Film

Episode 12 Final Fantasy v Legend of Zelda

Episode 12 Final Fantasy v Legend of Zelda

In our most ambitious episode yet, we compare the music from two epic Japanese game series, Final Fantasy and the Legend of Zelda.

To narrow it down (slightly) we concentrate on Final Fantasy VII (1997), music by Nobuo Uematsu and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) music by Koji Kondo.

Rounds for this month

1 – Title Themes

2 – Heroes

3 – Villians

4 – Battle Music

5 - Legacy

Special treat – Digging in the Carts – a documentary series on Japanese video game music https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/10/diggin-in-the-carts-series. Episode 6 is about role playing games an includes an interview with Nobuo Uematsu.

To find out more, or to tell us which version of the dance music you prefer you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 11 Legend (1985) v Legend (1985)

Episode 11 Legend (1985) v Legend (1985)

It’s a very special episode as we review two scores for the SAME FILM.

Ridley Scott’s 1985 film Legend was released with two different scores. A Jerry Goldsmith orchestral score in Europe, and a Tangerine Dream electronic score in North America (and Russia, go figure)

Rounds for this month

1 – Lily and Jack

2 – Unicorns

3 – The Waltz

4 – Villians

5 - Production and techniques

Special treat – for those who like to geek out on synths, or just want to be more like Ella (don’t we all) here is an album listing of the Tangerine Dream version of the soundtrack with a list of all the synthesizers they used (towards the bottom of the page) - https://bit.ly/2FF24Ix

To find out more, or to tell us which version of the dance music you prefer you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 10 The Fountain v Tristan + Isolde

Episode 10 The Fountain v Tristan + Isolde

Valentines Day Special!

In March?

In our first annual romantic special this month we compare Clint Mansell’s score for The Fountain (2006) and Anne Dudley’s score for Tristan + Isolde (2006)

Rounds for this month

1 – Love

2 – Action

3 - Death

4 – Production and techniques

5 - Legacy and Impact

Special treat – explanation of the Tristan chord (and a total geek-out) by Stephen Fry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWLp7lBomW8

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 9 Side Effects v You Were Never Really Here

Episode 9 Side Effects v You Were Never Really Here

Happy New Year

This month we compare Thomas Newman’s score for Side Effects (2013) and Johnny Greenwood’s score for You Were Never Really Here (2018)

 Rounds for this month

1 – Opening Themes

2 – Murder

3 - Anxiety

4 – Production and techniques

5 - Legacy and Impact

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 8 Die Hard v Home Alone

Episode 8 Die Hard v Home Alone

Merry Christmas everybody!

This month we compare Michael Kamen’s score for Die Hard (1988 – totally a Christmas movie) and John William’s score for Home Alone (1990)

 Rounds for this month

1 – Christmas

2 – Schemes

3 - Action

4 – Emotion, Family, Relationships

5 - Legacy and Impact

Added bonus – Does Kevin McCallister grow up to be Jigsaw from the Saw franchise? http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/did-kevin-from-home-alone-grow-up-to-be-jigsaw-a-deadly-serious-investigation/

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 7 Our Favourite Things

Episode 7 Our Favourite Things

We discuss our favourite soundtracks. The music that moves us, inspires us and has shaped our development as composers.

Soundtracks discussed –

Braveheart (1995)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Shadows of the Colossus (2005)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Finding Nemo (2003)

3X3 Eyes (1991)

A Page of Madness (1927) – Soundtrack 2004

 

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

This month you can vote for what you’d like us to compare in our Christmas Special. Elf (2003), Die Hard (1988), Gremlins (1984) or Home Alone (1990)

Episode 6 The Omen v The VVitch

It’s our first annual Halloween Special!

This month we compare Jerry Goldsmith’s classic score for The Omen (1976) and a more modern example, The VVitch (2015) score by Mark Korven. Along the way we share some of our (perhaps contentious) views on the horror genre generally.

 Rounds for this month

1 – Opening music

2 – Missing Children

3 - Matricide

4 – Horror Scenes

5 - Legacy and Impact

Added bonus – the Apprehension Engine by Mark Korven http://www.markkorven.com/Apprehension_Engine.html  

Video at - https://youtu.be/1lTYPvArbGo

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 5 Under the Skin v La Marche de l'Empereur

This month we do two firsts, our first foreign language film (not counting Mad Max) and far more importantly our first movies scored by female composers - Micah Levi’s score for the disturbing Under the Skin and Emilie Simone’s for the adorable La Marche de l’Empereur (which was released with some changes for the English-speaking world as The March of the Penguins)

 

Rounds for this month

1 – Opening Themes/Introduction of Characters

2 – Danger

3 - Intimacy and Raw Emotion

4 - Production

5 - Legacy and Impact

Added bonus - an article Ella mentions from Limelight magazine about female composers, in particular the Russian composer Leokadya Kashperova - https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/features/gabriella-di-laccio-theres-still-a-lot-of-ignorance-of-the-repertoire-written-by-women/

 

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 4 Breaking Bad v Stranger Things

Two modern American TV scores do battle in this months Soundtrack Showdown – Dave Porter’s eclectic Breaking Bad versus the 80’s nostalgia synths of Stranger Things by Stein and Dixon.

 

Rounds for this month

1 – Opening Themes

2 – Main Characters (Walter White vs Eleven)

3 - Action Music

4 - Production

5 - Legacy and Impact

Exit music – ‘Tamacun’ by Rodrigo y Gabriela

 

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta) or via our website - www.tristellarmusic.com

Episode 3 Sicario v Mad Max: Fury Road

In the most explosive Soundtrack Showdown so far, we talk about the representation of women in film music, the politics of the Mexican-US border, and the meaning of the word 'doof'.

 

Rounds for this month

1 – Environment

2 – Heroine themes

3 - Action Music

4 - Production

5 - Legacy and Impact

 

To find out more, or leave us a message you can reach us at @tristellarmusic on your favourite social media (twitter, facebook and insta)

Episode 2 Batman (1989) vs The Dark Knight

Episode 2 of Soundtrack Showdown. We look at two movies about Batman vs his arch-nemesis the Joker - Danny Elfman’s score for Batman (1989) and Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score for The Dark Knight (2008). In a spirit of light-hearted (but often quite heated) competition we break the scores down over five rounds, in which we discuss how well the music works in key areas, then declare an overall winner. This week, our rounds are:

1 – Batman Themes

2 – Joker Themes

3 – Style

4 – Action Music

5 – Legacy and Impact

Episode 1 Psycho vs Jaws

In episode 1 of Soundtrack Showdown, we look at two classic horror film scores, Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and John Williams’ score for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975). In a spirit of light-hearted but sometimes heated competition, we break the scores down over five rounds, discuss and analyse how well the music works in key areas, and then declare the overall winner. This week, our rounds are:

1 – Monster Motifs

2 – Main Themes

3 – Techniques and Production

4 – Suspense Music

5 – Legacy and Impact

Who will win?