Filmscoring the New Sounds

I hear metal and electronic elements when I listen to the film scores of top rated films like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. This nuance of sound was not something out of the ordinary yet at the same time it was; this implementation of metallic sounds was unprecedented but at the same time while hearing it, it made sense for it to be there- to be implemented, to be part of the organic entourage of an orchestra. It was the fusion of something human and something all opposite of human, yet it made perfect sense.

This seemed to be a time of growth, a time of experimentation, a time of freedom and a lose rope when it came down to the topic of ideas and creativity. It was also the coming together of two minds- Nolan and Zimmer, who decided to reinvent a franchise- decided to create something that could stand behind the name of such revered Film. If they were going to be at the par of the great accomplishments of the past, they had to introduce something that was new.

And so they did, they implemented something that is not necessarily music- not by conventional standards at least. This brings us to the argument of the essence of music. What is music? What is considered a musical piece. John Cage, an American composer, is known worldwide for his piece- which he named as "4:33"- A three movement composition. The piece is originally intended for a pianist and has since been adapted to any instrument or combination of instruments. The concept of the piece is based on the silence heard throughout the time span of the four minutes and thirty three seconds of the piece. The pianist is essentially unnecessary, yet still part of the piece, he walks into the room- sits down and waits along with everyone else. Cage was trying to focus on the sounds surrounding the place, not just in that immediate scenario but all around the world, in the busy streets of New York, the sounds of animals roaming around in their natural habitats, the sounds of children playing, the sounds of the world.

It is through these concepts of music that we begin to understand what music is essentially and therefore incorporate and integrate it in its entirety into our recently limited and en-capsuled ideas of musical expression. Music can be defined as sound; sound that has a direct connection to a memory, a feeling or an emotion that either already exists or is being formed the moment the sound is exposed.

I argue that the music is the carriage of the film. The music composed for a movie is the one element that not only carries it, it also describes it, it defends it, it forms and molds the movie and it has the ultimate power to make the movie. One of the powers that lie within the expression of sound through music is that it can leave a lasting impression that goes beyond the melody but it rather leaves an impression that is almost tangible.