Goldsmith on Modern Music Composing

[iamjorel 0]

An old interview from Film Music (not FSM)

Q: How do you feel about film composing today?

JG: I think a great deal of the two Newman brothers, David and Tommy. Also, I think another composer, Cliff Eidelman, is a great talent with amazing potential.

Elliot Goldenthal seems very interesting to me as well.

Then there are the old standbys--John Barry, John Williams and Elmer Bernstein.

The newer ones I get a little scared about. I'm not exactly thrilled about the direction we're going in.

I think the commercialism and the avariciousness of certain people has crept in and taken over for the art.

I'm frightened with this new assembly line way of doing music. It's faceless, characterless, skilless, and sounds like the whole orchestra or somebody's playing between C above middle C and C below middle C.

They're all playing at once, and the horns are always playing at the top register. That's the way it seems to go on for an hour and ninety minutes, and with that music it doesn't seem to make any sense either.

They're just loud movies.

It just gets so discouraging. People are trying to become very efficient and this type of film music is not cheap.

[A24 4,350]

He must be talking about the ol' Zimster.

[pi 0]

Thats a pretty good description of Zimmer land, good job Jerry!

[Ollie 1,059]

Too bad Cliff Eidelman has basically disappeared.

[Jacck 23]

I hope he was talking about Zimmer etc., and not other stylistically modern composers like Marco Beltrami or Don Davis.

[futuremartymcfly 0]

that did sound like a pretty accurate description of M-V, or remote control studios, I don't know which one is which. By the way, do know know approximately how long ago that interview was?

[iamjorel 0]

that did sound like a pretty accurate description of M-V, or remote control studios, I don't know which one is which.  By the way, do know know approximately how long ago that interview was?

The issue was from February 1999. The 47 page issue was all Goldsmith. A tribute. Very nice.

[artyjeffrey 20]

That interview also appeared in the book "Knowing the Score." I recall how that stood out to me as well when I read it. Definitely it does stink of Zimmer.

[Marcus 390]

Great criticism by the sorely missed maestro Goldsmith!

He is absolutely right, of course, and I think the criticism is certainly fitting for the MV army, but also in general for far too many contemporary film composers who lack proper training and taste.

[iamjorel 0]

Film Score Monthly had a great article back in the late nineties on the state of action scores, covering scores like The Rock and Waterworld and analyzing them with the action scores of the past, especially Superman.

[futuremartymcfly 0]

wow, articles comparing MV and older action scores are very interesting, I'll be sure to look for those in the film score montly web site

[Hitch 57]

An old interview with Jerry Goldsmith by Daniel Schweiger from the June 1992 edition of Soundtrack magazine

DS: What do you think of the way film composers are being taught today?

JG: I don't think they're being educated well, because I keep hearing these shocking stories about people who can't read or write music. But on the other hand, what's important is the music that comes out. I'm honestly not blown away with their work, and that's not sour grapes. There just isn't much imagination in their melodies, or interplay with the drama. Their music basically serves as wallpaper for the story.

[iamjorel 0]

MORE GOLDSMITH INTERVIEW!! BRILLIANT.

By the way, if you have a MySpace account, this is also being discussed over in a Film Music Group

MORE GOLDSMITH REVEALED!!

QUESTION:

How has film scoring changed over the years?

JERRY GOLDSMITH:

It's amazing todayhow many dual composers there are. I never saw so many shared credits for composing before.

How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb? On a couple of occasions, I've had someone to share the burden with me. It was quite apparent why: the scoring schedule was impossible. I'm not ever going to do it again--doing it twice was quite enough. I've had enough flack for that and was never happy with it.

There are certain peole now where it's a factory--a couple of factories grinding out music, and I think it's despicable and ruining the art of film scoring.

The music sounds the same. It's a formula that becomes repetitious and is not ade with a lot of skill.

Here's a craft, an art that's been developed over years and years that's being demeaned for commerical purposes now.

Fortunately, not all filmmakers go for it. I also think scheudles have changed--they are very short now.

Orchestras and budgets are larger for music now. That's nice, but it can also be abused and taken advantage of. There are times we wante 85 or 90 musicians, but sometimes forty will do. Sometimes, composers' egos take over and it's a big track to stand up there in front of 90 musicians playing the music. Serving the film is our first consideration and the responsibility of all film composers.

QUESTION:

How elaborate are your electronic mock ups?

JERRY GOLDSMITH:

... There's a danger with these mock ups. I think they're wonderful, but there are many orchestral things and musical devices you cna't do on a computer ... It can become very dangerous when you limit your creative ability to what you can accomplish personally on a computer. I'm concerned with staying away from this.

I'll just write it out on paper likeI've been doing for 50 or more and be done with it. You have to balance this all out. That's why I find it's better to demonstrate the thematic ideas and the general overall approach with tehse mock ups, rather than try to demonstrate every single thing.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

My hero!

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

And this is why him and the other like him (Williams) are basically the two kings of film music.

[Richard Penna 3,697]

And he really likes Tom Newman....good taste Jerry

[iamjorel 0]

And he really likes Tom Newman....good taste Jerry

Didn't Goldsmith know Thomas since he was a fetus?

[Hitch 57]

And he really likes Tom Newman....good taste Jerry

Didn't Goldsmith know Thomas since he was a fetus?

Jerry probably ate the placenta.

[Incanus 5,721]

Jerry had guts to talk about the subject openly and share his ideas about the art of film music and how he thought about the modern trends. Refreshing to read such an open and honest interview. Jerry Goldsmith has become my second favourite composer over the past year. I'd love to read the whole interview.

[orrakul 0]

Wow, JG's comments so closely mirror many similar discussions on this board! I'm so glad the he spoke plainly, and I don't think there's any doubt that the assembly line style of making a score referred to Hans Zimmer.

[iamjorel 0]

I'll see about scanning the entire issue. As I said, it's all Goldsmith and they talk to his scoring mixers, arrangers, and even Sandy and JoAnne.