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The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Use of Music (Spoilers)

Arannir
Valinor


Dec 15 2014, 1:56pm

Post #1 of 10 (618 views)
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Use of Music (Spoilers) Can't Post

I enjoyed BotFA very much and gave it a 8.5/10.

Imho this could have easily become a 9/10 had the music

a) been used better

and

b) had the music been more memorable to begin with.



Some great moments from the OST are barely noticeable in the movie (the great heroic part of "Battle for the Mountain"), some others do not even have very good music on the OST (Dol Guldur is a lame re-use of themes imho, especially compared to Gandalf vs. Sauron in DoS).


The greatest moments of these six movies have always been those where images, text and music blended together in a perfect way... also in BotFA the moments where this happens are the best.

For example:

Bard aiming for Smaug with the chorus and Bain's frightened face
Lake-towners entering Dale
Dale and Erebor preparing for war (probably the best)
Dain's theme during the battle
Thorin's Death
The Return Journey


But a lot of the battle scenes feel relatively neutral because of the lack of major music moments... Dol Guldur also lacks depth because of it, imho, as do the deaths of Fili and Kili or some of the moments in the Azog & Bolg fights.

Imho of course... there is still musical splendour in it.

But neither the music by Shore nor the use of it by PJ is quite as good as I had hoped, to be honest.

I would say:


Use of Music

AUJ - 8/10
DoS - 9/10
BotFA - 7/10
FotR - 10/10
TTT - 10/10
RotK - 10/10

OSTs

AUJ - 7/10
DoS - 8/10
BotFA - 7/10
FotR - 10/10
TTT - 10/10
RotK - 9/10

Link to my 8.5/10 BotFA Review

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



Bombadil
Half-elven


Dec 15 2014, 2:29pm

Post #2 of 10 (288 views)
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Well? see IT..with Dolby ATMOS next Time..Go out of your way.. [In reply to] Can't Post

ATMOS makezz.. a WORLD of difference..

IT REally does..
Crazy

www.charlie-art.biz
"What Your Mind can conceive... charlie can achieve"


Arannir
Valinor


Dec 15 2014, 2:52pm

Post #3 of 10 (257 views)
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I did see it in that format ;) [In reply to] Can't Post

 

Link to my 8.5/10 BotFA Review

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



swampB
Bree

Dec 15 2014, 3:07pm

Post #4 of 10 (251 views)
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Yeah [In reply to] Can't Post

I thought that after first couple of viewings of DOS, but now it's one of my favorites.


Skaan
Lorien


Dec 15 2014, 3:17pm

Post #5 of 10 (282 views)
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Great thread (some movie spoilers in my post) [In reply to] Can't Post

First of all, thanks for this thread. I was also planning on making a similar thread as this one sometimes later, so this saves me some time Tongue

Anyway, i both agree and disagree with you.

I agree in that the music isn't used to its full potential in these movies. Like you said, some great parts of the OST have either been cut, or are just way too silent compared to the sound effects. All 3 movies suffered from this (although in AUJ the volume of the music was alright, but instead there was lots of great music from the OST either cut or replaced with more generic music). The volume of the music bothers me the most, though. LOTR had lots of great musical moments simply because they weren't afraid to increase the music volume. The music in TH seems to be treated much more like an afterthought. I'm also not really sure who we should blame here. Should we blame PJ for this? Or should we blame the music/sound editors who maybe wanted to try a different approach this time?

I disagree about the OST not being up to par with the LOTR OST, though (although this is largely opinions here). While i agree that LOTR had better music overall, i think this shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I think we now have a great continuity between the 6 scores (with the music starting relatively small and adventurous in AUJ, which keeps building and building to the large, epic and dramatic climax of the RotK score). This is what i was most pleasantly surprised with in the tBotFA score, that the ending felt suitably epic at the right moments, but it still felt small and personal enough without trying to overshadow RotK's music.

That being said, i still found the usage of music in tBotFA better than in AUJ and DoS. There are some great moments where the music really shines (your example of Bard aiming for Smaug probably being my favorite one, it made the scene feel very ethereal and atmospheric).

Some more examples:

That male choir version of the House of Durin theme when you see the Laketown dwarves traveling to Erebor right after Smaug's death.
When the Laketown dwarves just arrived at Erebor and Bilbo warns them about Thorin, you see Fili looking down into the halls of Erebor while this creepy version of Smaug's theme plays
Most scenes with Kili and Tauriel also had great music playing
The reprise of An Ancient Enemy when Azog and Thorin start fighting eachother
When Thorin just "drowned" Azog into the water and Thorin is following Azog's body in the water

The opening of the movie was also very well done. Right from the opening logo's untill Smaug first started breathing fire, the music gave a very energetic and alarming feel.

My main gripe with tBotFA is that the great parts of Sons of Durin were drowned out by the sound effects. Also, does anyone remember if the choral versions of Smaug's themes at the ending of Fire and Water are also played in the movie? Because i love that aswell but i don't remember hearing it in the movie. And what about the Nature's reclamation theme from To The Death?


QuackingTroll
Valinor


Dec 15 2014, 3:52pm

Post #6 of 10 (214 views)
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What's Atmos like? [In reply to] Can't Post

Is it noticably better? We don't get it here. Our local is refusing to even go HD Frown I saw AUJ in HFR and loved it. Always wondered whether speakers over your head makes any difference?

And the pan-through array presumably just means it sounds different depending on where you sit. Which is a bad thing, isn't it? Unsure


tiamy
Rivendell


Dec 15 2014, 3:58pm

Post #7 of 10 (229 views)
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I've seen the movie twice already [In reply to] Can't Post

and I don't recall the Nature's Reclamation theme being played when the Eagles arrived. I had my first listen to the OST after seeing the movie and was actually surprised that it was quoted there.

At least we got the AUJ movie Eagle theme in both the OST and the movie now. I remember there was a different version of the Eagle theme in "A Good Omen" track.


Bombadil
Half-elven


Dec 15 2014, 4:25pm

Post #8 of 10 (194 views)
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CK Dolby's Website..There is a theater Locator there... [In reply to] Can't Post

You might be surprized? Since many films are going to that format..

EXAMPLE:
Last year only 3 in the Huge Colorado area,
(Colorado is the same size as New Zealand)
but..
this YEAR?
More like Nine just, in Denver.

www.charlie-art.biz
"What Your Mind can conceive... charlie can achieve"


SafeUnderHill
Rohan

Dec 15 2014, 9:51pm

Post #9 of 10 (136 views)
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Interesting [In reply to] Can't Post

Having not listened to the soundtrack beforehand I was really impressed with the score in the film. I felt you could clearly hear it and it had moments where it could really shine: the various lake town theme statements at the start, when they put on the armour to the grunting house of durin theme, all of the woodland realm statements (especially when the elves jump off the dwarves!), and not to forget all of the gorgeous emotional music.


syameese
Bree

Dec 16 2014, 12:24am

Post #10 of 10 (117 views)
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It is a different movie with Atmos [In reply to] Can't Post

I have seen the movie multiple times with Atmos and without. The difference is staggering, it didn't feel like I was watching Smaug's attack, it felt like I was in the middle of it.

If you can see it with Atmos please do so.

 
 

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