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Movie Instrumentals Spinoff - Who are your favorite cinematic composers?
Posted on 1/30/24 at 2:07 pm
Posted on 1/30/24 at 2:07 pm
Orchestral music has been around for centuries but it continues to have wide-reaching impacts in our modern culture. In no place is this more apparent in modern pop culture than in movie scores and soundtracks.
While time will tell if cinematic composers will garner the same historical notoriety as their more classical counterparts, the talent, creativity, and genius of these musical behemoths have carved a place at least in cinematic history. Their ability to not only create exceptionally beautiful music on its own but to then integrate into part of a larger work of art, invoking the full range of emotions, is nothing short of masterful. In many cases, the music becomes its own character and being within a movie. Orchestral music has been shown to increase brainwave activity and enhance learning and memory and without the men and women adding their amazing talents to a movie, many films would not have received the acclaim that they have or hold that special place in our hearts.
So, who are some of your favorite composers from film? Not looking for any kind of ranking. Just want to bring attention to these deserving individuals.
My nominations (notable films NOT all-inclusive):
John Williams
Absolute GOAT. I don't think anyone else has produced so many memorable pieces for the biggest movies.
Notable films - Star Wars, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and too many others to list here
Hans Zimmer
Hans definitely has a style and it's a style that fits perfectly into action, suspense, and high-drama.
Notable films - Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, Dune, Planet Earth, Top Gun: Maverick
James Horner
James has scored some of the most iconic and memorable films ever made.
Notable films - Titanic, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, Willow, Aliens, Star Trek, Apocalypto, Apollo 13, Avatar
Alan Silvestri
Not quite the household name as others on my list but Alan has been a part of some absolutely monster films.
Notable films - Forrest Gump, Avengers, Polar Express, Back to the Future, Cosmos (TV)
Danny Elfman
Yet another composer with a unique style all his own making his own place in cinematic history.
Notable films - Batman, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Wednesday, Fifty Shades, Good Will Hunting
Michael Giacchino
Michael has been tapped to score quite a few animated films but has demonstrated the chops to score blockbuster live-action as well.
Notable films - The Incredibles, Coco, Mission Impossible, Jurassic World, Rouge One
Other notables
Howard Shore's work on the LotR/Hobbit Trilogies deserves recognition on its own.
Ramin Djawadi has gained fame more for his television work on GoT and HotD but has quite a few films to his credit as well. He is a "young" up-and-comer.
While time will tell if cinematic composers will garner the same historical notoriety as their more classical counterparts, the talent, creativity, and genius of these musical behemoths have carved a place at least in cinematic history. Their ability to not only create exceptionally beautiful music on its own but to then integrate into part of a larger work of art, invoking the full range of emotions, is nothing short of masterful. In many cases, the music becomes its own character and being within a movie. Orchestral music has been shown to increase brainwave activity and enhance learning and memory and without the men and women adding their amazing talents to a movie, many films would not have received the acclaim that they have or hold that special place in our hearts.
So, who are some of your favorite composers from film? Not looking for any kind of ranking. Just want to bring attention to these deserving individuals.
My nominations (notable films NOT all-inclusive):
John Williams
Absolute GOAT. I don't think anyone else has produced so many memorable pieces for the biggest movies.
Notable films - Star Wars, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and too many others to list here
Hans Zimmer
Hans definitely has a style and it's a style that fits perfectly into action, suspense, and high-drama.
Notable films - Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, Dune, Planet Earth, Top Gun: Maverick
James Horner
James has scored some of the most iconic and memorable films ever made.
Notable films - Titanic, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, Willow, Aliens, Star Trek, Apocalypto, Apollo 13, Avatar
Alan Silvestri
Not quite the household name as others on my list but Alan has been a part of some absolutely monster films.
Notable films - Forrest Gump, Avengers, Polar Express, Back to the Future, Cosmos (TV)
Danny Elfman
Yet another composer with a unique style all his own making his own place in cinematic history.
Notable films - Batman, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Wednesday, Fifty Shades, Good Will Hunting
Michael Giacchino
Michael has been tapped to score quite a few animated films but has demonstrated the chops to score blockbuster live-action as well.
Notable films - The Incredibles, Coco, Mission Impossible, Jurassic World, Rouge One
Other notables
Howard Shore's work on the LotR/Hobbit Trilogies deserves recognition on its own.
Ramin Djawadi has gained fame more for his television work on GoT and HotD but has quite a few films to his credit as well. He is a "young" up-and-comer.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 2:18 pm to The Next
Hard to beat Zimmer, Williams, and Horner.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 2:21 pm to The Next
quote:
John Williams Absolute GOAT. I don't think anyone else has produced so many memorable pieces for the biggest movies. Notable films - Star Wars, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and too many others to list here
Can’t forget Jaws, baw.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 2:30 pm to The Next
I like Jerry Goldsmith just for Total Recall
Posted on 1/30/24 at 3:10 pm to The Next
Thomas Newman - American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Shawshank, Meet Joe Black, 1917, Green Mile…
Posted on 1/30/24 at 3:12 pm to The Next
My absolute favorites have already been mentioned, but Ludwig Göransson is quickly becoming a standout composer. He will win the Oscar for the Oppenheimer score this year.
Some of his previous scores include Tenet, Black Panther, and The Mandalorian.
Some of his previous scores include Tenet, Black Panther, and The Mandalorian.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 3:16 pm to The Next
I've been watching a lot of Italian horror lately and everything from Claudio Simonetti has been great. His music really adds to the experience.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 4:26 pm to The Next
Did the top of your list get truncated? That's where Ennio belongs.
Posted on 1/30/24 at 4:35 pm to The Next
In addition to those already posted I’ll add:
Klaus Bedalt- Pirates of the Caribbean (He’s a Pirate)
Blake Neely- The Pacific, Greyhound, Masters of the Air
Klaus Bedalt- Pirates of the Caribbean (He’s a Pirate)
Blake Neely- The Pacific, Greyhound, Masters of the Air
Posted on 1/30/24 at 4:58 pm to The Next
Brad Fiedel and Steve Jablonksy
Posted on 1/30/24 at 5:07 pm to The Next
Bernard Herrmann is the GOAT
He started his long career conducting the score to Citizen Kane (first film). 100 or so films later he did all the Hitchcock Hollywood movies like Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest - these pretty much invented what we know as a the modern score. At the time of his death in 1975 he was working with young filmmakers like DePalma & Scorsese. Taxi Driver was his last film.
Spielberg really wanted him for Jaws but he was booked. Rumor is, they had a meeting scheduled to discuss Close Encounters but Herrmann died of a heart attack the night before.
Ask John Williams who was his inspiration - its Herrmann
He started his long career conducting the score to Citizen Kane (first film). 100 or so films later he did all the Hitchcock Hollywood movies like Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest - these pretty much invented what we know as a the modern score. At the time of his death in 1975 he was working with young filmmakers like DePalma & Scorsese. Taxi Driver was his last film.
Spielberg really wanted him for Jaws but he was booked. Rumor is, they had a meeting scheduled to discuss Close Encounters but Herrmann died of a heart attack the night before.
Ask John Williams who was his inspiration - its Herrmann
This post was edited on 1/30/24 at 5:08 pm
Posted on 1/30/24 at 8:35 pm to The Next
Bridge of Spies is still my all time favorite score
Posted on 2/1/24 at 5:27 pm to The Next
quote:
James Horner
James has scored some of the most iconic and memorable films ever made.
Notable films - Titanic, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, Willow, Aliens, Star Trek, Apocalypto, Apollo 13, Avatar
Horner is my favorite for sure. Love the Glory soundtrack!
Posted on 2/1/24 at 5:42 pm to The Next
Giorgio Moroder.. Top Gun, Flashdance, Midnight Express, Cat People, Scarface, Superman and many more.
T Bone Burnett... Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Cold Mountain, Crazy Heart, Walk The Line
T Bone Burnett... Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Cold Mountain, Crazy Heart, Walk The Line
Posted on 2/1/24 at 6:47 pm to The Next
Has anyone said this guy? He has a seat at the table.
quote:
Basil Konstantine Poledouris (/?p?l?'d??r?s/; August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores,[1] best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoeven. Among his works are scores for the films Conan the Barbarian (1982), Red Dawn (1984), Iron Eagle (1986), RoboCop (1987), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Free Willy (1993), Starship Troopers (1997) and Les Misérables (1998). Poledouris won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special for his work on the four-part miniseries Lonesome Dove in 1989, and was a four-time recipient of the BMI Film Music Award.
Posted on 2/1/24 at 7:53 pm to The Next
John Williams is kind of unrivaled in my opinion.
Alan Menken is also at the top.
Alan Menken is also at the top.
Posted on 2/1/24 at 11:56 pm to The Next
quote:
John Williams
Absolute GOAT. I don't think anyone else has produced so many memorable pieces for the biggest movies.
Notable films - Star Wars, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and too many others to list here
You didn't even mention Superman which I think is just as iconic as Star Wars.
Superman opening credits
Seinfeld "The Race"
This post was edited on 2/2/24 at 12:02 am
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