Music as a part of a movie sound track

[DJofSD]

Sitting in the office 'capping, a theme to a work playing on the radio in the background sounded some what familiar. Ah ha! it was played during the culminating moment of the movie "Babe!" and was the theme from the Camille Saint-Saens Organ symphony, 4th movement.

And it made me wonder, who selects and adapts music for movies? The producer? Now I don't mean original music composed for the movie like "Star Wars" but the music that is adopted for use in the movie.

[Greyfox]

And it made me wonder, who selects and adapts music for movies? The producer? .

It must depend on the movie, but if you watch Woody Allen flicks, he's picked the music.

[GameTheory]

The director, the composer (if there is one -- sometimes you have a combo of original & existing music), & possibly the editor (who sometimes throws a "scratch track" on for editing purposes and finds it works really well). But it is the director's decision in modern movies. (Old movies from the studio system era often didn't even involve the director in the post-production process.)

[bigmack]

I have little recollection of Babe, DJ, & I sure don't recall them using any Saint-Saens, particularly the Organ Symph.

In any event, oftentimes Directors don't know Jack about music. So it's left to the producer in many cases. In the case of a Scorsese, he was roomies with The Band's, Robbie Robertson and as R2 is somewhat of a musicologist he handles all track choices. QTarantino makes his own selections though directors making their own choices is rare.

In my jingle writing days of yesteryear many agencies would want to use a popular song and found that rights usage of both the song and the performance made it financially prohibitive for them. They'd then hire my ass to cover the song in the studio and pay more like $20K for national usage as opposed to $50K for the song and the original recording.

I don't know if you've seen a film editing room GameT, but they hardly ever work with a scratch track unless they're working on a music vid.

[GameTheory]

I have little recollection of Babe, DJ, & I sure don't recall them using any Saint-Saens, particularly the Organ Symph.

In any event, oftentimes Directors don't know Jack about music. So it's left to the producer in many cases. In the case of a Scorsese, he was roomies with The Band's, Robbie Robertson and as R2 is somewhat of a musicologist he handles all track choices. QTarantino makes his own selections though directors making their own choices is rare.In a modern movie, it is the director's call. Now suggestions for this or that piece of music will be brought to him for approval if he doesn't have something in mind (and they can't afford what he has in mind), but it certainly isn't done without his knowledge. Producers in general don't know any more about music than directors. Now, the producer might have the power to override the director's wishes, but I don't know any director who would say, "Yeah, just stick whatever you want in there." The director works very closely with the editor and the composer just like he works closely with all his collaborators on all the creative choices in a film.

I don't know if you've seen a film editing room GameT, but they hardly ever work with a scratch track unless they're working on a music vid.Sometimes they just slap something on to a section when first assembled where they know they will be adding original music later. They aren't cutting to the track or anything, just slapping it on there and saying, "Music could be something like this here." I've heard of a few cases where they decided to keep that something instead, or at least something like it which might be quite different from their original plan. (Sometimes it is the composer himself doing this to see how a certain flavor of music reacts with the images.)

[DJofSD]

I have little recollection of Babe, DJ, & I sure don't recall them using any Saint-Saens, particularly the Organ Symph.

Yes, it's the theme heard in the 4th movement but it's not a complete rendition of the work. IMDB page for "Babe" soundtrack details. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112431/soundtrack)

[bigmack]

Yes, it's the theme heard in the 4th movement but it's not a complete rendition of the work.
Who knew? Bizet, Delibes, Faure, Saint-Saens & a dash of Grieg. A Norsk surrounded by Froggies.

One trend I've found bothersome is music written for a specific film and its re-use in others. I guess they figure most people can't hear the recycle.

[DJofSD]

Link to midi file to hear the theme. (http://www.easybyte.org/babe/babe4f.mid) The internet never ceases to surprise.

[jognlope]

I'm must glad Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring isn't being used for that beef commercial any more.

Barry Manilow's songs have some Rachmaninoff piano concerto in them...he's a classical pianist, guess that's why...

[jognlope]

Oh yeah Carmina Burana is everywhere!!

[bigmack]

Link to midi file to hear the theme. (http://www.easybyte.org/babe/babe4f.mid) The internet never ceases to surprise.
Darn shame midi files are unbearable. Everytime I hear one I start lacing up roller skates thinking an "all skate" is pending.

That GabFauré choral piece took 10 minutes of my life today and I want it back.

[DJofSD]

OK, well you can get some of that time back by listening to von Williams Antartica Symphony.