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Hans Zimmer Appreciation Thread


Koray Savas

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I still don't understand why it's insane for more than one composer to work on a score. Chaac brought it up so I'll say it again, a director does not do everything on a film, he knows what he wants and has other people help him achieve it. How does this comparison not make sense?

Because for a director, it's simply physically impossible to do screenplay, principal art, sound design, sound mixing, costume designing, location scouting, set building, storyboards, digital effects at the same time, while directing.

It is however, very bloody possible for the highest paid composer in Hollywood to write 60 minutes of music for an average Fantasy film without half a dozen minion composers - because it's the only task he has!

Someone else conducts the orchestra, other people help with the technical aspects. While that is normal in the industry, it gives Zimmer the possibility to concentrate purely on the music, and even then he has a dozen people do the work for him, while his name is still the only one on the CD cover!

People don't look into booklets to search for ghost writers; interviews are made with Zimmer, and not someone like Geoff Zanelli; people associate Zimmer's name with Pirates 4 and other scores, and not Phoenix', Sponsler's or Bergersen's names. Because Zimmer's name is on the cover, and theirs are not.

If you don't see any fault in that, there is simply no helping you.

No it's not impossible for a director to do everything, it's just not practical.

There are actually interviews with Zimmer's collaborators, everything there is to know about him and his scoring process is out there. You're just too lazy/ignorant to go looking for it. Zimmer is the most interviewed composer ever. Check some of them out. There's a great Curse Of The Black Pearl featurette that features Zanelli and some others.

As I've said before: EVERYONE IS CREDITED. They're not ghost writers if you can go to the booklet and find their names, or go to their websites and see them properly credited for their work. I don't see any fault in that. Is it Zimmer's fault people are too stupid to look? No, so why blame him? Is it his choice what's slapped on the front cover? Is he the art director for the music labels now? You forget that all parts of the film industry are first and foremost a business. Studios want names that sell. Do you have any idea how huge it is for Lorne Balfe's name to be on the cover of Sherlock Holmes?

You seem to acknowledge all of these facts, yet you still have a problem because average joe moviegoer credits Zimmer for all the music. So you hate him because he's popular? Lol!

AWE is a great example. The CD contains music from Zimmer, Zanelli, the Magic Box Music guys, and who knows who else.

Why? Zimmer never wanted to score another Pirates after At World's End, I wasn't surprised in the least that he wrote a new theme and let a whole bunch of other people score it.

I still don't understand why it's insane for more than one composer to work on a score. Chaac brought it up so I'll say it again, a director does not do everything on a film, he knows what he wants and has other people help him achieve it. How does this comparison not make sense?

Is that supposed to be an excuse for giving the work to a dozen other composers? Unless they were under serious time constraints (I'm only aware of the first one having that situation), 12 composers is an insane number to have composing for a single project.

I'm aware that contrary to numerous interviews, Zimmer basically didn't want to do another pirates - frankly, if you don't want to do a film, then give it to someone else who does and will make it cohesive.

The crediting issue is more widespread. But... if it takes a visit to the website of an additional composer to find out that they wrote part of the score, then sorry, but you're taking credit for someone else's work, and I think that's not good enough.

(Yes, ZImmer's not the only one who does it, but he does it far more than anyone else)

It's not an excuse because there's nothing to excuse. I'm just telling you how it is. Again, why is a decent amount of composers a problem? Didn't like 12 people win the music Oscar for The Color Purple? Whoo-dee-fucking-doo. No one cares.

How is it taking credit for someone's work if they're credited on their website and in the booklet?

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How is it taking credit for someone's work if they're credited on their website and in the booklet?

Because nobody cares who's listed in the booklet amongst orchestra contractors and scoring engineers.

And because, when being interviewed about a score, Zimmer talks about himself and how he did the music, and not his ghost writers.

He simply doesn't present scores with his name on the cover as a collaborative composing work. The cover reads "Music composed by Hans Zimmer", and not "Music composed by Hans Zimmer & Co" or "Composed by Hans Zimmer & Team". The general public doesn't give a flying fuck about booklets and footnotes on websites when the cover and interviews are all Zimmer's.

And Zimmer knows that.

it's as simple as that.

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Rubbish! Absolute tosh!

The latest Celine Dion CD also just had her name on the front cover, not all the lyricists, music writers, arrangers and backing vocals.

Zimmer is a POP artist who happens to do film now.

Just crediting him on the CD doesnt mean he is deceiving people. Most albums only credit one artist or a single group on its front cover!

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The Bible OST has Lorne Balfe on the cover too, so I don't think Zimmer is stealing all the credit all the time.

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The Color Purple score did not win an Oscar.

You're right, but it was nominated, all 12 composers.

How is it taking credit for someone's work if they're credited on their website and in the booklet?

Because nobody cares who's listed in the booklet amongst orchestra contractors and scoring engineers.

And because, when being interviewed about a score, Zimmer talks about himself and how he did the music, and not his ghost writers.

He simply doesn't present scores with his name on the cover as a collaborative composing work. The cover reads "Music composed by Hans Zimmer", and not "Music composed by Hans Zimmer & Co" or "Composed by Hans Zimmer & Team". The general public doesn't give a flying fuck about booklets and footnotes on websites when the cover and interviews are all Zimmer's.

And Zimmer knows that.

it's as simple as that.

Okay, so you hate him because he's popular, like I said before. You know how they're all credited. Most film score enthusiasts understand how he works and who did what, so why is this a problem? Do you think casual moviegoers actually read the end credits of the films they see to learn what a Key Grip is? Everyone thought Devil was a Shyamalan movie when it came out because he wrote it. People are stupid, you hate Zimmer because people like him and you don't. Simple.

There's nothing wrong with how Zimmer works or how he credits his collaborators. It's all there, and yes he knows how it works because he fights to give them credit where its due.

An Everlasting Piece does say Hans Zimmer & The Jigs. Tears Of The Sun credits each and every person on the back cover. Are you going to say now how nobody looks at the back cover? ONLY THE FRONT COVER MATTERS DAMMIT. THEY NEED TO GET RID OF BOOKLETS AND LINER NOTES SO I CAN JUSTIFIABLY HATE ZIMMER!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gladiator is one the most overated scores imo!,don`t even think it fits the film that well either,the softer cues are better but the acton music is bad imo

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Gkgyver just doesn't ever seem to get tired trolling Zimmer and Williams threads whilst thoroughly rimming Shore and LotR at every possible opportunity.

Fuck off!

If you've got something constructive to say, reply to my posts. Otherwise don't talk trash behind my back.

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Gkgyver just doesn't ever seem to get tired trolling Zimmer and Williams threads whilst thoroughly rimming Shore and LotR at every possible opportunity.

Fuck off!

If you've got something constructive to say, reply to my posts. Otherwise don't talk trash behind my back.

You just don't ever seem to get tired trolling Zimmer and Williams threads whilst thoroughly rimming Shore and LotR at every possible opportunity.

So it would be better like this? Need some other grammatical change?

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  • 6 months later...

Hey, I've just listened to some bits of Rush. It reminds me of some other stuff of his here and there (some Inception, for example). This is more like the music Zimmer is actually excelling at - slightly more pop/rock origins of his voice. Sounds like a perfect match for the film as well. I might even check out the entire album (seen it at HMV the other day).

Karol

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There is a scene in "ANGELS AND DEMONS" where the young priest ( Ewan ) races out of the basilica with the bomb and takes off in a helicopter. This is a truly silly part of the book..straining credulity to breaking point ....but the one thing that makes it all believable , exciting, emotional and worth watching .......is the music. Hans's job is to help control the drama....that's it ! You can argue till the cows come home about his schooling or lack of, his non existent profile in concert music but absolutely NONE of that has any relevance to his job when , as this cue shows , he so masterful at it !!!! .

T

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Love the anecdote about messing around on the organ as a child. Been there....

Hehehe...

Fool! If I meant it like that I would have said still there!

There is a scene in "ANGELS AND DEMONS" where the young priest ( Ewan ) races out of the basilica with the bomb and takes off in a helicopter. This is a truly silly part of the book..straining credulity to breaking point ....but the one thing that makes it all believable , exciting, emotional and worth watching .......is the music. Hans's job is to help control the drama....that's it ! You can argue till the cows come home about his schooling or lack of, his non existent profile in concert music but absolutely NONE of that has any relevance to his job when , as this cue shows , he so masterful at it !!!! .

T

Ahhh yes... Science and Religion is a fantastic cue, especially that whole sequence. Probably my favorite of anything he's done.

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Angels and Demons is quite a good score. Some of his latest aren't.

What a shame it had to be produced for such a lousy movie. Angels & Demons is DaVinci Code's little brother. Slightly extended but not really original.

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Was expecting some more new themes at least. It reuses essentially every single motif from The Da Vinci Code but only brings in one new major theme to the table.

But it's incredibly fun, and I still love 160 BPM along with the well-crafted Science and Religion.

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I'm hoping that what he delivers for Interstellar has elements of Science and Religion and the very tightly crafted Inception. I'd also like to see the more "spacey" textures from Man of Steel make a return. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that was him testing out his sci-fi chops for Nolan.

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  • 2 months later...

I've just listened to Inception again, and am now passing more driving time by finally planning out an analysis of the score. I think I'll have it ready for posting by the end of the week.

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I had the great privilege of meeting Mr. Hans Zimmer at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) last September -- twice. He was friendly and fun. It should be mentioned that I was prepared for his presence at the Rush & 12 Years A Slave premiers so I came prepared with my Gladiator & Dark Knight cd covers.

The FIRST time I met him was after the "12 Years" premier. He got into his Audi pretty fast so I was unable to approach him from behind the theater (what with all the security guards directing traffic). In these kinds of situations it is best to assume that THIS is your one & only chance EVER, so......I caught Mr. Z on a roll-down. Not my proudest moment (especially as a filmmaker myself) but I can't help but laugh when I look back at it.

Hans (jolly): Okay! Okay! You got me! Alright, we can do this! I think I can sign my name in the dark...

And just like that I wiped out my cell phone and illuminated him while he signed my cd's on his lap. Then I politely said, "Thanks so much, Hans. You've made an admirer very happy tonight. God bless," and trundled away with an ecstatic, almost shit-eating smile. Now back on the sidewalk, I take a peek at my new treasured and discover that the marker didn't dry fast enough on the Gladiator cover & Hans had accidentally smudged it when he switched it up to sign The Dark Knight. Oddly...I wasn't bothered by this, as, in the height of a long awaited fan-boy moment, I realized the maestro had immortalized his finger prints on my cd cover. Did I mention Gladiator is my favorite Zimmer score?

My only regret was that I didn't have more time to properly introduce myself & thank him for inspiring me through his hard work over the year. But then......

The SECOND time I met him was after the "Rush" premier. This time I was with friends. I'd already met Ron Howard, another influence of mine, the day before so I was pretty psyched up. The best thing about Roy Thompson Hall (in situations like these) is that you could see right inside to each floor as the stars came walking down the staircase and out into the parking lot. Boom!--Then Hans appeared with some woman I didn't recognize; probably his handler. He then proceeded to stand off to the side of the parking lot and lit up a cigarette. Boom!--I'm was in business. Security was super tight and it was obvious that NO fans were getting anywhere close to the talent that night....so....I went around to the loading dock area and, looking busy (I think my binder helped), I walked up a small stairs between the dumpsters & the wall and emerged by Hans just as he'd tossed his smoke & was walking back to the car. It was then that I politely and softly got Mr. Z's attention for the second and last time.

Finally I was able to introduce myself as a filmmaker who has been greatly inspired by his music; especially while writing etc. I acknowledged his hard work and thanked him sincerely, to which he responded hilariously, "THANK YOU!!! I work my damn ass off!!!" "Oh I know. It's quite evident," I said with authority. He then went on about stressful & exhausting it can all be, while I jokingly made a "booze drinking" gesture with my hand, to which he grinned. (Hans LOVES red wine). We carried on for a minute before I asked for a photo with him, to which he responded in all his German jollity, "Oh sure! Alright, come on, we can do this! Here we go!" We took the photo, looked it over together to ensure top quality and I said in my best Don LaFontaine voice: "Nice! HAAANS ZIMMER!" It was a cute moment. I let him go with one final thought, "Maybe we'll work together one day." We went out separate ways and THAT was a night to remember.

Looking back on 2013 I had quite a lot of success with film composers. Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Phillip Glass, Elliot Goldenthal. The teenager in me (who originally initiated this passionate love of film music) is very proud :)

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Very cool Jordan!

Are you coming to the Pops this summer?

I certainly hope to, Jason.

After the 2012 concert I said I'd make it an annual tradition, but ended up missing last year's concert.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Is there any thread about Zimmer's music for Amazing Spiderman 2?

I'm searching but i can't find anything.

I just heard a snippet of his music (i'm sure it is mentioned here elsewhere, isn't it?) and I'm curious to read people's opinions on this...

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Is there any thread about Zimmer's music for Amazing Spiderman 2?

I'm searching but i can't find anything.

I just heard a snippet of his music (i'm sure it is mentioned here elsewhere, isn't it?) and I'm curious to read people's opinions on this...

I think all the score discussion has been in the film's thread so far.

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Is there any thread about Zimmer's music for Amazing Spiderman 2?

I'm searching but i can't find anything.

I just heard a snippet of his music (i'm sure it is mentioned here elsewhere, isn't it?) and I'm curious to read people's opinions on this...

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22602&p=958861

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  • 4 weeks later...

Been listening to The Power of One all day now. My God, this is probably one the most brilliant HZ scores ever, in my humble opinion. As a fan of The Lion King, listening to this score is like being in musical heaven. It sounds so fresh, so full of life, of promise. I haven't seen the film but as stand-alone listen is simply brilliant. I do plan to read the book, though.

Has easily become one of my top Zimmer scores, and it's probably one his most unknown scores! I cannot recommend this score enough. Again, if you like/love TLK, you're gonna adore this.

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I stopped after 5 seconds after heard his repeating minor third, his(their) new trademark, heard in batman, inception and ALL the others.

Edit; oh this was appreciation thread. It's brilliant hansu, that you've taken over that interval, why not towards the new challenges? luv you

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