Howard Shore's The Desolation Of Smaug (Hobbit Part 2)

[Faleel 5,360]

Ben Burtt may have provided "musical" sound effects.

NOOOOOOOooooo! Burtt has not access to my dreams luckily. He shall not pass!

Well, you said it was dialed out.... was your dream edited correctly? was it a mono mix?

[Incanus 5,716]

I have been listening to the opening of the DoS score a lot (mostly because I can never get further before something interrupts me! Annoying ) and I have to say Beorn's theme and the surrounding tracks have been growing on me consistently. I really appreciate the moody, grim and aggressive material Shore came up for the character. His music has that kind of earthy and mournful feel to it which is then gradually aroused to tremendous rage in the chase scene. I wish there had been more action music for Beorn as I think Shore could have whipped up some even more frenzied percussion and growling brass for him! TABA might fulfill this wish though! Fingers crossed!

Beorn's Theme is the one part of my themes list I have not put any time into figuring out yet. Are all the timestamps in my post accurate in regards to that theme?

I'll check later when I have time and post comments in the appropriate thread.

Ben Burtt may have provided "musical" sound effects.

NOOOOOOOooooo! Burtt has not access to my dreams luckily. He shall not pass!

Well, you said it was dialed out.... was your dream edited correctly? was it a mono mix?

I think it had some rather abrupt cuts and odd segues from one part to the next. And with no score to smooth out the transitions it was very abbrasive. I wasn't too worried about the mix. The Orcies with axes were about to bash through my door if I remember correctly. I think it worked better with silence. More menacing that way.

[Faleel 5,360]

Were the SFX dry or wet?

Bassy? or mostly treble?

[Incanus 5,716]

Were the SFX dry or wet?

Bassy? or mostly treble?

My ragged panicked breathing covered most other sound effects. But I think they were more treble. I don't like bass that much so I figure my dreams don't have much bassy sounds.

[Faleel 5,360]

Compressed? or high dynamic range?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Faleel 5,360]

But does it work musically?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,716]

Hell yeah! Much more than having Dwarven material in the middle of suspense/Dol Guldur material, in my opinion.

+1

The inclusion of the Dwarven music in the middle of Dol Guldur stuff felt fragmented to say the least.

[Faleel 5,360]

But that really has very little to do with it working musically...

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,374]

You've know, I've been thinking on and analyzing that lately too, and I think Shore made all the absolutely right decisions with the album assembly.

While I more or less agree with that statement, there's one particular bit on the OST I wish he had done differently, and that's the A Spell Of Concealment track.

I mean it goes like this: Dol Guldur music - "The Dwarves looking for the stairs leading to the hidden door" music - Dol Guldur music.

In my opinion, it would have been better to remove that middle part and put it at the beginning of On The Doorstep (just like in the film). That way, you have all the Dol Guldur stuff in one track, and all the Erebor stuff in the other.

Agreed, in fact I was going to mention the same idea in my post, but forgot

But does it work musically?

I think it does, yes.

[Faleel 5,360]

I might just have the Forest River unreleased segment cleaner

[Jay 37,374]

Where from?

[Faleel 5,360]

The Awards EBook

http://www.warnerbros2013.com/TheHobbitAwardsBook2013/

Under the editing section, it has four videos of the Barrel Chase:

Final, Final Ungraded, Rough Cut and Previs.

The Rough cut has the sound mix (no music) of the video, and when lined up against the full audio, you can phase invert the sound effects into a reduced or removed form.

[Jay 37,374]

Smart!

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

The Rough cut has the sound mix (no music) of the video, and when lined up against the full audio, you can phase invert the sound effects into a reduced or removed form.

正如你說這話，不是一個明顯的白色，我說死應該找到你東部和西部老哥哥!

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Faleel 5,360]

The Rough cut has the sound mix (no music) of the video, and when lined up against the full audio, you can phase invert the sound effects into a reduced or removed form.

正如你說這話，不是一個明顯的白色，我說死應該找到你東部和西部老哥哥!

As you say this is not an obvious white, I say you should be found dead in eastern and western old brother?

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

That's Google bloody Translate for you! All I typed in was "WTF?!"

[Faleel 5,360]

Here is my attempt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWNmx2Oygq4

[MedigoScan 324]

ah there is that Bolg theme, slightly

[Jay 37,374]

One other update I forgot:

The only piece I couldn't identify was this:

2-11E [9:42-end] "???" (0:13)

Any ideas?

I could have sworn that played when Legolas chased Bolg over the bridge, if not then it was probably silenced anyway

it doesnt sound like any of the musical inserts I heard during the whole Smaug section of the movie

Nope, the music for Legolas chasing Bolg comes right before those 13 seconds.

Still haven't heard the special edition yet, but I suppose the last 13 seconds of The Hunters extended version are meant to underscore the shot that follows the scene where Legolas is chasing Bolg (don't remember what it is). I don't think they'd add some random 13 seconds from another scene at the end of such a long track.

It actually does cover the very next scene in the film: Which is the sequence with Balin, Bilbo, and Thorin in a hallway as Smaug appears and breaths fire on them (causing Thorin to do his hero jump)

Dialed out / unused in the film.

[MedigoScan 324]

well 'cover' would be a weird way to describe it, but that does make sense

I do wonder what the Smaug material in the middle of that last section was supposed to cover though

[Jay 37,374]

What are you talking about now?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

It is also confirmed that some of the POV Forest river shots were done with Go Pros.

Did we really need a confirmation of this?

By the way, I honestly can't understand how anyone in his rigth mind would think it was a good idea to inser amateur-looking footage in the middle of that sequence.

[MedigoScan 324]

What are you talking about now?

the segment of Hunters in between the Woodland Realm Legolas variations at 8:38

what theme is that supposed to be?

[Jay 37,374]

I don't hear a theme there. That's all just action music for Legolas fighting Bolg.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[KK 3,307]

No clue why they included those shots. Did more harm than good.

[Faleel 5,360]

They were probably trying to make it more disorienting.

Not that it was a good Idea or worked or anything

[Incanus 5,716]

Seeing Bombur do his Barrel of Laughs routine was disorienting enough.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

They were probably trying to make it more disorienting.

Yeah. The idea was most likely to make you feel closer to the action... The only tihng it did was take me out of the movie.

[Incanus 5,716]

They were probably trying to make it more disorienting.

Yeah. The idea was most likely to make you feel closer to the action... The only tihng it did was take me out of the movie.

It was surprisingly distracting while watching it for the first time but got worse on subsequent viewings.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

That + plus the constant dialing out of the score is really what killed the sequence for me. Fix those two issues, and I would enjoy it a lot more (even with all the over-the-top madness).

[Jay 37,374]

I must be the only one who didn't notice those shots

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Incanus 5,716]

PJ really cranked that sequence so full of everything it becomes a bit too over the top for me. Not intolerable but somewhat ridiculous.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[mstrox 6,651]

I must be the only one who didn't notice those shots

I didn't notice the shots and found the whole sequence to be great, one of the very few flawless parts of the whole Hobbit enterprise at this point.

[Jay 37,374]

I think the only thing great about it was the music It was definitely too over the top with the Bombur in a Barrel and Legolas on heads bits, not to mention the awful CGI

[mstrox 6,651]

In the universe of the Lord of the Rings films, it was completely out of place. In the universe of The Hobbit, which has over a dozen characters falling stories through goblin caverns without a scrape, giant goofy molten gold statues, and a wizard with poop all over his head - well, the scene was fun and exciting, and that was enough for me

[Jay 37,374]

Good points!

[Jilal 569]

I kind of expected a more mature scene, judging from the music. Shore again managed to elevate the film and mask a few of its weaknesses but because of that, the Hobbit films also feel like a weak rehash of The Lord of the Rings, trying to be serious but not (entirely) succeeding in doing so.

Did Legolas never hear the orc sneaking up behind him? I mean, he is an elf, right?

Did anyone of you catch the Two Towers reference, by the way (Legolas sliding down rocks on a goblin)?

------------------------------------------------------------------------EDIT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bombur's barrel madness was - well, madness. An attempt to amuse the younger part of the audience, I guess, which in turn makes it worse for me.

[KK 3,307]

Yes...there's too many of these LotR "references". These films struggle to stand on their own feet.

[Jilal 569]

Yes...there's too many of these LotR "references". These films struggle to stand on their own feet.

Yes...there's too many of these LotR "references". These films struggle to stand on their own feet.

Yes, I heard you!

I guess most people didn't even notice most of them, but they do indeed weaken the film. The LotR references, the chidlish humour, the over-the-top action sequences are very much in contrast with Shore's music.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

trying to be serious but not (entirely) succeeding in doing so.

That's the problem. The film doesn't even know what it wants to be! It has childish stuff, followed by superserious stuff a la White Council sequence, followed by lighthearted stuff, followed by dark stuff, etc... It's a schizophrenic movie, really.

Did anyone of you catch the Two Towers reference, by the way (Legolas sliding down rocks on a goblin)?

EVERYONE got the reference.

[KK 3,307]

Yeah, you think they could have at least done those references with a little subtlety. The whole Tauriel = Arwen bit made me cringe.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Oh, that was a reference to Arwen? I didn't get that!