Yesterday I wrote briefly about the challenges of being a film composer – trying to write memorably good music without overshadowing the screen action.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Disaster. I searched around, trying to find a piece of music that might appropriately capture the mood of the tragedy. I did much better than I expected.
American composer Jasha Klebe is currently working in Hollywood, scoring music for TV and movies. This is his theme music for a National Geographicdocumentary on the Challenger explosion, which aired only a few days ago. It’s perfect music for its purpose – it paints the emotional response of a country who has watched their heroes perish on live TV. The music is also good enough to stand alone, with no video images to accompany it – perhaps as a slow movementtheme in a symphony.
Conan the Barbarian‘s answer to this question is, well, questionable. And the movie itself … well, either it’s so bad it’s good, or it’s so bad that it goes past good and back to bad again.
Basil Poledouris wrote the film score to many movies. Film composers have an interesting and difficult job – yes, they have to write good music, but they also have to be careful not to outdo the action on the screen. They can make a mundane scene come to life, or make stupid dialogue sound intelligent. But, all the while, their music has to remain in the background.
long live airbrushed movie posters of nearly-naked people!
This is one of those pieces that everybody just knows. You can’t avoid it – it’s in cartoons, commercials, video games. Gioachino Rossini knows how to write ’em; everything is clear and easy to follow – no tricks or games. It begins with a gentle melody that blows up about 2:45.
And go ahead … think of the Lone Ranger, and ride a pretend horse around your house, the office, or even around town. If anybody turns up their nose at you, just “neigh” at them and move on.
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