John Williams should compose the music for LotR

[bmilder]

What do you think? Williams is certainly the master of film scores, but could he pull off something like LotR? I think he could. He's scored for films of many genres, and fantasy is no different. However, I don't think that he would have enough time to score both Episode II and LotR, so unfortunately they'll have to get someone else :(.

[Hernalt]

Um. Williams is Wagnerian and Classical. Tolkien's language and music cleave closely to Welsh and Celtic. Not saying he couldn't Do it, but I'd want someone else to try their hand. I'm the worst one to ask, though. I'd vote for Anybody off Green Linnet Records before I went with the knee-jerk vote for Williams.

[Darth Tater]

I agree with Hernalt. Though I love the work of John Williams Tolkien isn't his style

[dmaul96]

i too appreciate the works of john williams, but i must agree with hernalt. therefor i have been chosen to write the music for lotr. my musical expertise will allow me to perfeclty write the music for lotr.

[Darth Tater]

Oh, I can't wait ;)

[Jedi Eowyn]

Music, another element that could go wrong! Hernalt nailed the Williams problem on the head with the Wagnerian thing. But I was thinking they should go Baroque or Medieval, European, and not Celtic. I don't mean to run down Celtic, I have a few cds that have spun more times than can be counted. And "European" could be called Celtic. You know what I mean! (I hope?) I'd like some nice premodern music without the same sense of rhythimc pattern or melodic structure. Sweelink (sp) or Hert or all those works by 14-16 century anonomous would be ideal. If not the old music, then something very derivative would be nice. ?? (I can hear Hernalt typing that Celtic music also works outside of the Mozart paradigm. Hernalt, could you type more quietly?) Do we know if Legolas, Aragorn & Galadriel are going to sing?

[Hernalt]

My friend had a comprehensive Medeival music collection and he burned a tape for me of the most.. telling calibre. Had every medeival instrument, very Crusade period, but I have no documentation or jacket for it. He wrote down the artist on a little Post-It and of course I damn up and put it somewhere I'd never lose it. So now I can't find it. AGGHGHHHH! Anyway, what I have on that tape is The music I want for my Medeival book when it gets written to screenplay one of these centuries. Hopefully, LotR won't find it, hehheh, for it would steal the show, especially the battle sequences. But if I find the artist again, I'll post the reference. I think Baroque would be inviting the wrong imagery or flavor, like powdered wigs and rougued cheeks, harpsicord or no. On AICN is an article from 8/7/99, (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=4135) with excerpt: <FONT COLOR=GREEN>"I've heard many people ask if there's singing in the film, and there are indeed walking songs at a few points. They're quick, though, and I'm curious to hear how they're handled. They mainly mark the passage of time, and Jackson really keeps things moving. The first Ringwraith appearance is duly freaky, and the initial encounter between Gandalf and Saruman is great, tense and exciting.."</FONT> For TalkBack comments, do search on " sing ", " song " and " music ". Be sure to include spaces. (4 posts with "song"; 1 with "sing"; 1 with "music".) It seems from other TalkBacks that if the actor/actresses themselves do start a song, there may be a fadeback and overdub to an actual singing artist. It would be interesting. Oh, yes, and the Celtic music also works outside of the Mozart paradigm!! Maybe Bard from the Hobbit could make a PJ-esque cameo?

[Darth Tater]

Jedi Eowyn, I know exactly what you're talking about. There's a recorder piece from that period that would have been perfect for Bombadil's song if he had been left in.

[Loopy]

I'll probably get stoned for saying this, but I'd like Danny Elfman to score LOTR. He's versatile enough to pull off the bijillion different moods and ideas in LOTR -- dark/brooding, action, danger, romance, beauty, wonder, mystery, and on and on... Plus, his offbeat style really complements Peter Jackson's work (eg The Frighteners)

[Jedi Eowyn]

Elfman for me will always be that music in Beetlejuice when we fly through the model of the town, end up looking at the house which turns out to be a model, and the spider crawls over the model house. There's something very fake-horror in it for me. Humor-horror. Do you think he can do serious?

[Loopy]

Sure. hell yes. It's hard to judge him based just on Beetlejuice, since that movie was for the most part pure humor. He does a lot of goofy stuff like that, but he is also very good at creating surreal and fantastically eerie moods, and in the midst of that, also conveying great beauty. Like the scene at the end of Men in Black when tommy Lee Jones tells Will Smith to erase his memory. He worked on Dead Presidents, Good Will Hunting, @#%$ Tracy, Men in Black (and didn't he get an Oscar nomination for MIB?), Batman, Edward, Scissorhands, Mission Impossible, et al here is his IMDB filmography --- <A HREF=http://us.imdb.com/Name?Elfman,+Danny>http://us.imdb.com/Name?Elfman,+Danny</A>

[Hernalt]

That new press release doesn't give Sound Designer, Composer, or anything on score or music. Aside from the obvious requirement for an evocative score, are there any sound effects anyone really wanted to hear? In particular, I'm curious how the Balrog will sound. Like, will it make this etheral hiss like the Aliens or a tembloring, trembling bass roar like the Sando Aqua Monster? And the Orcs - can't wait to hear them spit on each other just trying to say 'Hi'. Most of all, I'm holding my breath for the sound when the Witch-King splits asunder the doors of Minas Tirith. The way the scene is written out, the panning camera can pull in one hell of a lot of action before it draws back to the doors.. Just as they're riven asunder. I kind of imagined this high-pitched squeal of exploding metal just before the metal doors burst into flaming fragments and shoot inward. Like, have the camera shake with the impact like they do with heavy-duty explosions, with a Death-Star-class explosion sound. Then enter the Witch-King with some makor high-pitched strings in the key of hell a la SW: Trench Battle where Luke nearly buys it just before the torpedos. I'll be curious also if they use strings to cinch up the tension when the Nine Riders are haunting the Hobbits out of the Shire.

[bmilder]

Yes, with 500 names it's a very conspicuous omission. :) I've always thought of the Balrog having a deep roar. A hiss just wouldn't be good enough. Something that big wouldn't just hiss :) Too bad they probably can't get Ben Burtt for sound design. Either strings or maybe some low brass would be good for the Nine Riders. They could make it sound like something out of "Psycho" :). I think they should also give the Nazgul some sort of choral theme, like the Emperor had.

[Hernalt]

Yeah, but shouldn't Holy Evil be reserved for Sauron Himself...?

[bmilder]

Well, who knows if they're even going to show Sauron at all... but I guess when his Eye searches for Frodo at the Pillars of the Kings it could play his theme.

[Loopy]

I can't wait to hear what sound effects they use for the Nazgul and Shelob. And do we know who is voicing Gollum yet? But 2 of the things I'm most anxious to hear are: 1. The sounds the Fellowship hears in Moria before they are attacked 2. the death of the Witch-King

[bmilder]

Yeah, the guy who's voicing Gollum is named Andy Serkis.

[Darth Tater]

Hernalt, I like your ideas for the Balrog sound. I just can't wait to see him

[Hernalt]

Of course, anticipating a certain effect or ambiance is a recipe for dissatisfaction. Particulary satisfying TPM sound effects occured near technology (reving/flying pod engines, TF troopcarrier engines, lightsabres) but also near lifeforms (Sando Aqua Monster, alien racer languages). I'll try to not anticiapte distinct vision, but it can be expected that whoever the sound designer is will go to town with occurances of magic, voices of trolls, orcs and Ringwraiths, occurances of creatures like the Watcher in the Water, the Moria Balrog, Shelob, and the Ringwraith mounts. Each sound and voice must be distinctive enough to differentiate even in memory (who can forget Ben Burt's excellence in TPM??), so there's a whole spectrum of timbre tone pitch blah blah whatever the SD will deal with to get some truly evocative sound effects. They can't all be loud roars or slithery hisses. I fully expect some quasi-real double/echo voices, digitally lowered or roughened voices - nothing new, for sure, but let's see how close they come to TPM's precedent.

[bmilder]

From TOR.N: " Oh My GOD this is amazing news!!! Everyone now on gods green earth get down on your knees and pray this is true, If the news is true then Composer Wojciech Kilar is close to signing as composer for LOTR!!! Kilar, in my opinion one of the BEST!! If you guys have chatted with me on Barliman's you'll know I say the 2 composers who should do these films should be Eric Serra or Wojciech Kilar. And now the latter seems to be coming true!! I have read yesterday in top Polish newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" that Wojciech Kilar (Dracula) shall compose the music for LOTR. He's got already the script and the negotiation of the contract should be finished soon. " That's just a cut and paste, I've never actually heard of this guy...

[Darth Tater]

I think they confirmed it. The guy sounds like he knows what he's doing, though I've never heard his work.

[Quaff Down Gin]

"In particular, I'm curious how the Balrog will sound. Like, will it make this etheral hiss like the Aliens or a tembloring, trembling bass roar like the Sando Aqua Monster?" -- Hernalt I just read "The Letters of JRR Tolkien" and in one of the letters he insists emphatically that the Balrogs do not speak, roar, howl or anything of that sort. They are basically mute. So what does that leave us with? Heavy breathing? I personally hope the movie stays true to this, simply because Tolkien was so adamant about it. Besides, the Witch King will do PLENTY of screaming and shreiking, as will the goblins. Stay with the book... stay with the book... If there is any question, stay with the book. That is my advice.

[bmilder]

But... that's boring ! :P I've always pictured the Balrog making deep roar noises. It's bad enough that they're sticking to the Tolkien pronounciations (Sauron, etc. ;)), and now this? Geez, you'd think the guy had a right to decide in advance how his own book was filmed :P.

[galadriel1]

From what I understand, the rumor is true about Wojchiech composing th music. I believe he is set to begin in about 5 or 6 months when there`s some film to look at. He`s an incredible composer. Should be great. Go to www.fandom.com and go to the Ringbearer site. It just moved there. It IS a fan site, not an official site, but the info sounds like it`s a done deal. Check it out but be warned: Fandom is very slow at times and can be frustrating to get into. I do wish they would use some Enya for the Lothlorien scenes. She does a lot of instrumental music as well as vocal. To me, her music IS Lothlorien. She even has a song called Lothlorien. She has an instrumental on "The Memory of Trees" cd called "Pax Deorum" that would be cool riding into battle music. It would be perfect for the Rohan riding to the aid of Gondor scenes.

[Hernalt]

OooF! Quaff caught me in the gut on that Balrog thing!! Dag, that hurt.

[Darth Tater]

Personally I think if the drums are done well during the Balrog scene it will be enough to send anyone insane!

[Quaff Down Gin]

Yes! I agree about the drums! This scene has the potential to be so awesome! Enya would be a beautiful choice for some songs, Galadriel! In fact, I have often pictured Middle Earth events while listening to her music.

[bmilder]

Well, I'd still like to hear a roar, but the way I hear they're religiously following Tolkien's wishes, that's not gonna happen :(. ;). The drums could be sort of like Darth Maul's appearances in TPM. He didn't make any "noises" either and people still thought he was a great villain :D.

[galadriel1]

Going back a bit to an earlier post of yours, I just noticed that Serra s doing the music for the Messenger - the Joan of Arc movie. I`ll go see it just to hear the score. Should be some great scenery, also. Just to let you know.

[Jaro]

This is off the top of my head, so they might be wrong.. John Williams - we all know :) Danny Elfman - Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, Men in Black Eric Serra - Fifth Element (remember the Diva's song? wow) James Horner - Titanic, Braveheart Michael Kamen - Even Horizon, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.. never heard of the other guy, though.... And as for Balrog's sound.. I think deathly silence would be much, much more frightening. We, in the audience could do nothing but look at it, in all its horrifying qualities, and feel the terror that our poor Fellowship is feeling. That, or a choir going wild with a full orchestra. Wowsers.

[Darth Tater]

I still think just drums would be plenty. Well, I don't mean just drums, but I think the music should greately complement them for that part, and be secondary. I porbably won't see my wish fulfilled, but the way I imagine those drums is just incredible. I love me imagination!

[IronParrot]

Here's what I think... John Williams should DEFINITELY have been the one chosen to do it, ON THE CONDITION that Johan de Meij was not available. If any of you have heard de Meij's "Lord of the Rings" symphony... (I have another thread up about it) well, I'm sure like me you'd like to hear it fleshed out to span the ENTIRE span of LOTR, instead of the few major plot points and characters it covers now. Similar to my complaint about how the Romeo and Juliet films should all have taken the Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky scores and fleshed them out, instead of starting from scratch.

[Fat middle]

I´ve picked this from TOR.n (it comes from a chat with Lorena Mckennit) Q: A murmur had circulated that you might participate in the soundtrack of THE LORD OF THE RINGS film, is it right? LM: That has been an overture. I am not completely clear where that stands at the moment. I´d like Lorena were chosen at least for the elvish songs (though Enya could be also a good option she´s begining to be too repetitive). I don´t know if Lorena may be able to write the whole score. I think that hobbits songs cannot sound in the same style as elvish: elvish could be celtic, but hobbits songs could sound more contemporary. They often sing rhytmic(sp?) songs with an important kidding element. I think it could sound like some of the songs of the english film Oliver: "umpapa...", "you gotta pick a pocket or two"... merry songs. (out of topic): IronParrot for Romeo & Juliet i prefer Prokofiev´s: very dramatic and less candy-like.

[IronParrot]

Prokofiev! That's who I forgot!

[Elanor]

Ooh, we played that in my city youth symphony! It's very cool. I think that there are many less well-known composers who would do a great job. John Williams is great, but I for one would like to hear different styles of music, from many people.