Music in film connects directly to your emotions, heightening your senses and creating an environment of terror, awe, nostalgia, and much more. The right music for the right film can induce anxiety, shivering, and sorrow. You wouldn’t expect a horror film to have happy, upbeat music, as it would detract from the atmosphere.
Composers do just that, becoming famous due to their extraordinary ability to take images and pair them with beautiful sound. We’ve previously looked at three of the best movie score composers, and we will now look at three more that have mastered the art of music.
Howard Shore
Known for composing music for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, Howard Shore is an extremely respected composer. J. R. R. Tolkien’s world has provided him with his most acclaimed work with three Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, four Grammy Awards and many other festival and critic’s awards.
With extensive musical composition knowledge, Howard Shore works with basic fundamentals of music counterpoint and harmony to begin a movie score. His process of composition results in the stunning pieces we hear in our favourite movies like Hugo, The Silence of the Lambs, and Mrs Doubtfire.
Hans Zimmer
One of Hollywood’s most prolific composers, Hans Zimmer career was propelled forward when he scored Rain Man. Some of his most acclaimed and famous works include The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar.
His impressive work is easily recognisable through the integration of electronic sounds with traditional, orchestral arrangements.
James Newton Howard
With a career spanning 30 years, James Newton Howard has composed over 120 films. His success is due to his versatility and adaptability to each project, combined with his classical training and interest in rock and pop music. He’s a talented arranger, musician, producer, and songwriter, having worked with some of the industry’s biggest names.
With multiple award nominations and awards won, James Newton Howard has work in films like The Hunger Games films, Maleficent, Batman Begins and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.