Rutgers University Ennio Morricone Research Paper Assignment: 1000 word paper on any contemporary film composer of your choice. Late Papers: 2 Points w

Rutgers University Ennio Morricone Research Paper Assignment: 1000 word paper on any contemporary film composer of your choice.

Late Papers: 2 Points will be subtracted per day for late papers.

Students should submit papers to this assignment as Word docs only.

Choose any contemporary film composer, either mentioned about in this course or one that you know about from a film or films that made an impression on you. Give biographical information with important dates, films scored, musical influences and overall style most associated with the composer. Most important, write about why this composer is of interested to you and some of the films that helped you make this choice. You may go over 1000 works if needed. Please cite all references used in your research. 10. COMPOSERS TODAY – Horner, Zimmer, Desplat & others
James Horner
James Roy Horner (1953-2015) was one of the greatly admired film composers in Hollywood. He was mostly known for his combinations of both vocal
and electronic sound in many of his scores. His work on the movie “Titanic” in 1997 and “Avatar” in 2009, both directed by David Cameron became the
two most financially successful of all time. When director David Cameron approached Horner to score “Avatar” he asked him not accept any other work
for a full year, so that he could devote himself entirely to the film. Most composers would never get the luxury of having a full year to work on a score,
being that the norm is usually 2 to 6 weeks at the most.
Horner composed the scores for well over 100 films and was awarded two Academy Awards, both for Best Song and Best Score for “Titanic.” Horner was
a flying enthusiast and often would pilot his own plane, and in 2015 he was killed in a crash just outside of Santa Barbara, California.
Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer (born in 1957) is one of Hollywood’s most sought after composers with a catalogue of composing over 150 film scores. Some of his more
well known films include, “The Thin Red Line,” “The Dark Knight Trilogy.” “Inception,” “The Lion King.” “The Last Samurai,” “Interstellar,” “Gladiator,” and
“Dunkirk.” He formed his own music production company, Remote Control Productions and is well known for his use of combining electronic sounds with
orchestral arrangements. His intense research when working on a score has led him to remote parts of the world, collecting and recording various audio
samples, which he could use in his elaborate sound designs along with computer and electronic effects. As always his instinct and talent for film scoring
has given us some of the most wonderful music today.
Danny Elfman
Daniel Elfman (born in 1953) is a songwriter, composer, and producer. Mostly known for his work on the TV series “The Simpsons” and his association
with director friend Tim Burton. Elfman scored many of Burton’s films including the very popular score for “Batman,” for which he received a Grammy
Award. His musical style is one of light orchestral writing that is sometimes playful in nature and at other times melodic and tuneful. The scores for Tim
Burton’s “Batman” films are a bit more somber in nature but they can also consist of lighter more playful moments. He has been honored with The Disney
Legend Award and four Academy Award nominations.
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat (born in 1961). Although born in France he has been internationally sought after by many directors in both Europe and the United
States, He has received seven Academy Award nominations recently receiving one for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in 2014. Some of the scores he is well
known for include: “Unbroken.” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Queen,” “The Golden Compass,” “Moonrise
Kingdom,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Argo,” “The Imitation Game,” “The King’s Speech,” “Godzilla,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Desplat scores are often surprising for their simplicity and flowing beauty. He can take a very small amount of musical material and weave a moving and
magical passage of music. His sensitivities lie in his ability to find the deeper less obvious emotional meaning in a scene and express it in music.
Howard Shore
Howard Shore (born in 1946) is one of today’s most respected composers and some of the worlds leading orchestras perform his music. His most popular
contribution to date is his work on the films “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” “The Lord of the Rings” stands as his most respected composition
for which he received three Academy Awards. Also of significance was the Max Steiner Award given to him by the city of Vienna. His score to “The Lord of
the Rings” shows him at his best when writing for large orchestras and composing dramatic themes that are epic in proportion. Vast armies clash in these
adventure films but at the same time there is a beautiful undercurrent of nobility and endurance. Not an easy task for a composer to portray all this
through music, yet Shore manages to succeed without question. < Carter Burwell Carter Burwell (born in 1954) graduated from Harvard University in 1977. While at Harvard he became interested in animation and electronic music, which eventually led him to the New York Institute of Technology from 1982 to 1982. It was during the 1980s that Carter also pursued a career in film music. Some of his film scores include: "Psycho 101" "Raising Arizona," "Gods and Monsters, "Before Night Falls," "Being John Malkovich," "True Grit," Twilight," "Fargo” and others. In his scoring the wood chipper scene in “Fargo," Burwell's use of sustained chords in the orchestra is almost what you wouldn't expect. It's actually a very quietly orchestrated musical style for a scene that's not very pleasant, yet it evokes an emotional coldness that works very well in the context of the film. (video clip soon to come) Michael Nyman Michael Nyman (born in 1944). Known for numerous film scores, one of which was for the film "The Piano." The soundtrack for "The Piano" was very well received and became a multi-platinum album. Besides his work as a film composer, Nyman has also composed a number of successful operas, concerti, string quartets, and many chamber works. Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (born in 1928) is an Italian composer, who has gained international attention for the more than five hundred film scores he has composed during his career. His musical style is varied, which is evident from the different types of films he has worked on. To name a few: "Once Upon a Time in the West," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "The Thing." "Exorcist II," "Mission to Mars," "The Hateful Eight," and "Cinema Paradiso." The score to “Cinema Paradiso" is truly one of his most well-known and beloved scores. A simple and delightful movie about growing up as told through the life of a young boy. Morricone captures the essence of this film by the writing some of the most beautifully nostalgic melodies, capturing the journey of this boy with music. The orchestrations are for a small orchestra and the musical themes often return throughout, bringing to the movie a wonderful musical continuity. *(Note that Bruce Broughton is a good friend and colleague of mine and at Bruce's request, he wanted to have his bio reproduced exactly as on his website) (Broughton, Bruce, posted on 12/12/16 by Bruce Broughton, Source: http://www.brucebroughton.com/biography/). Bruce Broughton (born March 8, 1945) "is best known for his many film scores, which include "Silverado," "Tombstone." "The Rescuers Down Under," "The Presidio," "Miracle on 34th Street," the "Homeward Bound: adventures and "Harry and the Hendersons." His television themes include "JAG," Steven Spielberg's "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "Dinosaurs." His scores for television range from mini-series like "Roughing It" and "The Blue and Gray" to TV movies (Warm Springs, O Pioneers!) and countless episodes of television series such as "Dallas," "Quincy," "Hawaii Five-O" and "How the West Was Won." With 24 nominations, he has won a record 10 Emmy awards. His score to "Silverado was Oscar- nominated, and his score to "Young Sherlock Holmes" was nominated for a Grammy. His music has accompanied many of the Disney theme park attractions throughout the world. His score for "Heart of Darkness” was the first recorded orchestral score for a video game. As a concert composer, ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the National Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra have performed his works. His works for wind ensembles, bands and chamber groups have been performed and recorded throughout the world. He is a board member of ASCAP, a former governor of the Academy of Television Arts and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as a past president and founding member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Screen Scoring for the Thornton School of Music at USC and a lecturer in music composition at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Michael Giacchino, born in 1967 is not only known as a composer for film and television, but also of video games. The two video games he is most known for are: “Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor." In 2004 he won the Academy Award for Best Score for "Up" in 2009 and through the years he has cultivated a good working relationship with Pixar Films. Some of his scores include: "The Incredibles," "Super 8," "Ratatouille," "Up," "Jurassic World," "Cars 2" and Mission Impossible III." Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950). His relationship with director Robert Zemeckis, has allowed him to score several popular films such as "Forrest Gump," and the "Back to the Future" trilogy. His other scores include "Polar Express," "Marvel's The Avengers," "The Abyss," "Predator," and "Predator 2" both “Predator" films are respected and acknowledged in the industry as great examples of science fiction film writing, and are not only known to include moments of tension filled action music, but also a lyrical and sometimes haunting melodic lines, giving the film a deeper musical dimension. As most composers in the film industry will admit, being able to produce different scores in different styles is what makes a sustainable career and Alan Silvestri is certainly one of them. Other scores he has composed include: "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," (made for television), "Contact." "Captain America: The First Avenger," "The Mummy Returns," "Van Helsing." "G.I. Joe," "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," "The Rise of Cobra," and "The Avengers." Thomas Newman (born October 20, 1955) comes from a long line of Hollywood composers going back to Alfred Newman. He received fourteen Academy Award nominations, two of which were for, "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Little Women" in 1994. His other contributions to film include "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), "Meet Joe Black," "American Beauty“ (1999)," "Erin Brockovich," The Salton Sea," "Road to Perdition" (2002), "In the Bedroom," "Finding Nemo" (2003), and "The Green Mile." Many of Newman's scores, range from large orchestra to smaller ensembles. He is also interested in the use of ethnic instruments from different countries giving him the occasion to introduce and experiment with new sounds in his scores. Ira Newborn (born in 1949) is credited with some of Hollywood's most successful lighter films and comedies. Some of his scores include: "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Uncle Buck," "Sixteen Candles," "Into the Night," "Weird Science," "Ace Ventura - Pet Detective," "Mallrats," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and the soundtrack for the "Naked Gun" series. Any film composer will admit that writing a score for a comedy movie is no easy task. The question is, what constitutes "funny music," and is there such a thing? Whatever the answer, composers must always approach these films carefully, giving special attention to details and to know what not to musically emphasize. The last thing a composer wants in these types of films is to give the movie a "cartoon like quality.” Ira Newborn manages to navigate these films in a musically convincing way. Shirley Walker Shirley Walker (1945-2006) was known as one of the first women to score a feature film in Hollywood. She was also known for her work as a conductor, pianist and orchestrator. Some of her more well known work includes the scores to "Escape from LA," "Williard," and "Black Christmas." Rachel Portman Rachel Portman, born in 1960, has scored over 100 films in her career although she is most recognized for her work on the films "Chocolat" in 2000 and "The Cider House Rules" in 1999 and "Emma" in 1996 for which she received an Academy Award for Best Score. Purchase answer to see full attachment