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I’m sure this has been done before… but I’m still fairly new to this community here, and I was curious to see if anyone else really appreciated the same things that I did. I more got into Elfman in the mid to later 80’s, so I’m more of a newer fan that I guess some of you guys who’ve been around since the Oingo Boingo days, but I still have formed a real appreciation for his work over the years.
I grew up on alot of different composers from when I was young, until now. Of course, the likes of John Williams’ and Alan Silvestri can’t be easily washed away with their work on some of my childhood favorites — Superman; BttF; ET; Indiana Jones… etc… but they can’t hold a candle to Elfman as far as I’m concerned.
I’ll try and list my reasons as best as possible… although it’s hard to put into words.
1). Elfman seems to have an uncanny ability to read the director’s vision without even seeing the finished product. His music really is a part of the story because he can drum up any emotion the director is trying to capture with his melody at any given point. His sense of understanding for what any given scenario may need is beyond powerful, and certainly unmatched by his contemporaries from what I can see.
2). His themes fit like a glove. They may not always be the most epic (mostly because he never attempts to outscore the movie… like some big-shots), but he’s more concerned about giving the movie exactly what it needs rather than drawing attention to himself. Although, when “epic” is required, he delivers with a thunderous blow, and always right on time…. not all over the movie with no regard for any other cue than the main theme… but in harmony with the other tones of the flick, thus creating a perfect balance between “epic” and “mood” music.
3). His character development is key to all his scores. He works “inside out”, as oppose to most composers who work “outside-in”. He’s much more concerned about expressing the theme and emotions of the character as it applies to the setting (which is what a good director aims to do as well), as oppose to building up a scene with over-the-top sounds, and neglecting the individual who has your attention. The perfect example (and contrast) of this in recent times has to be the “Train” sequence from Spider-Man 2. Elfman’s music was brilliant, as it concentrated on Peter/Spidey’s anguish and moves in the close-ups, and then used longer strings and extended vocals for the shots where the camera zoomed out. Unfortunately, we were treated to work that was extremely inferior to what was created and cut for the film. The music we heard in Spider-Man 2 was all over the place, and used brassy sounds to try and keep up with the effects. Once again, Elfman’s understanding for what the scene needed was superior to another man’s vision… but again, we’re the losers here, since we didn’t get the right version in the film.
4). He can do so much with so little. His themes are not elaborate, but they’re complicated. They only have a handful of notes, but they can be manipulated to do almost anything. Reverse them, and you have a villian theme. Play them a note out of context, and you have a hazzardous scene for the main character. Again, going back to Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (I didn’t notice this so much with the Batman flicks, or the Men in Black flicks), but one note out of allignment from the first to the second, created a second world for the movie’s score. It was mature, simply because it altered a note that was in the background, and pulled it towards the front. Of course it was accentuated by the more powerful strings and percussion, but he made such a small change to the composition of the theme, and it made a world of difference.
5). You never really know where his next note is gonna go… it’s not something you can predict… especially when you listen to some of his cues, and you’re expecting a note to go a certain way, and it leaves you in the dark to go another way completely. He twists and turns quite a bit for a composer, and his unique style is his trademark that he can adapt to anything he does, regardless of what the film’s content is… and it still works everytime.
6). Finally, I think I’d have to say that he just seems like a great guy. I’ve seen interviews with him here and there, and he always appears like he’s so passionate about his craft that if he wasn’t getting paid the big bucks to do it, he’d still be in the studio giving 110%. I’m sure the fan-recognition and the money is a privelege that he wouldn’t quickly turn away, but his heart is in the music, and I’m sure that’s why his work is more powerful to me everytime I hear it… let alone everytime I hear something new.
Great guy… brilliant composer. Aces all-round!
He created a style all his own by simply borrowing the best elements from his favorite composers (film and classical) and blending them together — especially early in his career. Bernard Herrmann’s dark low woodwinds and growling muted brass meets Korngold’s big-Hollywood fanfares and swirling strings. Stravinsky’s jarring rythems meets Prokofiev’s lyrical melodies. His style of orchestration is like Frankenstein’s monster, a patchwork, and with his spark of talent it becomes all his own and nobody else’s.
80’s isn’t new to me. I only got into his music about three years ago when I first heard the Spider-Man score. I wasn’t exclusively into film music at that time, but that score became stuck in my head and it had such a great sound. That’s when I stopped listening to regular “radio” stuff and listened only to film scores, weaning onto them with his work. I love his action scores the most because they’re exciting yet they have a lot of heart to them. When he goes all-out with brass, strings, and chorus, it’s just magic. For example, the finale to “Spider-Man” and the section of “Charlie” when there’s an aerial shot of the factory before the winners enter. I’m hoping he never stops scoring films and always maintains his unique style.
I know what you mean, Spider-Fan. That Spider-Man score did that for me too… although I was anticipating it from the time I heard he was attached to compose it. Up until then, I’d of considered myself more of a casual fan of the Elfmeister. That “Farewell” track is really phenominal. I’ll miss him on this third film.
i love that, ryan. perfectly said.
rie
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