David Fincher’s The Social Network claimed phenomenal critical success upon its release a mere three weeks ago, and appears to be an early frontrunner for Best Picture of the Year. Part of the film’s accomplishment must be attributed to unsung heroes Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for crafting an electronically hip, unpretentious score, one that drives the film’s narrative without overwhelming the viewer. For me it’s one of the best scores of the year, to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, however, it will be seen as an electronic nightmare, one not worthy of their standards.
Over the years the Oscars have made it perfectly clear that they prefer classical scores to the electronic works that have since taken the cinema world by storm. Michael Giacchino won last year for his inspired work for Pixar and Disney’s Up, a fine score to be sure, but he beat out both Hans Zimmer and James Horner who, one could argue, crafted masterful works for Sherlock Holmes and Avatar (that Leona Lewis song notwithstanding) that were largely electronic in nature. Reznor and Ross’ score carries with it a Zimmer-ish vibe, particularly during the opening credits, but takes its tone one step further, erupting as a full-blown rock album in several instances. Such a fine, well-crafted work should not be overlooked by the Academy. Hit the jump for more.
I’ve made it perfectly clear to friends and colleagues that The Social Network is my favorite film of the year. As much as I loved Christopher Nolan’s Inception, and Ben Affleck’s The Town for that matter, I’m literally addicted to Fincher’s film – for the record I’ve seen it a whopping four times and plan on taking a buddy of mine to see it this weekend. The film, which tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg and his creation of the popular internet site Facebook, has been criticized for diverging from the truth, but I don’t care! Fincher has crafted a masterful work of art that more or less sums up the past decade – angry computer geeks, snotty Harvard grads and the rise of the social internet.
While his film will undoubtedly nab plenty of Oscars come March (or else I’ll jump off a cliff), one can assume that Nine Inch Nails artist Reznor and co-hort Ross will be snubbed for their work. Hell, they may not even receive a nomination. And why should they? With their terrific score they merely provide the film with a cinematic pulse and rhythm that stands out as its own defining character. Remember the early bits when Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, begins formulating Facesmash.com and the film jumps back and forth from a Harvard club (known as the Phoenix) and Zuckerberg in his room? The score rises and falls with the action, adding a seedy, if not hypnotic layer to the proceedings. Reznor and Ross utilize electronic beats, complete with computerized sound FX, to formulate the musical flow of information that is surely encompassing Zuckerberg’s mind. Later, during a row boat race, they reinterpret Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, pumping it up with an electronic vibe – signifying a classical world (note the onlookers during the scene, dressed in rich attire, are reminiscent of a 1950s period piece) that has literally gone digital.
Perhaps you might have missed the score entirely as it mostly lurks in the background as a vicious and foreboding character. I took it as the digitally-warped soul of Zuckerberg – lonely, isolated and completely robotic with moments of ferocious intensity, and sad isolation sprinkled throughout. Those piano strokes might even represent his human nature attempting to break free from its digitalized prison.
Truly this is a masterful achievement, but will it receive recognition? Past Oscar experience tells us no. I think a lot of film score fans are still aching from when Zimmer and James Newton Howard were omitted from the race entirely in 2008 for their score to The Dark Knight – I know I am. The Academy doesn’t see a work as brilliantly crafted as the Joker’s theme (played with string instruments and razor blades) as an artistic achievement. That year the Academy nominated Alexandre Desplat for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, James Newton Howard for Defiance, Danny Elfman for Milk, and Thomas Newman for WALL E and gave the award to Slumdog Millionaire’s A.R. Rahman. One might argue that both Newman’s and Rahman’s score were mostly electronic, but since Newman has never won an Oscar (gasp!) and Rahman’s work comprised of ethnic vocal work and quiet guitar beats, I’m gonna still go ahead and call it prejudice on the Academy’s part.
Ironically, the score to beat this year is Zimmer’s score for Inception, which is largely orchestral in nature. John Powell deserves some recognition for How to Train Your Dragon, which too encompasses mostly traditional instruments with very little electronic influence. Desplat’s score for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One is likely to garner attention from the Academy, as his (hopefully) Clint Mansell’s work for Black Swan and perhaps even David Arnold’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader score. Yet, what of Daft Punk’s hypnotic soundtrack for the upcoming TRON: Legacy, featured so prominently (and successfully) in the trailers? Does it not deserve some kind of acknowledgment (granted, I haven’t heard the whole thing, but the samples are terrific)? Should it be ignored because it doesn’t go the traditional route? Isn’t the whole purpose of the Oscars to grant approval towards originality (something film critics in general berate Hollywood for lacking)?
The electronic score has been around for a while now and is slowly, but surely, taking over. I’m a fool not to mention John Willams in this debate as he is the last true classical composer alive (and even he has utilized synthesizers in recent works including Minority Report and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) – yet, his is a dying breed. For better or worse, electronic scores are becoming the norm. It’s time for the Academy to recognize them.
You can purchase the soundtrack to The Social Network
Peter Dinklage Won’t Be CGI in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: “It’s a Not Shy Character”
Megan Fox to Star in Michael Bay’s NINJA TURTLES as April O’Neil; Casting Underway for the Motion-Captured Turtles
New Red-Band Trailer for SPRING BREAKERS
Sony’s PlayStation 4 Coming This Holiday Season, Plus an Image of the New Controller
Mark Hamill Talks STAR WARS: EPISODE VII; Says “They’re Talking to Us” but “We Haven’t Signed Any Contracts”
Will they be disqualified since some of the score has origins in previously released work?
That’s the first thing that occurred to me too. There’s a precedence to that (as I guess you know already Jon) – Jonny Greenwood’s awesome score for “There Will Be Blood” that was ruled ineligible because it featured portions from his compositions Bodysong and ‘Popcorn Superhet Receiver’ .
On a different track, I kind of found some of the parallels between Mark Zuckerberg/Sean Parker push for free innovative technologies and Trent Reznor – also a computer engineer – spearheading similar movements amusing.
Social Network will be ineligible for the same reason as there are several sections lifted from Ghosts.
The Avatar score was balls and James Horner did nothing but rehash all of his work from Troy. Other than that I can’t entirely disagree with you, but I am more hoping that Scott Pilgrim gets a best score nomination and best SFX.
Giacchino definitely deserved to win the Oscar last year for Up. One of the most pivotal scenes in the movie hinged on the score without any dialog, and actually is one of the most memorable parts of the entire film. While some other films had strong scores, I don’t think any came close to matching Giacchino’s score in Up.
if you’re making a case for Zimmer, it’s his score with Newton Howard that definetly deserves an oscar. i mean, come on, their TDK score is the best of 2008.
Giacchino deserves the oscar, and Horner doen’t deserve anything
Inception was a very electronic score. Not as electronic as Social Network or Daft Punk, but there are many electronic elements in that score and lots of Blade Runner (which had a electronic score by Vangelis) influence in the music.
So i think Zimmer’s Inception does count as an electronic score to a lesser extent.
That’s true – but I would argue that the orchestral part dominates the electronic part – it’ll be interesting to see if the Academy gives him a nomination …
I wasn’t really impressed by it. Just because Trent Reznor did it, I guess people hold it to a higher standard.
That’s the thing about this movie. It’s a good movie yes. Is it amazing no. People think its amazing because of the people involved. The movie is pretty straight forward, no real bells and whistles. BUt because FINCHER directed it it makes it amazing. I bet if a no name director made it it wouldn’t be as praised.
It’s like watching any Joe Schmo make a lay-up. No big deal. But if you see Michael Jordan make a lay-up, WOW!!
I understand what you’re talking about, but this is not the case here. I’ve always liked Fincher, but maintained that his films were often slightly off kilter. Fight Club was cool, sure, but very … bizarre. Benjamin Button was a terrific technical achivement, but ……………………… yeah, like that.
The Social Network is Fincher’s finest, and most relevant film to date. He isn’t so much as showing off as he’s utilizing his strengths as a filmmaker to tell a very intriguing story. The dialogue, the music, the acting … all of it came together spectacularly.
But, as I’ve said, I’m addicted.
You know what’s happened here? You didn’t “get” it. There you go
can Zack Hemsey be nominated with Zimmer for INCEPTION? i mean, his trailer score is probably one of the best scores i’ve heard(whether in features or trailer). never has a trailer riveted me that much(even the great TDK second trailer was beaten in terms of riveting me as an audience waiting for a movie)
“can Zack Hemsey be nominated with Zimmer for INCEPTION?”
No.
The academy needs to start giving oscars for trailer music, often more memorable than the film itself. (inception, star trek)
They should give out Oscars for trailers themselves, as most are better than the movie itself anyway.
“And the Best Trailer of the Year goes to…”
oh and as good as Zimmer has become since he started working with Nolan, Giacchino is the best composer today. and Desplat(whom i haven’t heard before until Ben Button), is not far behind. since i heard him in Ben Button, he started this streak of really good film score. and his Ghost Writer score deserves recognition come Oscar time
Yeah, Giacchino is terrific – I liked his score for Ratatouille better than Up. It was more complex and diverse –
Zimmer’s score for Sherlock Holmes was incredible, though. Exciting, dramatic, moody and different. He didn’t so much as break the bars of traditional composition as much as he blasted them to shreds. This is not a review of the film, mind you – just the score.
Listen to it again and tell me if you’ve ever heard anything quite like it.
Scary notion – that was just Zimmer messing around!
Out of the new generation of composers, Giacchino is, in my mind, the most likely successor to John Williams.
Out of the new generation of composers, Giacchino is, in my mind, the most likely successor to John Williams.
oh and as good as Zimmer has become since he started working with Nolan, Giacchino is the best composer today. and Desplat(whom i haven’t heard before until Ben Button), is not far behind. since i heard him in Ben Button, he started this streak of really good film score. and his Ghost Writer score deserves recognition come Oscar time
“For better or worse, electronic scores are becoming the norm. It’s time for the Academy to recognize them.”
You mean like when Vangelis and Giorgio Moroder won Oscars for scoring “Chariots of Fire” (beating “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) and “Midnight Express” respectively?
“One might argue that both Newman’s and Rahman’s score were mostly electronic…”
Except that Newman’s “WALL-E” wasn’t, really. (And please don’t get me started on Zimmer/Howard’s colossally overrated works for Christopher “cloth ears” Nolan.)
I forgot about “Chariots of Fire” – good pick up!
I always felt Vangelis was snubbed for “Blade Runner” – a bizarre and exceptional score that deserved some sort of merit. Williams won for “ET” that year, which is fine, but check out the other nominations on the ballet and tell me that classical works didn’t prevail over electronic synthesizers –
The emergence of Hans Zimmer in the late 80s brought in a decidedly different mood and feel to the cinema world. Thomas Newman follows this unique path, as do Zimmer’s house of composers – John Powell particularly. While Zimmer has received several nominations in his career (not to mention an Academy Award for The Lion King), his work is routinely cast aside in favor of traditional scores. I mean The Thin Red Line lost to Life is Beautiful (a good score, yes, but nowhere near as complex as Zimmer’s war epic) –
With The Social Network I see two composers attempting to break down a traditional wall – hopefully they will be recognized for it.
Powell broke loose from “Zimmer’s house of composers” a long, long time ago; the difference between him and someone like Atli Örvarsson is like the difference between night and day.
And there’s one big danger of hailing electronic scores – they tend to date a LOT faster than traditional ones. (There’s also the possibility that Reznor is getting hailed for this score because people know who he is; see also Jonny Greenwood’s “There Will Be Blood.”)
Powell broke loose from “Zimmer’s house of composers” a long, long time ago; the difference between him and someone like Atli Örvarsson is like the difference between night and day.
And there’s one big danger of hailing electronic scores – they tend to date a LOT faster than traditional ones. (There’s also the possibility that Reznor is getting hailed for this score because people know who he is; see also Jonny Greenwood’s “There Will Be Blood.”)
Bravo Jeff. Sorkin actually told a story about how he originally had written that a Paul Young song plays as Mark leaves the opening scene/break-up and walks across campus. He said that he came in one day and heart Reznor and Ross’ score over the opening scene and it completely changed the tone of what was happening and cued the viewer into the tone of the film. He said he was blown away.
Come on AR Rahman’s Score for Slumdog Millionaire was Awesome. Still Can’t get ride of Train chase sequence, Track called Mausam and Escape. What a Score…. He deserve’s oscar.
Better than The Dark Knight?
Hans Zimmer’s Dark Knight was Amazing, but it’s nothing like his bests ( the Rain Man and Driving miss daisy and pirate’s of carribean). Slumdog Millionaire score was something fresh & a unique one, I never came across this kind of music before. kind of nostaligic like blade runner. Instantly got hooked to it.
The best original score category going to be tough this time with nominations like The King’s Speech, Inception, True Grit, How To Train Your Dragon, Toy Story3, Never Let me Go and 127 Hours. I liked all the movies, But when I watched 127 Hours in Toronto film festival, I know it’s again 2008 repeats here with TDK vs SM. Danny’s 127 hours is all the way winner.one of the best movie with visual treat and the music at it’s best. The moment i heard the Dido’s song ‘IF I rise’ got addicted to it and their tears in my eyes.
I’ll have to check this out! Way stoked for this film!
I agree with you ; The Social Network is probably one of the best film of 2010 with an amazing score. Will Reznor and Ross get a nomination ? No one knows. If they don’t get one, it won’t change their work.
I think we should put the Academy awards into perspective today, in 80 years the movie industry has changed ; they didn’t (or almost).
Reznor’s score is definitely the best so far this year. It just gave the movie this isolated strange feeling that i realy didn’t imagine could be there when i read the script. And since there was almost never any real information about what was going on in Zuckerberg’s head i felt that the music realy gave me that.
Midnight Express won best original score for Giorgio Moroder and that was electronic in 1978.
I agree entirely with this debate. This is just another example of how the academy needs to get with the times. The score for this movie was really good. It’s in the same vein as the Fight club score which happens to be my favorite of all time simply cuz of the diversity and skill it took to create it.
Im all for this score getting at least a nomination cuz it deserves at least that much.
Who votes for score? Does the Academy at large vote for it or just members in the music/sound departments? I remember Three 6 Mafia won for song a few years back, there must have been enough young, hip voters to get them over. My feeling is that there are a lot of NIN fans in the film and television industry in the sound and music departments. I’m basing that on the sheer number of NIN song snippets and knockoffs you hear on teevee and film previews. If they get a vote, TR is a shoe in.
Who votes for score? Does the Academy at large vote for it or just members in the music/sound departments? I remember Three 6 Mafia won for song a few years back, there must have been enough young, hip voters to get them over. My feeling is that there are a lot of NIN fans in the film and television industry in the sound and music departments. I’m basing that on the sheer number of NIN song snippets and knockoffs you hear on teevee and film previews. If they get a vote, TR is a shoe in.
I paid $10 on iTunes (European price) after listening to the interview SlashFilm did with Trent. I listen to it every day and it’s already (probably) the most listened to album I have on my iPhone. Absolutely deserves an Oscar.
I started listening to “Pieces Form The Whole” and could NOT finish it. That was more than enough.
The Social Network Score isn’t allowed to win because of the rule not allowing more than one composer. If it was just Trent Raznor it would be eligible but it’s not. This is the same reason Dark Knight wasn’t nominated. This score is fantastic though.
Last year the hurt locker score was nominated and it had two composers as well
i think they changed the rule
Excellent column. I was struck by the music immediately in the Facemash scene. It set the tone perfectly–driving, rapid and creepy.
I wish that the incredible version of “Creep from TSN’s trailer was on the soundtrack as a bonus.
I don’t know much about scores, but I can attest to the fact that the Academy usually goes for the traditional over the innovative when it come to Costume Design. Period costumes almost always beat Fantasy or Sci-fi films. Examples: 1968 – Donati’s “Romeo & Juliet” over Haack’s “Planet of the Apes”; 1978 – Powell’s “Death on the Nile” over Walton’s “The Wiz”; 1982- Athaiya, Jones and Mollo’s “Gandhi” over Jenssen and Norton’s “Tron”; 1990 – Squarciapino’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” over Canonero’s “Dick Tracy”; 2000 – Yates’s “Gladiator” over Ryack’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, just to name a few. Not to mention all of the amazing films that never even got NOMINATED (March of the Wooden Soldiers, The Wizard of Oz, A Clockwork Orange, Logan’s Run, Legend, Blade Runner, Mad Max, Return of the Jedi). After all, why reward the imagination and creativity required to create an entire new word of clothing, when you can dig out some old Victorian or ancient Roman stuff someone else already designed and slap your name on it?
Just bought the score this morning.
You say James Horner’s score for Avatar was “electronic” based. How on Earth was that score electronic based? That was like movie music 101. Giacchino’s score while, yes, was orchestral, it wasn’t your average everyday score. Most of it was very piano driven and just worked with the movie (and on its own) SO well! I think there is more to a score then just being orchestral or not. I believe Raznor and Ross’ score definitely fits the bill of a music that compliments the movie so well but also works well as just a piece of music.
Also, why are you saying Rahman’s win counts as Academy prejudice? The music in that movie made me think I was in a damn club the whole time. IMO, it should not have won that year (I would’ve gone with Desplat or Newman). It’s certainly a good electronic score (I can’t really think of many others) and shows that the Academy has the ability to think outside of the box once and while, which is something they should do more often.
I cannot get enough of this score. I’m on my 4th consecutive listening of it now –in 3 days. It’s funny that you mentioned “The Dark Knight” score because it does remind me of that. Reznor & Ross have really knocked this out of the park along with the movie.
You’d think with the Academy getting a younger sensibility that this work along with the past excellence of Zimmer & Newton-Howard would get some award recognition, but I agree with you. It doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance…
Addicted to Social Network? It’s a film about d-bags for d-bag wannabes as far as I’m concerned. Though an enjoyable film and a time capsule of a time to be sure, it doesn’t have one significant thing to say. People are stupid.
I guess the Academy is trying their hardest to keep things as traditional as they can be. I really don’t understand the mentality of fearing films & technical aspects, like scores, that have a new-gen vibe.
But what really gets me upset, and this is going back to The Dark Knight’s score, is how a great score can be cut out of the race on a stupid technicality (I think Zimmer & Howard needed to prove they wrote 70% of the music), and by the time The Dark Knight’s score was given a pass & allowed back into the race, most people had already voted.
So really, electronic scores will eventually get their due & recognized as successful components of their films, but when a great score is cut out because of a technicality, then I get angry. Just award the best of the best, plain and simple.
And that said, The Social Network’s score is definitely among the best I’ve heard all year.
This article highlights extremely well some of the problems that exist within the AMPAS and in particular the Original Score category but at the risk of inviting criticism from many quarters I disagree with some of the points you make.Firstly, “The Social Network” score will probably not even get nominated. But I believe that this has not such much to do with the Academy’s disregard of electronic scores but rather with their strange choices in general. Gustavo Santaolalla for example won two Original Score Oscars (for Brokeback Mountain and Babel) when masters like Jerry Goldsmith (1 win), Ennio Morricone, Thomas Newman and James Netwton Howard (all without a win) are just passed over. While Santaolalla’s music is functional, it is not by any means worthy of two golden statuettes.Secondly, and this is perhaps my main point, I must confess that I liked neither “The Social Network” nor the “Inception” soundtracks. Both are competent is creating atmospheric soundscapes, they contain a lot or guitar noodling, a lot of style and no substance. In other words I feel they do not have a chance of competing with really intelligent and creative musical and orchestral ideas from composers like John Powell (you did mention the excellent HTTYD) or similar. Zimmer’s “Inception” claims to be an intelligent construct with the use of Johnny Marr and Edith Piaff but I find it to be highly obnoxious, repetitive and an unwelcome turn in the composer’s career. Doubtlessly I will be criticised for this rant but I stand by what I say. The Academy needs to change, certainly, but I do hope they will not start trend of nominating anonymous electronics scores like “The Hurt Locker”.
I really liked The Social Network movie, and have been loving soundtrack… but rather than buy from itunes or amazon can I suggest that people buy for $5 directly from Trent Reznor (or his people) here: http://www.nullco.com/TSN/
While I like NIN, they would never have appeared in my list of best bands – but I believe that Trent Reznor has reacted more intelligently and inspiringly than any other established musician to the “challenges” facing the music business, and for that I give him upmost respect. He gets that to get people to pay for music you need to i) offer those who are interested something additional (e.g. well-presented vinyl, high def Blu-Ray, etc) and ii) offer the rest of us a reasonably-priced, easy-to-download, great quality product that’s at least as good as or better than the free versions.
While I don’t necessarily agree with the Academy’s nomination and winning choices in the score category (especially in recent years), the Social Network score is hardly worthy of an Oscar nod. Take out the rock star factor and you’re left with a fairly tedious, HIGHLY repetitive minimalist collection of tracks, even by Reznor’s standards. The music is not particularly inspired or challenging as a collective work (especially if you’ve heard NIN’s Ghosts) and the colossal hip factor attached to it because of Reznor’s name cloaks the fact that none of this material is new for him or Ross. I highly respect Reznor’s body of work and his time-tested place as a musical vanguard, yet this score sounds like a bunch of tracks that were left over from previous albums or experiments in the NIN dungeon and then cobbled together by Fincher to work for the movie. My guess is that many will be lobbying for Daft Punk to get an Oscar nod when Tron comes out, too – just as they did when Jonny Greenwood did There Will Be Blood. Just because these people have perfected their artistry in the world of recordmaking does not qualify them to be great film composers. They are two VERY different crafts. I would have been much more interested in what Fincher’s usual suspects, like Howard Shore or David Shire, would have done with this film.
While I don’t necessarily agree with the Academy’s nomination and winning choices in the score category (especially in recent years), the Social Network score is hardly worthy of an Oscar nod. Take out the rock star factor and you’re left with a fairly tedious, HIGHLY repetitive minimalist collection of tracks, even by Reznor’s standards. The music is not particularly inspired or challenging as a collective work (especially if you’ve heard NIN’s Ghosts) and the colossal hip factor attached to it because of Reznor’s name cloaks the fact that none of this material is new for him or Ross. I highly respect Reznor’s body of work and his time-tested place as a musical vanguard, yet this score sounds like a bunch of tracks that were left over from previous albums or experiments in the NIN dungeon and then cobbled together by Fincher to work for the movie. My guess is that many will be lobbying for Daft Punk to get an Oscar nod when Tron comes out, too – just as they did when Jonny Greenwood did There Will Be Blood. Just because these people have perfected their artistry in the world of recordmaking does not qualify them to be great film composers. They are two VERY different crafts. I would have been much more interested in what Fincher’s usual suspects, like Howard Shore or David Shire, would have done with this film.
Wait, so we’re not going to wait for Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy before casting judgement!!!!!!!
I really didn’t get the appeal for the score of “The Social Network”.
And if Alexandre Desplat is going to get an Oscar nomination, it will be for “The King’s Speech”, not “Deathly Hallows: Part 1″
welcome to :
===== http://tinyurl.com/2cgvcrl ======
This is a shopping paradise