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?