Michael Giacchino's 'Up'swing

As expected Michael Giacchino has won over James Horner in Golden Globes this year with his classic score for Pixar’s ‘Up', and he is definitely a front runner in Oscars too. Though ‘Avatar’ score reminds us of so many other scores of James Horner, it also is really a special score which managed to peep through its head out of all those huge multi layered visual spectacle and the meticulous sound design. However, as I had already mentioned, the simplistic charm of ‘UP’ score wins over the exoticism of ‘Avatar’ score.



Now, here is one of my favourite cues from ‘Up’ which wasn’t a part of the Original Soundtrack release. It is a dramatic music piece scored for the scene in which Carl Fredrieksen is shown doing his daily chores alone after Emilie’s death. Conventionally any composer would have played the Emilie’s theme on a sober scale in a solo piano to evoke a sense of loneliness but for the way this scene is cut showing the boredom of Carl, this approach works and makes us feel that he has learnt to get on with his life. The grand bangs fit aptly as we witness how the surroundings of Carl’s house have changed for worse.

Michael Giacchino has got 3 Grammy Nominations for his ‘UP’ score in Best Original Score for a Motion Picture, Best Instrumental Composition (Married Life) and Best Instrumental Arrangement (Up with End Credits) categories. Though I haven’t heard all the tracks nominated in these categories, I hope Michael Giacchino wins all the three Grammies.

‘UP’ is one of those special soundtracks I fell madly in love with instantly on very first listening. I could hum through every single cue of this film soundtrack, which is very rare in these days when film scores are becoming more and more abstract, strictly action based without any prominent themes. I strongly feel an animation film brings the best out of a composer as it is these films that require bold orchestral music with strong melodies. It is the dramatic score that makes the animated stories grounded and makes the audience instantly connect with the emotions of the characters no matter if that character is a piece of wood or a flesh and blood human being.

A.R.Rahman is not competing with Michael Giacchino as Grammies have a separate category for film soundtracks with songs.

The Roots and the Beginnings

Salem 1998. I was studying in 11th standard. ‘Titanic’ was playing in Saraswathi Theatre, a cinema theatre in our locality. We had heard a lot of good things about this film through Sun TV’s Film reviewing programme ‘Thirai Vimarsanam’. We, school mates decided to go and watch the film on a weekend. I pleaded my parents to allow me go to an “English” film with friends and for Rs.15. (Cost of first class Balcony Ticket) and somehow they agreed. The day of ‘Titanic’ arrived.

The film began and the flash back started with a bang of an orchestral music, accompanying the breath taking visuals that reveal the gigantic beauty of the ship ‘Titanic’. I felt an electric shock wave passing through my body. I had goose flesh. It was that precise moment, I remember so vividly even now, that I became conscious of this amazing art form called ‘Film Background Music Scoring’. For the first time with all consciousness, I was physically and emotionally experiencing the impact of background music. The synth-choir-orchestral symphony was something I had never heard before in my life. This cue is Track 3 – Southampton in Original Soundtrack CD of the film. I even liked the Irish party theme instantly on the very first viewing of the film, which plays as Jack and his friend rushes to get into the ship.

Before Titanic, Jurassic Park was the only English film I had seen in a cinema theatre. That was at a much younger age, so I couldn’t realise the greatness of John Williams’ score for that film.

Few years later, I realized that even before watching ‘Titanic’, Ilaiyaraaja’s innumerable background score pieces from films of 80’s and 90’s - that I saw on satellite television, got firmly etched in my memory, without me ever being aware of it. Yet, Titanic is the one that woke up my consciousness towards ‘Background scores’ in films.

Now, eagerly waiting for ‘Avatar’ and its score.

It would be great to know your ‘Background Score’ awareness moment. Please share.