Score: A Film Music Documentary
(currently available on Amazon)
This is a fantastic documentary that gives us a peek behind the scenes at how film scores are created and recorded. I watched this several years ago but there are a few bits that have really stuck with me:
- Brian Tyler, the guy who did the score for the Avengers films admits that he likes to hide in the bathroom at movie theaters when his movies are letting out and listen for people humming his musical themes. This is how he determines if his score was successful or not.
- The orchestra that performs the score has not actually seen the sheet music until they show up to make the recording. As someone who struggles very much with sight reading this fact continues to blow me away.
- “We can chat for hours and in a funny way I’m very secure about this, because I hide behind the words,” says Hans Zimmer near the end of the documentary. “You’ll never really figure me out. But when I play you a piece of music I completely expose myself.”
Definitely worth a watch, even if you know absolutely nothing about music.
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
(currently available on Netflix)
This one just focuses on Hans Zimmer’s early life and career, and as a Hans Zimmer fangirl I really enjoyed it. We get a peek into his private studio where he works almost constantly. There were some fun tidbits about how he comes up with motifs and themes, and some sad stories from his childhood too.