Four Trombones and a String Section

It's been a pretty nutty couple of weeks hereabouts, but what the hey, I still have some inklings of time lurking about here and there.

Thursday night, courtesy of the good people at Zocalo, G and I saw Michael Giacchino speak as part of their Public Square Lecture series at LACMA. If you are not familiar with Mr. Giacchino, he is a rising star in the world of film composing.  I first became familiar with him due to his work on the show Alias, but have become even more of a fan after hearing his atmospheric cacophony that is Lost and for his spy-worthy anthems in the Incredibles.  From those two movies alone, one can tell that this man is a slave to no style of music.

So what did he talk about?  The title of the lecture was "How to 'Score' Big in Movies," and while he did discuss part of what has helped him to achieve success in his career, what was more interesting is the passion he presented at every corner.  From his beginnings as a video game composer post-graduate from the School of Visual Arts, he was tenacious in pursuing his love of music.  I was rapt with the stories he was telling and no sooner was I hooked than when he began speaking of his common love with Brad Bird of the show Johnny Quest.

And this is really where I took away quite a bit from the talk.  Mr. Giacchino talked not just from the heart, but from the analysis that whatever he wanted to do, he would do it differently.  He saw an aversion to melody prevalent in most soundtracks, so he loved melody.  He saw that no one would want to compose for orchestration, so he would write for a full orchestra.  When people suggested he include woodwinds and other instruments associated with island life on Lost, he said there should be nothing at all recognizable and comfortable about the soundtrack at all.  Inspiring in his vision, it's no wonder he has become a favorite of Mr. Bird's, JJ Abrams, and has even worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg.

We left the lecture and LACMA appreciating his candor and for me, I appreciate his work all the more than I had before I had arrived.  When you watch any of the films he's worked on, listen to the soundtrack alone for a bit, listen to the lack of soundtrack, and most of all, listen for the inspiration behind it.  Even if it's the bombastic final score for the movie Cloverfield, you will understand where he's coming from and it is really something else.