Howard Shore: Crafting cinematic music through dreams and intuition
Composer Howard Shore’s unique method of inspiration
Howard Shore, the acclaimed composer, has an unconventional yet fascinating approach to his craft — he likes to sleep on it. Shore discussed this at the Zurich Film Festival, revealing his process of getting in touch with his inner feelings. According to Shore, cinema is akin to stepping into a dark room where imagery starts to form, and he strives to capture that dream-like state in his compositions.
“There is some napping involved,” Shore mentioned with a smile. “I try to be very relaxed and imagine what the piece could be. Then, with my pencil, I create the actual score based on my dreams.”
Listening rather than watching
Unlike many composers who meticulously study films, Shore prefers to listen. His focus lies on the rhythm of the actors, the ambient sounds, and other auditory cues. This unique perspective aids him in visualizing more abstract ideas, allowing his music to transcend mere illustration.
Award-winning career and notable collaborations
At the Swiss festival, Shore received the Career Achievement Award, a testament to his remarkable contributions to film music. He took this opportunity to share insights about his collaborations with renowned directors David Cronenberg and Peter Jackson.
“The first recordings for The Lord of the Rings were done in a town hall in Wellington, New Zealand,” Shore recalls. “Later, we adapted to government-created sound mixing rooms. One of them was oddly shaped, like a coffin.”
Shore explained how he collaborated with screenwriter Philippa Boyens, an expert on Tolkien’s languages, to incorporate authentic poetry and song lyrics from the books into the film’s score.
The holistic approach to ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Despite the trilogy format, Shore approached the monumental task of scoring The Lord of the Rings as if it were one continuous piece. This perspective stemmed from the scarcity of paper after the war, which led to the story being divided into three parts. Shore and Jackson worked in unison, both holding “lanterns in the dark,” metaphorically speaking, supporting each other to stay loyal to Tolkien’s vision.
Different techniques for different directors
Working with Cronenberg differed significantly from Jackson. For Cronenberg, Shore eschews direct illustration of script ideas, instead leaving room for audience interpretation. However, Jackson’s epic Mines of Moria sequence demanded a more storytelling-centric approach.
“I tried and retried to express the right ideas,” Shore shares. “I soon realized my ‘Cronenberg techniques’ wouldn’t apply. The music needed to enhance the clarity of storytelling.”
A legacy of diverse musical storytelling
Having collaborated with Cronenberg on 17 films, most recently The Shrouds, which premiered at Cannes, Shore describes their partnership as dynamic and generous. This diverse musical journey has seen them experimenting with electronic textures in films like Scanners and Videodrome, to symphonic sounds in The Fly.
Shore also cherishes his experiences with other iconic directors like David Fincher, Jonathan Demme, and Martin Scorsese. Fincher granted him creative freedom in projects such as Seven and Panic Room, while Scorsese’s musical inclination made collaborations equally rewarding.
Future ventures and ongoing projects
These days, Shore focuses on releasing previously unreleased works and overseeing the quality of “LOTR” live concerts. Collaborating with Alan Frey, he ensures that each conductor and soloist meets approved standards, maintaining the high quality of his music.
“I’ve made it a point not to let the music be played badly,” Shore asserts. “In the last 20 years, I have tried to make it as good as it can be.”
Shore maintains a strong connection with his audience, whether on stage or through the screen, sometimes even surprising directors with the impact of his work long after the film’s release.
“Directors often call me after the film’s out and say they finally understand what I was aiming for,” Shore reveals. “They weren’t always aware of it in the beginning, and neither was I.”
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