(To add dramatic effect click play above)
James Bond is back with the thrilling action packed film known as Skyfall. In this 23rd edition of Bond, we travel all across the globe to Istanbul, Shanghai and Macau, one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China. The music orchestrator J.A.C Redford and the music editors, Bill Bernstein and Tony Lewis, along with many others involved in the music department, did a phenomenal job of creating music to fit with the location of the set. Whether it’s Shanghai or Istanbul, the music of the movie fits with the location, the emotion of the scene and enhances the visual content of the film.
Of course we can’t forget the Oscar winner from the film, Adele with the Oscar for Best Original Song! Here is a link to the song below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gLRp5bSpw
” .” A touching quote from the film The Artist (no sarcasm intended). This 2011 silent French film won 5 Academy Awards, including Best picture, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. The Artist also won 3 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score and Best Actor-Musical or Comedy for Dujardin. The story takes place in Hollywood in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s and focuses on the relationship of a silent film star and a rising actress as silent cinema fades away and is replaced by film with speech, also known as “talkies.”
Ludovic Bource is the composer for the film score and his music can be found on The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Since The Artist is a silent film, music is the main drive of depicting emotion in a scene. I though Ludovic Bource did a phenomenal job with his compositions in this film. Below is the album track list and a link to a preview of the soundtrack.
1. The Artist Ouverture
2. 1927, A Russian Affair
3. George Valentin
4. Pretty Peppy
5. At the Kinograph Studio
6. Love Fantasy
7. Waltz for Peppy
8. Estancia Opus 8 – Brussels Philharmonic
9. Imagination – Red Nichols & His Five Pennies
10. Silent Rumble
11. 1929
12. In the Stairs
13. Jubilee Stomp – Duke Ellington
14. Like a Rosée of Tears
15. The Sound of Tears
16. Pennies from Heaven – Rose Murphy
17. 1931
18. Jungle Bar
19. Shadow of the Flames
20. Happy Ending
21. Charming Blackmail
22. Ghosts from the Past
23. My Suicide (Dedicated to 03.29.1967)
24. Peppy & George
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKNrbm6n6k
Snow White and the Huntsman is a new take on the classic fairy tale Snow White. This by far is my favorite Kristen Stewart movie… Yes, shocker, you normally don’t see “Kristen Stewart” and “favorite” in the same sentence (sorry if I offended you Twilight fans). Here are some of the big names that worked on creating the music for this film and their background.
Original music was done by James Newton Howard. He attended the University of Southern California’s music school, but dropped out to tour with Elton John,(who wouldn’t?!?) and eventually compose music for film and television. He has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards, while currently working as a songwriter, record producer, conductor, keyboardist and film composer.
In film and television, a Music Editor matches music to visual scenes in a manner that enhances the feel and impact of a film. Jason Ruder is this films Music Editor. He has worked on major films including Crazy Stupid Love, Live Free or Die Hard, The Hangover Part II and Sideways.
Jim Weidman, who frequently works with James Newton Howard, is the Supervising Music Editor of Snow White and the Huntsman. He has also worked on the films The Hunger Games, I Am Legend, King Kong and Blood Diamond.
One of my favorite pieces composed for this film is called “Breath of Life,” a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The song was recorded exclusively for Snow White and the Huntsman and has been nominated for the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film.
Here is the music video for “Breath of Life.” Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2t-vquuT7k
