Dark Knight Score Back in Oscar Race! Woo!

[Frontier]

Last month, the Academy disqualified the score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard for Oscar consideration because the pair listed 5 other names on the cue sheet.

Zimmer and Howard at the time stated so many names were listed on the cue sheet as the other three contributors were essential in the film's work.

Now though, the Music Branch Executive Committee of the Academy has reversed its decision after reviewing information submitted by the affected parties.

The committee concluded that the two, Zimmer and Howard, were responsible for the score's authorship and thus it is back in the running.

Another Oscar for TDK, I hope!

The score and Ledger are the two things people think it most likely to win, so this is good.

 

[rafterman1701]

excellent!

 

[BigFoot]

Nice

 

[Smiley]

TDK had a score? I'm kidding, of course, but it's hardly the best film music of 2008.

 

[TheBrew]

Yeah, it was servicable score IMO with some neat stuff... though I disagree with the academy... any film score, IMO, should be eligible. If it is highly derivative, then just don't nominate it!

 

[sportzkid]

I was quite glad to hear that it got reversed. It certainly deserves consideration for the Oscar.

 

[butch101]

Well... I'm quite happy for Zimmer and Howard. I love their works... But on the Dark Knight, I don't agree for the oscar nomination. The score fits in the movie, but on the album, gee, it's barely listenable...

Butch

 

[tharpdevenport]

Well, Zimmer can claim all he wants, but another compsoer said on his site he did additional music (not on the cue sheets), Lorne Balfe (on the cue sheets), and who knows who else. Zimmer can claim all he wants otherwise, but reality is so far: four definite composers.

 

[Harvey]

I enjoy the score, but any of these Zimmer-lead Media Venture scores have multiple hands on them, whether credited or not. Is Zimmer trying to deny this reality in order to score an Oscar nod?

 

[JacksonArcher]

Umm, if you guys read the original article, the whole idea behind the Academy rejecting Zimmer and Newton Howard's score is because they were too many composers listed -- but both Zimmer and Newton Howard fought to make sure everyone was credited that worked on the score, even when the other composers vouched for both Zimmer and Newton Howard saying that the score was like 70% them and 30% the work of the other composers.

So, if anything, Zimmer was not denying the "reality" that there were other composers who had worked on the score, he was making sure it was known and that they would be credited for the work they contributed.

 

[Harvey]

^^
What article? I just see a quote here, not a hotlink (although my browser has been fraked lately, so who know what's up, really).

Regardless, I don't see anything wrong with the situation you've described. The question, I guess, is whether or not so many composers violates Academy Rules or not, which seem so bizarre (Moulin Rouge wins, but There Will Be Blood isn't nominated because of previously written material?) that I don't even bother to try and understand them.

 

[JacksonArcher]

^^
What article? I just see a quote here, not a hotlink (although my browser has been fraked lately, so who know what's up, really).

Regardless, I don't see anything wrong with the situation you've described. The question, I guess, is whether or not so many composers violates Academy Rules or not, which seem so bizarre (Moulin Rouge wins, but There Will Be Blood isn't nominated because of previously written material?) that I don't even bother to try and understand them.

My bad. Let me link you to the original article:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/batmannews.php?id=7813

Yeah, and apparently the Academy was having problems with more than one or two composers. They said they want one person to be awarded. I guess they shouldn't tell this to the Coen Brothers, then.

 

[Harvey]

^^
The Coen brothers had a hard enough time being recognized as co-directors by the DGA. For years one was credited as director, and the other producer, but not both.

And if the Academy only wants to award one person, then why do a lot of the technical categories, as well as Best Picture (which awards producers, emphasis plural) focus on more than one person?

All seems to be arbitrary nonsense to me. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[JacksonArcher]

^^
The Coen brothers had a hard enough time being recognized as co-directors by the DGA. For years one was credited as director, and the other producer, but not both.

And if the Academy only wants to award one person, then why do a lot of the technical categories, as well as Best Picture (which awards producers, emphasis plural) focus on more than one person?

All seems to be arbitrary nonsense to me. Thanks for posting the link.

Yeah, I agree. It makes no sense, especially since art and filmmaking especially is an extremely collaborative effort and hardly no one person deserves all of the credit.

 

[Frontier]

Listening to the expanded stuff now... yum!

 

[Siwilliams]

Danny Elfmans' score for Batman (1989) and Batman Returns should have won, also Shirley Walker's Batman - Mask Of The Phantasm