I am going through the last minute pains of Golden Age. As we edit the film we add what we call temp score to the edit – to impress people as the see the film in various stages of the edit. This this score is stolen from all over the place. Other movies mainly, but also from classical recordings etc. Problem is that you got so used to the temp score that it is difficult to imagine any other score to fit the film…
..but of course it will not. For the temp score is chosen for it’s particularness to each shot. It has no harmonious integrity of it’s own. When the composer comes on, he will score the film so that the whole score has integrity and some kind of unison. As he should for the theme to evolve. But it will never ever be as precise as the temp score !!
So I trying to get over my addiction to the temp score right now. My fear that actually the film that tested so well in the US had better music. Which is of course is not true, but another bit of obsessiveness on my part.
Shekhar
Hi dude…
Strange ways to make a film!…
today i saw Masoom again…it was on some channel…
did it matter at that time all this temp score and real score…?
the back ground music was so beautiful…it had its own character…
but after one or two scenes i could guess, now the back ground score will fade in… DHANGGGGGGG… lol…
and when Rahul( the kid) runs from home at night and Naseerudin Shah and Saeed(over acting) Jaffery go out searching him… there Naseerudhin is wearing UCLA pull over…lol…how come? were u trying to get into UCLA at that time and got their pull over or did some crash course and got it? hehehe…
What a film!…of course the basic story is strong…but the way it has been adapted on screen and that too changing the western context to Indian, was just brilliant!…
Simple shots…simple narration…but makes me cry every time i see it!…
is it so hard to come up with such simple plots?
Buddha, Mandela, Paani, Elizhabeth 123 etc…all these are projects!… these cant be films!…one can not explore more in projects…the stakes are too high to experiment…and by experimentation i dont mean something like 8 and half or Goddard’s most of the films…these kind of films are too personal to the director and one can keep reading them and keep finding their own perception all through out life…too bizzar at times!… too much symbolism or too many visual metaphors…Wild Strawberries was much much better…great story line…good plot…amazing visual metaphors and scintillating symbolism…Thats a film…like a great symphony…
Projects generally have predictability in their stories, form and narration style… Films dont…Films are novels!… Projects are best sellers!… Huge difference!… Ahh…Unbearable Lightness of Being is a film!…Milan Kundera…i love that guy!…Truman Show!… Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind-great form-ok story, but good film!…many more!
Masoom is a film…Bandit Queen is a film…
One jerky moment in Masoom…in the song – Tuzhse naraj nahi jindagi…99% of it is Naseer’s POV and suddenly at a point the kid visualizes horrifying images of Principal of the school… the cutting pattern was bit crude…but the images were really nice… pretty like Fellini or Antonioni…hahaha…but any way…that wasnt that jerky…just felt it this time…
saw a poster of PANNI(water) the other day on a web page…warm tones, huge pipe, a boy drinking a drop of water from a mud vessel…Beautiful image…and also read a log line…Water war, a boy in love…a love story!… is it going to be a poor boy, rich girl love story?…and also read its based in 2050…
take care…tata…kedar…
PS:… am i sounding too opinionated and rude…!…dont meant to…!… just sharing a thought process!…
Hi shekhar, just wanted to thank you for this amazing site; what an experience to be able to communicate with a director as they are making a film.
I for one am really looking forward to hearing what A R Rahman and Craig Armstrong have come up with for this film. I am a big fan of the score from the first film. Will the score be similar? What can we expect from the music of the new film.
Also I dont know if you know but A R Rahman has an album called “Between Heaven And Earth”; one of the tracks is called The Golden Era, its a very beautiful album. Just thought it was a coincedence!
Anyway really looking forward to The Golden Age, cant wait!
Mohsin Khan
Really looking forward to
Shekhar,
Stanley Kubrick was in the same situation you are in regarding the temp score. When he was filming 2001: A Space Odyssey, he used classical music as the temp score for the film. In the end he liked it so much, he dumped Alex North’s unfinished score for the film, and used the temp score for the final soundtrack.
Perhaps for the DVD release, you could release the film with both the temp score and the final soundtrack.
Raiden
“Duel of The Fates” has become the “temp score” of choice for any number of movies in my head at the moment – pity it’s been used in Star Wars already, but it’s a fact that the vocals are in Sanskrit and the lyrics are adapted from a piece of classical Welsh poetry based on a epic Celtic myth…how eclectic is that ??
I’ve seen rough cuts with temp scores and to be honest they make me squirm, if only because I know that the score comes from any number of other films, but if this is the modus operandi then so be it – the actual score is usually done with finished picture, so I guess the temp suggests the flavour of the finished piece…
Dear Shekhar,
Will you be bringing “Secrets of the Seven Sounds” on this site?
and
Can you tell us a bit about it?
Reagrds,
Cinda
the Secrets of the seven sounds…!
Mythology again!… wow…you guys rock!…
I’ve no doubt the soundtrack will be as fulfilling as the accompanying visuals.
However, I cannot get the Steve Jablonsky temp track from the trailer out of my mind. It’s so soaring and emotional I fear there won’t be a piece of music to match it, if indeed that type of track is appropriate for the narrative of the film.
Oh, the neurosis!
HI Shekhar…counting down the months to Octobers release!!
with loving kindness,
North
http://www.myspace.com/northdesigns
Dear Shekhar,
I was wondering whether it is true that you are attached to direct The Sadhu based on the Virgin Comics series starring Nicolas Cage for Saturn Films? According to IMDB you will start shooting early 2008 in India.
Just saw the trailer, my God man you have out-done yourself. It will be show at the Toronto Film festival, I hope to get a ticket. Congratulations, I was in tears just watching the trailer!
Congratulations on getting a gala spot on the Toronto International Film Festival. We look forward to its debut there.
Also, the majestic new US trailer for The Golden Age has surfaced! Here’s the link…
http://video.msn.com/v/us/fv/fv.htm??g=9e6b1359-ed2c-4478-a1ba-30819176e35d&f=01/64&fg
Does it already contain the new score? I can’t seem to tell.
Dear Shekhar–I wish I were not 6+ hours north-west from Toronto!! siggggh
Continued best wishes to you and the cast and crew; I am very much looking forward to the release of TGA!!
The film were mentioned on Entertainment Tonight Canada earlier this week too!!
Much love, many blessings to you and yours,from me and mine,
North
I am so ready for your film to come out. Elizabeth remains one of my favorite movies and one I still watch regularly.
From the preview, the Golden Age appears both beautiful and captivating. Hopefully Miramax will not deprive Cate Blanchett of her deserved Oscar this time!
Hi Shekar
Being a follower of one and only ARR’s works (Die hard fan) looking forward to the soundtrack and of course to your second instalment of the queen. But my dilemma is, as to how could two talented composers could discuss notes and come out with single score for the movie. I mean, there has to be lot of subtle clashes during jamming sessions and you will be equally involved in the game cos its your baby, while some one had to compromise isn’t? Perhaps you could make a full length feature on “composing for the movie” irrespective of the outcome of the score. The fact that two composers are involved excites me !!! BTW could give us a glimpse as to where you are heading next(script)?