NO TIME TO DIE (2021) - Discuss Hans Zimmer's Score

edited September 2021 in Music Posts: 3,164
Jan 7 2020 -

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Bza3-n2Fx0D/?utm_source=ig_embed

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Via IndieWire - https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/bond-25-composer-dan-romer-cary-fukunaga-1202154760/
The search for a “Bond 25” composer has ended with the perfect choice: Dan Romer, who provided offbeat, eclectic scores for director Cary Fukunaga’s trippy “Maniac” series and haunting “Beasts of No Nation” feature. IndieWire has learned that Romer will soon reunite with Fukunaga on “Bond 25,” currently shooting in London.

There had been speculation that the director might tap Oscar-winner Justin Hurwitz (forming a Team Damien Chazelle triumvirate with cinematographer Linus Sandgren and editor Tom Cross) or franchise vet David Arnold, who brilliantly scored Daniel Craig’s first two Bond outings, “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace.”

While Bond has slipped into comfortable solitude, soaking up the Jamaican scenery, old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) comes calling, as does sultry MI6 agent Nomi (“Captain Marvel’s” Lashana Lynch). The respective encounters in the sizzle reel are a case of neon meets noir, which hints at a fresh visual palette for Craig’s last mission as Bond. It’s apparently about genetic engineering with Rami Malek as the latest baddie. Judging from composer Romer’s previous work, though, his eclecticism will come in handy.

In Netflix’s mind-bending “Maniac” (starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill), Romer utilized vibraphone, synth strings, and percussive beats for exotic sweetness and danger. In the war drama, “Beasts of No Nation,” he created something much more ethereal with synths. And, more recently, with “Ramy,” the Hulu series created by and starring comedian Ramy Youssef about a first-generation American Muslim living in New Jersey, Romer teamed with Mike Tuccillo to tap a percussive tension and synth sense of unease.

The challenge of scoring Bond, of course, has always been about bending but not breaking the rules established by John Barry. Arnold was successful in launching the Craig era, but it was more of a struggle for Thomas Newman on “Skyfall” and “Spectre.” He was out of his comfort zone when it came to action, and it showed on “Spectre” when he leaned heavily on his “Skyfall” themes. And it didn’t make it any easier with director Sam Mendes adding more touches from the Connery era.

But imagine Romer musically shaking up the Bond franchise. He could be as bold as Fukunaga allows, experimenting with strange sounds and haunting themes. And the fact that the film is set in Jamaica, Italy, Norway, and London should play to the composer’s versatility. Plus, there’s no reason why exotic flavor can’t punctuate the action scenes with location-specific instrumentation. As for the iconic Bond theme, Romer can make use of Arnold’s familiar version while offering his own unique twist.
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Comments

  • Posts: 3,160
    No. Just no. The producers need to man up. This "the director chooses his own composer" has to stop! It certainly didn't lift the last two.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,834
    Love the choice :)
  • Posts: 820
    Thanks for creating this thread @antovolk.

    I can remember in the lead-up to Skyfall losing a lot of sleep over whether or not Tom Newman was the right 'fit' for Bond. His sound and his style just seemed so antithetical to what we'd come to expect from Bond scores.

    Also vividly remember the feeling of being blown away by his (IMO, underrated) work on that film when I finally saw and heard it. He captured the Bond sound so well, in so many different colours and vibes, and yet still managed to bring a unique sensibility that was distinctly Newman.

    I won't lose a wink of sleep over Romer as the choice, disappointed as I am that Arnold won't get a shot to close out Craig's era. Loved DR's work on Beasts and Maniac and he's demonstrated a versatility that gives me every confidence he'll tackle a project like Bond with boldness and freshness.

    It may well be what drew him to the opportunity. I'd love to hear his thoughts on it through an early interview. This sort of big, brassy, stringy sound isn't an area he's had a chance to really play in — certainly not on the scale of 007. Can't wait to hear what he does with it.
  • PavloPavlo Ukraine
    Posts: 323
    Zekidk wrote: »
    No. Just no. The producers need to man up. This "the director chooses his own composer" has to stop! It certainly didn't lift the last two.

    It will be very strange and, I think, stupid when producers will choose composers. Music is essential part of movie and director must be resposible for it too. How can director be responsible if producers give their own composer for him or her???
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,449
    I'm not opposed to the director bringing his own composer to the game, provided the choice isn't entirely silly of course. Since we left the years of the "Bond family" behind us with LTK, we have entered the era of "auteur" directors, people who bring their own DP's and whatnot. Yet for a while, Arnold seemed like the "of course" in the music department, but even that has changed now. If Nolan did a Bond, would Zimmer do the score? If Abrams did one, would he hire Giaccino? Mendes and Newman are knife and fork to the same dish, much like Villeneuve and Johansson were for a while, before the latter passed away. I guess this is something we will have to get used to.

    We're never getting Barry back. We might as well bury the idea of having one composer delivering the goods for over two decades. Some scores are disappointing, some are a pleasant surprise, but the promise of a new composer almost every time is rather exciting. Let's just see what Romer does with the material.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,586
    Can Romer be orchestral? All the scores I've seen from him have been more subdued, haunting and electronic.
  • Posts: 15,785
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    edited July 2019 Posts: 2,630
    Interested to see what he brings. Hopefully an improvement from Newman.
  • TuxedoTuxedo Europe
    Posts: 251
    Not sure what to thing of him. His tunes for Zoe, Beasts Of No Nation and Maniac all sound way too similar to me.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,449
    jake24 wrote: »
    Can Romer be orchestral? All the scores I've seen from him have been more subdued, haunting and electronic.

    Some can, and will, given time, money and specific mandates. Composer Christopher Drake explained this once on a Kevin Smith podcast: he does everything synth for lack of access to a big orchestra but he'd jump on the occasion anytime. Perhaps Romer is no different; perhaps he'd love to go fully orchestral if given the opportunity.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,890
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?
    😳

  • Posts: 820
    jake24 wrote: »
    Can Romer be orchestral? All the scores I've seen from him have been more subdued, haunting and electronic.

    On this, I'll always go back to my Newman assumption story I referenced above.

    I was legit so concerned that the 50th anniversary Bond film would be undermined by a weak score that was just "off" the Bond sound. I was so wrong. Purely my own ignorance and the naive assumption that a composer as talented as Newman couldn't stretch his own approach/sound to fit the style of Bond.

    Romer's a real talent. I've every faith he can do the same. And frankly, I don't think the producers/studio would allow any less.

    As disappointed as some were by Newman's SPECTRE score, he's still very much playing within Bond's musical formula/sandbox. Just because Romer's a new name doesn't mean there won't be similar expectations of him, and rightfully so.

    A Bond film isn't a Bond film without a Bond score. And I don't think people like CJF or Dan Romer would take these jobs if that idea didn't already appeal to them.

    But I also think there's a ton of room to modernize and reinvent what that means, within the context. And that's part of the fun of it.
  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    Posts: 1,884
    I am beyond gutted by his hiring. Only a few hours ago I watched DAD and was thinking how Arnold's score was one of the only redeeming aspects of an otherwise frustrating Bond film.
  • Posts: 820
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?

    I don't think it will sound anything like that.

    It's hard to guess at this point, but I'd look to Pemberton's work on UNCLE as a possible comparison. Very much the spy sound, without leaning directly on some of the more blatant stereotypes and cliches.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,630
    His work for the Far Cry 5 soundtrack was pretty good.

  • edited July 2019 Posts: 820
    jake24 wrote: »
    Can Romer be orchestral? All the scores I've seen from him have been more subdued, haunting and electronic.

    I'd encourage everyone to give the full Maniac soundtrack a listen to appreciate his range. The series' narrative and tone really demanded it of the composer, and my oh my did he ever step up.

    This is just one of several bits where the sound gets bigger, more full. Leaning on strings here.

    EDIT: Sorry, that embed didn't timestamp properly. Was looking at 1:06:47.



  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    Zekidk wrote: »
    No. Just no. The producers need to man up. This "the director chooses his own composer" has to stop! It certainly didn't lift the last two.

    Newman is a stud. His Oscar nom and Grammy Award for SF speak volumes to the score’s brilliance. Let’s move on.
  • Posts: 820
    His work for the Far Cry 5 soundtrack was pretty good.


    Holy [censored].

    Count me among those who consider video game composers some of the most underrated, undervalued creatives out there—and I had no idea Romer was behind the FarCry 5 score!

    This track's a great example of what he can do with action, pacing. Thanks for sharing.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 23,105
    Ugh! Not a fan of his music at all, give me a bucket
  • Posts: 15,785
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?

    I don't think it will sound anything like that.

    It's hard to guess at this point, but I'd look to Pemberton's work on UNCLE as a possible comparison. Very much the spy sound, without leaning directly on some of the more blatant stereotypes and cliches.

    I'm kind of half kidding. I'm listening to some of Romer's work on Youtube, and it isn't grabbing me. Reminds me a bit of John Tesh or somebody.
    I do hope he's not too intimidated to use the Bond theme once in awhile.
  • Bentley007Bentley007 Manitoba, Canada
    Posts: 564
    I am excited by this choice. I think its clear that this will be his opportunity to show how talented he is as a composer. It will be a chance to use the skills he acquired working on smaller productions. I think new blood has generally been good in terms of Bond scores, Eric Serra being the outlier. Plus if Cary has clearly influenced this choice it must mean that he has confidence Dan can deliver a great Bond score. This as said before is an opportunity for both Cary and Dan to show their talent to a larger audience and become more household names.
  • Posts: 820
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?

    I don't think it will sound anything like that.

    It's hard to guess at this point, but I'd look to Pemberton's work on UNCLE as a possible comparison. Very much the spy sound, without leaning directly on some of the more blatant stereotypes and cliches.

    I'm kind of half kidding. I'm listening to some of Romer's work on Youtube, and it isn't grabbing me. Reminds me a bit of John Tesh or somebody.
    I do hope he's not too intimidated to use the Bond theme once in awhile.

    If I were in his seat, I'd go the opposite way. Really lean into it and reinvent/re-orchestrate the way it's used. Make it, truly, Bond's theme in the film and give it new life by appreciating its elements in new ways.

    I come back to Lorne Balfe's Fallout score a lot, on this topic. That score is so driven by the presence of the Mission: Impossible theme—but it's picked apart and rebuilt and used in all sorts of newly inventive ways. On paper you'd practically be able to criticize him for turning to it too much, but in practice it works so damn well. Big sound, little sound, fast-paced, haunting—he uses it for every mode and every mood.

    Would love to see Romer bring the Bond theme to the forefront with a similar treatment in B25.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    Bentley007 wrote: »
    I am excited by this choice. I think its clear that this will be his opportunity to show how talented he is as a composer. It will be a chance to use the skills he acquired working on smaller productions. I think new blood has generally been good in terms of Bond scores, Eric Serra being the outlier. Plus if Cary has clearly influenced this choice it must mean that he has confidence Dan can deliver a great Bond score. This as said before is an opportunity for both Cary and Dan to show their talent to a larger audience and become more household names.

    CjF has chosen Romer because the comfort level is there. My guess is that CJF has a strong idea of how he wants the film to look and sound and Romer will allow a lot of input (some composers hate that).

    Let’s not assume Romer can’t do this based on past work. Hurwitz certainly bent his sound for First Man.
  • Posts: 3,333
    As I said on another thread, this appointment will please the Thomas Newman fans, but to those that disliked his score and found it insipid, it's not going to excite any of us. Better get ready for some more moody sound palettes and ambient dirge, folks, because I see no evidence of Dan Romer being capable of composing anything beyond quirky pieces. At least the IndieWire journalist acknowledges that “Skyfall” and “Spectre" were both struggles for the composer, but loses it when he talks about imagining Romer musically shaking up the Bond franchise. Yeah, cos that hasn't been tried before.
  • infoviseinfovise Ireland
    Posts: 114
    I'm going to remain optimistic and hope Romer will deliver a satisfactory score. Looking forward to hear what he comes up with.
  • Posts: 820
    bondsum wrote: »
    As I said on another thread, this appointment will please the Thomas Newman fans, but to those that disliked his score and found it insipid, it's not going to excite any of us. Better get ready for some more moody sound palettes and ambient dirge, folks, because I see no evidence of Dan Romer being capable of composing anything beyond quirky pieces. At least the IndieWire journalist acknowledges that “Skyfall” and “Spectre" were both struggles for the composer, but loses it when he talks about imagining Romer musically shaking up the Bond franchise. Yeah, cos that hasn't been tried before.

    Listen to FarCry 5's score.
  • Posts: 3,160
    Pavlo wrote: »
    Zekidk wrote: »
    No. Just no. The producers need to man up. This "the director chooses his own composer" has to stop! It certainly didn't lift the last two.

    It will be very strange and, I think, stupid when producers will choose composers. Music is essential part of movie and director must be resposible for it too. How can director be responsible if producers give their own composer for him or her???

    The same thing can be said about the editor.

    But yes, I guess it was pretty stupid that they choose John Barry in '63 and David Arnold in '96. It should of course have been up to Terence Young and Roger Spottiswoode to chose their own composers I guess. And Lewis Gilbert, Guy Hamilton, Apted, Tamahori etc to choose theirs. Let's get a new composer every time there's a new director.
  • edited July 2019 Posts: 4,400
    I don't think it's necessary to be the right 'fit' for the series.

    It boils down to the tone and mood set by the director for that particular film. I think Romer will inject an 'indie' movie feel to the soundtrack

    Personally, i much prefer the more ambient and soulful approach that Romer offered in Beasts. this track in particular is terrific:



    Also this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=65&v=_s2t6O7kDXU

    I'm expecting a very modern and inventive sound. Something long overdue with Bond

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=Dqj1avcNimI
  • Posts: 15,785
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Maybe this will be a cross between Eric Serra and Michel Legrand?

    I don't think it will sound anything like that.

    It's hard to guess at this point, but I'd look to Pemberton's work on UNCLE as a possible comparison. Very much the spy sound, without leaning directly on some of the more blatant stereotypes and cliches.

    I'm kind of half kidding. I'm listening to some of Romer's work on Youtube, and it isn't grabbing me. Reminds me a bit of John Tesh or somebody.
    I do hope he's not too intimidated to use the Bond theme once in awhile.

    If I were in his seat, I'd go the opposite way. Really lean into it and reinvent/re-orchestrate the way it's used. Make it, truly, Bond's theme in the film and give it new life by appreciating its elements in new ways.

    I come back to Lorne Balfe's Fallout score a lot, on this topic. That score is so driven by the presence of the Mission: Impossible theme—but it's picked apart and rebuilt and used in all sorts of newly inventive ways. On paper you'd practically be able to criticize him for turning to it too much, but in practice it works so damn well. Big sound, little sound, fast-paced, haunting—he uses it for every mode and every mood.

    Would love to see Romer bring the Bond theme to the forefront with a similar treatment in B25.

    Excellent points. I'd love for instance, to once again hear a rendition of the Bond theme that is specific to THAT particular film. LALD, FYEO, TLD are excellent examples. I'd throw in OHMSS in there as well. Honestly, the Bond theme has sounded far too similar in all the Craig films, even some of the Brosnan films.
    Maybe Romer can remedy that?
  • edited July 2019 Posts: 3,333
    Yeah, I'll admit that has some balls about it @AgentM72, but would Romer realistically copy and paste something like that again into a new Bond score? The majority of his output suggests that he's more comfortable with easy-listening, ambient sounds than heavy ones.
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