The most notable composers and film soundtracks

Composers are the vital part of the film industry, which with each creation is nourished by new music and lyrics. Success lies in connecting a large group of people with a song or melody and identifying it with a clear theme or message.

Therefore, having a composer will ensure a good soundtrack, which in turn will greatly influence the success of the film. It's not just a good soundtrack, it's knowing how to connect the music with the millions of viewers who will feel it.

Throughout this article we will talk about the process of creating a soundtrack, the aspects to be discussed and the most influential composers in film music.and.

The process of creating a soundtrack for a film

Temp Tracks and how a composer works on them

A Temp Track or a temporary track refers to an existing piece of music or audio, which is used temporarily during the editing of a video or film. This is particularly necessary when the soundtrack of the film itself is not finished.

Before disseminating the work, This temporary track is usually replaced by an original soundtrack composed specifically for the film. While there are those who think that having to follow a time track can be a limitation for a composer, others believe that this resource can be a useful tool for finding the right style of music for a particular scene, thus saving time for both the composer as well as the director. ​

The temporary or provisional track of the work serves as a useful guide to setting the desired mood of the film Depending on its genre, that is, depending on the type of film in question, one type of music or another is used.

With copied music, or with the appearance of having been copied, the films become depersonalized, moving away from the goal of making them unique and creating new material. The film composer is called to contribute, to add, to integrate and to give his own personality to the film., so that it makes this something unique and differentiates it from the others, even from others of the same genre. Only a good script, a good director and composer are capable of achieving something like this. Therefore, when someone interferes not by proposing, but by imposing temporal clues, they are sabotaging the film itself. And this is a real nightmare for composers.

The composition of a soundtrack: what aspects the composer should address

The importance of rhythm, melody and form to create a good soundtrack

With the spread of sound films, starting in 1930, major film production companies began to hire composers who wrote specific soundtracks for their films.

film music plays the dual role of reinforce the meaning of ideas that, on their own, images are not capable of expressing and, at the same time, establishing a continuous narrative link in the cinematographic discourse, contributing to giving credibility to the action.

When we talk about optical soundtrack, we are referring to one that is usually recorded directly on the photographic film, either on the margins or between the perforations. The different intensities of light are transformed into electrical impulses creating the soundtrack.

The soundtracks of Spanish cinema hide some unforgettable themes, such as:

'I try to forget you' by Amaral and Najwa Nimri, in the highly recognized film 'Who will sing to you'. The song, performed by both artists, was written by Manuel Alejandro, with arrangements by Alberto Iglesias.

'They call me street' by Manu Chao became known in Fernando León de Aranoa's film 'Princesas'. Candela Peña's great performance was reinforced thanks to a very good choice of soundtrack.

In 'Kiki love is made' we also discover great songs, like 'Foto pati' by Mariel Mariel. Paco León's film was also very well recognized by critics.

The music from the film 'Mar Inside', by Carlos Núñez, with a total of 20 songs, guided us through the story of the protagonist of this film by Alejandro Amenábar.

Most notable composers and soundtracks in cinema

Most influential composers in Spanish film music

Ennio Morricone

The unforgettable Roman composer, who left us at the beginning of 2020, is one of the most prolific composers in the history of cinema. It is impossible to talk about his work without mentioning his spaghetti westerns as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly either For a bunch of dollars. And of course, thanks to his ability to innovate, he knew how to add music like no one else to other films of different genres such as The mission, cinema Paradiso either The Untouchables by Eliot Ness.

John Williams

We cannot understand the history of soundtracks without John Williams. Many of the most successful films of all time bear his stamp: ET the alien, Shark, superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, jurassic park…The list is endless. After Walt Disney, He is the person with the most Oscar nominations in history, 52 in total. He has taken it five times.

Hans Zimmer

The German was established in 1994 with The Lion King, However, even though he received his Oscar for this work, all his success was upwards. Although he only has one Oscar, he could have more for works as impressive as Dunkirk either Gladiator.

James Horner

The works of this American composer and conductor are loved by any self-respecting film fan. Aliens either Avatar are within their repertoire, although, without a doubt, the cake goes to Titanic, the best-selling soundtrack in history.

Alberto Iglesias

This Spanish composer from San Sebastián establishes himself as one of the best film composers. He has had the pleasure of working with Pedro Almodóvar, Icíar Bollaín and Bigas Luna, among others. His works stand out for the emotional intensity of their scores.

Constantino Martínez-Orts

In this article it is an honor to highlight the role of Constantino Martínez-Orts, creator and musical director of the Film Symphony Orchestra, a symphonic company of 80 instrumentalists, specialized in performing soundtracks.

Our conductor and composer is an intelligent and expressive musician, uniquely characterized by his contagious enthusiasm and the passion he conveys in his performances. Proof of this are the loud applauses of our always excited audience.

He has been a professor of conducting at Berklee College of Music and is the ideologue of the Film Symphony Orchestra. With it he has conducted in most auditoriums in Spain and in such unique places as the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Palacio Vistalegre or Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid and Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. A lover of special projects, he has shared the stage with personalities such as Alan Silvestri, Harrison Ford, Hugh Grant, Pablo Alborán, Paz Vega and the footballer Roberto Carlos, among others.