Scott Stambler: T.V. Then And Now

We were scoring a film on Newman Scoring Stage last Friday. At take 282 Rick Marvin, our composer, wondered how many takes we would accumulate by the time we finished our fifth session on the day this article posts. Vinny “Smart Water” Cirilli, our Protools Recordist, and software virtuoso of CueChronicle said, “I wonder how many takes “The Simpsons” are up to?” We found out that “The Simpsons”, which had scored mostly at Fox, was at the take thirty thousand mark. Funny thing is, up until a couple of months ago I had no idea most T.V. shows were scored in the box – that’s how long it’s been since I worked in TV. In…

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?…

ESP and Music

“I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.” (Woody Allen / Annie Hall) Some directors know exactly what they want, others will define what works as a process of musical evolution. For me, discovering the director’s sensibilities is a top priority. By ‘sensibilities’ I do mean mind reading. How do you talk music when words can’t express the colors, emotions, and pulse? Yeah, I know you can discuss music academically, but guess what? It doesn’t work. No matter how articulate you might be, a director has a vision which is usually satisfied with music, not words. Keep in mind…