Carter Burwell's been fired from "Serenity"

POSTED BY: shambleau
UPDATED: Sunday, January 30, 2005 14:30
VIEWED: 15916
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SIMONWHO

Sunday, January 23, 2005 11:33 AM

Well, this must be one of those positive sides from the delay, however good the new composer is, I don't know if they'd produce much in just a few months.

On the other hand, I think we're going to be able to tell a lot about what the studio really thinks about the movie from the replacement. I think he/she will fall into one of three categories:

1) A name; Williams, Zimmer, Horner, Elfman. If someone like that gets picked, we know that the studio is really behind the film and probably the composer saw the film and loved it. This might be unlikely but let's hope.

2) A cult favourite; someone who's scores often attract a bit of cult buzz but haven't made it as a "name" yet, like David Arnold or Harry Gregson Williams. I'd also include any Buffyverse alumni. This category means that the studio trusts Joss with his choices now they've seen the rough cut and their previous demands for overruling have been abandoned.

3) A no name; someone from the bog standard, done quite a few movies but nothing really special. If we get this, well, oh dear. Not that their music will necessarily be bad, or even just okay, but more that the studio at this late stage doesn't feel the project is worth investing in. If they announce a Keff McCulloch, don't expect a big ad campaign. Or a wide release. Or anything from the studio really.

JAA

Sunday, January 23, 2005 12:14 PM

I find that your Alt. 3), Simonwho, is highely unlikely, this is Joss who is at work, and the composer will not be a random choice.

Yeah, nice to see that the delay works out as an advantage because right now it seems that the tide is on "Serenity"'s side.

Sincerly can't wait till the Big Damn Movie's released.

THESOMNAMBULIST

Sunday, January 23, 2005 2:09 PM

Well that's interesting.

I've only heard of one other incident where a composer is fired from a project, and that was Alan Silvestri for the Mission Impossible film. Danny Elfman was brought in to replace him....

It must be tough for these guys really because ordinarily a score has to be done over a very short period of time 3-4 weeks in some cases and in the case of i-Robot seventeen days!!!!!
With that in mind I'd go for Marco Beltrami who did the i-Robot score and he's also a friend of Chris Beck, who is my favourite of Joss' composer's that he's used.

Anyway if Beltrami can come up with a major movie score in seventeen days then he must have some real talent! Imagine what he could do for Serenity which I imagine will demand less intense composing.

Recently film score's have become far too faceless and just a series of well placed fanfair style horns - as with the Independence Day score - man was that dreadful. And personally I've never found the current crop of hollywood composers that inventive. David Arnold, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Eric Sera, Alan Silverstri all seem to sound very similar to one another. The ones that stand out like Danny Elfman, John Williams, tend to work with particular directors and are chosen specifically. Joss needs to find his Danny Elfman as Tim Burton has done or as has Steven Spielberg with John Williams...These composers add just the right amount of style to the films they work on, because the directors have made that connection to the artist and the music they produce. Perhaps Joss has yet to do this??Who knows.

Still it'll be interesting to see who he chooses?

Marco Beltrami or Angelo Badalamenti would be my choice.... Or y'know I'll offer my services.... Joss, if you're reading check out my website :)

TheSomnambulist

www.cirqus.com
For Pictures:
http://www.cirqus.com/lightfantastic.html

THESOMNAMBULIST

Sunday, January 23, 2005 2:20 PM

I've just gone over to Carter Burwell's site and read his notes on it. He says:

" What made the job difficult was that the score needed to reflect whatever was happening on screen moment by moment. And there were a hundred minutes of those moments."

With this in mind I must say I think one of the more traditional composers would work better. Danny Elfman is very much in this style of composing as is Howard Shore, and John Williams.

Of course the late Jerry Goldsmith would have been perfect also.

Hmmm. I wait with interest.

www.cirqus.com
For Pictures:
http://www.cirqus.com/lightfantastic.html

DOCTORPAYNE13

Sunday, January 23, 2005 5:25 PM

How about Randy Edelman? I've always liked his work, and judging by the crappy movies he's been scoring lately (see: Miss Congeniality 2), he probablywould be available.

Also, if Joss wants to use one of his former composers, I'd go with Rob Duncan. His work on the last episode of Buffy was outstanding.

REGINAROADIE

Sunday, January 23, 2005 6:04 PM

I know this might seem like an odd choice, but what about Thomas Newman? Next to Danny Elfman, he's without a doubt my favorite film composer working in movies today. I think his score to AMERICAN BEAUTY helps elevate an already beautiful film into transcendence, and I honestly believe that the real reason FINDING NEMO is considered the animated masterpiece it is, is because they finally got rid of that hack Randy Newman and replaced him with Thomas. No other composer uses percussion instruments (xylophones and the like) like him. And I'm waiting for when the Academy finally gives him a Best Original Score Oscar.

But yeah, get the original composer from the series for the movie. I mean, if he was singled out on the DVD for his music and definitive style, then he should graduate from tv composer to movie composer.

"NO HAI ES BANDAI. THERE IS....NO.....BAND. AND YET....WE HEAR A BAND."

GRRARGG

Sunday, January 23, 2005 8:26 PM

Here's more grist for the composer mill:

1) Bruce Broughton. His work on Tombstone and Siverado is wonderful -- not to mentions some underappreciated work on the Homeward Bound Films. With him, you've got a guy with a good sense of western scores, a good sense of whimsy and journeys of discovery under his belt.

2) Cliff Eidelman from Star Trek VI; The Undiscovered Country. Good Sci-Fi stuff. He did some good stuff on an otherwise terrible film called Christopher Columbus: The Discovery around the same time as ST6. Given the scope of the BDM, he could recapture some of that good magic.

Plus, I bet these guys are affordable!

Blue Sun used to be Capri Sun back on Earth That Was. Honest. Read it on the web, so it must be true!

SIMONF

Sunday, January 23, 2005 9:08 PM

Joss commented on the situation over at Whedonesque.

http://whedonesque.com/?comments=5871#49406

FORRESTWOLF

Sunday, January 23, 2005 9:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
I've just gone over to Carter Burwell's site and read his notes on it. He says:

" What made the job difficult was that the score needed to reflect whatever was happening on screen moment by moment. And there were a hundred minutes of those moments."

I know nothing about composing/movie scores and such, but this concept of the score reflecting the various scenes sounds a LOT like the show to me - little riffs at various key moments that really make you think "FIREFLY."

Is that what he's talking about when he says that? If so, I'm excited - Joss is still keeping that part of the show that I love...

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Sunday, January 23, 2005 9:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by canttakesky:

or Klaus Badelt (Time Machine, K-19) could do with Serenity.

Please no!

I actually like Pirates of the Caribbean, but I'm damned if I can pick out Klaus' work from the other 17 or so composers (I'm not even sure I'm exaggerating for comic effect).

More so than writers even, this is the new thing with film scores - because the effects aren't done, the scene can't be finally cut, and the score can't be finished - so they have this tag team; I'm assuming working on a basic score.

My problem with Badelt is that he sounds a little too much like Zimmer.

"I threw up on your bed"

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