I smelled something funny when i saw a YT video piece from vanity fair promoting the greatness of mr fraud zimmer.
Hans Fraud Zimmer is not a composer, he is a company, a brand.
Zimmer is the equivalent of mcdonalds in the culinary world.
A lot of people would contend that mcdonalds are great because they are one of the most popular restaurants in the planet.
Some would say the same, because MCDs are very "consistent", and despite the popularity and consistency, their food is s##t.
See a pattern here?
Zimmer is the McDs of the film music industry: a company where hundreds of talented sheep have donated their skills (skills mr. zimmer obviously doesn't have) for a shot at the "industry", in the hopes that they will be able to climb the "ladder".
Sadly, in reality there is no ladder to climb. I am sure hundreds of hopefuls have passed through the zimmer meat factory grinder.
Zimmer has gotten where he is, like many of his peers in holywood did: by using other people and claiming credit for his underling's work. He is the ceo of zimmer inc.
So, let the sheep enjoy their big mac OST, it tastes good, doesn't it?

 

You know what's really funny? Lorne Balfe also stole it from some French TV show

 

Remember kids: it's not what you know, it's who you know and who you worked/work with.

 

Last edited: Jan 16, 2023

Unfortunate but true.

 

Anyone else here old enough to remember a guy named Yanni? Zimmer’s concerts remind me of him lmfao!!! …. And to those who say “you have no place to judge”. If there was no truth in what I’m saying than why is there nearly a 50/50 shade/praise ratio on any forum you look where he gets brought up? Lol… Take that same pole and put it up with Williams or Powell and it would be heavily sided in honorable favor… just sayin.

 

Ooooh yeah. He was married to Linda Evans (considered by some at the time to be a desirable babe) and actually said in an interview his music lacked passion because he hadn't experienced enough pain in life.

 

I just watched this, it is who you know and worked with. that's def how humans work, helps if you're decent at whatever. i can work with people who are assholes but do a good job, I can work with slackers who don't do the best job but make my day better with their personality. limits to both of course, but combine an asshole slacker and... yeah. so Zimmer is doing something right with the connections part.

I didn't read this thread at all really, and I'm not honestly the biggest Zimmer fan but also think he's pretty damn good. when I saw the docking scene from Interstellar at Imax, I wasn't thinking to myself "what a hack this is like Phillip glass wannabe shit." soundtracks obviously to me should be judged differently than just normal music. it's too dependent on the movies- like the wailing chick singing in Dune I DID NOT like, really took me out of it tbh. John Williams is a LEGEND of course, but War Horse sucked to me because the music was just beating you over the head constantly. So... sometimes the composers fault but it's also the editor/director at the end of the day.

Soundtracks remind me of like... hip hop or house music production in a way. they don't have to be complicated, but they do need to FIT together. That's trickier than it seems.

Fuck the Bwahhhh in trailers especially though.

 

1. I watch a movie.
2. I like the soundtrack.
3. I google it.
4. It is a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.

This happened to me many times. (I never check who is the composer of a movie before watching it. I only search if I like the soundtrack).

 

1) It's sth you like in a score "written by Hanz".
2) You find out the bit (entire score?) that you liked was actually written by Klaus Badelt / Lorne Balfe / Lisa Gerrard / Shirley Walker et al.
3) The true genius other parts are totally unexpected, never-heard-before drones and pads in D; sometimes scaling the very height of delight: synthy af bagpipes (literally) playing scales (Dune).
4) Profit?!

This happened to me (possibly other humans w/ ears =) many times.

Spoiler

Hanz has absolutely ruined many films, for me. I physically shuddered / cringed at one point in Dune. A first, despite the remarkable Driving Miss Daisy.

 

has anyone released an AI Hans Zimmer plugin yet?

then we can all be Hans Zimmer

 

Oh the old I'm a better musician so I deserve someone else's spot syndrome... it happens

 

Everything I have heard actually credited to Badelt that I'm aware of, like POTC, I pretty much despise. I can't remember if I liked Constantine.

 

First pirates was Klaus Badelt. Hans had given him a dumb movie based on a theme park ride, and then took it back when it was big hit, engendering some bad feelings from Klaus, I'm told.

Hans did 2-4, gradually phasing out Klaus' themes, and then took themes and production credit on Geoff Zanelli's stuff for 5.

Having worked as a composer at Remote Control, I do actually like Hans' bombastic ostinato-y stuff, and his textural stuff as well. I do recognize that it's not for everyone, but it collaborates well with the picture, often, which is an aspect of film scoring as opposed to songwriting that I think is often lost in conversations about melodies in film score. Either way, no matter what your feeling on his ability to write music is, he's undeniably the biggest composer agent, composer agency, composer shop, composer advocate, production music library, production music house, etc, out there.

He's an absolute force in the film industry, and his success can be attributed as much to his ruthless business sense as to his innate musical abilities.

 

It's quite underwhelming that so much background droning (effectively: inoffensive, quickly-produced, facile effects cues) is lauded. I do remember a similarly minimal, albeit more focused, score in Vertigo (very ambient, mostly silent incidental score). The difference was that the tension had a payoff when the floodgates of emotion (hinted at) were opened, in the forest. But every frame has to have (meaningless) drones and pads set to max w/ Hanz. To no effect.

Spoiler

Most of us make better (well perhaps less masturbatory) muzak browsing presets :D (Certainly, the "force" is similar to that used by Weinstein, to silence, @Pontius)

 

Last edited: Jan 17, 2023

Funny, that's exactly what I said.
They say opposites attract. Will you marry me?

 

I find it funny how much rage Zimmer creates with some people here.
As for most internet comments, everyone speaks out comments and "facts" without linking to a trustworthy source.

Zimmer is a brand
Zimmer does not make music
Zimmer is ...

 

i don't know why but i thoroughly enjoyed watching Hans sit and babble on for 15 minutes.
He was so all over the place..........i loved it.

 

A good read on greed...

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/the-ugly-truth-of-how-movie-scores-are-made

 

It's essentially just furniture!

OMG. I guess we can (at least) appreciate that Lorne can actually play it on his distinctive, wonky af piano, so it might have been an accident? Hanz, in comparison: a true genius, fluently, spectacularly, vibrantly playing something he wrote? A breathtaking virtuoso!

We're effectively held hostage by Hanz since the soundtrack isn't skippable (sadly) @The Dude. Also, likening him to a shampoo advert is unfair. To jingle writers.

 

Last edited: Jan 17, 2023

There are better musicians and composers in this world, that is true. But virtuosity is not what a film, documentary or tv spot jingles are all about. Most directors or clients are not accomplished musicians, nor they are looking for concerts or top of the chart hits. They want collaboration and flexibility. Team work, not stars. And if the director or client - the Boss and Employer - is pleased, who am I or you to disagree?

People go to clubs or concerts when they want to appreciate music.

Some are composers, some are teachers, players, DJ's and some do film, documentary or tv spots. And in my experience, virtuosos nor jazz musicians don't spend most their time criticizing shampoo tv jingles...(thanks!)

@famouslut It's essentially just furniture! - that`s how far your hate goes... Did they tell you that in the Conservatory?
HZ (net worth of 90-200 million) is able to fool everybody but you! Impressive! You're the best! Congrats...

You sound like a victim to me, sadly... I'm a better musician so I deserve someone else's spot syndrome...times 2

 

Last edited: Jan 17, 2023