T*H*E* S*P*L*I*T*S*: The Joy of Movie Music

Try to think of one of your favorite films without the accompanying music. Hard isn't it? Iconic composers like John Barry, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer are vital to a movie being portrayed properly and further engages with the audience. I'm not just talking about a musical theme but the music that evokes strong emotions in us as viewers of films. We all have an idea of what horror or western music sounds like. With the legendary "Star Wars", "Jaws" & "Superman" themes, John Williams is probably the most profilic of all movie composers. We can hum the tunes in our heads or out loud and people instantly recognize. Can you imagine what the "Star Wars" films would be without a great musical theme? Of course there is the 'scope' of the film but without a dose of music to define what we our seeing, much is lost. Within the last 15 years or so, movie music has been evolving. Dominant themes are becoming less and less. Of course there are themes but they are no

t emphasized nearly as much as they used to be. The composer is more focused on the scene in the film itself and what is to be experienced. Think of Thomas Newman (American Beauty, Six Feet Under TV series, Road to Perdition), Hans Zimmer (Batman Begins, Inception, Mission Impossible 2, Sherlock Holmes), and James Newton Howard(Batman Begins, Unbreakable, The Village, Signs). There is no dominant theme these composers work with. With this, movie scores are becoming more main stream because there isn't a reoccuring theme that is overbearing its listener. If you've never considered this before, it's strange to find that a lot of films you enjoy are composed by the same composer!!