John Williams (born 1932) is a synonym for film music. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential and successful film composers of all time. In a career spanning over six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Harry Potter and many more. Williams has won 5 Oscars and 21 Grammy Awards, and with massive 48 Oscar nominations, he is the second most nominated person, after Walt Disney who has won 22 Oscars and 59 nominations (O.o).

While skilled in a variety of 20th century compositional idioms, Williams’ most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism,  inspired by the late 19th century’s large-scale orchestral music — in the style of Tchaikovsky or Richard Wagner‘s compositions and their concepts of leitmotif (musical theme) — that inspired his film music predecessors.

In 1974, Williams was approached by director Steven Spielberg to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express. The young director had been impressed with Williams’ score for the 1969 film The Reivers, and Spielberg was convinced that Williams could compose the musical sound that he desired for any of his films. They teamed up again a year later for Spielberg’s second film, Jaws. Widely considered to be a classic suspense film, its film score’s ominous, three-note motif has become synonymous with sharks and approaching danger. The film’s score earned Williams his second Academy Award, his first one for an original score. Williams considers Jaws to be the score that jumpstarted his career and he continued to work with Spielberg to date.

TOP 12 SCORES:

1. Star Wars (1977, dir: George Lucas)

2. Lincoln (2012, dir: Steven Spielberg)

3. Schindler’s List (1993, dir: Steven Spielberg)

4. Jaws (1975, dir: Steven Spielberg)

5.  E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1984, dir: Steven Spielberg)

6. Home Alone (1990, dir: Chris Columbus)

7. Catch Me If You Can (2002, dir: Steven Spielberg)

8. Saving Private Ryan (1998, dir: Steven Spielberg)

9. Empire of the Sun (1987, dir: Steven Spielberg)

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001, dir: Chris Columbus)

11. Amistad (1997, dir: Steven Spielberg)

12. Jurassic Park (1993, dir: Steven Spielberg)

John Williams – Star Wars (Main Theme)

John Williams – Lincoln (The People’s House)

John Williams – Schindler’s List (Theme)

John Williams – Jaws (Theme)

John Williams – E.T. (Adventures on Earth)

John Williams – Saving Private Ryan (Hymn to the Fallen)

John Williams – Amistad (Dry Your Tears, Africa)

John Williams – Harry Potter (Hedwig’s Theme)

John Williams – Jurassic Park (Theme)

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Composers can submit their film music through the entry form.

For other info, please visit FAQ or contact us at info@isfmf.com!

Your ISFMF team.

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We’ll soon announce the nominations for Special Crystal Pine Award that goes to the composer and score outside of competition.

Here is the list of 110 eligible film scores.

• ELIGIBLE SCORES:
  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Henry Jackman, composer
  • After the Wizard, Stephen Main, composer
  • Alex Cross, John Debney and Sebastian Morton, composers
  • Arbitrage, Cliff Martinez, composer
  • The Amazing Spider-Man, James Horner, composer
  • Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli, composer
  • Argo, Alexandre Desplat, composer
  • Battleship, Steve Jablonsky, composer
  • The Bay, Marcelo Zarvos, composer
  • Beasts of the Southern Wild, Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, composers
  • Being Flynn, Damon Gough, composer
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Thomas Newman, composer
  • Big Miracle, Cliff Eidelman, composer
  • Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story, David Cieri, composer
  • Brave, Patrick Doyle, composer
  • Brooklyn Castle, B. Satz, composer
  • The Cabin in the Woods, David Julyan, composer
  • Chasing Ice, J. Ralph, composer
  • Chasing Mavericks, Chad Fischer, composer
  • Chicken with Plums, Olivier Bernet, composer
  • Chimpanzee, Nicholas Hooper, composer
  • Cloud Atlas, Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, composers
  • Compliance, Heather McIntosh, composer
  • Contraband, Clinton Shorter, composer
  • Coriolanus, Ilan Eshkeri, composer
  • Cosmopolis, Howard Shore, composer
  • The Dark Knight Rises, Hans Zimmer, composer
  • Dark Shadows, Danny Elfman, composer
  • Darling Companion, James Newton Howard, composer
  • Deadfall, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers
  • The Dictator, Erran Baron Cohen, composer
  • Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, John Powell, composer
  • End of Watch, David Sardy, composer
  • Ethel, Miriam Cutler, composer
  • Flight, Alan Silvestri, composer
  • For a Good Time, Call…, John Swihart, composer
  • For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, James Horner, composer
  • Frankenweenie, Danny Elfman, composer
  • Fun Size, Deborah Lurie, composer
  • Girl in Progress, Christopher Lennertz, composer
  • The Grey, Marc Streitenfeld, composer
  • The Guilt Trip, Christophe Beck, composer
  • Hidden Moon, Luis Bacalov, composer
  • Hitchcock, Danny Elfman, composer
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Howard Shore, composer
  • Hotel Transylvania, Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
  • House at the End of the Street, Theo Green, composer
  • The Hunger Games, James Newton Howard, composer
  • Hyde Park on Hudson, Jeremy Sams, composer
  • Ice Age: Continental Drift, John Powell, composer
  • The Impossible, Fernando Velázquez, composer
  • Jack Reacher, Joe Kraemer, composer
  • John Carter, Michael Giacchino, composer
  • Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Andrew Lockington, composer
  • Killer Joe, Tyler Bates, composer
  • Lawless, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, composers
  • Life of Pi, Mychael Danna, composer
  • Lincoln, John Williams, composer
  • Lola Versus, Will Bates and Philip Mossman, composers
  • Looper, Nathan Johnson, composer
  • The Lucky One, Mark Isham, composer
  • LUV, Nuno Malo, composer
  • The Man with the Iron Fists, RZA and Howard Drossin, composers
  • Marvel’s The Avengers, Alan Silvestri, composer
  • The Master, Jonny Greenwood, composer
  • Men in Black 3, Danny Elfman, composer
  • Middle of Nowhere, Kathryn Bostic, composer
  • Mirror Mirror, Alan Menken, composer
  • Moonrise Kingdom, Alexandre Desplat, composer
  • The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Geoff Zanelli, composer
  • On the Road, Gustavo Santaolalla, composer
  • The Pardon, Ashley Irwin, composer
  • Parental Guidance, Marc Shaiman, composer
  • People Like Us, A.R. Rahman, composer
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Michael Brook, composer
  • The Possession, Anton Sanko, composer
  • Prometheus, Marc Streitenfeld, composer
  • Promised Land, Danny Elfman, composer
  • The Raid: Redemption, Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese, composers
  • Red Tails, Terence Blanchard, composer
  • Rise of the Guardians, Alexandre Desplat, composer
  • Ruby Sparks, Nick Urata, composer
  • Safe House, Ramin Djawadi, composer
  • Safety Not Guaranteed, Ryan Miller, composer
  • Saint Dracula, Sreevalsan J. Menon, composer
  • Savages, Adam Peters, composer
  • Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Rob Simonsen and Jonathan Sadoff, composers
  • The Sessions, Marco Beltrami, composer
  • Sinister, Christopher Young, composer
  • Skyfall, Thomas Newman, composer
  • Smashed, Eric D. Johnson and Andy Cabic, composers
  • Snow White and the Huntsman, James Newton Howard, composer
  • Taken 2, Nathaniel Mechaly, composer
  • Ted, Walter Murphy, composer
  • Think Like a Man, Christopher Lennertz, composer
  • This Means War, Christophe Beck, composer
  • A Thousand Words, John Debney, composer
  • The Three Stooges, John Debney, composer
  • Trashed, Vangelis, composer
  • Trouble with the Curve, Marco Beltrami, composer
  • 21 Jump Street, Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Carter Burwell, composer
  • Until They Are Home, Jamie Dunlap, composer
  • War of the Worlds The True Story, Jamie Hall, composer
  • The Watch, Christophe Beck, composer
  • West of Memphis, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, composers
  • Where Do We Go Now?, Khaled Mouzanar, composer
  • The Woman in Black, Marco Beltrami, composer
  • Won’t Back Down, Marcelo Zarvos, composer
  • The Words, Marcelo Zarvos, composer
  • Wreck-It Ralph, Henry Jackman, composer
  • Zero Dark Thirty, Alexandre Desplat, composer

   

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Would you like to find out how is to work in organisation of film music festival, gain some relevant experience (in Production/ PR/ Film Industry), do student practice or simply want to help? We are looking for enthusiastic, young spirit, communicative volunteers (18+)  to join our creative team and be ready to work hard and have fun at the same time!

We require our volunteers to WORK min. 2 hours per day (or one full day in a week) and 40+ hours over the course of the 4 days of the Festival as well as the few days before and after. In exchange, you will gain experience (for your CV), meet people and gain contacts and during the festival days you will receive staff pass, access to our staff clubhouse with 2 meals a day, admission to some of the Festival special events, great Festival schwag, and of course the fun that comes with working with great people.

We are looking for volunteers with following:

• Fluency in English language (written and spoken)
• Organisation skills
• Promotional skills
• Computer skills
• Interest in Film Industry
• Available at least 2 hours per day (10 hours per week or one full day in a week) – In Samobor/Zagreb area

If you are interested and think you are good in some of the above, fill out the Volunteer aplication form and tell us how can you help us and we will be back to you shortly.

Your ISFMF TEAM!

–

Želite li saznati kako je raditi u organizaciji festivala filmske glazbe, dobiti relevantno iskustvo (u produkciji/ PR-u / Filmskoj industriji), odraditi studentsku praksu ili jednostavno želite pomoći?

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Canadian composer Howard Shore (born 1946), uncle of a Grammy Award nominated composer Ryan Shore, has composed music for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for which he won three Oscars. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston after graduating from Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. Shore’s first first film score was to David Cronenberg‘s first major film The Brood (1978). He continued working with Cronenberg successfully, but also with David Fincher and Martin Scorsese. Back in 2001, the news that Shore would score the Lord of the Rings trilogy surprised many, since he was primarily associated with dark, ominous films and had never scored an epic of that scale. However, the music in Peter Jackson’s films was hugely and surprisingly – magnificent, making it one of the best in history of film music.

Howard Shore is currently working on several projects, including Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.

TOP 10 SCORES:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir: Peter Jackson)

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, dir: Peter Jackson)

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, dir: Peter Jackson)

4. Se7en (1995, dir: David Fincher)

5. Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir: Jonathan Demme)

6. Ed Wood (1994, dir: Tim Burton)

7. The Fly (1986, dir: David Cronenberg)

8. King Kong (2005, dir: Peter Jackson) *NOTE: Howard Shore’s score for King Kong was rejected due to due to differing creative aspirations for the score on his and the filmmakers’ parts. He was replaced by James Newton Howard.

9. A History of Violence (2005, dir: David Cronenberg)

10. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, dir: Peter Jackson)

Howard Shore – The Lord of the Rings (The Symphony)

Howard Shore – Se7en (Envy and Wrath)

Howard Shore – The Fly (Suite)

Howard Shore – A History of Violence (Hero)

Howard Shore – The Hobbit (Misty Mountains)

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The 1st International Samobor Film Music Festival, September 11- 14, 2013., is now open for submissions!

Composers can submit film music through the ISFMF’s online entry form.

Awards for the best film scores:
Application period will run until May 31st the latest. The Artistic Board of the festival will conduct selection of movies for nominations, and the criteria will be determined in relation to the quality and originality of the score. Only films with the production date between January 1st 2010. and February 28th of the current year, will be considered for nominations.

Selection criteria will be as follows:
1.    Movie/Music from the film has to be produced within January 1st 2010. and February 28th 2013.;
2.    The sender must fill online entry form, sign printable form and send a CD/DVD/Blu-ray with the film music/score to ISFMF’ address;
3.    Selected films must be in accordance with the categories (feature films – 60 minutes and more, short films – 5 min to 30 min, etc.)
4.    The format in which the movie can be sent is DVD, Blu-ray, cine film.

The Crystal Pine Award for best film scores will be awarded in five categories:
1.    Feature Film (Drama) – 3 nominations
2.    Feature Film (Comedy/Musical) – 3 nominations
3.    Documentary Feature – 2 nominations
4.    Animated Feature Film – 2 nominations
5.    Short film (live-action, documentary and animated) – 6 nominations

Special Crystal Pine Award will be awarded besides these categories for the authors who have composed the best music for the world’s best-known movies in the past year – up to 6 nominations.

Best local young/new composer will receive the Green Pine Award.

Lifetime achievement will be awarded the Golden Pine Award.

Deadline for entries: May 31st 2013.

For other info, please visit FAQ or contact us at info@isfmf.com!

Your ISFMF team.

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The Festival’s Board is getting bigger and bigger. We are excited to have a double Oscar winner Randy Thom joined the ISFMF. Randy is one of the Hollywood’s most important and respected sound designers, with even 14 Oscar nominations and two wins. His masterful works include films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Forrest Gump, Contact, Cast Away, Harry Potter, The Polar Express, The Incredibles, War of the World, Ratatouille, How to Train Your Dragon, Flight and many more.

Randy is a Director of Sound Design at Skywalker Sound, the biggest and most important sound workshop in the world, which is also a part of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm Company.

By including Randy Thom to our Board, the ISFMF takes one more step to get both film sound and film music recognized by filmmakers and audience.

Below you can see Randy’s interview for the Sound View Conference 2011.

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One of the most  respected composers of film music is surely James Newton Howard (born 1951) whose versatility and ability to compose most various and different scores make him very popular among film directors and also moviegoers. With a pack of eight Oscar nominations, Howard also has a reputation of being a fast composer due to his work on movies such King Kong and The Hunger Games, both of which were composed in approximately one month. After Howard left college, he toured with Elton John as a keyboardist during the late 1970′s and early 1980′s (he was part of the band that played behind John in Central Park, New York, on September 13, 1980). Howard also arranged strings for several of Elton’s songs during this period including on the hits Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.

James Newton Howard is at the moment preparing even four scores, one for M. Night Shyamalan‘s (his long-time companion) anticipated After Earth.

TOP 10 SCORES:

1. Blood Diamond (2006, dir: Edward Zwick)

2. King Kong (2005, dir: Peter Jackson)

3. Michael Clayton (2007, dir: Tony Gilroy)

4. The Village (2004, dir: M. Night Shyamalan)

5. The Fugitive (1993, dir: Andrew Davis)

6. The Prince of Tides (1991, dir: Barbra Streisand)

7. The Tourist (2010, dir: Florian Henckel von Donnersmack)

8. Collateral (2004, dir: Michael Mann)

9. Defiance (2008, dir: Edward Zwick)

10. Dinosaur (2000, dir: Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag)

James Newton Howard – Blood Diamond (Crossing the Bridge)

James Newton Howard – Blood Diamond (Goodbyes)

James Newton Howard – King Kong (Central Park)

James Newton Howard – Michael Clayton (Drive to the Field)

James Newton Howard – The Village (The Gravel Road)

James Newton Howard – The Fugitive (The Suite)

The post Greatest of the Week: JAMES NEWTON HOWARD appeared first on ISFMF.

Only six days left before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces their Oscar nominations. The golden statuette is, for the 85th time, the highest honor any filmmaker could achieve. This year we expect an interesting and eclectic list of contenders, with no clear front-runner. However, the strongest names so far are Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, David O’ Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook and Ben Affleck’s Argo. The ceremony will held 24th February at the Dolby Theater (formerly known as Kodak Theater), while Seth MacFarlane will host it, for the first time. Let the race begin!

Here are our predictions:

BEST PICTURE

LINCOLN

ZERO DARK THIRTY

ARGO

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

LES MISÉRABLES

DJANGO UNCHAINED

LIFE OF PI

SKYFALL

THE MASTER

AMOUR

Other possible contenders: MOONRISE KINGDOM, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, INTOUCHABLES

BEST DIRECTOR

STEVEN SPIELBERG – LINCOLN

BEN AFFLECK – ARGO

KATHRYN BIGELOW -  ZERO DARK THIRTY

TOM HOOPER – LES MISERABLES

ANG LEE – LIFE OF PI

Other possible contenders: DAVID O’RUSSELL – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, MICHAEL HANEKE – AMOUR, PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON – THE MASTER, QUENTIN TARANTINO – DJANGO UNCHAINED

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – LINCOLN

HUGH JACKMAN – LES MISERABLES

DENZEL WASHINGTON – FLIGHT

JOAQUIN PHOENIX – THE MASTER

JOHN HAWKES – THE SESSIONS

Other possible contenders: BRADLEY COOPER – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, ANTHONY HOPKINS – HITCHCOK, JEAN-LOUIS TRINTIGNANT – AMOUR

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

JESSICA CHASTAIN – ZERO DARK THIRTY

JENNIFER LAWRENCE – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

HELEN MIRREN – HITCHCOCK

NAOMI WATTS – THE IMPOSSIBLE

EMMANUELLE RIVA – AMOUR

Other possible contenders: MARION COTILLARD – RUST AND BONE

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

ROBERT DE NIRO – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

TOMMY LEE JONES – LINCOLN

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – THE MASTER

CHRISTOPH WALTZ – DJANGO UNCHAINED

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO – DJANGO UNCHAINED

Other possible contenders: JAVIER BARDEM – SKYFALL, ALAN ARKIN – ARGO, MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY – MAGIC MIKE, MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY – KILLER JOE, DWIGHT HENRY – BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

SALLY FIELD – LINCOLN

ANNE HATHAWAY – LES MISERABLES

HELEN HUNT – THE SESSIONS

NICOLE KIDMAN – THE PAPERBOY

ANN DOWD – COMPLIANCE

Other possible contenders: MAGGIE SMITH – BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, SAMANTHA BARKS – LES MISERABLES, JUDI DENCH – SKYFALL, AMY ADAMS – THE MASTER

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – ARGO

THOMAS NEWMAN – SKYFALL

JOHN WILLIAMS – LINCOLN

JONNY GREENWOOD – THE MASTER

DARIO MARIANELLI – ANNA KARENINA

Other possible contenders: ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – ZERO DARK THIRTY, MYCHAEL DANNA – LIFE OF PI, JOHNNY KLIMEK & REINHOLD HEIL – CLOUD ATLAS, HANS ZIMMER – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, HOWARD SHORE – THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,

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ISFMF wishes you merry Christmas and happy New Year 2013! We are entering the year of the festival’s inauguration so we hope you are as excited as we are.

In January, ISFMF is opening competition for film music, so stay tuned for the latest news.

Meanwhile, enjoy Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in Minnellis’s “Meet me in St. Louis”.

Your ISFMF’s team!

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