Youtube Inception Soundtrack
Lane Stefano
According to Zimmer, the soundtrack for Inception is "a very electronic score".[1] Nolan asked Zimmer to compose and finish the score as he was shooting the film. The composer said, "He wanted to unleash my imagination in the best possible way".[2] At one point, while composing the score, Zimmer incorporated a guitar sound reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and was interested in having Johnny Marr, former guitarist in the influential 80s rock band The Smiths, play these parts. Zimmer's reported inspiration was finding a synthesizer track that he had written similar to Marr's guitar style. Nolan agreed with Zimmer's suggestion, and then Zimmer approached Marr, who accepted his offer. Marr spent four 12-hour days working on the score, playing notes written by Zimmer with a 12-string guitar.[3][4]
For inspiration, Zimmer read Gdel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter because it combined "the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music".[2] Zimmer did not assemble a temp score but "every now and then they would call and say 'we need a little something here.' But that was OK because much of the music pieces aren't that scene-specific. They fall into little categories".[2] While writing the screenplay, Nolan wrote in dith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien" but almost took it out when he cast Marion Cotillard, who had just completed an Oscar-winning turn as Piaf in the 2007 film La Vie en rose. Zimmer convinced Nolan to keep it in the film and also integrated elements of the song into his score;[3] in particular, the film's iconic brass instrument fanfare resembles a slowed-down version of the song's instrumentation.
The trailers for the film feature specially composed music by Zack Hemsey, which does not appear on the official soundtrack.[5] The soundtrack was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy and a BAFTA.
Zimmer is one of my favorite composers, and the Inception soundtrack does indeed showcase his talents. I can never listen to Time without being profoundly moved, but every other track is unique and amazing.
Inception: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack from the movie Inception. Composer Hans Zimmer worked with director Christopher Nolan to score the film, marking their third collaboration. According to Zimmer, the music is "a very electronic score."
Surprisingly, Nolan demanded that Zimmer base the score on his feelings and their conversations rather than fitting the music to the film-- Zimmer wasn't permitted to see the movie until after the soundtrack was finished[1]. Zimmer brought guitarist Johnny Marr in to collaborate with him throughout the score, and the two debuted 20 minutes of the score with a 20-piece orchestra at the July 13 Inception premiere before a live audience and over the Internet[2]. An album containing some of Zimmer's music for the film was released on Tuesday, July 13.
Much like the story of the movie, the soundtrack itself is layered. Zimmer employs "Non, je ne regrette rien" by dith Piaf as a leitmotif, both in its usual form, and through heavily manipulated use of the opening bars. When slowed down by a significant factor, these bars take on a pulsating purcussive aspect, which underpin much of Zimmer's original elements.
This fun question was asked during our 102 Fundamentals Training Webinar this morning! I polled a few Asanas in the office and we compiled a list of soundtracks and the feelings invoked when listening to them:
Well depending on the mood of the day and the type of project I am working on but it goes from Essentials for Philip Glass to Calvin Harris playlist on Apple music. Mondays are more classical & Fridays are more dance playlists
In the movie Inception, a song was played to synchronize the kicks in the different dream levels. Now, in every level the time runs much faster than the previous level of the dream. When the music is played in the first dream level, it is heard by the man in the second dream level, and so on.
The song isn't running any slower, and is operating outside the dreamer's sphere of influence. The fact that the song should be played at the same speed is the very metronome like constant the dreamers are depending upon to synchronize their kicks.
During the third 'Layer' of dreaming, the cue that the dreamers hear isn't a song, it's just a very loud, very low note followed by what appears to be a fractured echo. This could be a particular note from "Non, Je ne regrette rien", the Edith Piaf song that is used as their kick.
Whilst it's old news now, I was incredibly impressed to discover that this slowing down or 'condensing' of music was reflected not only diegetically (hence the almost foghorn sounding note in the third layer), but also in the soundtrack.
The Inception theme music, famous (and often parodied) for its swelling section, is mixed brilliantly into a slowed down version of Piaf's song itself; in order to replicate the expansion of the music, the very thing you are discussing.
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