Being a cinephile (huge film fan and buff),I knew this was exactly my kind of documentary film, probably a subject long overdue to be talked about, and an integral component of cinema. When motion pictures were first introduced in 1895 by the Lumière brothers, their short films, and all that followed after, were completely silent. But in screenings, there was often an organ, piano of custom-built instrument, including ones with sound effects, played during films. It was only in the 1900s that a film was produced with a totally original film score composed and added to the soundtrack. Since then, film scores have changed and evolved over the years, from films using simple instrument scores, to those with an orchestra, those with electronic and technological innovations, and those created by famous pop/rock musicians and producers. This film also examines the many techniques and components that go into producing a film score, from the arrangement of notes, the instruments used (percussion, strings, winds etc),the motif (a recognisable sequences of bars) and much more. There is a lot of mention of how music from these many films has been used in popular culture, and the Academy Award success these scores have had. Of course, this film also celebrates the works of some of the most recognised composers in Hollywood, and the films that stand out in their career. Composers that are mentioned, and that contribute during the film (that are living),include: David Arnold (Stargate, Independence Day, Casino Royale),John Barry (James Bond films, Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves),Tyler Bates (Dawn of the Dead, 300, Halloween, Watchmen, John Wick),Christophe Beck (Cheaper by the Dozen, The Muppets, Frozen),Marco Beltrami (Scream, 3:10 to Yuma, The Hurt Locker, Logan, The Gunman),Bill Conti (Rocky, For Your Eyes Only, The Right Stuff),Mychael Danna (The Ice Storm, Capote, Little Miss Sunshine),John Debney (Liar Liar, The Emperor's New Groove, The Princess Diaries, Sin City),Alexandre Desplat (The Queen, The King's Speech, Zero Dark Thirty, The Shape of Water),Patrick Doyle (Gosford Park, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Thor),Danny Elfman (Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Men in Black),Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Up),Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever, Frida, Public Enemies),Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of the Apes, The Omen, Alien, Total Recall, Basic Instinct),Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, Phone Booth, The Equalizer),Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Psycho, Taxi Driver),James Horner (Aliens, Legends of the Fall, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Titanic) (Horner sadly passed away during the making of this documentary),Steve Jablonsky (The Island, Transformers, Lone Survivor),Henry Jackman (Monsters vs. Aliens, Kick-Ass, Captain Phillips),Quincy Jones (In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, The Color Purple),Junkie XL (300: Rise of an Empire, Mad Max: Fury Road),Dario Marianelli (Pride & Prejudice, V for Vendetta, Atonement, The Boxtrolls),Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Untouchables, The Hateful Eight),Mark Mothersbaugh (Rugrats, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie),David Newman (The Nutty Professor, Anastasia, Ice Age),Randy Newman (Parenthood, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc.),Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Finding Nemo, Skyfall),Alex North (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?),Heitor Pereira (Despicable Me, The Smurfs),Rachel Portman (Emma, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat),John Powell (Face/Off, The Bourne Identity, Happy Feet, How to Train Your Dragon),Trevor Rabin (Con Air, Armageddon, Deep Blue Sea),Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails musician - The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl),Atticus Ross (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl),Howard Shore (The Silence of the Lambs, The Lord of the Rings, The Aviator),Max Steiner (King Kong, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca),Brian Tyler (Eagle Eye, The Expendables, Thor: The Dark World),John Williams (Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park),Christopher Young (Species, The Hurricane, The Grudge, Drag Me to Hell),and Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Dark Knight, Inception). With contributions from Jon Burlingame (film historian),James Cameron, George Lucas, Leonard Maltin (film historian),Garry Marshall, Moby, Christopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg. It was interesting to see everything that goes into this part of filmmaking, the opinions of those with experiences and experts of film, and of course hearing all the great music is most enjoyable, a worthwhile documentary. Very good!

Greetings again from the darkness. Some people remember movies by recalling the story … others by picturing the actors … still others by crediting the writer and director. Surprisingly, it's the film's music that we subconsciously carry with us. Even years later a theme song can trigger an emotional tie to our favorite movies. The magic of movies and their scores are so inter-connected that you often can't think of one without the other: Jaws, Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Psycho, Gone with the Wind, James Bond, Batman, Titanic, Chariots of Fire, and Jurassic Park (to name a few). Chances are, just reading that list caused you to hear the themes!

Director Matt Schrader, in his directorial debut, takes us back to the beginning by explaining that silent films were never really silent. There was invariably live or recorded musical accompaniment to help muffle the sound of the projector. But it was Max Steiner's score for King Kong in 1933 that really changed the game. His music transformed that film from a schlocky special effects B-movie into a tense, thrilling cinematic experience.

This is so much more than a history of important and beautifully written scores. Director Schrader interviews most of the well-known film composers working today. He gains insight into their writing process, commentary on the ground-breakers who came before them, and uncovers how technology, new instruments, new styles, and a different approach are always in the works.

Some of those interviewed include Rachel Portman (the only female composer included here),Randy Newman, Danny Elfman, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, and Thomas Newman (son of Alfred). There is also a well-deserved segment reserved entirely for the great John Williams, and we get reminded of the revolutionary composers like Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of the Apes, Chinatown) and Bernard Hermann (Psycho),as well as Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther),Monty Norman (James Bond),and Ennio Morricone (classic westerns). A quick segment that proves quite entertaining focuses on Mark Mothersbaugh (formerly of Devo) telling the story of how he used a toy piano for the score of Rugrats, but regrettably no longer has possession of the little piano anymore.

Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer is a recurring voice throughout and provides some structure to the numerous interviews and segments. It's quite humorous to see this highly accomplished, world-renowned composer in his early days as a keyboardist for The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" (the first video played on MTV). More importantly, Mr. Zimmer discusses the insecurities and pressures that go along with the job, and how change (such as his aggressive sounds) isn't always welcomed openly.

The technical aspects of creating the score are certainly not ignored. We get a glimpse inside Abbey Road Studios, and how thrilling it is for a composer to hear the live orchestra bring his or her music to life that first time. It also serves as a reminder that film composing employs a significant number of the live orchestral musicians working today, and that we all hope technology doesn't replace that imperfect beauty of the real thing.

Adding a scientific perspective was a nice touch. Learning that our brains respond to movie music in a similar manner to chocolate and sex made a great deal of sense, as I've often wondered if film scores are more manipulative or complementary in nature. If there is a disappointment in the film, it's that the recently deceased James Horner seems woefully short-changed, with only a brief post-credits segment featuring director James Cameron who, as usual, spends the time talking more about himself than the impact of Horner. This documentary is a must for movie lovers and music lovers, and on a personal note, made me miss my friend Adam very much. He would have certainly enjoyed this one and had a great deal to say about it.

I enjoyed the background and interviews, but wanted more. I can't believe John Carpenter was not included. I am not sure if he is being slighted by Hollywood for doing his own thing, but he deserved to be included. Another slight was the recently deceased Johann Johannsson. Johann was one of the most innovative modern film composers and will be deeply missed. I also wished they would have revisited the guy with the Piano in the valley to see what he did with that unique set up.