The prestigious director gave the composer a specific instruction, although he did not reveal the complete image. What was your plan?
Music is a fundamental part of movies. They set the pace, tone and message of the production. On October 6, 1927, sound reached the cinema for the first time in historywith the premiere of “The Jazz Singer”a film directed by Alan Crosland and starring Al Jolson.
That moment changed the paradigm and reconfigured the way movies are made. And if it’s about music in movies, Hanz Zimmer is one name that must be mentioned. He German composer stood out for his work in creating soundtracks, with a personal style and beautiful symphonic arrangements..
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However, he had to face a great challenge. His partner, the director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman, Oppenheimer) called him to work on his new and ambitious project, but with a small detail: He did not comment on the content of the film..
How Nolan helped Zimmer compose the music for Interstellar
Nolan commented to him, enigmatic: “I’m going to send you a letter with a story. It’s about a movie, but I’m not going to tell you what it’s about, nor will the story in the letter. And I want you to spend a day writing the first thing that comes to mind.“.
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The letter in question arrived, typewritten and on paper, the next day. It mentioned only two characters, who were a father who has to leave his son to embark on an important mission. Accompanied, two lines of dialogue: “I’ll be back” and “When?”.
“It wasn’t a movie anymore: we were talking about our children. Once your children are born, you will never see yourself with your own eyes: you will always do it through them,” Zimmer reflected. Once he finished his composition, the two listened to it in his Santa Monica studio, and Nolan told him he would start shooting the movie.
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Zimmer then asked him what he was going to talk about. “He began to describe me this epic tale of space, science and humanity. I told him: ‘Chris, relax, I’ve written something very personal.’ And he told me: ‘Yes, and now I know where the heart of the movie is.'”
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
