Messages

76

Having Fun! / Re: Advice/Thoughts on Story I'm Writing

« on: May 11, 2009, 12:09:58 PM »

I think I may edit that just because I might have given too much away too soon. The information will be revealed of course it is just a matter of when.

As for the rest of the story, to quote Shakespeare In Love: "I've not written it!"

I'll write it soon!

77

Having Fun! / Re: Advice/Thoughts on Story I'm Writing

« on: May 11, 2009, 08:32:38 AM »

Thanks! I of course have no permission to use Yagudin's or Tarasova's names but for the purposes of a story such as this posted on a friend's forum I don't think it matters! *grin* Glad you are enjoying it so far. I am seriously considering deleting the last paragraph and posting some more things on Elizaveta herself (it is HER Wikipedia page after all) When you read the rest you'll understand and I hope you can give some advice!

78

Having Fun! / Re: Advice/Thoughts on Story I'm Writing

« on: May 10, 2009, 02:20:28 PM »

Well, here is what I have so far, for those interested. Nice to feel encouraged!

http://www.mikeys-madhouse.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=stories&action=display&thread=302&page=1

79

Having Fun! / Advice/Thoughts on Story I'm Writing

« on: May 10, 2009, 07:53:10 AM »

Well folks, I realize it's been AGES since I last posted on this board, but I still drop in and read the threads. Anyway, I am working on a story and wanted opinions and advice on it.

It's about a young woman who finds a mysterious cotton dress which she plans on using for a figure skating costume. It looks like it is from the 1950s, but what she finds out is that the dress has been altered over the years, but never destroyed. The dress is actually from 1918, and was worn by an Imperial Russian skating star. My plan is that the dress is cursed, it transports the heroine to 1918 and events in the skater's life, and as she finds out more about her, she wonders who could have killed her. There are several possibilities, several people could have motives to kill her. What is eventually discovered is that the skater's husband had something to do with the telegram that gave the order to execute the Imperial Family... Another twist on this is that Liza's brother was, in fact, the Officer (I know he was a fictitious creation by the Bolsheviks but in the story I think I can take a little artistic license) and she decides to warn him, but her husband finds out, thus giving him reason to be the one who actually kills her. So the heroine Kaitlyn finds all this out in an effort to save herself from the same fate that Liza had. There is a MAJOR twist in the end that I cannot give away for the sake of those who want to read it, but I've said basically all that needs to be said.

It's probably a pretty sloppy plotline, but that's what I am thinking so far for it. Any questions, comments, advice is welcome.

80

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 07, 2008, 02:13:12 PM »

Haha, you have similar philosophy to George Lucas regarding computers creating scenes.  Remember what I said about Scorcese creating NYC? Well, George stopped by the set one day and said, "You know, they have computers that can do all this work for you."

It's still evident that yyou still don't understand what I am trying to say about scores. I honestly don't know what other evidence I can use to inform you. It seems no matter what I present to you, you still have misconceptions, as evident by your last statement. This debate is getting rather exhausting considering it's one-sided, I'm basically the one presenting all the evidence here.

Ohhh, Coris! What a wonderful thread, I really enjoy reading that! Thanks for calling it to my attention!

81

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 06, 2008, 10:55:10 PM »

Well, I didn't mean to imply that you were an idiot, simply misinformed, because what you said didn't seem to show you knew much about the filmmaking process.

You know, I've been thinking a lot about rebuilding things, and I forgot all about the Scorcese masterpiece Gangs of New York, and its attention to historical detail. Marty really had the city of NY built from scratch, of course it wasn't in the same locatikon, but it is still perfectly duplicated. If you follow Marty's example, you could rebuild the locations you need in every detail, no one would care where the movie is being filmed (few people do) so you could still create the authenticity you seek.

Well you may not dislike scores but you certainly don't respect them. It is clear from your words that you have absolutely no respect for them.

Elfman is a wonderful composer, great taste by the way.

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Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 06, 2008, 01:53:50 AM »

Excellent points once again and well put! I just saw One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest last year (give me a break, I've not even turned 26 yet LOL!) and the ending was absolutely phenomenal, I was crying my eyes out. The score is very effective in that aspect as well, and coupled with the images, it's breathtaking to watch. I also love how most of the movie did not rely on score or music previously written to be meaningful or to get you emotional or interested in the characters and their situation. My favorite scenes were the ones where they had the meetings, particularly when Jack Nicholson is trying to get the necessary votes for the baseball game and the chief puts his hand up at the last second. Chief is definitely one of my favorie characters in cinema. That's definitely one of the greatest films ever made. I also would love to cite 2001: A Space Odyssey, and how its score mostly consisted of classical pieces, like the Blue Danube, to convey its messages. I really admired that about that film (though most of the film was pretty hard to understand for me personally). There are so many ways to approach music in film, it is all in the artistic side of things, you're right. I've not seen it, but I've heard about Ode To Joy being pivotal in A Clockwork Orange. I saw the famous rape scene on television and know I could never stomach the rest of it... But I digress.

I think the use of a live orchestra or live musician would bring a touch of authenticity and realism to a film. When ET celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2002, they premiered it with a live orchestra conducted by John Willikams himself, beginning with an overture, and then played the entire film score during the film with thousands of people in attendance. I have the DVD and there is an option to see it with the live orchestra, along with a lovely featurette about the premiere and the use of the orchestra, and it was such a brilliant concept, considering that a hundred years ago live orchestras and musicians were commonplace. When you see the theatrical release and then the premiere version, you can't really tell a difference because the percision was spot on. John was really worried about percision, making the musicians work fast enough to accomodate the score to the images. But he certainly pulled it off! It's wonderful to know that that kind of art isn't completely gone.

Thank you very much for the recommendations! I'll look into them, he's a fascinating director.

Another lovely film I would like to see in its entirety is City Lights. It seems like such a sweet story. Phantom of the Opera and Intolerance are also films I would like to check out. Let's not forget the originals of Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments. It's hard to top the color talking masterpieces for me personally, but I would love to check them out.

Have you checked out this extraordinary album? I have it on my wish list, it's a tad above my budget for one item, but considering the material, it's worth it. Maybe I'll ask for money for my birthday and buy it:

100 Greatest Movie Themes
http://www.amazon.com/100-Greatest-Film-Themes-SET/dp/B000PAU02S/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1209054235&sr=1-36

83

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 05, 2008, 12:51:28 PM »

You've obviously not read a word I've written. But I'm not one to give up easily, especially with regards to my greatest passion. Mind you, I only have a small collection of 150 scores and that's not much to brag about, considering most people I know have at least 500 or so. Still, you know absolutely nothing about the nature of filmmaking, it's clear from your words. I've changed my recommendations for composers many times in the past few posts, but the general consensus is that you would need a score from the likes of Horner, Williams, James Newton Howard, Thomas Newman, John Debney, Hans Zimmer (as loathe as I am to recommend him), Harry Gregson-Williams, or Gabriel Yared (primarily). But I think I can amend my recommendation a bit for this one composer who has slipped my mind entirely, and was brought to my attention by some fellow score collectors:

Angelo Badalamenti. This interesting NY native has brought to life the tragedy of WWI in the film A Very Long Engagement (a film from your country, am I correct, lulururu?) Now, I myself am not too acquainted with his works, but I do remember seeing Dark Water and recall how interesting the score was. It was pretty subtle, tonal, that's not what I would have expected for a horror movie. But it fit well with the tone the story set. I also remember The Beach, and how impressive that film was strictly based on his music. I am researching him as we speak, and I must thank you and the friends for the recommendation, he's incredible! Who would have ever thought such simple compositions, such tones, would be so emotional? I honestly wouldn't have given him a second look until we had this debate.

I cannot find any actual scenes of his works, but I find plenty of his music on youtube set to pictures. Still, not the way that the music was quite meant to be used, so I won't share them with you. I only recommend The Beach, A Very Long Engagement, Farenheit, City of Lost Children, Dark Water, and Twin Peaks. Some recommended Mulholland Drive, but the instruments wouldn't really suit a score for a film about the Imperial Family (he uses electric guitar in it).

Okay, it's official, he would be the best man to go to for this. Absolutely phenomenal composer, I can't believe I've not had the pleasure of getting any of his works on album. (Then again, I've only been collecting for 12 years...) When I'm done writing this I'm off to Amazon to add some things to my wish list.

Another composer I think worth checking out is Mark Isham. He has similar tonal influences in his work for Crash, which was really lousy on album, but it worked extremely well in the film (much to my dismay LOL!). Now, his work for Miracle and Eight Below wouldn't be what I would suggest, he would have to push himself and really use something more extravagant to suit the characters of the Imperial Family.. In Miracle, the size of his orchestras varied, as did the tone of his compositions, to reflect the many small miracles that happened before "the big one," so to speak. In the middle, for example, he used a Tchaikovsky-ensemble, as he termed it, with minimal musicians, but still more than he used in the beginning. He wanted to show that things were looking promising, but he wanted to wait before he got the music really grand. In the final cue, The Miracle, he says he used a Mahler-ensemble, which the largest orchestra of the 3 he used in this film. He wanted to showcase the intensity of the game, the direty of the situation when Jim Craig wouldn't get up, for example, the anticipation, the feelings the players must have felt. He also didn't want the orchestra to go into a big crescendo every time the US team scored. There were small moments of joy during that cue, but nothing was intensified until the last goal was scored by Eruzione. For the remainder of the cue, he stuck to strictly percussion, showing how things were not over yet, even though the audience knew the final result, the music still kept them in suspense, and then once the game was officially over, the largest crescendo occured, signifying that the miracle was accomplished. Of course the score and film didn't end there, they had to summarize what happened in the game against Finland, so he continued a minimalistic tone until the end of the film a minute or so later, to serve as background for Kurt Russel's narration. Such attention to detail would suit the film well. Of course, if you took the time, most composers are passionate about the details they need in order to accomplish a desired effect. Even the right orchestra can make all the difference. Adult choirs and children's choirs have different effects on a score as well, as anyone who's heard a Danny Elfman score and paid attention could tell you.

I think we've firmly established my expertise in this area here. You can't disrespect film scores just because of a lousy 2-3 seconds of classical music you heard in a documentary. Just because of that, those lousy 3 seconds, you automatically assume that any film score would be a waste of time. I think I've successfully proved you wrong. But I am always ready to continue this and provide still more evidence (whereas you have yet to produce any others) to the contrary. I've cited Schindler's List, the greatest score John Williams has ever written, in his opinion, Apollo 13, 1408, Troy, Star Wars: Episode IV, The Village, Psycho, The Passion of the Christ, Nosferatu, Crash, and Miracle. I know there are many others, but I am distracted by Badalamenti's scores right now so I will get back to this after I go to amazon.

I've noticed in many documentaries that films of WWI have sound added to them, and it's meant to sound accurate, but there was no sound at that time. Do you honestly expect to find WWI weapons and fire them in the sound editing booth, and add them in the film? Right, I can just see a WWI plane in the sound editing booth being revved up and its weapons shot. Guns would be realistic, though. However, you couldn't shoot them into actual bodies, now could you? You need the sound of a bullet piercing the flesh, as well as ricocheting off of the jeweled clothing beneath, and you need to be educated enough so that you can understand that you can NOT shoot your cast in an authentic way, or you'll be tried for murder. Just how do you expect to get those sounds to seem authentic without killing your cast? Not to mention you would need fake blood and so on. Glad to see you understand at least one thing about filmmaking, you need to rebuild some things, but again, you couldn't film them exactly on location. I'm sure the landscape has changed much over the past 9 decades. I think there's a chapel where the Ipatiev House stood, you surely don't intend to film it there, right? Of course not. But it could be done on a sound stage. You remember (I hope) how passionate James Cameron was about authenticity and accuracy in Titanic, having even the china and carpets made by the same company that worked on the original. It did cost over 200million and Cameron's own salary to make it, yet look at it now. The studio believed in Cameron because he knew what he was doing, so I wouldn't lose hope just yet, but you really don't know what you're doing as of yet. As time goes by you'll become educated and understand how films are made.

84

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 05, 2008, 12:03:02 AM »

Always nice to welcome a new face in the debate! Ahh, then you surely remember Nosferatu (granted I think this is the full film here)! Despite its lack of sound, it's still the most realistic vampire movie ever made, according to the experts.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MEOsb6CRvNU

This has had a few different scores written/recorded for it over the years, and while the images can somewhat stand on their own, it certainly helps in the long run. You know that in silent days, I heard a story about a film that was shown twice, once with sad music, the other with comical music. During the sad music, the audience cried, and during the comical music, they laughed. Now, I am not trying to degrade pure silence, but he just has misconceptions about music in film and that's why I am trying to educate him. He obviously has limited experience dealing with film music. Music doesn't just function for the audience, it's not just background like it was in the fifties (but that was a glorious time for scores, wasn't it? To Kill A Mockingbird, The Ten Commandments, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Egyptian, and of course Anastasia, which utilized source music a lot yet still managed to produce a wonderful score on its own). It is what the director chooses to make of it. I think this lovely featurette on The Village says it all:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mz_H9DELewM

Of course, M. Night Syamylan relies on music primarily in his films, and he understands the role it can play. Many times, a movie itself will be awful, but the score is magnificent. The score becomes the characters that are never seen in The Village, regarded to be a bad film by some. However, it is this innovation that earned it an Academy Award nomination. You could see why it is so respected in the clip I provided earlier.

I've al.so heard many people say that the only reason they saw the film The Mission is because of the score. What does that tell you?

Regarding sound effects alone, I don't think that he really understands how sound is produced in movies. I'll give you a hint: very little of it is "authentic." When filming a movie, it is difficult to capture the sound as realistic as possible. Surely you don't expect the sound effects in Pearl Harbor to be 100% authentic. They were either created or enhanced with software that makes the audience feel like they are right in the middle of it. The sounds of Apollo 13's launch were intensified to reflect the camera angles, you can tell that easily. Even the most basic of scenes requires the use of a sound editing room, where they record things that sound LIKE the things that are needed for teh scene, in this case, bullets, and the sounds of bayonets being thrust into flesh. That kind of event no doubt would produce sound, but during filmmaking, you couldn't very well thurst a bayonet into your actors, producing the blood and gore necessary for a scene. You'd need the sound effects people for that, to find something that would make th edisgusting sounds necessary for that. (You know, even though this has little to do with this, I'm compelled to point out that, because of their quest for authenticity, 20 horses were killed during the chariot race sequence in Ben-Hur)

I also don't think he realizes that to make it all authentic, it would have to be filmed entirely on location, and I think we can all agree that that is an impossibility. How would the scenes at the Ipatiev House be filmed if not on sound stages? Is the Governor's Mansion even still standing? Sure, you could get the public and politicians out of the palaces, but that seems a lot to ask, now doesn't it? Apparently you've not seen the film 1408. Look at how authentic it looks, it looks like a real hotel, real hotel room, you'd never know it was filmed entirely on sound stages. (That is also highly recommended for its use of score, by the way. Of course, On The Town was filmed entirely on location, but that is because it was possible, you realize.

1408: Window Scene
http://youtube.com/watch?v=meh9yaJmwx0

1408: "I was just checking if the accomodations are exceeding your expectations."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kokIHR06kIg

1408: Final Scene: Take note of the lack of score, until just the right moment.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RUfnB7Xrblc

Take not not only of the sound effects, but how the sound effects work together woth the score by Gabriel Yared.

Those are what I can think of for now, but I will get back here when I get some sleep and think of more. (I'm so tired I'm messing up typing strangely enough.)

85

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 04, 2008, 06:01:31 PM »

When Mel Gibson made The Passion of the Christ, he wanted everything to be authentic too. That is why he got John Debney, and Debney used authentic instruments of the time in many parts of the score. But of course he also added a SMALL use of synthesizers, and orchestra and choir, to create the best score of 2004. It was this attention to detail, this passion for accuracy in his score, that earned Debney a well-deserved and long-overdue Oscar nomination. If there were no score, think of what the crucifying scene would have been like. Would it have worked? I highly doubt it. I can't find a video of that but I highly recommend checking it out. Mel was extremely passionate about being accurate and authentic, just like you are. That's why he had everyone speak Aramaic, Latin, etc. Originally, he didn't even want there to be subtitles, he wanted the people to understand what was going on without them. I'm sure he felt the same way about the score too, but whatever changed his mind, ultimately made the film better. That's a film that I am glad I saw, I only saw it once, and I never want to see it again, but its score is one of the best of all time. Of course on album it isn't quite as interesting other than the cue Resurrection... But I digress.

Ahh, your last part is finally starting to sink in, and boy do I have a point for you!

Besides moving the audience, or accenting the images, music can also function in a way that tells what a character is feeling, thinking, how they are motivated when they are not speaking. Many times, a simple look in the eyes is not enough to comprehend what is going on. The clip from Brokeback Mountain is strong evidence of that, as is this next one. Again, this is fiction, but it is the prime example of how music can tell what a character is thinking, when they themselves do not say it out loud. Once again, I advise that you see this muted first, and then with the sound:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=B5-wiVF2UYg

Now, when you saw it muted, what did you think the character was thinking? What was he feeling?

The following scene shows how an orchestra can become a character in the film, a character that is never seen. I tried to find scenes from Babmi as well but could not seem to find them. But that is another film where the music is a character.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GbJpJBKUf4k

Here is an example of what it is like for a score to be a part of the action on screen. This is honestly the best example in all of cinema that I can give to you at this point. Take note of the screetching strings and think about what that means in the scene. Take note as well that the score doesn't come until just the right moment:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HAgGotH7R-8

Let's see... that's all I can think of to show you at this time, but I am sure I will think of more soon!

(I am having a lot of fun with this intellectual debate!)

86

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 04, 2008, 10:52:14 AM »

You really are hopeless. Some people just refuse to be educated, no matter the great amount of evidence that supports me here. The music in Apollo 13 did not make viewers emotional about the music, it made them even more emotional about the event. I've thought a little about other examples I coud show you, and thought of a fictional movie whose music is intertwined with the film. A friend of mine hadn't seen the movie or heard the score, and I recommended it to him last night, and he said he would "listen to it." I told him it was utterly impossible to understand the storytelling in the music without seeing the film FIRST. I told him:

I must give you advice, don't just listen to it, please watch the film first, this really is a score you can't just listen to without seeing the film first, they're intertwined
on album, without seeing the film, I don't think it could be truly understood
I know because I first heard it without seeing the film
I thought, Well, this is nice, peaceful music, but it's nothing special, what's so great about it? then I saw the film, and was amazed by the power it conveyed in the film
I can honestly say that I'd never heard a score like this and respected it so much

The score and film I'm talking about isn't a historical one, it's fiction, but its message holds true regardless. It's Brokeback Mountain. Now, as I said, Santaolalla's simplistic tones may not suit a film about the Romanovs, however, from what you are describing to me, he may actually be the type of composer you want to go to. You'll notice here that the music doesn't come until just the right time, and before that is utter silence. This is proof that music can accent the images, rather than overshadow them, as your misconceptions believe.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JCOtanyEqAQ

87

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 03, 2008, 11:12:04 PM »

Okay, I didn't make this, a friend of mine did. But this is exactly what I mean. See this MUTED first, then watch it again with the sound, and you'll understand a little better what I am trying to say.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_re2XiVlYIs

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Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 03, 2008, 10:21:05 PM »

Ahh, I understand what you mean now. Then instead of Schindler's List, here is a film, termed as a documentary, that you MUST see: Apollo 13. I direct you to the Filmtracks.com review that contains quotes by Horner:

Not often does a film with all the traits of a historical documentary stir up such popular interest, but a remarkable collection of cast performances, outstanding special effects, and a variety of awards recognition assisted Apollo 13 in its journey to mainstream acceptance. One of the film's more obvious elements was its music, with an intelligent collection of 1960's pop songs selected for inclusion in the film. Above and beyond that source usage, James Horner's rather short Oscar-nominated score (clocking in at about an hour in length) served as patriotic inspiration for many of the film's more exciting scenes. The year of 1995 was a most impressive one for Horner; fresh off of the overwhelming popularity of the superior Legends of the Fall, he produced two above-average scores for children's films, Balto and Casper. Next came his two Academy Award nominated gems, Braveheart and Apollo 13, and while the legacy of Braveheart has persisted and eventually overshadowed Apollo 13 to a great extent, debates continue within the soundtrack community about which of the two is actually a better fit for its film. In this regard, Apollo 13 triumphs, partly because it works while restraining its understated patriotism so well, and partly because of the film's vastly more intelligent design. There is really no way to appreciate Horner's music fully without also appreciating the high quality of the film itself. The composer's heroic theme epitomizes the patriotic American spirit, and its sincerity and raw, dedicated, and serious power drives the score with the perfect feel of a respectful historical documentary.

As Horner stated in early 1995, "If you start off with a big score, it sets an audience up for just another sci-fi movie... except Apollo 13 is a documentary; you know where it's going to end. What I'm trying to get out of the story is the idealism." And the distinction between fantasy and stark reality is very strong in Apollo 13. There are indeed moments of whimsical wonder for the dreams of great space exploration, but the score never deviates from the dark and occasionally frightening realities that the dangers of space travel present.

James Horner quote from an article published in the L.A. Times (February 13, 1995):


"If you start off with a big score, it sets an audience up for just another sci-fi movie, except Apollo 13 is a documentary; you know where it's going to end. What I'm trying to get out of the story is the idealism, everything that was great in the guys at Mission Control and in the capsule, the best thing about NASA. And that's a very elusive thing to bring out with a flute, but that's what I want--idealism, in a very different way. If I go with something you don't expect at all, it'll be just magical. My trick is that the films are all so different. I have no high ambitions to win 35 Academy Awards. I just try to be the best at what I can be and work on the best movies I can and not get too wrapped up in the day-to-day ups and downs of it, which is difficult enough."

Clearly, you need much more education in this field.. I don't know, maybe it's your age, but then I am only 8 years older than you. But something is definitely off with your false assumptions. See Apollo 13, instead of Schindler's List. Or, if you want to go about an actual documentary, then try From The Earth To The Moon, as it is an actual documentary in which everything is accurate, but they still used James Newton Howard's and others' music. Overall I think you're being pretty naive about this.

Perhaps I can also direct you to this thread on filmtracks' forum, it is about documentary scores and should prove to be helpful to you:

http://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/index.cgi?read=13159

The pieces used in the videos you provided seem to merely be classical pieces, not music written for the videos. I can understand being misled with your limited education on the subject after seeing these videos. That is unfortunate. Take it from an expert, that is no way to approach this. Keep in mind, audiences are not as analytical as they were in 1931, when the first fully-talking film was made, and no music was added because the filmmakers thought the audience would wonder where the music was coming from. Now, we accept music in film, and the cinematic world is a far better place for it. I can provide examples but I need time to gather them and make them.

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Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 03, 2008, 04:01:50 PM »

(continued from before)

Well, those are the composers that I personally would pick, but I don't know about the rest of the score community. Some might suggest Danny Elfman, but I honestly don't think he would have the education for such an undertaking. Horner, he certainly has what it takes, but if you listen to Braveheart and then Titanic, you can tell he is kind of unoriginal. However, he can create gems when he is on, as evidenced by Apollo 13, Glory, The New World (trust me, to hear the actual score, do NOT watch the film, buy the CD, because very little of it is in the film), House Of Sand & Fog, and The Four Feathers. Many of these have strong historical accuracies in their music. In fact many of the works above are loaded with historical accuracy. My main objection is Horner's Troy. Granted, he only had 6 weeks to write and record it, but the director should never have rejected Yared's score in the first place. It was full of accuracy and raw power. The movie would have been much better if he had kept the score by Gabriel Yared. Now, Gustavo Santaolalla composed music for The Motorcycle Diaries, HOWEVER I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIM. A story of this magnitude doesn't seem to suit his talents, as evidenced by his poor work on Babel. I do enjoy his work on Brokeback Mountain, but as I said, he would be the last choice I would recommend for this project. Another name you'll probably hear thrown around is Hans Zimmer, who did some great work on Tears Of The Sun, The Thin Red Line, Pearl Harbor, and Gladiator. But I have to have a score that is original, powerful, accurate. Zimmer.. his talent varies from magnificent to outrageously awful. His best work, however, does contain authentic sounds, and that is The Da Vinci Code. In that respect I would agree with the recommendation, but go to the others first before going to him. Still another name is Harry Gregson-Williams, who did a fantastic job on Kingdom of Heaven. I would go to him before I would go to Zimmer. But sadly, both of them can be a tad repititious and unoriginal. The two worked together for the composer group Media Ventures, along with such well-known composers as Lisa Gerard, Trevor Rabin, and Nick Glemmie-Smith. I'd stay away from them until you got a chance to hear what the other composers have to offer you. Another name, and he is highly recommended, is Craig Armstrong. His historical pieces are primarily The Quiet American and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I think he could have what it takes to score this film. His music, along with Thomas Newman and James Horner, brings tears to the eyes of those who hear it. The Quiet American is of particular interest, because of its sublties. I think that could serve the film well.

Hmmm, offhand those are the composers, like I said, that I personally recommend checking out. I'm of the mind the general score community would agree with me, though some would praise Zimmer more and jeer Santaolalla, because of his use of simple compositions and lack of a full orchestra (he primarily uses a guitar and string ensemble). To close, I think a little more education in this area would certainly serve you well. If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to help you, or direct you to some fellow collectors who can also help if I can't.

90

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Memorial

« on: May 03, 2008, 04:00:59 PM »

Yes that's true, I think it's very respectful but if I really want to respect the tsarevich (and give a part of my life to him) I would make a whole movie about his life and dedicate this movie to him ! Of course it seems ridiculous and it's a dream because I'm not a movie director (but it would really interest me), I don't think Warner Bros., Universal or even a little cinema studio would help me and the spectators would not necessarily watch the movie but in fact I don't care, I wouldn't make this movie for money but only because the tsarevich interests me a lot and in order to instruct ! Everything would be true and checked by several specialists, biographers and nothing would be hidden to the spectators (not even the crisis of hemophilia in 1912 nor the execution in 1918 and the 2 bullets in the head !). In fact, history is extremely important to me and I think that hiding violent facts isn't always a good thing (in a realist and historical context) and I'm not one of these guys who thinks that when someone sees a violent scene he wants to make the same thing... I would also want every details to be extremely realists : every protagonist's face would be made by a computer program and by computer scientists helped by hundreds of pictures representing Alexei (and his family) when he was 1, 2, 3... 12, 13 and almost 14 ; all the protagonists would speak in Russian (with subtitles) and I don't want to "cheat" with the spectators' emotions with a melancholic music (I really like music in films but I think it's really too easy - but not realist at all ! - to move the spectators with it) simply because in reality there wasn't music (lol) and because I think that a good movie about the Romanov should move the spectators "without" that kind of "emotional artificiality".
Well, even if the tsarevich probably didn't even realize that movies could be used as biographies (about some important persons or himself !), I think it's extremely respectful and a huge homage to tell his history with as much details as possible (even if some persons think it's disturbing, which can be understandable).

(I have to break this up into two posts LOL)

Apparently you have never seen a film with the works of Maurice Jarre, Nino Rota, George Fenton, Patrick Doyle, Thomas Newman, Alan Silvestri, Elliot Goldenthal, Howard Shore, Trevor Jones, Randy Edelman, John Barry, Mark Isham, James Horner, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, Gabriel Yared, Michael Kamen, James Newton Howard, John Debney, or John Williams. These composers are famous for doing historical epics, or historical fiction, and were acclaimed highly for their efforts. (Jarre: Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Rota: The Godfather, Fenton: Anna & The King, Doyle: Henry V, Newman: Road To Perdition, Silvestri: Forrest Gump, Goldenthal: Michael Collins, Shore: Gangs of New York, Jones: Richard III, and he and Edelman corresponded together for The Last of the Mohicans, Barry: Dances With Wolves, Isham: Bobby, Miracle, Eight Below, Fly Away Home, Invincible, The Black Dahlia, Men of Honor, Horner: Apollo 13, Braveheart, Troy, The Perfect Storm, The Four Feathers, Glory, Titanic, The New World, House Of Sand & Fog, A Beautiful Mind, Morricone: The Mission, Bernstein: The Ten Commandments, Yared: Cold Mountain, The English Patient, Kamen: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Newton Howard: Hidalgo, Charlie Wilson's War, Michael Clayton, Blood Diamond, Freedomland, From The Earth To The Moon, Wyatt Earp, Alive, Debney: The Passion Of The Christ, Williams: Saving Private Ryan, 1941, Seven Years In Tibet, Munich, Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Patriot, Empire Of The Sun, Schindler's List). I think you should be more educated in the film score field before making such a drastic mistake if such a movie were to get off the ground. Unfortunately, Rota, Bernstein and Kamen are deceased now, but the others are still around and quite eager to be a part of such a powerful project. Williams and Horner in particular should be intriguing possibilities, because of their extraordinary work on Apollo 13 and Schindler's List. I guess you haven't seen Schindler's List, but that is the direction you want to go when making a historical movie, it's sheer perfection, and the score works extremely well with it. Before making such a rash judgement, I advise you see Schindler's List.