I suspect most of us cringe slightly when some of the more popular pieces
of copyright free music turn up on soundtracks, but even when more distinctive
music is used it can grate when it turns up too often.
This thought struck me watching 'Shrek' not long after an old episode of
'The West Wing' - in both of them Leonard Cohen's song "Halelujah" was used.
It was used well in both and is a lovely song, but I don't really want it
to turn up again with a movie.
For years Dvorak's "New World" turned up everywhere. These days Ennio Morricone
and Bjork seem to crop up all over the place.
What are your equivalents: music which is lovely in itself but turns up too
often or inappropriately on soundtracks?
Dave (McCloth-Ear) Watterson
Over-familiar music
-
Reg Lancaster
Re: Over-familiar music
Dave McCloth Ear's piece about over familiar music reminded me of when I first
joined a film making club after spending 8 years out of the country.
For the first couple of years, as a beginner I received all kinds of criticism
which is perfectly normal.
However, what used to really irk was when I would choose an appropriate piece
of music to match a scene, only to have it slammed as totally out of place,
or inappropriate.
Not inept because it didn't match the scene, but because everyone who'd watched
TV in the 8 years I was away, associated almost every piece of well known
music with some detective, or comedy, or soap, or worse some TV advert. Associations
of which I was completely unaware.
I particularly remember a catchy tune being slammed as "trite use of the
Rugby Cup tune" or a sombre powerful piece where I "stole the Spartacus theme."
I never saw that Rugby series, and certainly never set eyes on some maritime
sail boat soap. Spartacus, to me, was the slave who rebelled against the
Romans.
When we first came home we thought the nation had gone mad, for everyone
would jerk their head to one side and say "Oh Bettey!" in a stupid manner.
It was ages before we saw, and appreciated Michael Crawford.
However, I can say with relish that clips from Monty Python still leave us
stone cold, icy cold in fact! Palin we love, as a railway traveller, not
as some prat, I mean part of a Silly Walks Department.
Oh dear, I suppose that rates as sacrilige.
Reg Lancaster
8607
joined a film making club after spending 8 years out of the country.
For the first couple of years, as a beginner I received all kinds of criticism
which is perfectly normal.
However, what used to really irk was when I would choose an appropriate piece
of music to match a scene, only to have it slammed as totally out of place,
or inappropriate.
Not inept because it didn't match the scene, but because everyone who'd watched
TV in the 8 years I was away, associated almost every piece of well known
music with some detective, or comedy, or soap, or worse some TV advert. Associations
of which I was completely unaware.
I particularly remember a catchy tune being slammed as "trite use of the
Rugby Cup tune" or a sombre powerful piece where I "stole the Spartacus theme."
I never saw that Rugby series, and certainly never set eyes on some maritime
sail boat soap. Spartacus, to me, was the slave who rebelled against the
Romans.
When we first came home we thought the nation had gone mad, for everyone
would jerk their head to one side and say "Oh Bettey!" in a stupid manner.
It was ages before we saw, and appreciated Michael Crawford.
However, I can say with relish that clips from Monty Python still leave us
stone cold, icy cold in fact! Palin we love, as a railway traveller, not
as some prat, I mean part of a Silly Walks Department.
Oh dear, I suppose that rates as sacrilige.
Reg Lancaster
8607
-
AN
Re: Over-familiar music
"Reg Lancaster" <amlancaster@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Albert....silliness from a dead parrot.
Cor, blasphemous too. Fancy not liking silly walks.However, I can say with relish that clips from Monty Python still leave
us
stone cold, icy cold in fact! Palin we love, as a railway traveller, not
as some prat, I mean part of a Silly Walks Department.
Oh dear, I suppose that rates as sacrilige.
Albert....silliness from a dead parrot.
-
Cinema For Thurso Group
Re: Over-familiar music
Well very much, each to their own but with a couple of tinnies in me right
now, I'm not sure if I've picked this up right but here's my slant on in
it anyway.
It would seem that those who critisised your choice of music may not be fully
appreciative of the musics' qualities or have an understanding of the flexability
of music as an interprative language. Many movies from the 80s suffer from
some jarring clashes of interest against the story content caused by the
choice of music. However there is a question of familiarity. Some peices
certainly get tagged to certain beasts- Sparticus to Onedin Line- but that
does not mean to say that it can't be used up against an entirely different
subject. The problem we face with familiar music is breaking the existing
conception that the music currently portrays.
In a current project in pre-production we are planning music selections from
the movie "Titanic" and there we have some quams. The original story is in
fact a true-life one which has a sea-fairing element, in fact the whole story
is not unlike Titanic except in reverse and takes place almost entirely on
land. But the premis will probly have our audience thinking it's a rip-off
simply because the music is over-familiar. The suite of music has actually
been chosen because it offers the best non-aural interpretation of the story
and has nothing to do with existing naughtical hints it contains.
It is also not uncommon to create a work in complete ignorance to other peices
yet produce something nearly identical or by dint of fate, heavily compared
to and held up against a similar work. Such is fate but yet push on because
will show the merits of your work irrespective of any critisism you may get
in the meantime.
So there you have it.
now, I'm not sure if I've picked this up right but here's my slant on in
it anyway.
It would seem that those who critisised your choice of music may not be fully
appreciative of the musics' qualities or have an understanding of the flexability
of music as an interprative language. Many movies from the 80s suffer from
some jarring clashes of interest against the story content caused by the
choice of music. However there is a question of familiarity. Some peices
certainly get tagged to certain beasts- Sparticus to Onedin Line- but that
does not mean to say that it can't be used up against an entirely different
subject. The problem we face with familiar music is breaking the existing
conception that the music currently portrays.
In a current project in pre-production we are planning music selections from
the movie "Titanic" and there we have some quams. The original story is in
fact a true-life one which has a sea-fairing element, in fact the whole story
is not unlike Titanic except in reverse and takes place almost entirely on
land. But the premis will probly have our audience thinking it's a rip-off
simply because the music is over-familiar. The suite of music has actually
been chosen because it offers the best non-aural interpretation of the story
and has nothing to do with existing naughtical hints it contains.
It is also not uncommon to create a work in complete ignorance to other peices
yet produce something nearly identical or by dint of fate, heavily compared
to and held up against a similar work. Such is fate but yet push on because
will show the merits of your work irrespective of any critisism you may get
in the meantime.
So there you have it.