 Carter's Notes
This was to be my next film score, to be recorded in February, and released in September, 2005, but I got fired a few weeks before recording was to begin.
It's an outer-space-Western-horror-action-comedy, written and directed by Joss Whedon, best known as the creator of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." This will be the first feature Joss has directed.
While the project was challenging I thought it was going well. Joss' responses were sometimes positive, sometimes not, but it seemed we were getting to a score he liked.
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.
This is a traditional role for film music - "what you see is what you hear" - but it's the opposite of my usual approach, which is to find something for music to say which is not otherwise there. Of course I have often worked in the traditional mode, but I do find it challenging.
I just got fired from the film Serenity, a few weeks before the start of recording. Don't know who's going to end up scoring the film - send in your applications now.
I'm starting work on a not-quite-named theatre project with the Coen Brothers and Charlie Kaufman. We should have a name and a cast very soon and at that point I'll post more information.
Here are the words of Joss concerning this decision:
Well, I just read the link to Carter's page. Not overly verbose, is he? Anyway, I thought I'd let you all in on the details of the sitch, as best I can.
First off, when this movie got off the ground, the studio made it clear that I would need to use someone with a good deal of movie experience to score it, which was perfectly valid, though it ruled out a lot of guys, including Greg, that I loved working with. So entering the world of big-or-medium-time movie composers, the first person I thought of was Carter Burwell. I'd known his work since Blood Simple, have always been (and always will be) a slavish fan. We're talking about a guy who's penned some of the most indelible tunes in movies: Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Rob Roy, Gods and Monsters, even It Could Happen To You had an achingly beautiful score. I had met him years ago and he's a gent. I was surprised and thrilled to have him on the film.
You know how it is when you have two friends you love very much and you set 'em up on a date? Hiring a composer is kind of like that. However much you might love your friends and think they'll be a perfect match, the odds of their actually getting together are slim. Also, sometimes you forget to tell one of your friends something important about the other, like she's very political, or narcoleptic, or doesn't have a face... The movie as I first described it and the movie as it turned out were kind of different, the needs of the score different as well. Carter did some great work, really interesting, but in the end my two friends didn't end up dating. It happens, as I've learned, a lot. The fact is, Carter and I both felt the tension, an imperfect sympatico on the project, and this hardly came out of the blue. We might have soldiered on but he has other obligations looming and we kind of had to start from scratch, so it just became untenable, schedule-wise. I will always be a huge fan of Carter's and may one day make the kind of film that's right for him. Meanwhile, we move on. I will have a new composer soon and the work will continue. The movie will be what it needs to be.
But most importantly, who DOESN'T want to see a Coen brothers Space Opera? Dreamlogic, are you nuts? I'm salivating over that!
This wasn't a fun week for anyone, but we learn as we go. I'll check in with you guys anon. -j.
(source: Whedonesque.com)
|
