# Steve Jablonsky?



## Joseph Burrell (Jan 2, 2008)

Just wondering if he has any other fans around this place. I've been one ever since Steamboy and now with Transformers. Haven't dug around too much to see if he has anything else in his catalog yet.

Just never heard his name mentioned here. I'm a big fan of powerful epic orchestrations (like Destiny 'Sadame' from the anime X or Dance of the Curse from Escaflowne) and his are very good.


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## nomogo (Jan 2, 2008)

Big fan of his here too, gotta check out The Island score if you haven't already.


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## Joseph Burrell (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey thanks. Was hoping for some suggestions as to his other works. 8)


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## nomogo (Jan 2, 2008)

No problem, he's definitely worth checking out... he's also done some horror scores, the Texas Chainsaw remakes, but his big orchestral stuff really stands out. I think he recently did a Command & Conquer game, or something like that.

-JK


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## midphase (Jan 3, 2008)

+1


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## Joseph Burrell (Jan 3, 2008)

I do have to agree that Steamboy does show his talent better than Transformers. Transformers, while it does have some good tracks, is very derivative of just about everything else out there. Steamboy had some nice diversity in it. I love the waltz and theme tracks of that soundtrack. Ray's Theme is a particularly powerful track.


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## Waywyn (Jan 3, 2008)

right: standard MV stuff which works best for those big heroic action movies 

... doesn't need anything more.


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## _taylor (Jan 3, 2008)

I liked what he did for the re-make of Amityville Horror


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## Christian Marcussen (Jan 3, 2008)

Waywyn @ Thu Jan 03 said:


> right: standard MV stuff which works best for those big heroic action movies
> 
> ... doesn't need anything more.



But we can agree that there is good MV stuff, and not so good MV stuff right?


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## Waywyn (Jan 4, 2008)

Christian Marcussen @ Fri Jan 04 said:


> Waywyn @ Thu Jan 03 said:
> 
> 
> > right: standard MV stuff which works best for those big heroic action movies
> ...



Sure and a definite yes, but maybe I just explain a bit more what I was trying to say in my previous post.

There is one very big problem which always appears when it comes to good and bad soundtracks and composers discuss about that.

I think the highest skill which can ever be achieved by a composer or a musician (and is definitely the hardest of all to learn), isn't theoretical, practical, emotional or technical knowledge ... it is about hearing music as a non musician.

You always have to think about "normal" people. They watch a movie and want to be supported. They give a big shit about chord structures and harmonisations which go from E b5minmaj7add9 over Ademolishedchaos9 to Bb lydian b7. They want a melody which sticks to the ear, they want to have their ass kicked when action is going on and they want to feel scared if a psycho guy runs around with a hatchet.

Again, surely there is good and bad stuff, but most of the cases composers don't like work of someone else in case of a missing musicial claim. Of course there might be a unmotivated line or a boring chord structure, but ... who cares if people liked it.

I also have my problems with some movie scores around, but in the ears of "non-musicians", if it fits and supports the scene .. so what.


It reminds of a situation which took place a long while ago concerning my wife and movie score:

While she loves stuff of MV, Lotr, etc. she once asked me turn off the Star Wars Soundtrack of Episode 3, because all those flutes and strings made her mad. It was complete chaos to her ... every second there was weedlee weedleee, flooofloooflooo and huihuhiuuh ... 


I worked on so many projects where I tried to put a certain "something" into the music, but very often it ended with some "stupid" allround pop C,G, Amin, F chord structure and a melody which barely faced quarter notes ...


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## mixolydian (Jan 4, 2008)

It's all right. Probably that made Mr. Zimmer successful, everytime it's full of clear structures. If you listen to his war music you sometimes can hear chill-like music (Samurai, Harbor), that is never happened with William's. (That doesn't mean Williams with his "whiideliidiideliih" is lesser successful. :D But for the non-musician listeners it's harder to get by.)



Waywyn @ Fri Jan 04 said:


> ...which go from E b5minmaj7add9 over Ademolishedchaos9 to Bb lydian b7.



Wow, where you got that, have to learn it. :mrgreen:


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## choc0thrax (Jan 4, 2008)

There's two kinds of MV'ers, the ones that definitely don't belong there (HGW, John Powell) and the ones that definitely do (everyone else)  Steve Jablonsky belongs to the latter group, content to regurgitate and reheat MV back catalogue leftovers. Once technology advances a little more I expect him and others to be replaced by machines which will sort through hours of MV back catalogue, one arm of the robot will have a mini defibrillator and the other comes equipped with a range of zesty spices to liven the music as well as a custom electronic rythmic beds sample cd the 17 year old intern in the MV basement made. The machine will then burn this to a cd which will be displayed behind glass under bright lights to keep it warm. The producer or producers family will then choose which cd to use by either pressing the "epic taiko" or "sad duduk" button. Of course though, in all seriosuness they are called RemoteControl now, it's hard to make the switch from saying MV for some reason.


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## damoy (Jan 9, 2008)

Hmm, I think you just described the first preset of soon-to-be-announced spectrasonics offering. :shock: :mrgreen:


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

Actually, I'm rather enjoying his Chainsaw score. Works really, really well for horror. The sound design work is excellent and a willing partner for the music, although this may not be everyone's cup of movie score.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 12, 2009)

I think I only listen to the Officer Hoyt cue from that score. That score is mostly just noise, something Tyler Bates could've composed.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

Me thinks you already made your point earlier. :roll:


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

And btw, I LOVE noise, and think it's just as interesting and valid as any other sound for making soundtrack music.


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## gsilbers (Mar 12, 2009)

so you know why is he so important? he basically created (made famouse) the "we're bad --females comedy" music... aka. desprate housewifes. how many scores nowadays you listen in TV and notice that it sounds like desparate housewifes.. you know, when there is scene of quirkiness , or girls getting in trouble... etc. 

i met him a couple of time. he is very nice. he told me a story of how bad he felt when he had to kick out differnt players from the seattle orchestra cause they where too bad when he was recording stealth. but the budget didnt allow for it to be recorded in LA.

also his studio is small compared to the rest of the folks at remote. i mean, i think is smaller than hanz zimmmer machine room.! 
still, he is very talented and pulls out scores with setups as small as ours.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 12, 2009)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Thu Mar 12 said:


> Me thinks you already made your point earlier. :roll:



It is written that once a year I shall rise again to bestow my great knowledge on how totally lame Steve Jablonsky is.

BTW Ned, someone with an avatar like yours deserves to like this kind of music. o-[][]-o


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

If you don't mind, I will accept that as a very high compliment. =o


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

PS: Swan Lake for les Habs?!!


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## dcoscina (Mar 12, 2009)

spitt @ Thu Jan 03 said:


> I liked what he did for the re-make of Amityville Horror



I prefer Lalo Schifrin's original score. Much creepier.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 12, 2009)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Thu Mar 12 said:


> PS: Swan Lake for les Habs?!!



Not sure what that means, I assume it's some kind of insult, which the Habs deserve since they suck/have drug problems/hang out with shady characters/have gangbangs with prostitutes together. I expect them to squeak into the playoffs in eighth place, knock out the Bruins in round 1 and then lose to the next team.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

Isn't Swan Lake a great place for diving? :mrgreen:


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## Ed (Mar 12, 2009)

Waywyn @ Fri Jan 04 said:


> ... every second there was weedlee weedleee, flooofloooflooo and huihuhiuuh ... .



I long for those articulations. :D


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## _taylor (Mar 12, 2009)

dcoscina @ Thu Mar 12 said:


> I prefer Lalo Schifrin's original score. Much creepier.



You want a cookie?














Just kidding, I need to check that out! Thanks. 8)


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## Andreas Moisa (Mar 12, 2009)

Fill me in, what's MV?

Mod-Veal?

:D


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 12, 2009)

Media Ventures, now know as Remote Control Productions.


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## Andreas Moisa (Mar 13, 2009)

Ah, thanks. So who is this Zimmer guy?

Some say that everything they do at RCP sounds similar - keep in mind that they most probably get their own music as temp tracks over and over again and are especially hired for "this" kind of sound. While Transformers and the Island sound similar there is nothing similar about The Dark Knight and the Simpsons....Spi-der-Pig, ..., Spi-der-Pig...

Bottom Line: Count me in as a Jablonsky Fan.


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