# Hans Zimmer reveals that the playback speed of the Edith Piaf music cue is a key to understanding In



## gsilbers (Jul 29, 2010)

http://www.studiobriefing.net/2010/07/m ... oser-says/


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## choc0thrax (Jul 29, 2010)

Little late, already posted in the other Inception thread.


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## Hannes_F (Jul 30, 2010)

choc0thrax @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> Little late, already posted in the other Inception thread.



I had overlooked that in the other thread, so thank you gsilbers.

It was just yesterday when I watched the film together with my wife and a friend. Great cinema. Was wondering about that one/two note theme throughout the film, and while I am happy there are composers like HZ that are appreciated for doing bold and powerful decisions I was still wondering how he possibly came up with that. 

Then the end credits rolled, everybody was leaving the cinema except us three. Hmm, toward the end the two ladies headed to the t room, so I was literally the last listener when a the very end the Piaf song was repeated and with its last notes blended into the theme ... aha!!! :mrgreen: A surreal moment, thank you Mr. Zimmer for doing gems like that.


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## germancomponist (Jul 30, 2010)

And not to forget the "a" and "e" notes Hans used in his music. I have them heared years before in a Beatles song... . :roll: :mrgreen:


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## Hannes_F (Jul 30, 2010)

germancomponist @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> And not to forget the "a" and "e" notes Hans used in his music. I have them heared years before in a Beatles song... . :roll: :mrgreen:



Eh??? My appreciation is not about re-using notes or shifting which is something you have demonstrated yourself so nicely. 

The point here imo is about having lots of ideas and possibilities but deciding on _the one_ fundamental idea out of the variety that really is the essence, sticking to this line then without getting distracted or alienated and make it work for everybody.


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## germancomponist (Jul 30, 2010)

Hannes_F @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> germancomponist @ Fri Jul 30 said:
> 
> 
> > And not to forget the "a" and "e" notes Hans used in his music. I have them heared years before in a Beatles song... . :roll: :mrgreen:
> ...



Oopsss, Hans, my post was not written as an answer to your post... . o/~ 
I always get a smile in my face when I reed about such comparisons... .
I remember in the past there was a video showing how John Williams copied music from others... .


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## gsilbers (Jul 30, 2010)

definitely a subtle thing. but funny is hanz quote saying he cant believe it took everyone so long to figure it out.  

but im really amazed is by how good the stretching algorithm was when they did the slow down. no graininess. at that drastic change of speed.. thats very good.


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## germancomponist (Jul 30, 2010)

gsilbers @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> definitely a subtle thing. but funny is hanz quote saying he cant believe it took everyone so long to figure it out.



A very cool reaction from Hans... . 

I think, who comes to the idea to compare an old track from Edith, stretch the time and comes to such results.....? (o)


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## dinerdog (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm sure many of you here know about "9 Beet Stretch"? I'm sure Hans or someone has heard it too and thought it was a cool idea. Leif Inge stretched Beethoven's ninth symphony to 24 hours without any pitch distortion.

It's kind of amazing to listen to. Sometimes like an orchestral Eno for Airports, but mostly unlike anything you've ever heard before.

Google it and listen. 

9 Beet Stretch - Leif Inge

http://www.park.nl/park_cms/public/inde ... rticle=118

http://www.harsmedia.com/SoundBlog/Archief/00550.php


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## germancomponist (Jul 30, 2010)

dinerdog @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> I'm sure many of you here know about "9 Beet Stretch"? I'm sure Hans or someone has heard it too and thought it was a cool idea. Leif Inge stretched Beethoven's ninth symphony to 24 hours without any pitch distortion.
> 
> It's kind of amazing to listen to. Sometimes like an orchestral Eno for Airports, but mostly unlike anything you've ever heard before.
> 
> ...



I know this story, very cool indeed. 

But about the comparison between Hans and Edith..., I mean, who has the time to surch and stretch thousends of audio files and find somthing sounding very close...? 

I am sure if someone would have the time for doing this, there will always be an equivalent of your own music somewhere... .


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## David Story (Jul 30, 2010)

I really respect the observations and insights here.

But, umm, the plot of the movie depends on time slowing down; dreams; images in slow motion. Who wouldn't try slowing down the theme? Beautiful production.


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## bryla (Jul 30, 2010)

germancomponist @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> I know this story, very cool indeed.
> 
> But about the comparison between Hans and Edith..., I mean, who has the time to surch and stretch thousends of audio files and find somthing sounding very close...?
> 
> I am sure if someone would have the time for doing this, there will always be an equivalent of your own music somewhere... .


Haven't seen it yet, but as I understand it, they didn't search through thousands of audio files. The Piaf piece is featured in the film


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## Hannes_F (Jul 30, 2010)

germancomponist @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> But about the comparison between Hans and Edith..., I mean, who has the time to surch and stretch thousends of audio files and find somthing sounding very close...?



Gunther, obviously you don't know the film. In the story he Edith Piaf song is actually played to somebody who sleeps but since time is running slower in his dream this transforms to the film music.


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## gsilbers (Jul 30, 2010)

[quote="

But about the comparison between Hans and Edith..., I mean, who has the time to surch and stretch thousends of audio files and find somthing sounding very close...? 

... .[/quote]


im guessing it was the other way around. if i understood u correctly, i think they came up with that idea 1st , the director or someone chose a few songs or that song in particular and then the idea of stretching it and from there imitating the results to further develop, enhance and encompass the idea. 


so what software is this that time stretches so good??


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## cc64 (Jul 30, 2010)

gsilbers @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> [
> im guessing it was the other way around. if i understood u correctly, i think they came up with that idea 1st , the director or someone chose a few songs or that song in particular and then the idea of stretching it and from there imitating the results to further develop, enhance and encompass the idea.



I'm sure this song being in the film definitely has something to do with the fact Marion Cotillard's first big role was playing Edith Piaf in a movie about her life... Sort of a :wink: :wink: 

Claude


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## Hannes_F (Jul 30, 2010)

Narval @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> I'm sure what you meant is that in dreams the time is running actually faster (dream-life hours = real-life seconds), so that the song played in real-life sounds slower to the dreamer.



How I saw that comment coming ... :mrgreen: 

cc64, according to what HZ said the song was in the script long before and they actually evaluated to take it out because of the casting of Marion Cotillard. But he voted for leaving it in (would have messed up a lot of his work up to that point I guess).


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## Narval (Jul 30, 2010)

cc64 @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> I'm sure this song being in the film definitely has something to do with the fact Marion Cotillard's first big role was playing Edith Piaf in a movie about her life... Sort of a :wink: :wink:


Or the other way round - they first picked the song and then they got Marion Cotillard hired just for :wink: :wink: 

:wink:


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## choc0thrax (Jul 30, 2010)

cc64 @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> gsilbers @ Fri Jul 30 said:
> 
> 
> > [
> ...



The song was chosen before she was cast. Nolan wanted to remove it after she joined the film but Zimmer convinced him to stick with it.


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## germancomponist (Jul 30, 2010)

Hannes_F @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> germancomponist @ Fri Jul 30 said:
> 
> 
> > But about the comparison between Hans and Edith..., I mean, who has the time to surch and stretch thousends of audio files and find somthing sounding very close...?
> ...



Thanks Hannes,

I didn`t know this.... . o-[][]-o


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## gsilbers (Jul 30, 2010)

so how do you stretch something like that without artifacts? 

i do it all the time to make pads and sound design and that low speed always gives artifacts... grains..


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## Stevie (Aug 1, 2010)

Maybe Serato Pitch'n'Time Pro (ProTools plugin only).


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## mingin (Aug 1, 2010)

people post stuff like this who are self frustated and i think they directed there energy in the wrong way. thats all i have to say about this. in the past,i remember there was a few stuff about john williams.......

again again and agin....keep your mind on your own works, because you can find today everywhere similare stuff you did, but the art is how to fit your stuff in the movie


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## Stevie (Aug 1, 2010)

Fred posted some great quote recently: 

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
Albert Einstein


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## bryla (Aug 1, 2010)

mingin @ Sun Aug 01 said:


> people post stuff like this who are self frustated and i think they directed there energy in the wrong way. thats all i have to say about this. in the past,i remember there was a few stuff about john williams.......
> 
> again again and agin....keep your mind on your own works, because you can find today everywhere similare stuff you did, but the art is how to fit your stuff in the movie


You misunderstand. He manipulated a licensed song, to give the film a musical meaning. He didn't rip it off.


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## choc0thrax (Aug 1, 2010)

mingin @ Sun Aug 01 said:


> people post stuff like this who are self frustated and i think they directed there energy in the wrong way. thats all i have to say about this. in the past,i remember there was a few stuff about john williams.......
> 
> again again and agin....keep your mind on your own works, because you can find today everywhere similare stuff you did, but the art is how to fit your stuff in the movie



Sorry, but uhhh, what are you talking about?


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## Narval (Aug 1, 2010)

Stevie @ Sun Aug 01 said:


> The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
> Albert Einstein


Einstein later added that, alternatively, you may slow down your sources by light-speed square. It's called the Theory of Crelativity. ~o)


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## Stevie (Aug 1, 2010)

Show off!


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## noiseboyuk (Aug 1, 2010)

gsilbers @ Fri Jul 30 said:


> so how do you stretch something like that without artifacts?
> 
> i do it all the time to make pads and sound design and that low speed always gives artifacts... grains..



The Zimmer theme (as demoed in the youtube video) doesn't use the master recording of Piaf at all, does it? It's just a new orchestration based on an ultra-slow rendition for inspiration as far as I understand it...


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## Narval (Aug 1, 2010)

noiseboyuk @ Sun Aug 01 said:


> The Zimmer theme (as demoed in the youtube video) doesn't use the master recording of Piaf at all, does it?


To my ears, it sure does... That sample's DNA functions as a subliminal audio message that would otherwise be missing. It's conceptual and practical/functional at the same time. Brilliant, imo.


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## Justus (Aug 1, 2010)

I think what HZ did with the Piaf song was just brilliant. As far as I know he didn't use the actual recording in his music...


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## Stevie (Aug 1, 2010)

Although it is ridiculous what people are making out of it...
This short snippet really just contains the rhythmic part of "je ne regrette rien".
One could say he got inspired by it, but nothing more.
It's funny how these "youtube guys" are always overreacting.


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## Narval (Aug 1, 2010)

I swear I hear the "fingerprint" of the brass from the original Piaf recording. Is my mind making this up? Am I going insane? Do I need my ears checked? Too much vuvuzelas perhaps? :shock:


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## Stevie (Aug 1, 2010)

Do you hear the same harmony changes as in JNRR? I don't (unless the video doesn't show it all). It remains always on the same note. It's really only the rhythm. ba-ba, ba-ba,...(two quarter notes on the 3rd and the 1st beat of a 3/4).


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## Narval (Aug 1, 2010)

The harmony is different of course, what I am talking about is the top note. I think they have by some means isolated it and then time-stretched the rhythm. And then of course they have added some other sounds underneath. But that is the original sample from the song, or at least that's what I _think_ I'm hearing.


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## mingin (Aug 2, 2010)

@choc0thrax

Warnings: 2


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## bryla (Aug 2, 2010)

what are you talking about, mingin? You come in brand new on a forum and clearly misunderstands a topic. Then choco tells you that, and you what: vote to ban him or complain to a mod?

Btw: choco still only has one warning


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## germancomponist (Aug 2, 2010)

Wait, perhaps choco will get one from me..... . :mrgreen: >8o ~o) o=< :roll: o-[][]-o


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## choc0thrax (Aug 2, 2010)

If choco gets 2 warnings that will = autoban. Scary stuff!


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## twinsinmind (Sep 9, 2010)

Hans Zimmer song Time is soo beautiful
in all his simplicity.
He is often called bad names: 
-he wouldn't be a real composer
-he doesn't use woodwinds
-he isn't an orchestrator or a classic styled composer
-he repeats himself too often 


BUT: he never claimed to be a second John Williams who is master in orchestration.
No , Zimmer is a selfmade man and his work is great, for sure a trendsetter of his era.

And know again: he takes an Edith Piaff song and makes a complete amazing score arround it.

10/10


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## bryla (Sep 10, 2010)

Just saw Inception. There score was great!


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