part 2 - What would YOU like to see...............

Zimmer is not responsible for what the younger composers who happen to be in the RC staff do. I don't see anyone giving him credit for the genius of Powell just for a change. Why do you give him the negative credit of all the crap that comes out of there, for once?

"Composing-by-production-line" is a phenomenon of our days, probably more than what some of you might have realized. How is what RC composers do (in principle, NOT MUSICAL STYLE) any different than a composer hiring JAMES HORNER / CHRISTOPHER YOUNG / DANNY ELFMAN / BRIAN TYLER on the go just because he wants just another fast score by them with their distinct style?

As for the inferior quality of some RC composers, have you ever thought that maybe it's something more general that has to do with younger composers in general which are being 'brought up' (professionally speaking) in the current Hollywood 'ethics' and trends which REQUIRE just that? Have you ever compared the upbringing (both professional environment as well as musical education) of the older generations of film composers with the today's 'fast food' status of everything hollywood, and thus (american, mostly) film music as well?
I told you before. It's the RC SOUND you have a problem with, the specific style. The extensions of the work model out of the RC and to the entire hollywood studios' system is exaggerated imo as you'll see that many other composers outside of the RC have been doing it - in different styles yes, but under the same principles - for many years now.

I'd say that Zimmer pounds at his keyboard while watching the movie and then hands the midi's or whatever he records onto to his orchestrator(s) and they do the bulk of the work.

-Erik-

Him and 65% of the rest of film music composers out there today. And you know it. Wanna speak Arnold or Mansell or anyone else for the subject matter?

Five people -- sometimes -- on rescores and late projects, but regularly, J.N.H. does not. And "5" is different from 15. And even then at least one guy is doing source music only.

The reason you see 5 and not 15 is because Zimmer is the only one who actually credits the guy who does source music only.

As for the DEMOS thingy, have you heard the demos for THE BATTLE cues in Gladiator? The synth mock-ups?

I think Gregson-Williams would be happy to have a theme for his wedding written by Zimmer. HGW left MV, but they still are great friends.

I'm not going to give those two a break either. And just because 65% of the rest of film composers do it doesn't mean that it's right.

-Erik-

If 65% of people jumped off a cliff, would you do it too D?

^ You assume.

Justin, spare me the smartass attitude now, will ya?

No, i wouldn't jump off the cliff but that other 65% means that Zimmer is NOT THE ONE DOING EVERYTHING THAT'S BAD like you're psyched that he is!

I'd bet my ass that that is the finished mock up of the completely orchestrated piece to hand over to Ridley Scott for his approval before recording that exact piece with a live orchestra... that is only going to be drowned out by his synth orchestra anyway.

-Erik-

But it's a boat load of fun watching people try to creatively defend his work.

-Erik-

I'm sorry but I completely disagree. It is impossible to compose a great score using the Remote Control model. You might get lucky some times and get one which is OK, but you're never going to get anything that digs beneath the surface of a film - in the way that all the great film scores do - when it's written by a large number of different people, in different rooms. Zimmer is entirely responsible for the sound of scores like Iron Man - he takes the assignment, he assigns the composers, he produces the score, he talks to the director and producers. Just because he isn't the one sitting in the studio on his computer "composing" doesn't mean he isn't responsible for it.

Surely you can see the difference between hiring Remote Control to write a score and hiring Christopher Young to write it. Young will bring his unique vision to a film score - he won't always write a good one, but he will try his honest best - he won't be turning to the "score producer" for approval of everything, he will be working with the director of the film to come up with the right approach. He won't be sitting there writing a cue, having it tossed, and churning out a completely different one five minutes later. He will have a vision of the film score from start to finish, and execute that vision.

And to give Zimmer credit for Powell... that Powell has made it might be down to Zimmer hiring him in the first place, but the guy didn't write a single noteworthy film score until he left Media Ventures and was actually able to put something personal into his music, so if he has succeeded then it's despite Hans Zimmer, not because of him.

But NOT over the final product. That's between the director and the composer himself. You know that.



Doesn't matter. Some directors go over to Horner to get yet another one of that Horner sound bit and same goes for Elfman and others; some other directors, producers and studios simply go to RC. No big deal.





Answer completely irrelevant to TODAY'S YOUNG COMPOSERS (not Broughton, not Zimmer) scoring and working in Today's working conditions and Hollywood ethics.




Fair enough (in some cases but not all) but that has nothing to do with "a plague" being spread through RC.

Cough, Chicken Run, for one. And he's now again working with Zimmer. In 2008.