Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman grew up in the Los Angeles area. He grew up loving movies and appreciating composers like Bernard Herrmann (for the hitchcock suspense films like Vertigo and Psycho) and Max Steiner (For a lot of Warner Bros. films).

Danny Elfman was the lead singer of a band called Oingo Boingo that started in the 70s as The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo, later changing their name to just Oingo Boingo. The director Tim Burton was fascinated by Danny Elfman’s music in the band, and called him to write the music for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

Bio

Tim and Elfman’s collaboration continued when he composed for another one of Tim’s films, Beetlejuice (1988) and reached a really great point when Elfman won a Grammy for the composing of Batman (1989). After that, Danny Elfman kept scoring a lot of Tim Burton’s ghoulish, spooky movies. He scored the touching movie Edward Scissorhands (1990), the music for the mad Penguin and Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), the songs and score for the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) the score for Mars Attacks! (1996) and many more movies. He’s done scores for more recent movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010) as well as many, many other movies. He’s also composed music for many episodes of The Simpsons (1989- now).

Filmography

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The Nightmare Before Christmas

1993 - About Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King who has become bored with the same annual routine of scaring people in the real world. When Jack accidentally comes upon Christmastown, the new, bright spirit inspires him and leads him to pot the kidnapping of Santa Claus so that he may take over his role

Opening Theme:

- A lot of trombones and french horns- Lots of echo with the horns- Separation of the instruments- Violins, violas, harp

Edward Scissorhands1990- A scientist builds a human being- Edward- but dies before he can finish assembling him, leaving edward with freakishly large scissor blades as hands. A suburban saleswoman, Peg, discovers Edward and takes him home where he falls for Peg’s teen daughter. However despite Edward’s artistic talents he has with his scissorhands, he is an outcast.

Ice Dance:

- Heavy use of women’s choir- high and low strings, harp- lots of sound with so little instruments

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005- Based on a Roald Dahl tale, this film follows Charlie Bucket and his Grandpa Joe as they join a small group of contest winners to tour the giant, magical factory of Willy Wonka accompanied by Oompa Loompas. There is a second prize to the prize though, which is revealed after the different children in the group show their true colors.

Opening:

- Orchestral music mixed with digital sounds- high and low strings- percussion- brass, woodwind- bells and chimes

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Beetlejuice1988- After Barbara and Adam die in a car accident, they are stuck haunting their house, unable to leave. When the unbearable Deetzes and teen daughter Lydia buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away to no success. Their attempts attract Beetlejuice, a spirit whose "help" becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and Lydia.

Overture:

- Brass, woodwind- Percussion: piano, drums- Strings: violins, violas- Bells and chimes- choir

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000384/

http://www.bmi.com/press/entry/534698

http://composerfocus.com/orchestration-in-the-style-of-danny-elfman/

Sources