Celebrate National Film Score Day with these Top Movies
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
We'll take any excuse to have a movie marathon, and celebrating National Film Score Day on April 3rd seems like just the thing. Film scores and their composers tend to be under-appreciated, so we're thrilled to join in on a day of recognition. Music plays an integral role in immersive storytelling, communicating and inspiring emotions that words and visuals alone cannot. Keep reading for the inside scoop on our three favorite movie soundtracks.
1) Lord of the Rings (2001) - Howard Shore
Even viewers who have seen just snippets of the Lord of the Rings trilogy could confirm that its background score is nothing short of a masterpiece. Composer Howard Shore poured an unprecedented amount of time and technique into the music. Determined to ensure complete immersion into the Lord of the Rings universe, Shore worked meticulously to develop an accurate reflection of both director Peter Jackson's vision and J.R.R. Tolkien's novel. The average film score composer develops a score within 6-8 weeks; Shore's composition took nearly four years. Before seeing any film footage at all, he began by developing themes based purely on the sets, scripts, and novel. The music itself is particularly impressive due to its wide array of instruments, styles, featured soloists, and recurring themes and leitmotifs--not to mention its length, spanning three films over 11 hours. The variance throughout the score not only brings viewers into the universe, but also orients us within the story. The Lord of the Rings has such an extensive plot with complex characters and well-developed cultures, it's easy to get lost. Shore's score provides the audience with cues as to where we are, who we're with, and what those characters are up to. Not only has the film's music been met with myriad accolades and awards, it has also created a blueprint for fantasy soundscapes.
2) Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) - Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt
One of our all-time favorite pieces of music from a film comes from the Pirates of the Caribbean score. The song, titled "He's a Pirate," starts during the opening credits, immediately immersing viewers into the epic and fantastical world of the film. When Hans Zimmer was approached about the project, he was working on another film and recommended Klaus Badelt instead. Production, however, was very rushed (which, honestly makes the score that much more impressive). After Badelt and Zimmer collaborated on main themes, the latter composed the bulk of the score in one night. In a time crunch, production brought on seven more composers to help orchestrate and develop additional cues throughout the score. Because of this, the orchestration is relatively simple (but effective!). Unlike the score of The Lord of the Rings, which features an extensive array of instruments and time signatures, the Pirates of the Caribbean score relies more on the strength of its basic melodies and simple harmonies. The primary use of string instruments with horn accents elevate the swashbuckling atmosphere without making the world feel cartoon-y or childish.
3) Star Wars (1977) - John Williams
Truthfully, we could have made an entire list dedicated JUST to John Williams. From Jurassic Park, to Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jaws, and Home Alone--he has over 180 composer credits on IMDb. We chose Star Wars for this list, however, because it's potentially the best-known film score of all time. Even if you haven't seen any of the films, you know the Star Wars theme. In fact, after it was released in 1977, the main title theme peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Hot 100. Just as the film itself amassed accolades and an extensive fanbase, so did its music. Decades later, in 2004, the score was even preserved by the Library of Congress into the National Recording Registry, identified as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Like Shore composing for The Lord of the Rings, Williams used a multitude of recurring musical themes to pull audiences into the universe and guide us while we're there. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Star Wars soundtrack was so impactful, it single-handedly revived the demand for full orchestral scores in movies.
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