Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

-Hollow Man (2000) ** 1/2 [music ***]
http://www.amazon.com/Hollow-Man-Directors-Kevin-
Bacon/dp/B000UAFDQQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1293767383&sr=1-3
This is a very interesting movie visually speaking (special effects) but being a
Paul Verhoeven movie, expect it to be violent and over-the-top at times! It is a rather
“creepy” movie, and that includes the creepy character Kevin Bacon plays (Hollow
Man)—perhaps like a Charlie Sheen caricature these days! Overall I would not
recommend this movie with the gratuitous killing, hurting of animals, and so forth. The
layer by layer “fleshing” and de-fleshing of Isabel and then Sebastian is not a pretty sight,
but it is well done. There are various “ugly” sides or dimensions to this movie that makes
it disturbing (rape scene, etc). But because of Goldsmith’s involvement I decided to buy
the dvd. In fact, the first dvd release featured an audio commentary by Goldsmith.
Unfortunately I do not have that dvd I had rented but somewhere I had made notes of that
commentary. I’ll try to dig them out somewhere from the hollow recesses of my
document boxes! The current dvd release does not include that commentary, by the way.
I worked on the written score at Sony/Columbia May 13, 2000. I did a fast job of
it but I don’t think I have enough material for a complete official rundown, so perhaps I’ll
do some cues here. The orchestrator was Alexander “Sandy” Courage. The recording was
on June 18, 2000. Sketches were available. For example, the “Buttons” sketch was
comprised of 9 staves., 24 clicks, 6 free. Judy Green PS-1213 paper was used either for
the sketches or the full score (not sure from my notes).
-“Opening” [Reel 1/pt 1] This cue is 61 bars in length. Instrumentation: 32
violins, 12 violas, 10 VC, 6 CB, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons,
6 horns, 3 trombones, harp, piano. I’m not sure if I missed anything except for the synths
that were absent in this full score version (probably added separately or in a later version
of the score). In fact the music provided here in this version of the Main Title does not fit
what is heard on the dvd, at least initially. There were changes made. In the version I
have for Bar 1, the harp (bottom staff) sounds mp in 3/4 time Great octave D 8 th up to
small octave D 8 th tied to quarter note down to Great octave A quarter note (repeat next
three bars) to (Bar 5) Great octave Eb 8 th up to small octave Eb 8 th tied to quarter note
down to Great octave Bb quarter note (repeat next three bars) and then Back to Bar 1 in
Bar 9, etc. After a quarter rest in Bar 1, the top staff harp plays Line 1 D down to small
octave A 8ths to Bb to A 8ths (repeat next three bars) to (Bar 5), after a quarter rest, Ebsmall
octave Bb-Cb-Bb legato 8ths, etc. After two quarter rests, clarinet I plays mp small
octave Bb to A 8ths decrescendo hairpin (repeated next three bars) to (Bar 5), after two
quarter rests, Cb to Bb [written Db-C] 8ths. There is also a sequence involving a synth
but it’s not notated here. In Bar 9 (00:00:42 dvd) the piano plays a response phrase of I
believe Lines 2 & 3 F to E to D quarter notes to (Bar 10) Lines 1 & 2 A-B 8ths up to C#
half note tied to half note next bar down to F to G 8ths to (Bar 12) A dotted half note.
Four violas in Bar 9 play mp Line 1 D dotted half note tied to next three bars to (Bar 13)
all 12 violas playing small octave Bb/Line 1 Eb/Gb dotted half notes tied to next three
bars. It is in Bars 13-16 at least that the synth plays a phrase, but once again I did not find
it in this version of the full score. Strange. Usually the synths are placed therein…
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