The Championship Belt of Musical Score: Atticus Ross is Coming for you Hans Z-Man
JANUARY 18, 2024
So chances are you’ve never heard of this guy, but you’ve probably heard his contribution in a movie or a TV show. Atticus Ross was a lad from London who broke into the musical score production with his collaboration with Trent Reznor on the film “the Social Network” and an Academy Award later, he’s been as hot as Hans Zimmer on the Hollywood score front. But what else should we consider about what he does and why should we define him as a talent, or a genius.
WHAT IS A MUSICAL SCORE?
So what is the score, not the points score, but the musical score? It’s the accompany music you hear in the background that isn’t a previously released commercial song (think when you hear AC/DC songs in the movie Maximum Overdrive.) Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter, and of course John Williams are the big names you associate with musical scores. Each one has held the title since the 1970’s with Zimmer currently holding the belt, but that Atticus Ross is warming up.
WHAT DOES A MUSICAL SCORE DO
As Hans Zimmer says “”A good score should have a point of view all of its own. It should transcend all that has gone before, stand on its own two feet and still serve the movie.” A good musical score brings the following:
-Emotional Impact
-Atmosphere and Tone
-Narrative Enhancement
-Character Development
-Cinematic Pacing
-Cultural and Historical Context
-Memorability
So it’s massively important, but it’s supposedly a secondary player. As Alexandra Desplat says: “The most important thing for a film composer is to read the script and to know where the director wants the score to go. Then you put your ego aside and have the humility to serve the movie.”
TIMELINE OF BELT-HOLDERS
In the late 60’s and early 70’s Ennio Morricone, and the amazing sounds from all the western movies he made with iconic. John Carpenter and his horror and synth sounds of the 80’s continues to spawn a sound that is emulated in today’s movies and films. John Williams the big band orchestral masterpieces of all his Star Wars scores took the title into the 90’s. Danny Elfman and the rise of his Tim Burton Collaboration came out on top with his award winning scores. Upstart challenger and current belt holder, Hans Zimmer
starting with the Lion King, and through the Christopher Nolan collaborations until perhaps the finest piece of score to date with Interstellar has become the gold standard. But is it Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor’s time to take the throne?
RESUME OF A FUTURE CHAMPION
Atticus and Trent started together on the Social Network and quickly made a name for themselves. It led to nearly a dozen other major projects and collaborations from the HBO Watchmen series, Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and more recently the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The versatility of the pair and their ability to collaborate on projects outside of the Score to work on Nine Inch Nails albums Ghosts I-IV to cartoons and dark gritty crime dramas, the two are taking on all comers ready for the showdown with Hans Zimmer.