Directors who write the score to their films themselves

[GerateWohl 4,338]

Probably there has been a thread like this before.

But when you read about the working relationship between director and composer there come to my mind a few directors who are so much in that filmscore topic that they actually write their own scores. When I think of such directors three come to my mind immediately:

• of course John Carpenter
• Alejandro Amenábar (beautiful score for his film "The Others")
• and Tom Tykwer (he at least co-writes the music for his films)

 

Do you know of any other directors? I mean in a way Quentin Tarantino is prominent for patching the soundtrack of his films together out of existing songs or source music from other films. But that is not what I mean. I mean directors actually composing the music.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

Didn't Charlie Chaplin write a few songs for his films?

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Yes, he hummed them to his orchestrators.

 

Clint Eastwood sometimes contributed with his own main theme for Niehaus to use in the score.

[Thor 7,468]

I did a thread like this on FSM once, but I can't remember what I called it. Plus, the FSM search engine is wonky.

 

3 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Didn't Charlie Chaplin write a few songs for his films?

 

He famously "hummed" his tunes to arrangers, who then orchestrated them.

 

Other examples are:

 

Satyjajit Ray

Clint Eastwood

Robyn Miller

Robert Rodriguez

 

...I'll post more when I think of them.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

The FSM search engine is "Wonky"?

[Thor 7,468]

Yes, it doesn't work properly.

 

More examples:

 

Anthony Hopkins

Does J.J. Abrams count?

Does John Ottman count? (he's an editor, director and composer all wrapped up in one)

David Lynch

Jan Vardøen

 

[GerateWohl 4,338]

5 minutes ago, Thor said:

I did a thread like this on FSM once, but I can't remember what I called it. Plus, the FSM search engine is wonky.

 

 

He famously "hummed" his tunes to arrangers, who then orchestrated them.

 

Other examples are:

 

Satyjajit Ray

Clint Eastwood

Robyn Miller

Robert Rodriguez

 

...I'll post more when I think of them.

Right! Robert Rodriguez I forgot. About the others I did not know.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Next thread coming up: Composers who direct the film to their scores themselves

[Arpy 4,145]

Technically you could add Michael Giacchino to the list.

[GerateWohl 4,338]

30 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Next thread coming up: Composers who direct the film to their scores themselves

 

17 minutes ago, Arpy said:

Technically you could add Michael Giacchino to the list.

That is, what came to my mind as well.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

46 minutes ago, Thor said:

Does J.J. Abrams count?

I fucking hope not! 

[GerateWohl 4,338]

Yes. I would say, probably John Ottman counts, even though probably he might be a case like Michael Giacchino? I don't know. I am not so familiar with his work. I just have his H20 score.

 

What did JJ Abrams do?

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Star Wars source music

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Ruin Star Wars?

[GerateWohl 4,338]

12 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

Star Wars source music

 

12 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Ruin Star Wars?

Ah yes. I remember.

 

By the way. Does everyone know the score from Alejandro Amenábar to his film to "The Others"? It has a nice "Poltergeist" flavour to it when the children's choir comes in. Really beautiful. And it is a perfect fit for the film.

 

 

 

[A24 4,326]

I have it. Very atmospheric. Love the film!

[Thor 7,468]

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

What did JJ Abrams do?

 

He's done some bits and pieces over the years. The opening "theme" of LOST (if you could it a theme), source music for STAR WARS, probably other things.

[karelm 2,903]

JJ Abrams opening theme to "Lost" was simply a single note on a sample library called Omnisphere that fluctuates eerie textures as you hold the note longer.  He literally just held one note down for a few seconds to get a performance residual for every episode.

 

That reminds me, I believe that Gene Roddenberry has 50% of the writers share of the Star Trek theme because he wrote lyrics to Sandy Courage's theme music robbing Courage of half his royalties which pissed him off.  

[mstrox 6,647]

Abrams is credited with the themes to Alias and Fringe as well.  I actually really like the Fringe one.

 

Looking at his IMDB, it looks like he does the themes for most of the shows he produces - Felicity, Alias, Lost, Alcatraz, Fringe, Revolution, Almost Human, 11.22.63, and Person of Interest.  

 

It's a good royalty stream if you can swing it!

[A24 4,326]

Not buying that Abrams is a composer.

[Thor 7,468]

It actually seems that his very first movie job was as composer, according to Wikipedia:

 

Quote

Abrams' first job in the movie business was at age 16 when he wrote the music for Don Dohler's 1982 horror movie Nightbeast. 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

He should have stuck with that.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Joss Whedon allegedly composes music too.

[Chen G. 3,943]

Dame Frances Walsh composes.

[Marian Schedenig 8,173]

8 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Didn't Charlie Chaplin write a few songs for his films?

 

8 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Yes, he hummed them to his orchestrators.

 

Wikipedia says:

 

According to the official documents, the music score was composed by Chaplin himself, and arranged with the assistance of Alfred Newman, who had collaborated with Chaplin on the music score of his previous film City Lights. Newman and Chaplin had a falling out near the end of the Modern Times soundtrack recording sessions, leading to Newman's angry departure.

…

According to film composer David Raksin, he wrote the music as a young man wanting to make a name for himself. Chaplin would sit, often in the washroom, humming tunes and telling Raksin to "take this down". Raksin's job was to turn the humming into a score and create timings and synchronization that fit the situations. Chaplin was a violinist and had some musical knowledge, but he was not an orchestrator and was unfamiliar with synchronization. Along with Edward B. Powell, Raksin did receive screen credit for the music arrangements.

 

The Wiener Konzerthaus has frequently produced live to projection performances of the score. At least in their concert schedules, Chaplin is the only composer they ever credit.

[Omen II 1,235]

Director Harry Bromley-Davenport wrote the music to at least a couple of his films, most notably Xtro and Whispers of Fear.

 

 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

11 hours ago, mstrox said:

Abrams is credited with the themes to Alias and Fringe as well.  I actually really like the Fringe one.

 

Looking at his IMDB, it looks like he does the themes for most of the shows he produces - Felicity, Alias, Lost, Alcatraz, Fringe, Revolution, Almost Human, 11.22.63, and Person of Interest.  

 

It's a good royalty stream if you can swing it!

 

The Fringe title is his best composition, especially when he was asked to redo it for the 80s episode!

 

 

[Jay 37,287]

That's Chris Tilton re-arranging it, not JJ Abrams himself

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Incorrect.

 

Quote

Pinkner later recalled, "One of our writers said off-handedly that if we’re doing a show from 1985, shouldn’t we do a credit sequence from 1985, and literally, we pounced on it". He and Wyman asked J. J. Abrams, who wrote the original credit sequence melody, to write a 1980s version; Abrams was "very, very happy to do that," according to Wyman.^[10]

 

[Jay 37,287]

I'm sorry he was very, very happy to tell Chris Tilton to do it for him

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Ugh spare the smug Jay. 

[Jay 37,287]

Wha?

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

On 9/28/2020 at 8:14 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

The Wiener Konzerthaus has frequently produced live to projection performances of the score. At least in their concert schedules, Chaplin is the only composer they ever credit.

 

Do you mean they didn't credit any orchestrators either? The Brock re-recording credits Edward Powell and David Raksin as orchestrators.

[Marian Schedenig 8,173]

10 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Do you mean they didn't credit any orchestrators either? The Brock re-recording credits Edward Powell and David Raksin as orchestrators.

 

Perhaps in the printed programme booklet. But the schedule on their website only ever said "Music by Charles Chaplin" (or possibly Charlie, but I'd expect them to use the "serious" version of the name).