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  4. Most Efficient Film Melody/Motif/Characterisation

  • Most Efficient Film Melody/Motif/Characterisation

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    Dear All,

    Was thinking about the various "top x" lists that have been compiled recently and in the more distant past, and I realised that I don't think we have ever prized efficiency.  Therefore, I'd be interested in your nominations for the most efficient film melody/motif- interpret efficient in any way you like.  I know - it's daft.  Mine:

    1) Jaws - 2 notes (listened to this this morning, and was surprised just how much in common with the Rite the titles had)

    2) Psycho - not sure it can be more efficient than those string shrieks

    3) West Side Story - augmented 4th andminor 7th resolving to major 6th (I'm pushing it with harmonic intervals, but what the hell)

    4) Edward Scissorhands - efficiency of orchestration.  He could have arranged "Rule Britannia" with that orchestration, and it would have sounded like an integral part of the score

     5) First Knight - for both of its main themes - one that only uses tonics and dominants (Eb - Bb - Eb - Bb - Eb - Eb - Bb - Eb), and the fanfare for repeating a motif exactly the same 3 times (Eb - Eb - Eb - F - Eb - F) without sounding boring.

    If I was being nasty, I'd add James Horner for efficient use of the scores of others in his soundtracks.  But I won't.

    Interested in your thoughts.

    Kind Regards,

    Nick.
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    Don't forget the immediately recognizable motif Herrmann uses throughout Cape Fear. And then how it gets expanded. Thomas Newman is another terrific writer in my view that makes very recognizable themes and motifs and expands. Take the thematics in Road to Perdition. It's not just the way these little motifs and themes sound like they're easy to write - it's the constant use of orchestration that keeps the listener interested. One of the great writers in my opinion.
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    Paul, Good point about Thomas Newmann (and Cape Fear). American Beauty and Meet Joe Black also have great motivic work. Was listening to another the other day: Where Eagles Dare - Ron Goodwin. Dugga-dugga dum. Seeing the film, I'm pretty sure he based the theme on the german machine guns (MP40?). It is roughly the same speed, and pretty effective towards the end of the film. Great theme to - not easy to shoe-horn a fugue into a wartime movie.
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    American Beauty is the one where every man, woman and child has copied of course. I'm talking about the famous piano motif naturally. Unfortunately, I hated Meet Joe Black as a film and cannot remember the music off the top of my head - but if it's by Thomas Newman I bet it's good.----------Ron Goodwin was from Devon of course :)))) Anyway - very underrated writer and sort of specialized in wartime themes - although Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines was his I believe.---But three pieces of music every musician interested in music to film should listen to By Ron Goodwin is---Ace High March----Threat----and the opening titles to Hitchcock's Frenzy. And of course the Miss Marple theme :))))) That's four.
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    I like this thread.  I agree on Ron Goodwin an underrated but great composer.  His Frenzy score is the best non-Herrmann Hitchcock. I would say the single most "efficient" is either Jaws as you noted, which one notices almost instantly (two notes in the basses!), or maybe Dragnet (4 notes in the brass), which though not credited was actually written by the great Miklos Rosza, one of the all-time great film composers. 

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    @PaulR said:

    Unfortunately, I hated Meet Joe Black as a film and cannot remember the music off the top of my head - but if it's by Thomas Newman I bet it's good.

    I quite liked Meet Joe Black, but on reflection I think that it was mainly because of the music (and the fact that I'm a fan of Antony Hopkins). There is a rather stupidly orchestrated cue right at the end that had me trying to avoid putting my fingers down my throat, but other than that, it is great. Slightly more traditional than some of his other scores.

    An interesting (to me) side note; one of the big cues was used in an advert to recruit more teachers on national TV a couple of years ago. I wonder if the "creatives" realised that it was the shagging cue. [6]

    DG
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    Next time you see Tony Hopkins - tell him Tommy Cooper comes from Exeter and NOT Wales, even though he was born there :)))))))-----------Meet Joe Black is a remake I believe and the one with Hopkins and Pitt goes on and on and on -walking from one room to another. Way too slow. Probably was the music score that helped----Teachers and shagging? Yes, I see.-----One of the most recognizable motifs was for the Sci -fi TV programme from the US. There were two well known ones and I forget which one it was now. The Outer Limits maybe. nee-nah-nee-nah (repeat).--Or is it The Twighlight Zone - that's a very efficient opening motif.----http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y
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    How about that synth. lick on Close Encounters.. d e c c g. All the musicians in the audience just loved the one guy naming the intervals as the other guy played them. 
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    Also Bond and Star Wars come to my mind here. Where was the Gladiator motive taken from again?
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    Actually all kind of logo music...
  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on