curlytoot

The cynic in me saw it as a bit of a promo obituary. It's because it was posted on the AVATAR Fb page. The TITANIC page on Fb has a similar tribute by Cameron, but refers directly to TITANIC.

Really devastated by this. Ironic; I had found myself just starting to get into his music more than usual, this summer.

More like enJOY!

I have to say, when I got the OST for this the other night, I was not impressed. The brass sounded pretty overdone (like, all of each instrument are in unison most of the time, though this could very well be more Tim Simonec's fault than Giacchino's). This seems to be a common thread with Gia scores, which often at first takes some getting used to, for me at least. And something about the way his scores are mic-ed can be very off-putting. Sometimes sounds like you're listening to it underwater. However, after several days of listening, I can say it's all really grown on me. His "family theme" is now among my favorite sentimental Gia themes, and the theme for Owen and the raptors is loads of fun. Hoskins' theme is also a highlight, for me. (Its' first appearance brings to mind some of JW's music for INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.) Ironically, the one theme I had the most difficult time getting into was his main theme. It just felt way too simple, almost lazily written, and... I don't know. Just not his best. I also felt like the JW Island Journey theme was pretty badly shoehorned on the end of "As the Jurassic World Turns". Just seemed pretty random and out of place (though I must say the trombones have never sounded so good in that section of the tune). I went and saw the film today, and can honestly say that I've more or less been completely convinced: Gia's score fits perfectly. The family theme is haunting and beautiful, and hearing the I-Rex theme with the Universal logo at the beginning gave me chills. Oh, and the usage of the Island Journey theme actually made sense, in context. As others have said here, there is sadly quite a lot of music missing from the OST album. Which is really a bummer since I think it's unlikely we'll get an expanded/complete release anytime soon. Thankfully there were a few more JW theme references in the film, all of which worked perfectly, but again, I wish we got these on the album. Gia has once again proved himself to be one of the more talented composers working in the industry these days; he really seems to get the movies he writes for. Even when I go in with lowered expectations, he (so far) manages to deliver. All that being said, however, I can't help but feel that Gia has more-or-less plateaued in recent times. I remember the days, several years back, when I actually bought into the whole "This guy is the next John Williams" thing. But that seems to have changed, at least for now, and he seems to be going the more standard run-of-the-mill scoring route. Which is very sad, considering how brilliant some of his former scores are (a few that come to mind being UP, the MEDAL Of HONOR series, SECRET WEAPONS OVER NORMANDY, THE INCREDIBLES, and RATATOUILLE); he really has a lot of untapped potential, IMO. It's just a shame that he still hasn't really learned how to write a piano melody that involves more than one finger at a time. Or that his brass writing sounds like a bunch of guys blowing their brains out on unison licks, when Williams can get his point across (still more powerfully) with only one guy to a part. I miss the Americana-infused Gia of SECRET WEAPONS OVER NORMANDY. If any sort of Gia is to ever take over Williams' longstanding STAR WARS gig, it's that Gia. But as sad as it is to say, it is not the Gia of JURASSIC WORLD.

Okay, that's a very good point; I absolutely agree with that. But in a non-repeated, isolated instance of the JP motif, I don't think the same thing necessarily applies. It's either it, or it's not.

I hear the SIGNS three-note motif from 0:25-0:45 and then just different, additional material afterwards (like a B section or something). The mood is consistent throughout, but that rising three-note theme only seems to show up at that one spot.

I never said there weren't great themes (or more technically, motifs) with only three notes. I said that with only three notes in a theme, changing one note makes it virtually unrecognizable. Take the Voldemort one for example: what if I were to take that last note and simply move it up a step? It would suddenly sound completely different, perhaps like the first three notes of Shore's "Misty Mountains". There are certainly a great many effective and even memorable three-note motives, but there simply aren't enough notes in them to be able to have many "variations". A rhythmic alteration would be the better route to go, and lots of composers employ that as a way to change things up. I just don't think that lick in "As the Jurassic World Turns" warrants being called a variation of the three-note JP motif. Not in any way trying to bash Williams' JP motif; it's great.

"The Seduction of Suki and the Ballroom Scene" from THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. Also, "The Plane" from EMPIRE OF THE SUN.

There's not much you can do with a three-note motif, though. I mean, how much can you change something so small before it's unrecognizable? If you change one note in a three-note theme, it's already a third different. That's a pretty good amount. I would bet you that if the preceding same chord progression buildup wasn't there (which let's not forget is not part of the JP theme), and those three notes were out of context, you would not hear those three descending notes and all of a sudden think that it's a JP reference. I mean, if that were a JP reference, one could go so far as to say that even Giacchino's main theme is a "variation" as well, because it is an ascending set of three notes, the converse of this descending set that's heard at 3:49. On the other hand, if it was the entire JP theme we were talking about here, and Giacchino simply changed a couple notes to spice things up, then I'd say it was a variation. But in this instance, the downward notes actually act as a pickup into a new melodic section. Listen to it starting right there, without the preceding chord progression, and you may hear what I mean. But I think it's a bit of a stretch to hear three downward notes and somehow associate that with the JP theme. Just my two cents.

This is all very interesting! I'm a music student and have always been looking/hoping for something like these videos! Keep up the great work.

I know what you're talking about, but it's not quite the same. You'll note that 1:34 and 3:40 in "As the Jurassic World Turns" and 2:12 in "Nine to Survival Job" all begin the same chord progression buildup that occurs before the three-note JP theme reference. However, the buildup beginning at 3:40 in the former doesn't count, as the culminating three-note motif goes in a different direction. Where normally the lower, middle note would dip back up to form the JP motif, here at 3:49 it continues to descend. Does that make sense? You're right in hearing the same harmonic context between those spots, but one is not like the others.

Yeah, my point—if anything—is that "As the Jurassic World Turns" should also be in that list for the main JP theme. If "Nine to Survival Job" fits the criteria, then so does that.

Are you sure about this one? Because in that case, wouldn't "As the Jurassic World Turns" also contain the JP theme, at 1:43? It's the exact same musical material leading up to it, as well. Honestly, I think it's just a simple three-note motif hinting at the larger JP theme; not sure it warrants being classified as an actual appearance of the theme. Either way, if "Nine to Survival Job" is going to be listed, "As the Jurassic World Turns" should be, also.