|
|
|
|
|
The Film Score Monthly Messageboard ~Highlights from a healthy film music discussion forum~ In 1997, the prestigious film music magazine Film Score Monthly launched a website with basic info about the magazine and a daily article. Soon thereafter, they included a messageboard as one of their online features. The Film Score Monthly Messageboard was one of the first of its kind and immediately attracted a considerable number of devoted "regulars", me included (although I did not post anything for the first month or so). What separated this forum from some of the other ones out there (such as rec.music.movies) was initially a serious willingness to DEBATE RATIONALLY and ANALYZE topics related to the art of film music rather than simply list favourite this and that or which score "kicked ass!" as opposed to which "sucked!" etc. As the board's popularity grew, the intellectual stimulation drawn from this was obviously watered out somewhat, but it still remains a forum where healthy discussion can be found in addition to the now regular (and frequently necessary) amount of hillbilly threads and offtopic banter. It has also developed from a nonpersonal, abstract cyberboard into a quasi-physical film music community wherein a certain core group of individuals maintain the posting pace and nurture interpersonal (and trade/business) relationships. For me personally, the board transcended its basic medium and became an actual turning-point in life. This might sound a bit pathetic, but for more than a decade I had no one to share my interest with. I was convinced I was the only person in Norway who actually listened to, taped and collected music in movies. The start of my subscription to the magazine itself in 1995 opened my eyes considerably, but the actual communication with and validation of my passion from other, equal-minded fans meant that I no longer had to consider myself as "off-the-beaten-track" as I had imagined. Lots of interesting things can be said about this modern phenomenon (the media convergence represented by the internet and how it has become a conglomerate of reality and fiction, of the written and the verbal, of communication as ritual vs. communication as transmission of information etc.). I'll leave that for the moment and rather list a few of my favourite threads to be found in the current "volume" of the board (there have been previous versions with many interesting threads, but these are sadly lost due to the updating of the board interface). I am posting this here at Celluloid Tunes because a lot of my own creative writing has been submitted to this board and as such represents a necessary supplement to the meager selection of articles already available in "Speaking of Which...". I also think these threads present highly readable material and are objective/non-internal enough for any film music fan and not just for members of the FSM board. Some of them really work as detailed articles in a discussion format. They are listed in no particular order, and the list will be updated continously as new interesting threads pop up. So make yourself a cup of coffee, lean back and delve into the mysterious and esoteric world that is the Film Score Monthly Messageboard... :
THREADS INITIATED BY MYSELF:
Wrath of Thor # 1: American Fear of Subtitles? The "Wrath of Thor"-series of threads was initially posted after a summer hiatus from the board, and represented my "comeback" with a rather critical twist. This one questions the frequently ludicrous script shortcuts made in Hollywood films to avoid subtitles and promote a general anglification of film language. Wrath of Thor # 2: Are We Too Critical? This is a kick in the groin to the rather negative-tempered criticism (and bashing) of certain composers and music styles that plagued the board for a while (and still does). Is it not possible to review/talk about scores and films on their own terms rather than compare them with non-interapplicable criteria? Wrath of Thor # 3: Has Film Music Deteriorated? This is simply a "plug" for my own article here at Celluloid Tunes with the same name. The reason I mention it here is that it provoked some interesting (and frequently harsh - as expected) reactions. There are a few below-the-belt remarks that should be ignored. Wrath of Thor # 4: Lashing out at Expansion! This is my showdown with all those expanded album-fetishists that need every note of music ever composed for a film in a strict, chronological order, depraving the music for its "musicness". As such, it eventually and inevitably developed into the neverending discussion about film music as an independent art form. Lashing out at Track-by-Track Analyses! Another "lash-out", this time at most track-by-track analyses in liner notes - because they rarely move beyond simple description. They do not tell what the music does for the movie, nor do they go into detail about the music proper. Neither foul nor fish, in other words. As with the "expansion" topic, I'm pretty alone in my view. Cinema Club # 2: The French Connection This is another, ongoing thread series that is basically intended as reports/reviews of films (and their respective scores) that I have recently seen in a local cinema club. My second intention here is to provoke some specific discussion about the film and its music. This latter point has been somewhat of a failure, but there are some interesting comments made nevertheless. Cinema Club # 1 (ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA) is not listed, since I mentioned that film and score early on in another thread outside the series. Cinema Club # 5: The Last Tango in Paris Cinema Club # 6: An American Werewolf in London Cinema Club # 11: The Shadow of the Vampire Cinema Club # 12: Once Upon a Time in the West Cinema Club # 14: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Cinema Club # 15: The Company of Wolves Cinema Club # 16: The Stepford Wives Cinema Club # 17: The Dagger of Kamui Cinema Club # 18: The House of Mirth Cinema Club # 19: Out of the Past Cinema Club # 20: Wallace & Gromit Cinema Club # 21: Songs from the Second Floor Cinema Club # 22: Citizen Kane Cinema Club # 24: The Best Years of Our Lives Cinema Club # 25: In the Realm of the Senses Cinema Club # 26: Apocalypse Now Cinema Club # 27: The Passenger aka Professione: Reporter Cinema Club # 28: The Right Stuff Cinema Club # 30: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Cinema Club # 31: Spartacus (70mm) Cinema Club # 32: Mutiny on the Bounty (70mm) Cinema Club # 33: Krakatoa - East of Java (70mm) Cinema Club # 34: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (70mm) Cinema Club # 35: Ice Station Zebra (70mm) Cinema Club # 36: Grand Prix (70mm) Cinema Club # 37: Hearts of Darkness - A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Cinema Club # 38: The Ice Storm Cinema Club # 39: Bonnie and Clyde Cinema Club # 42: Five Easy Pieces Cinema Club # 43: The Sugarland Express Cinema Club # 44: The Missouri Breaks Cinema Club # 45: The Conversation Cinema Club # 46: Carnal Knowledge Cinema Club # 48: Berlin - Symphony of a Great City Cinema Club # 54: The Long Good Friday Cinema Club # 55: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Cinema Club # 58: Dawn of the Dead Cinema Club # 59: Stanley Kubrick - A Life In Pictures Cinema Club # 60: Paths of Glory Cinema Club # 63: Barry Lyndon Cinema Club # 64: Series 7 - The Contenders Cinema Club # 65: The Wild Bunch Cinema Club # 66: Scarface (1983) Cinema Club # 67: URGH! A Music War Cinema Club # 68: Stepping Razor - Red X Cinema Club # 68: Monsieur Klein (also labeled # 68 due to mistake!) Cinema Club # 69: The Thin Red Line Cinema Club # 71: Sansho the Bailiff Cinema Club # 72: Spirited Away Cinema Club # 75: Donnie Darko Cinema Club # 76: Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park Cinema Club # 77: Porgy and Bess Cinema Club # 78: I Was Born, But... Cinema Club # 80: Black Sunday Cinema Club # 81: Le Deuxième Souffle John Williams as Caesar of the Avant Garde One of Williams' skills that has seemingly gone unnoticed is his gift for atonal, harshly modernistic music (IMAGES, CE3K, IRWIN ALLEN SHOWS, FLUTE CONCERTO etc.). This was my attempt to highlight that side of him by asking for examples and providing some myself. That long sustained string chord.... There are many specific (and positive) qualities to film music that separates it from its father classical music. In this thread, I'm asking for some of them, mentioning the long sustained string chord frequently used in horror films and which I am - paradoxically - not too keen on. The $1000.000 Question: What is Good [Film] Music? Basically a very broad topic, but opting for debate as to what criteria we use to define what separates good from bad - not only FILM music, but music in general. I forward a theory that these criteria can be limited to four: emotions, imagination, memory, intellect. Surprisingly low response so far on this one. Why is atonal music disturbing? This is also a very broad and abstract topic, but it spurred a long series of interesting responses and covers areas such as biology, psychology, human sciences and musical theory. Very interesting stuff. A delve into the syntax of TV themes (music intricately and symbolically matched to visuals) by a brief analysis of the opening titles to the soap opera DYNASTY. I was asking for more examples and brief analyses of other themes here, but it was obviously a bit too demanding for the members, so the response is not too voluminous. The Proof is in the Pudding, but the Muse is in the Score A strange title, but it refers to the inspirational force of film music, of how a piece of film music can inspire the creative juices within. I used the example of TWIN PEAKS, and of how that music and scenery inspired me to write a novel. The thread also touched upon how flashes of film music can be used as soundscapes or "earshots", as music describing a "tranche-de-vie", as music attached to a specfic time and place in one's life. Why the Obsession with Trailer Music? Many use the messageboard as a resource centre only. As such, it is literally bursting with questions of the type "what music was used in that and that trailer"? Since I have always found this interest somewhat peculiar, I was curious as to what psychological forces or specific genre qualities that cause this obsession? This thread is about that, but has not harvested any "profound" theories as of yet. In previous versions of the board, I was notoriously known for asking nosey questions of the type "where do you live?", "how old are you?" and "what do you do for a living?". All in an effort to get to know the regulars, of course, to construct faces out of simple internet handles, which again was based on my starvation for social contact with film music fans. Are they really that different from myself? etc. This recent installment in the "hunt" for personal data asks for the physical surroundings of the members and their social status. I have come to understand, of course, that not everyone are as hungry for this type of info as I am and much rather prefer the comfy anonymity of cyberspace, so this might very well be the last time I ask this type of question. This thread suddenly goes radically off-topic. This is a funny little thing about film music-related dreams. Not too many are as willing as I am - as I said - to pour from their personal experiences and dreams (and many do not remember their dreams at all), so it's mostly myself posting about my own dreams in my own thread.... But it's got a few laughs, I think. The "part 2B" refers to previous incarnations of this topic on other boards. Legendary Norwegian Film Maker Dies This is little tribute I did (with pictures) after the passing of one of Norway's greatest film makers and puppeteers, Ivo Caprino. Not strictly about film music, though.
THREADS INITIATED BY OTHERS:
Separate Leitmotif Thread! intiated by Dan Hobgood This is a thread discussing the pros and cons of the leitmotif approach in film music (with Williams and Goldsmith as two opposing war horses, although peculiarly they've both done a bit of everything). The discussion gets a bit heated at times, but there are nevertheless many interesting, constructive contributions. It also asks the question if the narrative should be considered the most important aspect of a film. Have I got a STORY for you.... intiated by Dan Hoobgood Continues and probes deeper into the abovementioned theme and thread. There is little sign of reconciliation between our viewpoints... The Demise of Music for the "Important" Movie initiated by Howard L Basically a thread correlating somewhat to the "Has Film Music Deteriorated?" ordeal, but in different clothing. It asks for the whereabouts of the thematically "important" movie in today's movies. Your Self-Made CD's initiated by Marian Schedenig Not exactly a thread for profound discussion, but an entertaining overview of collector-made CD's complete with picture files of their self-made soundtrack covers. Composer Obsessions initiated by Dutch Self-explanatory title. Focus on why we feel drawn to particular composers and who. Eventually develops into the beginning of the "leitmotif" discussion mentioned above. Movies - Music: Show versus Tell initiated by joan hue An interesting look at HOW composers approach a given scene. Should they musically show what is going on or subtly transmit the surplus of meaning musically (tell)? The Fugue in Film Scores initiated by Marian Schedenig The fugue is a very common musical style. This thread investigates some of the more outstanding fugues as used in particular film scores. Williams, Goldsmith....and Then? What About the Future? initiated by hemant Another time-specific film music thread asking for what the future might bring in terms of new film music talent. Composer's Succesors initiated by Dutch A similarly-themed thread as the one above, although this one also asks which current composers will follow STYLISTICALLY in the footprints of the greats. Fond of Scores/Film Music....What is it That All of Us Have In Common? initiated by hemant An interesting sociological approach to the topic of film music, asking for common traits among soundtrack fans. Is it possible to define what a soundtrack fan really is, or are we as eclectic as most people? The Sountrack Listening Experience initated by Dutch This is also a rather sociological thread, aiming at definitions for various soundtrack listening habits (or types), in many ways correlating to the Categorizing the Degree of Obsession piece here at Celluloid Tunes. The European Sound - Is There One? initiated by logied Is it possible to define - as opposed to the Hollywood score, for example - what a quintessential European score is - despite the fact that Europe consists of vastly differing countries with equally differing musical traditions? On a Dark, Wintry Night: The Stepmom Effect... initiated by Howard L A curious thread, perhaps, but it bravely sets out to capture a mood trough the power of a certain film music sound, namely the one represented by Williams' recent score to STEPMOM. It also - more internally - refers to a thread initiated by a deceased messageboard regular, and thus works as a sort of tribute to that person. One of the more poetic threads on the board, for sure. How Do You Arrange Your CD Rack? initiated by ZapBrannigan I posted an almost exact question like this on an older version of the board, which garnered an array of replies with interesting "anal-retentive" sorting systems. That thread does no longer exist, unfortunately, but this one also has a number of intriguing sorting suggestions. Says more about the film music collector him/herself, I guess, than the actual arranging of the various collections. Soundtrack Fan Confessional initiated by Joe Esrey We all have guilty pleasures, also among soundtracks. This is a thread where such pleasures can be confessed publically without retribution. What a wacky gang we have here! :) Who Else Likes Georges Delerue? initiated by Gustavo Joseph A rare occasion where a thread goes on for two pages and still remains on topic/dedicated positively to a single composer. Many interesting views on the legendary composer and his works. Elmer Bernstein - To Kill A Mockingbird initiated by ThomasCrown76 As above, a two-page thread dedicated solely to a legendary score and composer. Detailed analysis aplenty, and should also wet the appetite for those who haven't seen the film yet. Also includes a "Cinema Club"-like post by myself after I recently saw the film and was impressed by it. What We Partook Of Over the Hump... initiated by vulcantouch The title refers to a thread posted at the millenium shift/"hump" (initated by the same regular) which asked what everyone had been up to in terms of film watching in that interim. It has since developed into a thread where everyone can post brief pocket reviews of whatever films they've seen recently (also commenting on the use of music). An interesting read, especially the initator's somewhat eccentric and grammar-hostile writing. The Detroit Concert: Back to Cyberspace initiated by Howard L The Detroit Concert: From Cyberspace to Living Reality initiated by Howard L The Detroit Concert: Listening To Movies initiated by Howard L These three threads all refer to the Jerry Goldsmith concert held in Detroit last year, which also saw the first "real life" encounter between certain messageboard regulars. Eloquently as always, the initiator recounts what took place before, during and after the Event and provides some intriguing analyses/reviews of the music played that evening. The Pukas Comic Strip initiated and created by pumpkinrot The messageboard received its own comic strip about a guy named Pukas whose biggest wish is to edit a film music magazine with his friend Candy. They are eventually stalked by a psychotic lady named samanthasmom (also the name of a somewhat foulmouthed messageboard member) who is obsessed with the Superman score and her poor, semi-abused pet cat samantha. Funny stuff, and the link takes you to the site where all the strips can be viewed consecutively.
|
