B-Sides: Filmmakers and composers work in harmony to create legacies

In recent movie history, fans of both music and film have seen the rise of some truly great filmmaker-composer partnerships. The most obvious, of course, is composer John Williams and filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who worked together on movies such as “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jurassic Park” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

Perhaps less obvious but more lucrative in recent years is the partnership between composer Hans Zimmer and filmmaker Christopher Nolan. That pair worked together on movies in “The Dark Knight” series as well as “Inception” and the upcoming “Man of Steel.”

With the release of “Star Trek Into Darkness” this past Friday, I think it’s safe to say we can add another dynamic duo to that list: the pairing of composer Michael Giacchino and filmmaker and producer J.J. Abrams. Together, these two have put together the look and sound of some of the best science fiction movies and television shows around.

One of their earliest collaborations was on the television show “Lost,” which – though it went on for a couple seasons too many in my opinion – developed a huge following, and Giacchino’s eerie string music was instrumental (pun intended) in developing the creepy atmosphere of the show. They would then work together on the show “Fringe,” which wrapped up its final season this year.

Which brings me to their biggest and best collaboration: the “Star Trek” movies. It started in 2009 with “Star Trek,” which reinvigorated the franchise both for longtime Trekkies and for fans new to the story of the USS Enterprise and Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Giacchino’s score for the movie was outstanding, capturing everything from the heartbreak of the ultimate sacrifice (the track is “Labor of Love,” for those of you who want to look it up) by James Kirk’s father, played by a yet to be Thor-ized Chris Hemsworth, to the bombast of space-age action.

Giacchino’s score for “Star Trek Into Darkness” is just as good as the score for the first movie in the series, if not better. It still captures just as much of the pomp and bombast of any “Star Trek,” but it can tug heartstrings just as well with more delicate pieces such as the piano-driven “London Calling.” I’m sure this movie would do well in the box office with most composers, but without Giacchino there is no way, in my opinion, the music would so perfectly fit the idea and heartbeat of the movie.

And isn’t that the point of these composer-filmmaker partnerships? The filmmakers know how the composers write their music, and the composers tend to know how the filmmakers go about crafting a film. The idea of a learning curve is taken away when both artists are already comfortable and familiar with how the other works.

Now, I’m sure some would argue that such partnerships hinder the creative process, that it results in both parties settling into a dangerous cruise control. But I would argue that it helps define the work of both men or women. It’s almost as easy to identify a Steven Spielberg movie by its soundtrack as by the movie itself, just as it’s almost impossible not to recognize a theme written by John Williams. The strength of these pairings strengthens each of the artists’ legacies.

Now, Abrams and Giacchino aren’t quite at the level of Williams and Spielberg – and I’m not sure any pair ever will be.

But they’ve certainly got plenty of time to make more movies together, and that’s good news for everyone.

Do you have a favorite filmmaker-composer pair? Email Bain at [email protected]. A Sasquatch edition of “B-Sides” will run next Wednesday.