Remote Control/Media Ventures - general thread.

Well, I purposefully want to AVOID discussing the merits and dismerits of RC/MV style too much, because even if it's crap, as I said (and recently usually it is, especially in the movies), it doesn't bring anything to discussion.

The real question is what changed the trends in film music. Why isn't it so cool and so orchestral as it was before. How did the scoring paradigm change? Granted, Zimmer should appear here (though not alone), but rather than discussing the RC aesthetics (even if it is an oxymoron ), we should discuss the reasons WHY is that and try to avoid talking about money, because, again, it closes any discussions.

Seriously, though, I did a little article on this very issue that sums up most aspects pretty well:

http://montages.no/2010/01/remote-contr … oversielt/

Use Google Translate to get the gist of it.

I actually don't listen to many Zimmer action scores anymore, ever since I've discovered his other side.

Which is?

True! But movies that could do with a big bold theme aren't getting them.

With their method of work, I think that's what Shyamalan might have wanted.

Maybe, just maybe, directors aren't as stupid as we think them to be?

Howard writes his themes before production starts and that's when Shyamalan okays them. So it was definitely Shyamalan.

Chris, see Erik's response

I talked to few minor-to-average scale (not talent or something, I mean not working in "high places") and directors are definitely very interested in the narrative elements of film music.

Many them admit not to know SHIT about music (and proud of it) and even go as far as looking with some mysticism (how does it happen?), but the interest in the narrative is there.

I want to be a director myself and the trend change is of my huge interest. I will give you an example of a bad score that could be a great example of a certain style, had it been written better. It's an RC score.

There is a very specific genre of political/spy/action thriller that was basically created by Tom Clancy with some precursory books by Michael Crichton. It's called techno-thriller. For people that might not know the style or any of Clancy's books, I'll explain that this is a type of thriller where the modern technology usage (modern espionage, new warfare, sattelite programming) is written into the structure of storyline and suspense building (setpieces being based on specific sattelite positioning, for example).

Clancy-based movies have inspired a few really good scores. Basil Poledouris's Hunt for Red October is a classic, even if the CD release is pretty awful, due to lack of material rather than quality of the music, I find James Horner's Clear and Present Danger to be a hugely underrated work, his Patriot Games was popular, but is pretty bland for what it could have been (one of the very rare cases, where I prefer the movie to the original novel), I regard Jerry Goldsmith's Sum of All Fears to be his best work of the final years of his life.

The score that I want to use as example is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game score is pretty awful, though has some moments that belong to my favorite in the history of the entire Remote Control, but this sound would work in a technothriller VERY well and I will explain why.

A technothriller score must address two very important things that constitute the genre - the modern technology at hand and the analysis of modern geopolitics. The first element is represented by the heavily electronic approach to music. Modern Warfare *has* that. The basis of the music is electronic, with a heavily rhythmic and harmonic base. What's interesting, it never resorts to pure dissonance, it's pretty harmonious/melodic all the time.

The geopolitical issues are usually addressed by ethnic elements. So we have a lot of Arab influences, possibly Chinese (China's rise to power in last 2 decades, Clancy even wrote a novel when Russia gets attacked by China to take over Siberia), Russian material (mostly represented by choral writing). Modern Warfare ALSO hints at that and sometimes does it pretty subtly and in a modern hip way.

The third thing such a score demands is where Modern Warfare 2 fails really miserable. Such a movie demands, except the LARGELY electronic approach, an emotional orchestral backdrop. Sampled strings playing quick rhythms don't help here. And they need bold themes. They do, it's a new modern version of heroism that this genre depicts and a very good anthem from Remote Control (which the game score lacks, Hans Zimmer maybe wrote the main themes, but possibly, with all honesty and brutality, on the toilet. While constipated. The anthems fall shortly of whatever is possible.

Also, most of technothrillers are American at heart and feature character of the highest sort in chain of command. Subtle hints at Copland (like Goldsmith did - and Tyler too - in his Rambo scores) would be perfect to address that.

Because of weak thematic material and faux-orchestral arrangements, except two-three highlights, Modern Warfare 2 is a really weak, 2-star score. But if developed and orchestrated right (a combination of Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner would be PERFECT for the genre), it could work in a good techno thriller movie.

Is it that short recurring motif? Usually played by electric violin?

When it comes to the official release, my favorite tracks are Deadline and Infiltration.

It's indeed interesting, but gets buried into the score, and pretty simplistic. The heroic themes suck.

Modern Warfare 2. Read my long post. I think with much better orchestrations and thematic material, this sort of style would fit very well a specific sort of movie.

Well, I don't buy the comparison, Pawel. I think it's very unfair to judge a GAME score like MODERN WARFARE 2 (which is based on a whole of other set of rules than a film score in the first place) with established film classics such as HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER or PATRIOT GAMES.

A better comparison in the socalled techno-thriller genre (of MV/RC-style scores) would be ENEMY OF THE STATE, THE 6TH DAY or the TV series BUGS.

Why is that the main category that MV excels at is animation scoring?

Antz, Chicken Run, Steamboy, Wallace & Gromit, Bee Movie, Over the Hedge, perhaps Shrek.