Last night, the soundtrack music fan community was collectively shocked when Trent Reznor’s and Atticus Ross’ music for THE SOCIAL NETWORK was the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
While the expected favorite to win was Alexandre Desplat’s work on THE KING’S SPEECH, the bulk of the soundtrack music fan community was rallying behind Hans Zimmer’s INCEPTION and John Powell’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.
Within minutes of the announcement, online forums went ballistic.
At Film Score Monthly, such things were said as:
- “This category is always a disappointment. Most members of the Academy don't know a thing about music or scoring for motion pictures. No surprise this year.”
- “It truly sickens me to think that Danny Elfman, Thomas Newman, Alexandre Desplat, John Powell, James Newton Howard, etc. who have been composing amazingly effective scores for years have not gotten the Oscar recognition they richly deserve. The first few notes of Howard's The Village or Newman's Shawshank or Elfman's Edward Scissorhands or Powell's Dragon signify music, not sound effects. Eventually Music and Sound Design will just be rolled into one category since its clear voters just have no idea about what music underscore actually means.... ”
- “Obviously the f***-tards at The Oscars and Academy Awards don't know what the hell a good score sounds like these days. I can't believe The Social Network out-beat How To Train Your Dragon.”
- “As the Academy becomes more and more populated by Generation X and Y, the awards are going to go more and more for simple name and movie recognition than actual worth. That’s not to say we haven't had that all along - the Oscars are little more than an industry celebrating how great it is being an industry - but the slim idea we once held that people who win are people who (usually) deserve it is going to vanish like morning fog."
And at SoundtrackFans.com, similar sentiments were echoed through the night:
- “I knew either this or The King's Speech would win. They are so predictable and they hardly ever actually give recognition to really great music.”
- “Somehow, I'm really not that surprised. Obviously the award is not based on the quality of the music, and the people voting on it probably didn't even care if the soundtrack they voted for the best music of the year was really that good or not. Really sad.”
- “I hate Oscar for letting that trash music win... How To Train Your Dragon should have won 100%.”
At its basest, the soundtrack for THE SOCIAL NETWORK was a combination of four things:
- A handful of less-than-minimalistic piano licks (so basic that they would make Carter Burwell cry, “That’s all you came up with, really???”)
- Non-descript, 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System ditties remixed for a disco
- Unused demos and outtakes from the first three Nine Inch Nails albums
- A sound effects loop that mimicked buzzing bees, an army of rats, and the labored breathing of a marathon runner
And all Reznor and Ross really did was mix and match those four elements for the entire film. It would have been much befitting of a movie set in an earlier time period, like TRON (the original, not TRON: LEGACY) or even REVENGE OF THE NERDS, but not a film set between 2003-2005. This is not a cry against electronic music, it is simply a head-scratching moment forever to be locked in the annals of the Academy.
According to the Academy rules for the nomination process of a motion picture score, outlined here, “The work’s eligibility shall be evaluated on its effectiveness, craftsmanship, creative substance and relevance to the dramatic whole.”
While all of those factors are completely subjective to the listener/viewer, many scores are produced each year that easily obliterate THE SOCIAL NETWORK on a creative scale alone – not the least of which was Zimmer’s work on INCEPTION, which, while I did not personally enjoy it as a CD, it was impossible to deny the monolithic effect it had on the film.
Adding further insult to injury, in the Voting Rules on the official Academy website, it actually states:
“The Academy’s entire active membership is eligible to select Oscar winners in all categories, although in five – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, and Foreign Language Film – members can vote only after attesting they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.”
This means that for all of those high-profile “Big 4” Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress), the voting body DOES NOT even have to prove they’ve seen the movies to be able to vote for them. Likewise, for Best Original Score, no one has to prove they’ve even heard the soundtrack.
Feel free to share your thoughts on this debacle below.
Comments
HTTYD should have won - I was thoroughly disappointed...
It was my favorite among those nominated, too.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Seriously, The Social Network deserved it. Suck it snobs.
In all seriousness...
Innovation isn't the point. Emotion, originality, and story progression are.
If people are knocking the electronic nature of The Social Network, let me knock HTTYD. "I've heard orchestras before. Nothing new here." See how weak your argument seems now?
The Social Network score brings simplicity and emotion to the game in a new way. It actually cuts down all of these pretentious composers who think complication and technique equal innovation and emotion. In fact, it hides it. Simplicity, stillness, the quiet. That is where art is.
I hate the "It is too simple" argument because no one cares how complex it is or how much technique there is. It just matters if it works and The Social Network's score works the best.
The How To Train Your Dragon Score was fresh, new, lovely, unique and much more deserving of the award. The Social Network got the oscar, but HTTYD is the best score.
It was good, but an oscar winner worthy? AGAINST HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Soundtrack, THIS LOOKS VERY AWFULL.
THE ACADEMY MUST BE ASHAMED OF SHOWING THAT THEY DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC.
"...THEY DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC."
So, you're saying they do know something about music? Phrases like "don't know nothing" aren't just a poor example of grammar, they actually convey the opposite of what you are trying to say.
So what we have here is a clear example of someone who doesn't know what they are talking about and is really commenting on the fact that they are butthurt that their favorite nominee didn't win.
If I say "...THEY DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC." Is not just because I do know about music, It's because they show it and they gave me the reason of say it.
but gave me hopes that I can win this category: doing sounds like music in my laptop...but probably not the IFMCA, if anyone notice. It's not favoritism, it's objective and common sense.
And yet you still have no idea why what you said wrong.
Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, that isn't really the issue. The issue is LITERALLY what you said. If you want people to take you and your opinions seriously I suggest you be more careful with how you say things.
opppsss.... get it, thank you. :).... Don’t split hairs.
But ,discuss which score is better, is stupid....
the facts are that the IFMCA has said it. Those are real musicians.
Oscars are just crap.
The TSN score wasn't even nominated for an IMFCA, so if anything I'd say that speaks less about the IMFCA than it does about the TSN score. After all, the TSN score also won a Golden Globe, a Boston Society of Film Critics Award, a Sierra award, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, and it was nominated for 4 other awards.
Maybe the academy want to prove to soundtrack fans that they aren't as disconnected from the modern music scene as everyone accuses them of being, going with electronica? Tron: Legacy should've been the pick if that was the logic; it wasn't even nominated. As far as electronica goes, The Social Network is not an innovation at any level.
How To Train Your Dragon. It's the best score of John Powell's career and, I think, of the year. I've never understood what gave that select group of people the authority to judge such subjective material anyway. Ah well, it doesn't matter. The soundtrack fans have made themselves heard. Hopefully Powell knows that.
There's a difference between a standard, generic and repetitive Daft Punk album playing over a film versus something that was calculated and created specifically for a film.
I personally thing all of you are forgetting that scores are meant to help provoke emotion in the viewer and be complimentary to the subject matter.
Also, you all are looking at electronica as if it has to be like Daft Punk and something to be played in clubs, where the genre is very diverse.
Close-minded snobs. All of you.
Inception was standard Zimmer. "BWAAAAAAAAHHHH...BWAHHHHH.....BWAHHHH..." brooding stuff. It went well with the film, don't get me wrong. It really did.
HTTYD was all right in the sense that it went with it, but truthfully, it was standard as well. The award goes to something that stands out.
(Part 1 of 3: In which I write too much)
Alright, valid Miss D. I haven't seen Tron, so I can't say how it worked with the film; I was judging it against The Social Network off of musical qualities alone. Some of it was same-y, but Overture, Outlands, Fall, and a handful of other cues stuck out to me. For The Social Network? The only cue that I could really get into was their version of Hall of the Mountain King.
But I have seen How to Train Your Dragon, Inception and The Social Network. So my thoughts on how the scores compliment their films: Re-imagine the 3 movies without music. Dragon and Inception would have fallen flat on their faces. Social Network would have held it's own, I think. My opinion, of course, but I think others would agree. That makes me think Dragon and Inception's scores really enhanced and propelled their movies, while Social Network was a more background support (except for the rowing scene).
If the decision is for how each score fits the movie, I thought Inception fit the movie's atmosphere very well, even doing a fair bit to create the atmosphere (though it was almost overbearing at times). Dragon's score fit the film like a glove; the intro, the Forbidden Friendship montage when Hiccup was training Toothless, and the film’s final battle and final scenes were perfectly matched by Powell's compositions.
Social Network fit, but it was just... there. (cont.)
(Part 2 of 3: In which I continue to write too much)
Still my opinion, but I don’t think the score really binds itself to its film. Any number of other styles would work for Social Network. Maybe I'm missing something. The music really did not provoke emotion for me. It actually seemed to me like Reznor and Ross were mirroring Zuckerberg's more emotionless side with their tracks. It was like a foil to an otherwise emotive film.
As far as memorability, I can hum Inception and Dragon's scores off the top of my head. I've listened to Social Network just as much, but it's not sticking with me.
Originality? What am I missing guys? I listen to electronica. I did not notice anything innovative. Originality brings something new to the genre. (Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abhb4fc9dhY) Inception brought "BWAAAAAMP" to its genre. :P It also brought a new level of brooding moodiness. Dragon brought a fresh energy to orchestral composing that I haven't heard in a long time. I also haven't heard anything quite like Forbidden Friendship or Coming Back Around's blend of a marching band beat and style into a full orchestral anthem.
(Part 3 of 3: Almost done now. Thanks for your time.)
I'm sorry if I come off as a music snob. I just really like soundtracks. I don't think the close-minded label is quite fair. I've thought about this way more than I probably need to, making a conscious effort to keep my mind open, looking at thing from different angles. And after those angles, I just end up confused at the final choice. I have nothing against Social Network's soundtrack. I just don't see anything to set it above the rest.
The reason I'm concerned is that John Powell is a great composer who is already getting pigeonholed into animation. An Oscar win would garner him the attention he deserves and needs to get some mobility again. His animation works have been good so far, but variety is the spice of music. Zimmer's been banking on an Oscar win for the last who-knows-how-many years. He even said he wouldn't bother with the academy at all at one point. That man obviously needs a win too, and his work was good. Reznor hasn't been waiting for it, and he doesn't need it for any career politics. He's already a NIN legend. So that's why I care.
That's possibly the most colossal post I've written. You all caught me in a chatty mood. No animosity was meant in any of this. I'm just reasoning out my own choices, and unsuccessfully trying to reason out the Academy's.
The score to How to Train Your Dragon is a masterpiece. It reflects and adds to the emotion of the movie perfectly. To bring together the pennywhistle, warpipes, dulcimer, full orchestra, and voices and blend them together to achieve a whole so original and evocative is amazing. John Powell was robbed.
How are you robbed of something that you never owned in the first place? John Powell did not actually get the Oscar and then have it taken away from him..
Ummmmm? What? The music was what made TSN interesting. That and Justin Timberlake and I am not even a fan of his. I think this guy needs to take his own advice and listen to the soundtrack. I LOVE Daft Punk but Tron didn't get nominated because it was subpar at best. Some of it was good but NOT INNOVATIVE at all! Slow strings and beats, slow strings, slow strings, beats. Come on man! WAKE UP!
terribly dissapointed with the academy, they are the most prestigous and well known awards that score fans just want the best to win so that proper recognition is given to the most deserving but heck, in this category it is the most obvious that they dont really know what their doing.
First off, have you actually gone and listened to all of the scores. If so, then you'd find that the only truly original score was that of The Social Networks. It completely opened up the doors for what composers can offer in this medium. Note: Hans Zimmer actually said that he was rooting for both Trent and Atticus based on that same idea!
I think the only people that should be upset about John Powell not winning is John Powell and his loved ones. This affects you in no way, shape, or form - just a heads up.
Maybe you people should try winning some awards. Live YOUR life.
This article reads a lot like sour grapes because their favourite soundtrack didn't win.
this was the most great, unusual possible outcome
you people are always wanting THE USUAL, and Trent gave you the innovation.
People who doesn't understand sh*t about music will complain.Why? Because they don't get it, they don't know what is a REAL fresh thing, a real different thing, a masterpiece made by a master of sound, not just someone who makes music
Trent Reznor smashed guitars, and Trent Reznor took your pompous oscar from the hands of your pompous d**kheads making standard boring things.
There was two options, Zimmer and Reznor, both of them, awesome, and Zimmer said himself that he was rooting for Reznor to win.That soundtrack is amazing, and it is better than the movie itself.
no more butthurt please.also The king Speech is meh.
It would be awesome if you were the real Q.
Cry some more. It was a great soundtrack and I would have been disappointed had it not won. Inception was just more average Zimmer, HTTYD was alright but still not as good as the marvelous work by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Hans Zimmer said he wanted Trent and Atticus to win because it would bring a more vibrant, diverse musical landscape to film scores in the future. Just because you don't enjoy the soundtrack, Mark, doesn't mean it wasn't amazing or influential. That soundtrack shaped the tone and direction of that film. You really come off as not having a clue.
People on the internet were upset about something? HOGWASH!
I think many people thoroughly underestimate the amount of work put into the Social Network Soundtrack.
What the author of this seems not to recognize is that a soundtrack isn't based on the music itself stand-alone - It is the chemistry between film and music. The score definitely made me feel tense throughout almost the entire film... This was the main goal.
You should also understand that orchestral soundtracks have been used over and over again. Trent and Atticus purposefully set parameters, and programmed sounds to match the atmosphere that us as viewers haven't heard before in a movie.
I think people should take this as a progressive step in the making of movie soundtracks of the future.
Also...
There were NO samples used from the first 3 NIN albums... Someone has not done their research.
Actually, Pretty Hate Machine and Broken did not include samples, however The Downward Spiral (3rd album) heavily did.
On-topic.
TSN score deserved to win because:
- what was the last time you've heard a (major) blockbuster's score that DIDN'T include orchestral parts.. at all? In fact, was was the last time you heard heavy distorted guitars in a (major) blockbuster's score?
- the electronica parts were chosen with a purpose: it is a film about people using electronic media after all. So hearing techno beats while seeing main move character doing some coding on his PC that ran Linux while shots cross with another scene of young people dancing at a party.. Yeah, that makes sense.
- watch the TSN intro scene with "Common people" song in mind.. and then watch the same scene as it ended on the movie. You'll notice different pace, different mood, different .. everything. And that's score's purpose! As an avid score listeners, you guys should REALLY know this.
- this is not "my music is better than yours" competition. it's "my music made my film better than your music made yours".
- someone mentioned "minimalistic" sounds. Umm, "Blade Runner" anyone? To me, that's pretty minimalistic score.
@AnonSLO
"Actually, Pretty Hate Machine and Broken did not include samples"
There are two things wrong with this statement.
1. Pretty Hate Machine and Broken most certainly included samples.
2. Why are you stating this at all? You are replying to something that said: "There were NO samples used FROM the first 3 NIN albums". See the word "from"?
"what was the last time you've heard a (major) blockbuster's score that DIDN'T include orchestral parts.. at all?"
It may not have included any music played by an orchestra, but it included classical music ;)
who cares? oscars never give the award to the best. the kings speech won, enough said.
on another note, just because it doesn't have a classic composition, it doesn't mean it is not worthy. i thought the social network soundtrack was outstanding. it did what it had to do, and trying to minimize the work of those guys just because you liked how to train your dragon better is not a real argument. and this:
Non-descript, 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System ditties remixed for a disco
cmon..hey now. let's be serious.
maybe you shouldn't take award shows too seriously in the future. just enjoy the music you like and write about it. but criticising something in this way is not serious.. at least you will get people to write in your comments section! ;)
I don't think that saying the Oscars never give the award to the best is a fair statement. Personal taste aside, there are lots of factors that must be accounted for, and it's not like they are judging different versions of the same movie.
While it may be true that the Academy doesn't like science-fiction films in general, the reality is that last year was a great year for film and most of the nominees for best picture would have won easily in other years where the competition wasn't as fierce.
I'm sorry, but 1 year from now, no one is going to be talking about any of those movies. People will still be talking about The Social Network. However, I'll agree that the Academy is out of touch, and I'll use my same statement. I believe Avatar is still in some theatres, while when was the last time you Hurt Locker came up in conversation? Now, Avatar was NOT a "Best Picture," like I said, no one will be talking How To Train Your Dragon one year from now.
lol dude there's even a sequel already so i seriously doubt what you are claiming.
Wait. There's a soundtrack music fan community? HA!
Man, it's really sad how this is affecting some people. I would have liked to see Hans Zimmer win. I felt his score contributed the most to his respective film and that it was certainly the most recognizable (even people who didn't see Inception could have spotted that ominous "WWOMM, WWOMM" from a mile away).
But I am really happy that Trent and Atticus won. Everyone disparaging them (especially the authour of this article) is only embarassing himself by exposing how musically ignorant and close-minded they are. The other nominated soundtracks aren't these epic masterpieces their fans seem to think they are. Oh well, keep crying if it makes you all feel better.
HERP DERP PEOPLE WON AN AWARD WHO DARED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT MUSICALLY AND WEREN'T THE REGULAR A-HOLES, VIRGINS WITH NO MUSICAL SKILL ARE BUTTHURT OH NO
You sir, are an idiot. The Social Network was heavily reliant on its soundtrack, and it was an amazing movie! Therefore, the soundtrack is amazing as well. It made a decent movie into a thrilling, emotionally-charged movie. The best thing David Fincher did in 2010 was ask Trent to take charge of the soundtrack. And by the way, if you really care about the award shows, you're an idiot. Make your own collection of movies and music, separates the favorites, and reference those. Not the award shows. And share with others that either don't know what's good or that want to talk about it. If you love something, you know it's good and so do its creators, that's all that should matter.
Screw you guys at The Examiner. Mark in particular, in the words of CeeLo, "Thank You!"
Open up your mind. This is fresh music for the film industry. Trent and Atticus have brought something to film no one else can. That is why he won. It is unique, disturbing, moving and all original. Not very many composers can even think this way. Trent has changed the way music is distributed from the hungry labels direct to consumers. Which is a parallel piece of what the film is all about.
I am a huge Film music buff. This is not John WIlliams. I love John Williams, but get over it.
Way to go Trent and Atticus! keep it coming!!!
Bryan
If you're going to go for maximum snark and say that the soundtrack sounds like "unused demos and outtakes from ... Nine Inch Nails albums", at least get your frames of reference correct and say they were outtakes from "Ghosts I-IV".
Other than that, yeah, I thought Zimmer's score was phenomenal and I thought it would be the most traditional selection to win. However, as a biased fan of Reznor's work over the years, I am happy about this win.
Actually, I think Ghosts I-IV used scraps from the first three albums, so he was surprisingly accurate (from what I remember) in that part of his description. And even if his whole list-style description of the contents of the soundtrack is accurate, there's NOTHING wrong with it! It sounds phenomenal as an end result, that's all that matters.
"say they were outtakes from "Ghosts I-IV"."
Well, they're not outtakes. There are several tracks that were actually on Ghosts I-IV that were recycled whole.
I too thought whoever wrote this article was a moron for missing that obvious point.
@Anonymous
"Actually, I think Ghosts I-IV used scraps from the first three albums.
*facepalm*
I promise you that for every 1 second any of the other composers spent on crafting their soundtracks Trent and Atticus spent an hour by contrast.
Inception? Really? That movie had ONE song that played the entire length of the movie - one huge repetitive song.
The King's Speech was a great movie but I can't remember a single note from its sound track - completely un-inspiring in that regard.
And How to Train Your Dragon sounded just like a cartoon movie's soundtrack. Extremely predictable (and boring) in respect to the genre.
Trent and Atticus' score is as quintessential to the Social Network as John William’s score is to Star Wars, plain and simple.
The soundtrack is simply different. It's a modern soundtrack for an incredibly modern film.
A fully orchestrated score would have seemed entirely out of place in a film about the founding of Facebook.
The soundtrack also entirely changed the feeling of the film. Not to say the others didn't, but, in this case, the music became an integral piece of the film, not just "augmenting" it.
Here's the original opening song envisioned by Aaron Sorkin (Starts at 4:48 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whNd1-yUEZQ )
The song actually used in the opening isn't too difficult to find for comparison.
Hell, Hans Zimmer himself said he was kind of rooting for Trent and Atticus because the soundtrack is helping to change the idea of what a soundtrack "should" sound like.
yep, 2, 3 were reworkings of Ghosts tracks, I think maybe Trent should've recorded a version of his mate Maynard's "Sour Grapes" as the last track as a final bon mot for the soundtrack fanclub, [currently venting spleen and holding their annual meeting in the Tulsa Airport Lounge Ballroom]. :D
how can you be sure of these 2 things that would give your comment any relevance whatsoever:
1. TR and AR did *not* take 2 or 3 out takes or even just very similar patches on a modular synthesizer and re-work them into musically-definable new arrangements?
2. That John Powell did *not* use any phrases or melodies or harmonic structures that he's been toying with & constructing for years to use in the score of "...Dragon"?
Simple answer: you can't.
@slapmo
Magnetic = 14 Ghosts II
A Familiar Taste = 35 Ghosts IV
wow...very close minded...all of you....
TSN would have been hard to watch if it werent for the sound. They deserved to win.
Would be even harder to watch without the picture.
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