Desplat & Fincher Score Benjamin Button

Big thanks to Simon for pointing us to this: David Fincher and composer Alexandre Desplat, his Oscar-nominated companion (for "The Queen", 2006), were just recently recording the score for their highly anticipated collaboration "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" due Christmas 2008.

ScoringSessions.com has a great article on their recording session. Great for once, since it goes into great detail on how they recorded the score and certain cues, the more technical aspects of this process and on how Desplat went about finding very particular and unusual instruments to create the right sound and feeling. Then secondly, the article is also padded with some 40 or so photographs to give you "an impression of session"! And who doesn't enjoy some snaps of the geniuses running their fingers ...?!

Alexandre Desplat (official website) has composed the scores to such films as Jonathan Glazer's "Birth", Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana", as well as "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" and "The Golden Compass". So if you want to get some early impression of his style, there's plenty of samples out there.

I have to say I am very much looking forward to the score in particular, because up until now Fincher hasn't done any movie (that I can think of) that would have featured a traditional score, in terms of lead melodies and broad, big themes. "Se7en" had this otherworldly, atmospheric score, "Fight Club" was some extremely curious playing ground for the Dust Brothers -- that I wouldn't consider a traditional movie score either. Then I remember "Panic Room" as very brassy and glooming and lurking ... but no lead melody or anything of that sort. And well, with Fincher's last, "Zodiac", I even remember reading an interview where he specifically said he asked David Shire not to do recognizable melodies but rather cues and moods.

Now, since there have been numerous references of this upcoming work to "Forrest Gump", a more musical, melody oriented score would seem fitting. -- Sounds exciting. Let's wait and see.

Anyway, the article is great and make me wish for some DVD-extras covering the recording of the score. The only thing missing really ... is some advanced movie-clips and soundbites! Haha.

Thanks, Simon. Enjoy:
ScoringSessions.com: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Article)
ScoringSessions.com: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Photos)