The following is a jury report written by cs_tbl who was one of the members of the Judges Panel of the Filmtracks Composers Challenge:
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The scores are on a scale of 10. Although the ratings shouldn’t really be seen like that. Perhaps the ratings are average/low, but for the average rankings it shouldn’t matter. I feel I should use words rather than numerical figures anyway, one seven isn’t equal to another seven. Anyway, I enjoyed listening to all entries and to dive into the process of formulating comments/critics. The text as a whole should apply to every contender, because the entries have a lot in common, and one could and should learn from other entries. Sometimes there’s a lot of text for a specific entry, if it’s in the ‘con’ section: don’t worry. It only means I have found some interesting material to talk about. And know that I’m a nitpicker for details anyway. 
If there’s not a lot of text then I simply didn’t have much specific to add *or* it was so generic that I’ve put it down into the closing words. That’s why every contender should read the whole document as a whole, it’s actually more like an essay for which the entries form chapters. Don’t expect any conventional reviews here, you won’t see me repeating what happens when (..and then there are lush strings, and then there’s a rousing timpani yada yada etc. etc.), we can all hear what happens. I rather bring up the tech stuff.
If afterwards people have additional questions for their entry (or anyone’s entry for that matter), don’t hesitate to ask. Happy to help.
Entry #1
Pro:
* Its tone is good, it has the softness of impressionism and the pace of the archetypical “adagio for a war movie”.
* After 1:39, when the 6 semitone chord shifts are over, things get interesting.
Con:
* Up to 1:38 it’s the same two chords all over again, one can do that for half a minute, but after that it starts dragging a bit. And a solution is simple enough, one only needs to alter the bass notes every now and then. For instance lowering the bass 3 semitones, in either of the tho chords.
* Following the first point, the end reverts back to the 6 semitone chord shifts.
* The style reminded me more of silent/easy parts of space movies (which is often what you get with chord shifts of 6 semitones) than of a war movie. It general it felt less of a war adagio than it could’ve been. Those 6 semitone shifts may have had a role in space movies to suggest a certain distance and complexity between the subject and the viewer/listener. If that’s so, then it also creates a bit of a distance in this particular scene. But what *is* the distance in this clip? By using ‘ordinary’ chords, the distance between the subject and the listener can be much smaller, which is a good way to let the subject pierce through the mind of the one who’s watching this movie. I still have all the admiration for The Thin Red Line, long musical pieces of relatively simple and easy to understand chords. Effective!
* I think I’d like to have heard more brass to emphasize the military aspect. Trombones and horns would also have been a way to bring variation into the chords which have been done by strings all the way. Think Dances With Wolves. A soft and reverberant solo trumpet in the upper end can also be used to bring on that militaristic flavor, think Crimson Tide.
* The strings could’ve used a lot more counterpoint writing, more individual ‘lines’ rather than straight chords.
Verdict:
A good entry. 7/10
Entry #1 final version
Pro:
* The deep rumbling thuds are indeed what this setting needs!
* Production quality is good.
Con:
* Like other entries, solo strings may not always work for this particular scene and setting.
* No large changes of tone or direction where the clip is begging for one.
Verdict:
The solo strings get in the way. Leave them out, add a vew brass instruments (horns e.g.), and the tone is nearly perfect. 7/10
Entry #2
Pro:
* The melodic essence isn’t bad.
* It’s not an adagio, refreshing. The drum rolls emphasize the militaristic aspect well.
* From 2:55 the sense of victory is well done. The speed compared to the pace of the scene is good.
Con:
* Some conflicting notes here and there.
* Counterpoint didn’t always work. Sometimes musical lines did too much, and too much into the wrong direction.
Verdict:
While not tonaly as polished as what one can do with recent production means, it’s still not bad. 5/10
Entry #3
Pro:
* At 3:11 a real theme starts kicking in, it’s a clear theme which fits the scene.
* Use of the solo cello stands out, a typical instrument for dread and sorrow.
Con:
* The arrangement of the theme starting at 3:11 is underdeveloped, it could’ve used way more bass elements. The celli (and violas?) are a tad too loud there, because of this one misses a larger than life feeling that could’ve been put to so much use there.
* Piano.. piano.. piano.. I’m not too sure about using a piano in this piece. I somehow loose the connection with this war in particular when I hear a piano in the mid/high range.
* The way the solo violin is used reminds me of Gypsy, not of war.
* Here and there the arrangement is too thick, instruments sometimes play fortissimo while pianissimo would be better.
Verdict:
Overall a solid entry. 6/10
Entry #4
Pro:
* It’s minimalistic, something like three low string lines. It’s a choice. As such, there’s not much melodic material which stands out. With a proper performance by real players, it could work.
Con:
* During the nearly four minutes, some more layering wouldn’t be a bad idea. It’s not required to add a whole orchestra adding part after part. But just doubling the current string lines with a bass clarinet or bassoon could be a very welcome variation already.
* Towards the end, one would expect a climax to a more uplifting mood. Either victorious or exceptionally dramatic. Neither is found in this entry.
* Piano, read entry #3 for my comments on pianos.
Verdict:
Due to its minimalism, an interesting entry that has potential when arranged and played well, but it may be too minimalistic as a whole. 5/10
Entry #5
Pro:
* The compositional climax towards the end is well executed.
* There are ingredients (like the theme starting at 0:29 on harp) which could form a good foundation for a lot more.
Con:
* The whole of ingredients mentioned above together sound a wee bit too fragmented and non-cohesive to me.
* Horn sound effect at 2;18, not needed here. That’s the task of a sound effect editor, not a composer.
Verdict:
There’s potential. I would pick the theme starting at 0:29 on harp, and develop that one further, make variations, counter melodies. 6/10
Entry #6
Pro:
* The instrumental hymne is executed well, with good counterpoint in the strings.
* The intensity climax towards the end is well done.
Con:
* Outside of the hymne things are less clear to me. This often happens when mood/tone changes happen too fast, the current mood/tone hasn’t had the chance to mature. When, in addition, the compositional elements are less clear, it’s very hard to see a red line in the whole.
* Its tonal color is a tad too similar everywhere, which adds to things being unclear. Compare, if a thousand red Volvos pass by you, does one red Mercedes make much of an impression when it passes by?
Verdict:
Good production. More can be made from it by thinning out material in favor for a better developed base idea. As this entry also does a lot of things everyone seems to do, more info can be found in the closing words that will apply to all entries. 7/10
Entry #7
Pro:
* The production is reasonably well done.
Con:
* I think the speed was too fast, or the density of notes too much.. either one of those two (it boils down to the same).
* The mood was a bit too happy for my liking.
* Hints of the pentatonic scale, which – for me – distract from the environment. This movie does play in Europe, does it?
* With such bright solo strings, the hall reverb becomes a wee bit too obvious. The fact that you can hear this hall and thus identify it as a hall also distracts from the enviroment.
* Solo instruments are typically used to emphasise individuals, while ensembles are used to emphasize the bigger bits, such as the enviroment or the subject. Solo strings for some of the individuals are good, but in this movie I’d expect ensembles and other bigger sounds too (even when playing pianissimo). It’s a movie about war, which is a pretty big event. It would be different when one of these soldiers was sitting in his own room, alone, gazing at nothing. But this here is a beach, crowded with folks, damaged objects and great emotions. You can safely assume it’s a big thing, so, flaunt it!
Verdict:
It has good potential as a classical piece of music. As a score, in context of a movie, it misses the mark for me. 4/10
Entry #8
Pro:
* Production quality is reasonable.
Con:
* Unclear themes, or otherwise themes burried under an arrangement that doesn’t allow breathing space to focus on a theme.
Verdict:
In nature, growth of something needs thinning out of something else, that applies here too. There is too much of everything which results in a mass of nothing. 4/10
Entry #9
Pro:
* The start is well done, the instrumentation reminded me of Williams.. somewhat.
* The intensity climax during the chapel/choir was nice.
* Climax intensity starting at 2:22 is good
Con:
* String lines sometimes too thick/low
* The vocal line didn’t work for me, either too Asian or too synthetic.
* Some clashing notes at 2:15 – 2:22
Verdict:
A clear entry, a few niggles aside (some that can be addressed rather easily), it does its job. 7/10
Entry #10
This clip is a tad longer. For fairness towards the other entries, I’ll judge it from the moment where the other entries started. I can live with the face that I’ll miss a minute+some.
Pro:
* The efforts of recording some real players. I know from experience that it’s a lot o’ work to prepare a score, but quite funny (can I say: almost surreal?) to see people play what was once just an idea in your mind.
Con:
* Like entry #7, there can be a potential classical oriented piece in here, but in context of the movie it didn’t really work for me.
* The mix. Strings too loud to be enjoyable and too dry. The piano sounds (and read above about pianos) muddy due to the room acoustics, and when that happens it takes over the attention of the listener and stops being film music: you hear a cafe, you see a beach.
* Out of tune here and there. While this may be ‘real’, in a movie it doesn’t work, it distracts even. If you’ve read the global notes below, you can’t have missed my pointer about film music being produced as pop music. This applies here once more.
Verdict:
As mentioned, it’s a piece that can be developed further in a classical context, but as film music it misses the mark. 4/10
Closing words:
I’ve heard things that all entries have in common: Strings, lots and lots of strings. Another thing I noticed was that there was always music, and always at clearly audible levels. Almost everyone had ‘a lot of stuff’, and I think that needs addressing. Imagine two photographers being asked to make a good photo of the flag of the European Union. One photographer comes up with this:
While the other comes up with this:
Now, which photo is the most clear one when it comes to the assignment?
The first photo is a bit like what I heard across most entries. A lot of substance with the actual subject (the main theme) not clearly in the center of attention. I’d like to refer to Spielberg when he talks about Williams, “in a movie with 6 characters, John is the 7th character”. I personally subscribe to this way of thinking. This means that, in my opinion, the music should be a character, a clearly defined character. A character with a clear theme which stands out, which is clear and memorizable the first time you’ll hear it. A theme which gets the focus within an arrangement.
Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz84wXlPfPM If YouTube blocks it for your country, it’s Amistad, “The Long Road to Justice”. Go to 1:45, here you get strings, clear as a whistle, the focus on the highest note. When it arrives at 1:59 you get woodwinds (and possible a horn, can’t tell for sure) alone, which is a tonal variation on what we had before. And that’s exactly the type of tonal variation I’ve missed in these entries.
What strikes me is the frequent use of solo strings. Solo strings would certainly not be be my first choice, as I would say the essence of the clip is the large aftermath and the large event that war is. I don’t think these are scenes about individuals, rather scenes about individuals in a bigger picture. Have you lot been listening to Schindlers List, or what? Maybe there could be a role for a solo cello, but then certainly among a larger orchestra and as mere support, not as lead. Solo violins are tricky business in these kind of clips, especially when they vibrate too much and/or too slow.
One thing to keep in mind is that contemporary film music is produced like pop music, not like classical music (like e.g. any orchestra playing Tchaikovsky). I wonder what arranging techniques the people who competed here would use if they were asked to compose and arrange a pop song. Chances are that you’d really get pop music. If so: stick to that, keep it! Change the notes so they match the scene, and you’ve got film music. In pop music, focus is everything. In film music, focus is also everything, because film music either focuses on this 7th character, or it focuses on something essential on screen.
The usage of counter point is either a benefit or a hazard. If it’s a benefit then it’s not anyone’s problem. Counter point is nothing more than a tool, it’s not a goal in itself. I get the impression that here and there it’s used as if it were the goal instead of just a tool – which you don’t *have* to use. At other moments more counter point could’ve been used. I would say: if you’re making things complex (adding notes here and there) only for sake of complexity: rather don’t! Again I wish to mention The Thin Red Line with its array of simple and almost minimalistic tracks. Remember that film music is very focused music. Remember the words ‘focus’ and ‘pop music’. There was certainly a time when film music had the complexity of classic music, Rozsa’s Ben Hur springs to mind, but no matter its quality, film music has matured towards pop music since – in terms of production/mixing and focus. While I’m writing this, I’m listening to some of Madonna’s ballads, and it’s easy to orchestrate it and make it fully symphonic. By doing so it would be perfect film music, as by nature it’s pop music and has a clear focus.
Mr. Miyagi would’ve said: “Focus good, balance good, karate good, life good – breath in, breath out.”
Top-3
Tough call. Each of these three has their own set of pros and cons. For sake of a top-3 here’s my top-3, but know that it’s all rather close together. And like I’ve mentioned above, I rather use words than numbers.. but alas.. what can you do..
The original ranking:
– gold #6
– silver #9
– bronze #1
And with the new version of entry #1, this ranking didn’t change. If ‘#1 final version’ *must* be included somewhere, then it’d still end up bronze.
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Composers Challenge 