Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Desert Island Discs
Presented by Roy Plomley
A film composer best known for scoring the James Bond series and Dances with Wolves, earning five Oscars.
Eight records
discussed during the interview but no specific quote given; the disc is inferred from the interview content about his Bond scores
mentioned as a score that worked well for the picture
mentioned as a score where the music was liked more than its fit to the picture
The keepsakes
No book or luxury recorded for this episode.
In conversation
Presenter asks
Do you have a real film [on a Movieola] in your studio, and are you running it backwards and forwards while you're working?
Yes, I have a movie elder in my my studio where I work and I have all the film There, so I can look at scenes as many times as I need.
Presenter asks
Do you compose at the piano or at a desk?
At both.
Presenter asks
How do you set about working on a score?
Well, the first half of the work is a kind of relaxed discipline and thinking about the overall concept, the orchestra, the shape of the orchestra. … And then the latter part of it, the actual really hard writing, is very disciplined. Like, you know, up at seven in the morning, start working at eight thirty, work all day until seven or eight in the evening.
Presenter asks
The recording
Timestamps play the recording from that turn
John Barry
BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. This is the only extract the BBC has of this episode. The presenter is Roy Plomley. I hope you enjoy listening.
Presenter
Well, this is one of these very old hat broad sweeping statements that doesn't mean a thing.
Presenter
No, I think there are times when obviously music should not interfere and should be a secondary complement, but there are also times when music can take over with a very strong voice of its own and a very strong dramatic contribution of its own.
Presenter
Is music invariably fitted to the film? Does the director never cut sequences to the music?
Presenter
He can, and it depends how soon one is involved with the production.
Presenter
The
Presenter
Certain sequences one can say to a director if you're involved early on in the scripting stages and make various suggestions that this should be a musical sequence. This is very helpful. But for the most part one finds oneself after the event. By that time, has the director decided which scene shall have music and when it shall start and finish, or does he wait and consult you about that? I think he'll uh have certain ideas of what he wants. You have to then translate those ideas.
Presenter
Well some of them, and of course offer your own ideas. And it's usually a a contribution of both parts. Yes. And then you'll have to work out the exact length of a theme. It may be done to a matter of seconds. Yes, the usually the editor works down uh a time sheet for you with dialogue and action, which is worked out to a third of a second.
Presenter
Do you have a real filmer on a movie elder at Term and are you running it backwards and forwards while you're working? Yes, I have a movie elder in my my studio where I work and I have all the film There, so I can look at scenes as many times as I need.
Presenter
Do you compose at the piano or at a desk? At both. How do you set about working on a score?
Presenter
Well, the first half of the work is a kind of.
Presenter
Relaxed discipline and thinking about the overall concept, the orchestra, the shape of the orchestra.
Presenter
The dramatics, what what part the music has to play dramatically, what it's going to do, what it's not going to do.
Presenter
And then the latter part of it, the actual really hard writing, is very disciplined.
Presenter
Like, you know, up at seven in the morning, start working at eight thirty, work all day until seven or eight in the evening. Yes. And you always conduct the schools yourself? Always, yes.
Presenter
Now apart from awards and and best-selling record and all the rest of it, which has been the score with which you've been most happy, which which has satisfied you most?
Presenter
Well, one can be satisfied on two levels. One is with just your liking for a score purely on the musical content level, and then the other level is that which really works for the picture.
Presenter
I think things like the knack um
Presenter
the Ipcrest file and Goldfinger, I think, worked very well for the pictures. There are other things, probably like the Chase, where I don't think it worked all that well for the picture, but I like the music probably more.
John Barry
Hmm.
And you always conduct the scores yourself?
Always, yes.
Presenter asks
Apart from the awards and best-selling records and all the rest of it, which has been the score with which you've been most happy, which has satisfied you most?
Well, one can be satisfied on two levels. One is with just your liking for a score purely on the musical content level, and then the other level is that which really works for the picture. I think things like the knack um the Ipcrest file and Goldfinger, I think, worked very well for the pictures. There are other things, probably like the Chase, where I don't think it worked all that well for the picture, but I like the music probably more.
“No, I think there are times when obviously music should not interfere and should be a secondary complement, but there are also times when music can take over with a very strong voice of its own and a very strong dramatic contribution of its own.”
“He can, and it depends how soon one is involved with the production. Certain sequences one can say to a director if you're involved early on in the scripting stages and make various suggestions that this should be a musical sequence. This is very helpful. But for the most part one finds oneself after the event.”
“I think he'll uh have certain ideas of what he wants. You have to then translate those ideas. … And it's usually a a contribution of both parts. Yes. And then you'll have to work out the exact length of a theme. It may be done to a matter of seconds.”
“Well, the first half of the work is a kind of relaxed discipline and thinking about the overall concept, the orchestra, the shape of the orchestra. The dramatics, what what part the music has to play dramatically, what it's going to do, what it's not going to do. And then the latter part of it, the actual really hard writing, is very disciplined.”
“Well, one can be satisfied on two levels. One is with just your liking for a score purely on the musical content level, and then the other level is that which really works for the picture.”