Rouge One: Musical Score Discussion

Battlestar Galactica did it right with the percussion, Clone Wars did it wrong. The score to Republic Commando was very original in its use of percussion and indigenous Maori chant. I loved it.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 31, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 31, 2016 ---

Hans Zimmer has become too "electronic" for me.

 

"Electronic ?"

 

electronically enhanced music: i.e. key boards and other digital sound production and enhancement of an orchestral score. Zimmer is notorious for it in the movie music business. John Williams hates electronically enhanced music. I can't imagine him recommending Hans Zimmer to Lucasfilm.

 

So you think that hey even had any recommendations from JW ?

 

they wouldn't pick someone JW despises I'm sure, someone who would rape his masterpiece motifs

 

Why do you think e hates him ?

 

I don't know if he hates the man, but he does hate the style of music:
http://projectorandorchestra.com/john-williams-on-the-force-awakens-and-the-legacy-of-star-wars/

 

Yep. I think they should not walk away from the Imperial March. It's so epic and so iconic!

 

1. New Member - First Post on The Cantina.
2. I was just commenting on YouTube on Zimmer's/Junkie XLs WW theme from BvS(I hope they keep it for the WW movie). It made me think of the iconic pairing that is the Empire and the Imperial March. I know Desplat is a brilliant composer and I'm sure that - as a whole - the RO score will be masterful.

However, this convo heightens my fear of seeing the first large-scale shot of the Empire and not hearing the March. It does not have to the March everytime, but I think it HAS to be the March for the first shot.

Am I alone in thinking this?

 

Pretty sure we'll hear the March at least once; if not on seeing the Empire for the first time, at least when Vader shows up.
Does anyone think we have already heard some of the score on SWC, when Mendelson entered the stage as Krennic? Sounds a lot like Desplat to me:

 

We'll hear the March in Rogue One. Disney would never put this movie out without using that particular IC asset. They spent billions for this stuff, after all.

The problem I have with that is, we never hear the March in ANH, which takes place immediately following the events of Rogue One. So while the March will certainly trigger the expected fan-gasms when people hear it in Rogue One, it's going to be a rather awkward juxtaposition when Rogue One and ANH are watched in sequence later on.

I always felt this way about the prequels as well. Lucas and Williams used the Imperial March in both AOTC and ROTS (though not in the one scene where it would have made the most sense - when the newly dubbed Darth Vader and his troops are marching against the Jedi temple) and it always made for a rather odd experience to watch both trilogies in order when there's a completely different theme for Vader in ANH.

And no, I don't suggest a musical retcon on ANH. I just feel that hammering away at the Imperial March in films that take place prior to ANH has always been a bad idea, continuity-wise.

But again... we'll hear the Imperial March in Rogue One. Just like Disney would never have passed up an opportunity to sell Darth Vader toys in connection to Rogue One, they also won't pass up the opportunity to use that character's iconic musical theme.

 

My 1st thought was "No way! Of course they had the march in ANH". But obviously, you are correct. I never noticed that - mind somewhat blown.
I believe Desplat is quoted as saying he has no intention of using any Williams themes for RO. I hope you are right though. I can see your point about continuity. But for me, we can't uncross that line. The March and the Empire go hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other IMO.

 

Seriously? NONE of Williams themes? If so, then that's just asinine.

I'm all for pushing the envelope and breaking new ground, and I would much rather not have the Imperial March all over the Rogue One soundtrack, but if Desplat is going to such great lengths to avoid quoting ANY of Williams' themes in the Rogue One soundtrack, then he'll be throwing away a key part of what makes Star Wars what it is.

There's far more to what Williams has written for Star Wars than the obvious "hit single" character themes, which I agree ought to be avoided since those characters aren't going to be in the film (or, hopefully in the case of Vader, will only be in the film for a minute or two.) But there is a lot of that incidental material that could certainly be quoted. Quoting the "villain" theme from ANH, for instance, would be identifiable yet non-specific enough to make for a perfect audio tie-in to ANH, the events of which begin almost immediately after those of this film.

If Desplat is going to avoid making the Rogue One soundtrack sound like Star Wars, though... well, it reminds me of Kevin Smith's story about working with Jon Peters on that ill-conceived Nick Cage version of Superman back in the late '90s. "Okay, first off, I don't want to see the Superman suit. Second of all, I don't want Superman to fly..."

 

The way I look at the Imperial March, since it did not debut until TESB, it corresponds to the way Vader has changed since he discovers he has a son and wants to seduce him to rule the galaxy by his side. I know bars of it are in the music from the prequels, but I would not be upset to hear it in 'Rogue One' but not in it's fully standard form, but maybe some bars mixed with some of the music that is associated with the death star from 'A New Hope'. The movie is more about the death star than it is about Vader. The music should mimic more to ANH than to TESB.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about this; on one hand, it's SW, so it should have themes we know, which if you watch Rebels, you can hear familiar themes (sometimes too familiar) and they really set the tone for the scenes, and on the other hand, I'm excited to see where other talents can take us.

Takes me back to this insight from GL:

 

I think they should definitely use a lot of the classic themes, maybe some blends of old and new stuff. The new stuff though should keep to the general feel of Star Wars music. I think it was Joel McNeely or something along those lines that did it right for that one EU film score. I am concerned about Desplat, I didn't care for the Zero Dark Thirty or the Godzilla soundtrack. I think only Michael Giannichio would be the guy that could potentially do Star Wars music right.

 

"Seriously? NONE of Williams themes? If so, then that's just asinine."

Amen MAN ... Amen

 

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but Imdb has pretty much everyone involved in the film listed, and I mean everyone, have a look. Under the music department list, it lists John Williams...composer: theme music.
I know Imdb might not always be right, but when there's such a comprehensive list of people involved, it looks to be pretty accurate.

 

I'm open to new musical ideas for stand alone movies.

No doubt there will be reference to classic Williams sound and theme's but are fan's really expecting an attack of the cloned score for a film that's touted as a rogue one?

And let's let such laboured and 'on the nose' motifs as the cliche marching snare behind military movies die in this galaxy and those far far away!