearly has more than one setting when it comes to invoking an American dimension in his writing. I suspect it's Spielberg that calls forth a less critical, starry-eyed, and yes, arguably less sincere (at least for Williams, if not for Spielberg) kind of music.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
  5. Thor wrote
    By the way, thanks for your behind-the-scenes recounting. I guess it's a given that "temptrackitis" is prevalent in Norway as well - even at student film level.


    It's particularly at the student film level, where films can show in festivals without having to demonstrate legal ownership of all music tracks, that you would expect temptrackitis to dominate. For it's there that you can get away with it. I speak from experience.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009
    franz_conrad wrote

    For some reason, reading this has reminded me of the atrocious sentimentalism of Spielberg and Williams' collaboration on AMISTAD. The underscoring of Anthony Hopkins' monologues in court at the end of the film - unforgivably saccharine.

    But then you see something like the restrained folk-like piece Williams arranged for the Obama inauguration. Or his martial characterisation of Nixon's Republican Convention Address in Oliver Stone's NIXON. He clearly has more than one setting when it comes to invoking an American dimension in his writing. I suspect it's Spielberg that calls forth a less critical, starry-eyed, and yes, arguably less sincere (at least for Williams, if not for Spielberg) kind of music.


    Yeah, good point. I'm the biggest Spielberg AND Williams fan in the world, but this is a recurrent shortcoming. It DID work in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, both in terms of spotting and the actual sound of the music when it appeared - probably because of Spielberg's more restrained storytelling in that one, but the whole Americana/"God Bless America" aspect is one of the few things that don't mesh very well in their partnership.

    By the way, I agree with your assessment of the Hopkins monologue, which is one of the very reasons why I gave this speech as a group assignment in a Media Rhetorics course I held in 2007. Surprisingly, though (or not surprisingly), few mentioned the music, but almost EVERYONE mentioned the saccharine aspect!
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009
    I don't mind the overwhelming patriotism since i don't give a damn for most of those movies, i just enjoy the music's greatness.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2009
    Christodoulides wrote
    I don't mind the overwhelming patriotism since i don't give a damn for most of those movies, i just enjoy the music's greatness.


    Sure, alone it's great music in the tradition of Aaron Copland. However, there's much to be said about its original context as well, especially these things that don't even have a stand-alone recording yet.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeApr 15th 2009
    Sorry for the interruption, but i found the best use of Williams' JAWS; ever.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    • CommentAuthorAnthony
    • CommentTimeApr 15th 2009
    Lame. rolleyes tongue
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 15th 2009
    Certainly a lame version of the Jaws theme. There is more to it than two notes shockingly enough! rolleyes
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 15th 2009
    Yeah, it was a bit scraping the barrel D.....or was it scraping 3 barrels???
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt