The Marvel Symphonic Universe

There’s a second, supplementary video you can watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEfQ_9DIItI
And a new Twitter account about temp music we made here: https://twitter.com/SoundsLikeTemp

Off the top of your head, could you sing the theme from Star Wars? How about James Bond? Or Harry Potter? But here’s the kicker: can you sing any theme from a Marvel film? Despite 13 films and 10 billion dollars at the box office, the Marvel Cinematic Universe lacks a distinctive musical identity or approach. So let’s try to answer the question: what is missing from Marvel music?

This video was made by
Brian Satterwhite: https://twitter.com/bmsatter
Taylor Ramos: https://twitter.com/glassesattached
Tony Zhou: https://twitter.com/tonyszhou

For educational purposes only. You can donate to support the channel at
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/everyframeapainting

Interviews filmed in Vancouver, B.C., Canada

The Hollywood Reporter 2012 Composers Roundtable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP793Rw1cIQ
The Hollywood Reporter 2014 Composers Roundtable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSAF9_ZHjfc

Music Cues:

Ramin Djawadi - “Test Day Eleven” (Unreleased from Iron Man)
Patrick Doyle - "8m52 Warriors Find Thor ALT” (Unreleased from Thor)
Henry Jackman - “The Smithsonian” (from Winter Soldier)
Danny Elfman - “Heroes” (from Age of Ultron)
Danny Elfman - “Farmhouse” (from Age of Ultron)
Patrick Doyle - “Ride to Observatory” (from Thor)
Henry Jackman - "A New Recruit” (from Civil War)

Temp Music Examples:

300 (2007)
Elliot Goldenthal - “Victorious Titus” from Titus (1999)
Tyler Bates - “Returns a King"
Titus owned by Fox Searchlight Pictures
300 owned by Warner Bros. Pictures

THOR (2011)
Steve Jablonsky - “Einstein’s Wrong” from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Patrick Doyle - “Hammer Found"
Transformers owned by Paramount Pictures
Thor first owned by Paramount Pictures, then transferred to Walt Disney Studios

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)
Henry Jackman - “Captain America” from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Junkie XL - “Brothers in Arms"
Winter Soldier owned by Walt Disney Studios
Mad Max: Fury Road owned by Warner Bros. Pictures

DRIVE ANGRY (2011)
Hans Zimmer - “Mombasa” from Inception (2010)
Michael Wandmacher - “Mass vs. Acceleration"
Inception owned by Warner Bros. Pictures
Drive Angry owned by Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment

So I have a question for you.

Off the top of your head could
you sing any music from Star Wars ?

How about James Bond ?

Harry Potter ?

My last question : can you sing
anything from a Marvel movie ?

I'm like the biggest Marvel fan
that I know and I just...

I can't think of any of the songs.

- No.
- No...

I should know this, but I don't.

Shit.

I didn't know they have, like, theme songs.

Why is this ?

Because the Marvel cinematic universe is now the
highest-grossing franchise in film history.

More than Star Wars,
more than James Bond,

more than Harry Potter,

so what is missing from their music ?

The first problem is that most of the music
doesn't evoke an emotional response.

Take a look at this scene from
the first Ironman :

Day 11. Test 37. Configuration 2.0

For lack of a better option
Dummy is still on fire safety.

If you douse me again and I'm not on fire,
I'm donating you to a city college.

All right, nice and easy.

It's kind of hard to hear it.
So let's try that one more time,

But this time with just the music isolated.

Did you have an emotional
reaction to that music ?

So what happens to the scene
if we just take it out ?

Day 11. Test 37. Configuration 2.0

For lack of a better option
Dummy is still on fire safety.

If you douse me again and I'm not on fire,
I'm donating you to a city college.

All right, nice and easy.

The scene works just fine
and it doesn't need any other sound.

And that's partially why you forget the music.

it's like the air conditioner in the
background, after awhile you tune it out.

Another problem is that the music is
used very predictably.

So that what you see is what you get.

If you see something funny
you hear funny music.

If you see something sad,
you hear a high note on the strings.

This is a really safe way to score a film,
because all of the emotions are expected.

The music just tells you the same thing
as the picture.

If someone looks scared, then you hear :

And this is the second reason
the music is forgettable.

It never challenges your expectations.

But sometimes the Marvel films
do have memorable music,

except the filmmakers don't let
us listen to it.

Instead they cover it up with other
sounds like this :

Denied enlistment due
to poor health,

Steven Rogers was chosen for a program
unique in the annals of American warfare,

one that would transform him into the
world's first super soldier.

That narrator is just telling us things
we already know,

And he distracts us from
the emotion of the scene.

So how does this moment play
without that distraction ?

Did you feel the difference ?

Film music is incredibly subjective
and it goes through trends.

And over the last 20 years
there has been a cultural shift.

Nowadays a lot of filmmakers feel that
music should not be noticed,

That's a contemporary thing that I've
heard very frequently,

"not supposed to be noticed"

Right but, why is it not supposed
to be noticed ?

I grew up on Alfred Hitchcock's films,
Bernard Herrmann, and i noticed every note.

And I find it a little bit baffling
why that seems to be the consciousness

of music and film.

But there is one thing we haven't
mentioned yet and it's very important.

Today blockbuster movie scores
are composed to a particular process,

And that process starts with one
controversial element :

Danny you groaned earlier when someone mentioned
temp music, the pros and cons ?

For me temp music is the bane
of my existence

it's my job to make the director forget
everything he's heard in the temp,

I won't listen to it but once,
I'll never listened to it twice,

and if they're addicted to it it's just
going to make my job harder.

Let's back up a second : temp music is
when you're editing a film,

and you take music from another movie
and use it temporarily in your cut like this :

Tenp music is always supposed to be
replaced by composers' original score.

But sometimes directors or producers will
tell their composer to imitate the temp.

To our knowledge, this is the only time a
studio has publicly apologized

for imitating temp music.

The far more pervasive effect
is that now

most blockbusters are temped with
each other's scores.

So they kind of sound like each other,
but just within legal limits.

And as the Marvel franchise has become
more popular, now other films sound like

they were tempt with Marvel music.

We want to emphasize : we're not
blaming the composers.

Things don't get this way
unless its systemic.

Before temp music became popular,
directors would often reference other music

as a way to talk to the composer.
But what changed everything was

modern nonlinear editing which allowed
a director to put their favorite music

in the movie and have the editor cut to it.

Now, director points to the temp and says :
"Make it like that".

And it's not because the music
is the right choice,

but because they've listened to it.

Again and again and again
for hours and hours

making a DVD that match and they
go back with another idea another version the

next day with the same music, and at some
point of the music stick to the picture.

- They can spend a year before you arrive.

By the way when you take that music
out often the cut isn't right

because they're cutting to something that...
It's very frustrating.

Part of the frustration is that
filmmakers just reuse things

that worked in every other movie,
so you end up with the lowest common denominator.

Remember this ?

Let's try something different.

So earlier in the film,
Thor convinced his friends to do

something illegal and he was banished.

Now they're doing something illegal
to find him.

He's not asking for their help,
they're giving it willingly.

What if we heard this feeling in the music ?

We're not saying this is the right choice
here, but it's worth trying out.

Because it makes the scene emotionally richer.

And all of the choices you see in Marvel films :

the background noise, hearing what
you see, adding a narrator, temp music.

All of these stem from the same desire :
to keep things safe.

This is not bad music, it's just bland
and inoffensive.

And because Marvel sacrifices emotional
richness for these safe choices,

the end result is this :

Oh... Marvel ?
Na - oh...

So what is missing from Marvel music ?
Risk.

The kind of risk that creates an
emotional connection with the audience.

So that they carry the music with them.
People do not remember safe choices.

Only bold original music, and do this :

But that being said, we did find one
Marvel theme that still got this reaction :

Spiderman ! Spiderman ! Friendly
neighborhood Spiderman !

Spins web any size, catch thieves, just like flies.
Look out ! Here comes Spider-man!

Is he strong?
Listen bud, he's got radioactive blood.

Can he swing from a thread
Take a look overhead.

Hey there
There goes the Spiderman.

In the chill of night
At the scene of a crime

Like a streak of light
He arrives just in time.

Spiderman, Spiderman, Friendly neighborhood Spiderman,
Wealth and fame, He's ignored, Action is his reward.

To him, life is a great big bang up.
Wherever there's a hang up, You'll find the Spider man.

-That was incredible ! Thank you so much !