[Fmpro] who will be the first

[bipcress@comcast.net]

Marinho, your assertions must have validity. Funny that I, a person with a 
drive for political/sociological evolution that posits me teetering on the 
border of being an anarchist, should not consider the obvious you have 
offered. Putting that aside, I am still inclined to suspect other factors 
involved, factors involving the ongoing ebb and flow of artistic influences 
and the interconnectedness of various cultural threads. For instance, the 
shift in style from the golden age to the silver, which involved (among 
other things) younger composers being effected not just by advances in 
serious music (Stravinsky), but also by jazz, big bands, and early rock and 
roll. Can we pinpoint the first true example of the current drone-and-mumble 
style of non-scoring. You know what I mean, a film with no emphatic, 
full-form, or melodically commited main title construct (being VERY LOUD 
doesn't count, and certainly no original main title ballad), and interior 
cues that are nothing more than endlessly meandering progressions - at best 
melodic fragments, or even worse just tonal clusters or blocks that barely 
generate only the most basic mood or color. I can't shake the notion that 
certain composers, young bucks of the 80s perhaps, were being influenced by 
some element within the larger arena of musical expression, in or outside of 
film, during those particular days. I feel I should point out the huge 
difference between the TV scoring for the original Kirk/Spock run of STAR 
TREK in the 60s, which was graced with some of the richest music to come out 
of television, and the music for NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE NINE and 
VOYAGER - comprised of pale pastel backdrops and weakly ambient 
"suggestions" in lieu of bold thematic/melodic designs. I have read that the 
TREK producers were always hounding the composers to "tone it down" and to 
"keep it low-key". Why? Some trend was afoot and was influencing the 
thinking of these guys, but what are the roots of this unfortunate mind-set? 
There must be a film, or series of films (and perhaps TV programming) that 
preceded and instigated such attitudes. I have to believe that some members 
of this unique board are possessed of sufficient savvy and insight to at 
least start the process of solving this art history riddle. Also, why would 
anyone suggest STAR WARS as somehow kicking off the trend to anemic scoring? 
I realize this last question may not even be worth addressing. - JohnB

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marinho Nobre" <marinho at manommg.com>
To: <fmpro at nxport.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:35 PM
Subject: [Fmpro] who will be the first


>I wish I could identify an historical
> starting-point for this rampant disrespect for the orchestral soundtrack. 
> I
> have heard some say it began with Williams and STAR WARS, but this doesn't
> seem to make sense. Maybe I'm missing something. - JohnB
> You're not missing anything at all John. Datewise,  it's untraceable since 
> it might
> have been the result of several factors and not just one. The non-film and
> pop music scene have both been suffering the same effect, that being
> producer induced paranoia. The word minimalism has taken branches and
> some of those branches make some scores and even some music in general
> trully pathetic.  The collateral damage caused by the "yes sir" 
> generation.
> A generation driven by money and nothing else.
>
> Without having a date, I can safely tell you what was the starting point 
> of
> all of this misery: Scores started  declining from the day people starting 
> placing
> financial and corporate decisions over the art form itself.
>
> It has been a graduate process, but nevertheless clearly
> noticeable...
>
>
>
> Marinho Nobre
> Music for Motion Picture
> score at marinhonobre.com
> Voice 347-424-4985  Fax - (718) 210-3151
> http://www.marinhonobre.com
> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1971862/
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