The Death of the Theme: A Rant

Five years ago today, one of the greatest melodists to ever pick up the baton left us. Jerry Goldsmith was not only a master interpreter of film, but also one of the greatest creators of film music to ever grace the medium. Goldsmith’s music, whether by accident or pure purpose, was a major influence on many of us in our decisions to take on this career and try to reach even a fraction of the height that he was able to during his time at the podium. I am of the opinion that when Jerry Goldsmith passed, so did something else… the Jerry Goldsmith via last.fm matic writing. It will surely be argued that John…

Gateway Scores: Alien

I don’t know if this is a true story. Richard Burton was playing the lead in a comedy on Broadway. Before making his entrance he told the stage manager, “Tonight, I’m gonna make ‘em cry”. He went on and, as promised, he brought the audience to tears when they should have been laughing. With the greatest respect to the ghost of Richard Burton, film music can also evoke tears, tension, fright and every other conceivable emotion. Speaking of ghosts, I’ve sat many times on an empty Fox scoring stage wondering how Joseph Mankiewicz reacted the first time he heard Bernard Hermann’s main title of “The Ghost And Mrs. Muir”. Did Mankiewicz break down in tears?…

Gateway Scores: What Got You “Hooked”?

As a special SCOREcast theme for this last week of June, you’ll see several posts on the Main Page covering a topic that we all love to talk about: our love of film music. We asked our SCOREcast Contributors to tell us what film score got them hooked into the idea that scoring films might be the career for them. From many certain classics to some that you might have ever heard of before, it is possible that you’ll be as surprised as we were with the responses. Have fun reading their stories… and be sure to log in and comment on your own Gateway Score!

Jai Meghan: Come “Sponge” with Me: Part III

In this series, I’ve invited you to learn with me from some of the masters of television scoring. In case you haven’t been following along, so far we’ve listened to over two hours of Jerry Goldsmith giving one of his final interviews with John Burlingame, and an hour of Sandy Courage talking about all things Star Trek — two giants responsible for some of the film industry’s most respected and memorable music. Now, I want to shift our focus from the 60′s to the 70′s and 80′s. This interview is priceless, and if you are looking to learn from someone who has done more television than anyone else on the planet, look no further than…

Silence is Golden

Why is music used here? and What is its function?

Before diving headlong into an analytical frenzy surrounding the functions of film music, I want to begin by establishing a frame of reference by which the very existence of film music centers. In doing that one must not immediately look at specific moments in film that are supported by music but rather moments which are not.

Jai Meghan: Come “Sponge” with Me: Part II

Still “sponging” with me? I hope you were able to catch at least half of the interview from yesterday with Jerry Goldsmith. If you ever want to have a solid grasp on the history of the CBS Television era of the 50′s, 60′s, and 70′s, do yourself a favor, pop open a cold one, and check it out here. So, I saw the new Star Trek this last week with my wife. While I won’t comment on the film or the score until I know most of you have had the chance to see it for yourself, I will say (and this won’t spoil anything for anyone, so chill out!) the best part for me…

Jai Meghan: Come “Sponge” with Me

I’m past it now. I’ve dealt with the harsh reality. I’ve come to terms with the fact that basically… I’m a professional chimp. I assist a composer. It’s what I do. You can dress it up all you want – Scoring Assistant, Technical Score Consultant, Assistant to Composer, whatever – but the fact remains that I do what I’m told and I’d damned well better like it! I know what you are thinking. It sounds so glamorous. I know. “Ooh! Aww! You get to work on movies!” Actually, I ride herd on studio racks, install plugins, go get takeout… I totally just do what I’m told. And it kicks ass. I have learned more doing…