hanszimmer

The Hans Zimmer Page

   Welcome to the Zimmer Page. For those of you who don't know Hans Zimmer, he is the single most influential film composer of all time. His music has created a revolution in film scores. This point came with the score of Crimson Tide.
    Crimson Tide was Tony Scott's tense submarine thriller that put Hans Zimmer on the map. What made the score so different was how much depth it had, how much impact it had on the viewers. The use of digital synthesizers in combination with digitally produced music along with a small orchestra is what makes Zimmer's scores so unique. Traditional omposers like John Williams and Thomas Newman, who are both brilliant as well, use orchestras as their main source.
    The reason why I admire Zimmer so much is the fact that it was his music that got me interested in film as a child. In 1996 I was 9 years old, I saw my first "R" rated film, and that film was The Rock. Afterwards I asked my dad for the "music", I had no idea what a soundtrack or score was. I had it in my little cassette walkman wherever I went. Since then my interest in movies built on itself, and even today if you ask me what the most important aspect of a film is, I'll tell you that it's the score. Imagine Star Wars with no music, Jaws with no music, The Good The Bad & The Ugly with no music, a James Bond film with no music. Hans Zimmer is a composer whose scores are so full of emotion, and they stand on their own.
    The reason why I love his scores is that you don't need visuals to enhance the score's effect. Almost every single score out there has to be played with the movie, and if listened to minus visuals will automatically spark those visuals in your mind. I can't listen to the Star Wars soundtrack without seeing lightsabers, I can't listen to Jaws without thinking about a shark, can't listen to Lord of the Rings without thinking hobbit. That's why I am able to pop in a Hans Zimmer score anytime and listen, and I won't automatically think Black Hawk Down, Rain Man, Thin Red Line, Hannibal, etc. Everytime I listen to his scores I try and think of a scene that would be perfect to that specific piece, not nessasarily a plot, but just a scene. This is why I love film, why I want to be a filmmaker. My favorite movies as a young child were Fantasia and The Lion King. I had no idea what a score or a composer did for a film, I was 9. All I knew is that I liked what I heard, I had no idea that in the future that every cinematic thing I would think up would be sparked by his music.

Links:
Hans-Zimmer.Com Flash Intro
Hans Zimmer Video: Roundtable Discussion
Hans Zimmer's IMDB Profile
Hans Zimmer's Soundtrack.Net Profile
Hans Zimmer Interview: "Commenting On GigaStudio 3.0"
Hans Zimmer Interview: "Batman vs. Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard" (Part 1)
Hans Zimmer Interview: "Batman vs. Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard" (Part 2)
Hans Zimmer Interview: "Speaking Through Music"
Hans Zimmer Interview: "All That Zimmer Is Gold"
Hans Zimmer Interview: "Hans Zimmer"
Harry Gregson-Williams Interview: "The Musical Wardrobes Of Gregson-Williams"
Harry Gregson-Williams Article: "Zen, Hard Work, & Destiny
Klaus Badelt Interview

"If something happened where I couldn't write music anymore, it would kill me. It's not just a job. It's not just a hobby. It's why I get up in the morning."
- Hans Zimmer

*Scroll Down For Hans Zimmer's Award Info

   So, where did Hans Zimmer come from? Well, he was born in Frankfurt in 1957. His music business started as he became a member of the 80's pop group, The Buggles. They produced the hit song "Video Killed The Radio Star", if you still don't know it, then think Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was on one of the radio stations. I'll skip forward a bit to the point where Hans met Stanley Myers, a film composer. Hans Zimmer basically became Myers' apprentice, and together they put together a company called "Lillie Yard Studio" in London. The studio put emphasis on electronica and orchestral fusion. Hans went on to collaborate on various scores, including The Last Emperor. A World Apart, brought Hans to compose solo, which in turn got the attention of director Barry Levinson. Barry asked Hans to do the score for his film, Rain Man. The movie scooped up 4 Oscars, including director and picture, and got Hans his first Academy Award Nomination. The Power of One was the film that sparked another aspect of Hans' music.
    Hans Zimmer is known for incorporating historical background (based on the film's plot) into the score. The instruments he selects create that authentic feel to the movie. African vocals are just one of his specialties, but in The Last Samurai he gave the score a Japanese feel, Black Hawk Down got the middle eastern treatment, King Arthur looked at the times of the saxons, and Gladiator with the Roman Empire. As a composer he has created his own unique style that works perfectly, so how did he effect the film industry? With "Media Ventures", that's how.
    Hans Zimmer, along with Jay Rifkin (his score mixer who was with him from Black Rain up till Nine Months) started "Media Ventures", a Santa Monica based studio that has played a major role on many of today's composers. What this studio does is house composers worldwide and allow them to work here in the U.S. Almost as a school for them. Hans Zimmer learned through collaboration, and puts a strong emphasis on it. Composers come here to learn and work with Zimmer, and as a result Hans Zimmer's style can be seen with many other composers. Today Hans Zimmer is head of Dreamworks SKG's music department, he was given the title after Steven Spielberg heard and loved his industry changing score to Crimson Tide. The Last Samurai marked Zimmer's 100th score. This is a man with no musical background, Hans Zimmer is completely self taught, which means he is a true artist. I have all the respect in the world for him.

   "Media Ventures" has housed composers including Harry Gregson-Williams, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Nick Glennie-Smith, John Powell, Klaus Badelt, Mark Mancina, Steve Jablonsky, and many more. So you have no idea who those people are, well here are some of their famous works.
    Harry Gregson Williams:
        The Chronicles Of Narnia
       Man on Fire
        Spy Game
        Enemy of the State
        The Replacement Killers
        The Rundown
        Antz
        Phone Booth
        Shrek, Shrek 2
        Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 (Video Games)
        The Rock
        BMW Films- The Hire: Beat The Devil
    Rupert Gregson-Williams
        Hotel Rwanda
    Nick Glennie-Smith
       We Were Soldiers
        Man In The Iron Mask
        Fire Down Below
        The Rock
    John Powell:
       Antz
       Shrek
        Face/Off
        I Am Sam
        The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy
        The Italian Job
        Paycheck
        Alfie
    Klaus Badelt:
       Pirates of the Carribean- Curse of the Black Pearl
        K19- The Widowmaker
        Equilibrium
        The Pledge
        Basic
        The Recruit
        The Time Machine
    Mark Mancina:
       Training Day
        Twister
        Speed, Speed 2- Cruise Control
        Bad Boys
    Steve Jablonsky:
       BMW Films- The Hire: Hostage
        Live From Baghdad
        The Island

*May I add that these are just a few of each of these artists' solo compositions. Pick up any one of these soundtracks and look at the inside cover, look at the special thanks section or additional music credits. Many of these composers do additional work on movies but are not credited. Every Hans Zimmer score usually has one of these guys doing additional music, and usually Hans Zimmer will mention one or two of them in the special thanks section on the inside cover. My favorite Special Thanks was from Harry Gregson-Williams to Hans Zimmer on the inside cover for the score to Man On Fire. Hans was the last person listed and all it said was "and thanks to Hans Zimmer for being . . . Hans Zimmer".

Hans Zimmer's Recognitions:

*British news source, The Sun, surveyed for the top 40 scores of all time. Hans Zimmer placed in 3rd place for Gladiator. 1st place went to Howard Shore for The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and 2nd place went to John Williams' score for Star Wars.

    The Academy Awards:
        1988- Nominated for Best Original Score- Rain Man
        1994- Winner of Best Original Score- The Lion King
        1996- Nominated for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score- The Preacher's Wife
        1997- Nominated for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score- As Good As It Gets
        1998- Nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score- The Thin Red Line
                  Nominated for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score- The Prince of Egypt
        2000- Nominated for Best Original Score- Gladiator
*Note: The Oscar catagories have changed throughout the years, at times they honored scores in two genres.

    British Academy Awards:
        2000- Nominated for Best Music- Gladiator

    Broadcast Film Critics Association:
        2000- Winner of Best Composer- Gladiator
                  Winner of Best Composer- Mission Impossible 2
                  Winner of Best Composer- The Road To El Dorado

    Golden Globe Awards:
        1994- Winner of Best Original Score- The Lion King
        2000- Winner of Best Original Score- Gladiator
        2001- Nominated for Best Original Score- Pearl Harbor
        2002- Nominated for Best Original Song- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
        2003- Nominated for Best Original Score- The Last Samurai
        2004- Nominated for Best Original Score- Spanglish
        2006- Nominated for Best Original Score- The Da Vinci Code

    International Film Music Critics Association:
        2006- Nominated for Film Score Of The Year- The Da Vinci Code
                 Nominated for Film Composer Of The Year- Hans Zimmer
                 Winner of Best Original Score For A Comedy Film- The Holiday
                 Winner of Best Original Score For An Action/Thriller Film- The Da Vinci Code
               Nominated For Best Original Score For An Action/Theiller Film- Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead                    Man's Chest
                 Nominated for Best Single Cue Of 2006- "CheVeliers De Sangreal" from The Da Vinci Code

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws