Music / Writing
Film Scoring: A Study in Style
One short film, scored twice — once in the Remote Control style, once in the tradition of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith.
The short film Tamah, directed by Erhan Yuruk, has an original score by Jeremy Dirat, a French composer who describes his music as influenced by that of composers Yann Tiersen and Ludovico Einaudi as well as pop folk groups such as Cocoon or The Lumineers; Dirat’s score is evidence of that, as it is mainly driven by a folk-like melody very much Eastern European in sound. His score, as expected of any fitting film score, does evolve somewhat to reflect what is occurring in the film, however it largely eschews following any on-screen action closely. To contrast this score, as well as demonstrate the impact different stylistic choices have on the same film, I have rescored the picture twice, in two distinct musical styles.
Rescore I
Hans Zimmer & Remote Control Productions
- Repeated ostinato patterns, usually in the strings
- Supportive low brass with sustains and swells
- Simple harmony rooted in classical-period theory
- Solo instrumentation
- Strong percussive and synth/electronic elements
Rescore II
John Williams & Jerry Goldsmith
- Colorful orchestration and odd time signatures
- Small thematic and motivic cells for characterization
- Eclectic harmony, drawing on jazz and the avant-garde
- Follows the action closely, including character movement
The style of film scoring championed by Hans Zimmer and his company, Remote Control Productions, has been utilized in film increasingly by both composers and directors, not only for its popular appeal, but because its flexibility of form and cellular motivic structure allows it to be easily adaptable to changes in picture. Some characterizations of this style include repeated ostinato patterns, usually found in the strings, the supportive use of low brass with sustains and swells, a simple harmonic structure rooted in classical period theory, the use of solo instrumentation, and strong use of percussive and synth/electronic elements; subsequently, all of these stylistic hallmarks were included in my rescoring of the first half of Tamah.
The second rescoring of the picture contrastingly follows the approach to film scoring taken by composers like John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, which is rooted in the techniques laid in place by early to mid 20th century composers of both classical and film music. This style can be identified by the use of both colorful orchestration and odd time signatures, the utilization of small thematic and motivic structures to provide musical characterization, and an eclectic harmonic vocabulary, extended beyond that of the classical period and often incorporating elements of jazz and avant-garde music. This style of film scoring also has a tendency to follow the action of the film quite closely, highlighting not only important on-screen moments but also the movements of the characters along with the inherent flow of the film.
Both scores for the first half of the film have been placed back-to-back in the video above for direct comparison.