Potterdom Film/Score Series Thread

[MSM 126]

I don't want a Potter score by Horner. I can hear exactly what it would sound like in my head already. In order for me to really look forward to a Horner score at this point, it's going to need to be in a genre that's vastly different from anything else he's done. For example, I'd be MOST curious to hear what he would have come up with for TDK. That's not to say I'd necessarily like it, but he certainly has avoided that sort of dark sonority. Harry Potter would just be...textbook Horner. I'd much rather have Williams return. MUCH rather.

As for the Doyle vs. Hooper debate...I've probably weighed in at some point, but I'll say it again - I think I prefer Hooper, but I'm not terribly fond of either. Doyle did a nice job on the marches and waltzes and so forth, and some of the darker material is pretty enjoyable for me, but the score is just too annoyingly enthusiastic in some parts. Too shrill. And the thematic material usually isn't very interesting. Hooper's effort sounds very generic and un-special to me, but there are some moments that I really do enjoy. Umbridge's theme does capture one side of her character pretty nicely, and there are some lovely woodwind passages and so forth here and there, and a few moments in the film's climax really caught my attention when I was watching the film, though they have somewhat less impact on CD.

In any case, it's all about Williams for me. The first and third scores were gold, as far as I'm concerned, and they demonstrate that he was perfectly capable of allowing his sound to change and develop as the saga did. (And anyone who thinks Doyle and Hooper were better choices because they wrote "darker" music should really take a listen to the Forbidden Forest cues, the music for the dementors, and even the numerous horn statements of the B section of Hedwig's theme in the first score.)

I agree with eveything you say here, including the doubts and all.

[Maxxie 1]

I agree. Actually, the only Potter film that I had very little to complain about was the first one. Looking back on it now, I realize the film is a bit childish, but it seems to capture the magic of the early part of the series better than the later films. COS was probably the biggest disappointment for me...I had a lot of problems with that film, most of which were probably exacerbated by the score. I probably didn't give POA enough credit at the time...looking back on it now, it really is an interesting film, in terms of the themes it explores and its visual style and so forth. Cuaron did a nice job of breaking the Columbus mold that worked so well in SS and so poorly in COS, IMO. Then GOF came out, and I was just kinda like...whatever. It's probably my favorite book of the series, but the film left me kinda cold in a lot of ways. And again, I put too much emphasis on the quality of the score when watching the film, so Doyle probably lowered my opinion of the film. By the time OoTP came rolling around, I really had no big expectations, and the movie was pretty much how I expected it. Perhaps a bit better, since I'm not a fan of the fifth book.

I just felt like sharing the track listing to my POA complete soundtrack, which I just completed (probably) a few days ago. Yeah, I know, I'm a little bit late to that game. Better late than never, though. Sorry about the long track listing! So many short cues that aren't conducive to combining in this score.

1. Lumos! (Hedwig's Theme) [1:38] OST

2. Aunt Marge's Waltz [2:15] OST

3. Family Photo [0:23] DVD rip

4. The Bus Stop [1:47] DVD rip and OST, with some help from the bonus DVD features for lovely unused material after Harry enters the bus

5. The Knight Bus I [1:01] OST - everything up to the goofy squeeze-between-the-buses music, with a clean ending from the end of the track

6. The Knight Bus II [1:02] OST with DVD-ripped end and bonus DVD clean opening - starts after the squeezing music, and has unreleased ending

7. The Knight Bus III [0:29] OST with bonus DVD clean ending - unused squeezing music on OST - clean opening by overlaying inverted ending of track

8. The Knight Bus IV [0:30] DVD rip - film version of squeezing music and ending

9. The Monster Book of Monsters [0:31] OST with reverbed clean ending

10. Grave Danger [1:02] mostly from DVD rip, with help from bonus DVD, particularly for the ending, which isn't audible in the film

11. Aboard the Hogwarts Express [0:19] DVD rip

12. Dementor on the Train [2:15] OST

13. Reflection - Double Trouble [0:58] DVD rip for "Reflection" cue, bonus DVD for clean ending, which overlays OST for last part of "DT"

14. A Word of Caution [0:47] DVD rip, with bonus DVD for some parts

15. The Gryffindor Common Room [0:14] DVD rip and bonus DVD

16. Dementors and Feathers [1:02] OST

17. The Grim [0:32] DVD rip

18. Hagrid the Professor [1:29] OST

19. Say Hello to Buckbeak [1:02] DVD rip

20. Buckbeak's Flight [2:08] OST

21. Ghosts of Hogwarts Past [0:42] DVD ripped percussion intro, sped up to match tempo of OST version, with reverbed ending

22. Like Trying to Catch Smoke [0:39] DVD rip

23. The Boggart: Snape [0:44] DVD-ripped beginning, then OST

24. The Boggart: Spider [0:30] OST with looped fade-in and reverbed ending

25. The Boggart: Snake [0:17] OST with reverbed ending

26. The Boggart: Dementor [0:32] OST

27. Conversations on the Bridge [1:38] DVD rip - two similar, consecutive cues with a brief moment between them

28. Flight of the Fat Lady [2:06] OST "The Portrait Gallery"

29. Secure the Castle! [2:03] DVD rip (and bonus DVD) with reverbed transition into OST

30. Quidditch, Third Year [3:47] OST (doesn't include film opening - see bonus tracks)

31. Woods and Winter [2:19] DVD beginning and ending, with OST "A Window to the Past" in the middle and bonus DVD near end

32. Into Hogsmeade [0:29] DVD rip

33. Honeydukes (Source) [0:29] bonus DVD rip

34. The Snowball Fight [1:02] OST

35. He Was Their Friend [2:02] DVD rip, with expanded ending from tracked music near end of film

36. Learning the Patronus Charm [3:07] DVD rip, with bits of bonus DVD; silence between cues removed

37. Sentenced to Death [0:34] DVD rip

38. Peter Pettigrew [1:28] DVD rip

39. Crystal Gazing [1:16] DVD rip with some bonus DVD

40. Professor Trelawney's Prediction [1:21] DVD rip

41. The Executioner [0:42] DVD rip

42. A Moment with Buckbeak [0:42] DVD rip

43. Buckbeak's Execution [2:22] OST with reverbed ending

44. The Axe Falls [0:16] DVD rip

45. Chasing Scabbers [1:05] OST, with DVD opening

46. The Whomping Willow [1:25] OST, with reverbed ending

47. Finding Ron [1:11] DVD rip with a bit of bonus DVD

48. Betrayal in the Shrieking Shack [1:34] DVD rip with some bonus DVD material

49. Pettigrew Revealed [2:06] DVD rip

50. A Sirius Conversation [1:49] DVD rip

51. The Werewolf Scene [4:25] OST

52. The Dementors Converge [3:13] OST

53. Forward to Time Past I [2:44] OST with DVD-ripped ending

54. Forward to Time Past II [6:59] DVD rip and OST

55. The Werewolf Scene Revisited [2:01] OST (no recorder overlay) and awesome DVD-ripped alternate ending

56. Saved by Buckbeak [0:35] DVD rip

57. The Patronus [2:04] OST with "The Patronus Light" for very end

58. The Rescue of Sirius Black [1:22] DVD rip (AMAZING CUE!) with rip of end credits for last third

59. Sirius Departs [1:28] OST (with DVD rip for first couple of notes)

60. Back to Time Present [0:41] DVD rip

61. Reunited with Ron [0:35] DVD rip

62. Mischief Managed! [12:42] OST and DVD rip (pitch-corrected ending replicated for beginning; missing start of end credits and Pettigrew theme from DVD; OST order of credits preserved)

63. Unused Flourish [0:11] from bonus DVD - I don't know if this was Williams or not

64. Aboard the Hogwarts Express (Alternate) [0:22] from bonus DVD, most likely an alternate cue - I like this better than the film version! Same harpsichord element at the end, but the rest is more eerie.

65. A Window to the Past [3:54] OST

66. Quidditch, Third Year (Intro) [0:29] DVD rip of film intro, with OST fading out

67. Quidditch, Third Year (No Choir) [0:12] DVD rip of short passage without choir mixed in

68. Forward to Time Past II (Alternate) [0:36] DVD rip of film version of the bats taking flight

69. The Werewolf Scene Revisited (Original) [0:33] OST - unused pizzicato passage, with faked shaker ending from Indy 4 =O

70. The Patronus Light [1:13] OST

71. Mischief Managed! (Extended) [0:13] bonus DVD - extended tremolos and so forth before the build into Hedwig's theme

72. Alternate Mixes 1 [2:34] end credits rear channels rip - "The Knight Bus" and "Double Trouble" with less rhythm section and accompaniments, respectively

73. Alternate Mixes 2 [2:34] end credits DVD rip - same cues as above, but similar mixes to

Told ya it'd be long. You're crazy if you read all of that...almost as crazy as I am for typing it up.

Impressive DM! Wouldn't fancy uploading it would ya?...........

[Datameister 2,044]

Thanks! Haha, if I had proof that a trustworthy person already owned both the OST and the DVD, I might be willing to send it over. Maybe. These really are a lot of fun to put together, though, and I highly recommend just doing it yourself if you've got the time! It gives you the opportunity to make it sound exactly how you want it to.

[Maxxie 1]

Thanks! Haha, if I had proof that a trustworthy person already owned both the OST and the DVD, I might be willing to send it over. Maybe. These really are a lot of fun to put together, though, and I highly recommend just doing it yourself if you've got the time! It gives you the opportunity to make it sound exactly how you want it to.

Haha yeah I know what ya mean.

I've just finished BTTF 2 & 3 myself - great fun.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Thanks! Haha, if I had proof that a trustworthy person already owned both the OST and the DVD, I might be willing to send it over.

Why the DVD? I can understand the OST, but what if you're someone that doesn't like the film but would like to hear more music?

For instance, I owned the DVD and sold it because I didn't think the film was any good, but I'm liking the music because I've had a chance to listen to it outside of the context of Harry Potter, which I don't really like. This isn't a request for the material though, I'm happy with the OST.

[John Crichton 4]

I finally gave in and sold back my Potter DVDs a few months ago (I only had the first three). If I ever need to rip material from the scores again I can borrow my cousin's copy(s).

[Datameister 2,044]

Well, the extra music is all from the DVDs, Charlie. If I send it to someone who doesn't own the DVDs, there's no denying that it's copyright infringement. I'd have sent an illegal copy of copyrighted material to someone. But if they own the DVD and I send them my edit, it's a lot more legally and ethically debatable - in that case, they've paid for the extra music. It's just that I'm providing the free service of putting it together in the right order and integrating it with other music that they've also paid for. =)

[Richard Penna 3,696]

Datameister - ripping music from a DVD is technically copyright infringement in itself. It's just not worth enforcing.

If all rips/edits were distributed on the condition that all recipients owned every piece of source material used to make them, barely anyone would swap anything. It's like requiring that anyone who gets an expanded episode III set has to buy every video game, DVD and CD that was used. It's not going to work, and I think you're the first person to suggest that as a condition.

Sometimes I temporarily download DVD images in order to rip the 5 channels. Much of the time I have no interest in watching the movie, so I don't see why I should pay full price for the DVD when I'm only extracting personal value from a small part of it, and which from a price pov, could reasonably have been included on a score CD.

And of course we wouldn't have to do any of this if the damn film industry would treat film music releases properly.

[Marian Schedenig 8,212]

Datameister - ripping music from a DVD is technically copyright infringement in itself. It's just not worth enforcing.

I don't think it is. But if the DVD is encrypted (most are), it requires breaking the encryption, which may be illegal depending on where you live.

[Datameister 2,044]

Datameister - ripping music from a DVD is technically copyright infringement in itself. It's just not worth enforcing.

Ripping music from a DVD that you've legally purchased just so you can listen to it is technically illegal, I believe, yes. But that is such an insanely silly (and unenforceable) law that I basically show it no regard. Why shouldn't I be able to listen to part of a product that I've legally bought instead of listening to all of it and watching moving images with it, too? I see a lot more ethically wrong with redistributing that copyrighted material to others, though.

If all rips/edits were distributed on the condition that all recipients owned every piece of source material used to make them, barely anyone would swap anything. It's like requiring that anyone who gets an expanded episode III set has to buy every video game, DVD and CD that was used. It's not going to work, and I think you're the first person to suggest that as a condition.

Very true - there wouldn't be much swapping. And I don't think there should be much swapping, if the material can be legally purchased. Honest-to-goodness bootlegs can't be purchased, and I don't see anything wrong with spreading those around, and I'm a little more lax about video game files because they can be so hard for the average person to rip anyway. But I don't like redistributing a significant part of a DVD I bought to other people who didn't buy it.

And of course we wouldn't have to do any of this if the damn film industry would treat film music releases properly.

Extremely and frustratingly true. If I ever somehow manage to become a film composer or the like, I will be pretty insistent upon a proper release, even if I think my music is crap that no one should want to buy. That's not my call!

[Charlie Brigden 7]

So if I go to a Shakira concert and record it, then pass that bootleg onto someone, should I ensure they went to the concert first?

[MSM 126]

Any news on Half Blood Prince? Release is now only 4 months away.

[Datameister 2,044]

That's a little less clear-cut, Charlie, since that other person wouldn't be able to go out and see that concert right then. With a DVD, even if it's out of print, it's usually entirely possible to get your hands on a copy pretty easily - for a price. Not so much with a concert that already happened.

But no, I probably wouldn't share recordings of a concert a whole lot, particularly if there were a professionally-produced version out there. =)

I know trying to do things somewhat legally makes me hoity-toity and elitist and holier-than-thou in a lot of people's eyes. Not much I can do to change that.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

I know trying to do things somewhat legally makes me hoity-toity and elitist and holier-than-thou in a lot of people's eyes. Not much I can do to change that.

Well everyone has their principles. Mine are simply based on the fact that many media related laws exist to maximise profits, and I don't follow those that I think either take away consumer right, or as you just mentioned, are downright stupid.

Now in some ways, I do agree that if you've taken two easily available products, extracted parts and done something with them, then the recipient would quite reasonably also have paid for the personal right to those media.

Thing is, the other side of me sees work like your edit as a retaliation against the inadequacy of the original release. Also, what if someone doesn't like the presentation or completeness of the CD, but appreciates your expansion? Are they supposed to just buy the CD and leave it unopened on their shelf, playing your versions instead?

Oops, waffling on a bit. This copyright area is just something I feel very strongly about, and wish studios would grow up and use modern technology for once.

[Datameister 2,044]

Thing is, the other side of me sees work like your edit as a retaliation against the inadequacy of the original release.

Not a retaliation - a remedy. Or a partial one, at least, considering that sound quality and levels of sound effects vary widely.

Also, what if someone doesn't like the presentation or completeness of the CD, but appreciates your expansion? Are they supposed to just buy the CD and leave it unopened on their shelf, playing your versions instead?

Yep, pretty much. That's what I do. Buy the soundtrack legally, make an expanded release if I have the time, interest, and means, and then mostly just listen to that. I buy the original because regardless of how stupid the studios (and even the composers!) can be about how they release the music, they've still spent a lot of money and hard work into creating this music, and I feel some obligation to pay them for that if possible. If they don't want to release their music through normal avenues, fine - I have no qualms about seeking bootlegs. But if the music is there on the CD and/or DVD, I'd rather keep things as close to legal as I can, most of the time.

This copyright area is just something I feel very strongly about, and wish studios would grow up and use modern technology for once.

As do I.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

Yes, I want to reward composers for their work too, but I won't do it to the extent of buying a CD for the sole purpose of having given money and not actually opening or using it.

I buy the original because regardless of how stupid the studios (and even the composers!) can be about how they release the music, they've still spent a lot of money and hard work into creating this music, and I feel some obligation to pay them for that if possible.

The music is paid for by the making of the film - any money they make from a soundtrack release is extra, surely. Really makes me laugh sometimes that we're sitting here, extracting music from DVDs when the music is sitting on hard drives, and actually slightly insulting when it's used 'casually' in the background of documentaries. I really do think they underestimate film music collectors.

[Henry B 50]

The music is paid for by the making of the film - any money they make from a soundtrack release is extra, surely.

Wow.

[Datameister 2,044]

Yes, I want to reward composers for their work too, but I won't do it to the extent of buying a CD for the sole purpose of having given money and not actually opening or using it.

You buy it for the sole purpose of listening to the music encoded on it. If someone else does the hard work of putting it in the right order with additional music for you, that's great, but that doesn't make you any less responsible for paying for the original product.

I'm not trying to say that I'm perfect in the eyes of U.S. copyright law, that I always do everything legally. Sometimes that's just silly, and other times I screw up. But if a composer releases a legitimate album of good music, I generally either pony up or I wait until it's worth the money.

Of course, then there are cases like Disneyland, where there's a new album every few years that comprises most of the same old music with a few tweaks. In cases like that, I see no point in spending $20 for copies of the exact same music all over again just so I can get a couple minutes of new material. I have few qualms about obtaining that music through alternate routes...I've paid for four Disneyland CDs of various sorts, and that's enough for now. But that's a whole 'nother story.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

The music is paid for by the making of the film - any money they make from a soundtrack release is extra, surely.

Wow.

Why 'wow'? I'm just saying soundtrack releases supplement incomes - is that not correct?

If someone else does the hard work of putting it in the right order with additional music for you, that's great, but that doesn't make you any less responsible for paying for the original product.

That depends on the original product being a good one.

I'm gonna take a stab at Varese here, which I really don't want to do, but in 1997 they released a ton of 30 minute or so score CDs for major blockbusters - AF1, Dante's Peak, Starship Troopers, Volcano, loads more.

Now I know there were budget/reuse fee issues, but at the end of the day, I think a CD with only 1/3 of the score from four huge films with huge composers is unacceptable if they are still charging the same price as a release with 80 mins of music, and that we shouldn't have to put up with that. (different story if there's like 15 mins missing from a release and you're adding 3 DVD ripped cues, in which case I agree that the original product should be paid for).

I'm just continuing my low-key crusade against those responsible for reuse fees

[Datameister 2,044]

Things get overpriced sometimes. That's real life. If it's worth the money to you, you buy it. If not, you let it go. Or you buy it used for a third the price!

[Henry B 50]

The music is paid for by the making of the film - any money they make from a soundtrack release is extra, surely.

Wow.

Why 'wow'? I'm just saying soundtrack releases supplement incomes - is that not correct?

I'm aware that composers' salaries are paid by production studios. Look, I just can't jive with your fairy tale understanding of the world economy. Life is about give and take. If studios didn't charge for soundtracks the most music we'd see released would be a few MP3s on the films' web sites for promotional purposes. There's no incentive to distribute a product to people if you aren't going to see returns.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

When did I say they shouldn't charge? Of course they should be paid for releasing music on CD.

I'm just asking for a respectable product in return, and one that that doesn't force music fans to reassemble it afterwards.

[Henry B 50]

Well, sure, but your statement seemed to suggest otherwise. You've also argued for the right of people to freely disseminate music ad infinitum in the past, so pardon my misunderstanding. That's pretty odd to suggest that we have some inalienable right to hear every minute of every score. There are clearly pieces Williams omits from his album releases because he doesn't want them to be heard. I don't agree with his choices, of course, and I'm fine with acquiring more music through any means, but I don't believe that album inadequacies justify its outright theft.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

I usually tend to buy the movies I like legally on DVD, but am a lot less willing to pay for music CDs. There's a couple of reasons for that, mainly having to do with the availability of the music, the quality of the release and the price.

Since film scores are such an "obscure" product, the availability is really bad and if you really want a CD, usually it is already out of print and therefore insanely expensive even if you can find it at all. Then there is the quality of the release, which varies greatly, but tends to be "not good enough" for me.

I am not willing to pay 100 euro's for a 30-minute CD release of a good score when there's an almost complete bootleg around. Especially not while downloading music for personal use is still more-or-less legal in The Netherlands. I don't like taking away profit from the artists, but I try to make up by buying the films themselves on DVD.

It seems that being a film music fan and being 100% legal about owning the music just doesn't go well together at all. Even if you do have the money to buy all releases that you might possibly be interested in, you'll still be missing out on an insane amount of good music.

Now if there's a proper release of a score I like and it's available for a reasonable price and I don't have to search dozens of sites for it, I am quite willing to buy it. If there's a less-than-proper release available for a score I really, really want, I'll also buy it.

Another problem I'm having is that I just virtually never get to listen to my actual CDs; I always listen on my iPod. This is partly because I usually listen in the train or am sitting behind a computer, but when I do have the circumstances that I might theoretically be able to listen to my CDs, my parents usually don't allow it because any music that is not completely, thoroughly and utterly boring tends to be a big no-no.

For the above reasons, the past year I have only bought all the Indiana Jones CDs and nothing else, really.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, enough of that. Back to Potter. Can anybody give me a reason why there are SO many "cool" smoke effects in the latest trailer? It just really bothers me. It must've cost a LOT to make those effects and it does - not - look - cool. Worse still, it looks completely boring. I was hoping they'd improve on the boring final Death Eaters vs Order of the Phoenix fight from the previous film, but apparently not. That fight involved mainly "black puffs of smoke" circling around "white puffs of smoke" to simulate wizards doing battle. And here is the new trailer and there's an incredible shot of a bridge being destroyed by, you guess it, black puffs of smoke. How hard would it be to just have the actors on-screen and using their wands?

[Demodex 557]

Things get overpriced sometimes. That's real life. If it's worth the money to you, you buy it. If not, you let it go. Or you buy it used for a third the price!

Or you get it from a friend or someone on the internet for free.

[Henry B 50]

Things get overpriced sometimes. That's real life. If it's worth the money to you, you buy it. If not, you let it go. Or you buy it used for a third the price!

Or you get it from a friend or someone on the internet for free.

Or you can disable your neighbor's security system, break into his house and abscond with his entire CD collection. Why not?

[John Crichton 4]

It's always my preferred choice. That's why Mark doesn't let me anywhere near his house.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

[MSM 126]

New trailer for HBP:

http://www.knack.be/focus/poplounge/film/2...rince'.html

Also Blood Diamond director of photography Eduardo Serra might be DP for Deathly Hallows I and II:

http://www.hpana.com/news.20761.html

[Henry B 50]

Also Blood Diamond director Eduardo Serra might be directing Deathly Hallows I and II:

http://www.hpana.com/news.20761.html

... Directing photography.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

Wouldn't be surprised if they did find someone else to direct DH though.

I'm in two minds about that trailer. Some parts do look cool, but what we've heard about the story problems is hard to ignore. Plus Dumbledore just looks bored.

[Henry B 50]

There's so much fire!

[MSM 126]

Also Blood Diamond director Eduardo Serra might be directing Deathly Hallows I and II:

http://www.hpana.com/news.20761.html

... Directing photography.

Ah you're right, excusez moi

There's so much fire!

Isn't that just from one and the same sequence (the cave)?

Wouldn't be surprised if they did find someone else to direct DH though.

I'm in two minds about that trailer. Some parts do look cool, but what we've heard about the story problems is hard to ignore. Plus Dumbledore just looks bored.

The story problems might be based on false information: http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/2230

The bored Dumbledore might be just miscast Michael Gambon.

[indy4 155]

The trailer looks good, but not as good as the last HBP trailer. I'm still looking forward to this film a great deal.

[John Crichton 4]

The story problems might be based on false information: http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/2230

That does nothing to refute the reports from the screening that did happen, or the information that was coming out before that. I still say it's got big problems.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

It says there wasn't a second screening, not that the fan quotes weren't real.

[MSM 126]

It says there wasn't a second screening, not that the fan quotes weren't real.

Right, but in other articles Warner Bros says that the reactions were from the first screening in Chicago 1 year ago, after which they substantially reworked the picture.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I can't wait for the DVD audio commentary and bonus features explaining what happened with this film.

[Wojo 2,453]

Harry Pothead and the Philosopher's Stoned

It makes sense that it happened to a Slytherin kid.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

He always looked the type.

[MSM 126]

New trailer, basically everything we already have seen.

http://www.filmtotaal.nl/artikel.php?id=13539

[MattyO 62]

Has anyone found any samples for Half-Blood Prince yet? I'm eager to hear this one. I've heard Transformers 2 samples, nothing more than what I expected, except for the slight Angels & Demons feel.

[MSM 126]

Any news on HP:HBP? It's only a few weeks from it's opening!

[indy4 155]

Has anyone found any samples for Half-Blood Prince yet? I'm eager to hear this one. I've heard Transformers 2 samples, nothing more than what I expected, except for the slight Angels & Demons feel.

I believe there are some possible bits of the score on the website. Not official samples, but music that plays when you go on.

[MattyO 62]

There's a 3-minute clip of some tracks from the HBP album on YouTube (

). So far, the score seems more robust than the last score; still it's not the sound I want to hear for Deathly Hallows. Those scores need to be epic!

[Hlao-roo 389]

There's a 3-minute clip of some tracks from the HBP album on YouTube (

). So far, the score seems more robust than the last score; still it's not the sound I want to hear for Deathly Hallows. Those scores need to be epic!

Needs more power anthems!

[Neimoidian 14]

There's a 3-minute clip of some tracks from the HBP album on YouTube (

). So far, the score seems more robust than the last score; still it's not the sound I want to hear for Deathly Hallows. Those scores need to be epic!

I was just going to post that. It isn't Williams, but I could live with that music.

[Henry B 50]

There's a 3-minute clip of some tracks from the HBP album on YouTube (

). So far, the score seems more robust than the last score; still it's not the sound I want to hear for Deathly Hallows. Those scores need to be epic!

Blegh. Terrible.

[Hlao-roo 389]

There's a 3-minute clip of some tracks from the HBP album on YouTube (

). So far, the score seems more robust than the last score; still it's not the sound I want to hear for Deathly Hallows. Those scores need to be epic!

Blegh. Terrible.

There's a breathless quality to some of the action writing (swirling string figures and hyperventilating timpani) that recalls early Doyle -- not necessarily a good or bad thing. Otherwise has that same flat, bland quality that Hooper brought to the previous score. At least Hooper has largely resisted any MV/RC stylistic infiltration.

I do like the way Hooper uses the harp in that brief clip of romantic underscore -- it lends a dignified air to the proceedings that suggests that Hooper isn't condescending to his material. Also, the exuberant swing number in "Wizard Wheezes" appears to be a nice respite from the heavy drama in the way "The Knight Bus" was in Azkaban.

[MattyO 62]

It appears that Hooper is at least making a bigger effort this time. As soon as I heard the extended horn theme that's been playing on the website for months, I knew this was going to be a better score than the last.