Topic: Emmy-Nominated Composer to Score Call of Duty 3

[NWR_Lindy]

Who's Joel Goldsmith?  You're about to find out.

ACTIVISION SIGNS EMMY-NOMINEE JOEL GOLDSMITH TO SCORE CALL OF DUTY® 3    

     

     

Santa Monica, CA – July 28, 2006 – Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that it has signed award-winning composer Joel Goldsmith to score the soundtrack for the eagerly-awaited release of Call of Duty 3.  Goldsmith is currently nominated for an Emmy for his work on “Stargate: Atlantis," with credits that also include “Kull the Conqueror," “Shadow of a Doubt," “Helen of Troy" and “Witchblade," among many others. Goldsmith’s work with Call of Duty 3 marks his console video game debut in a career that spans more than twenty years.    

     

“Goldsmith is one of the most versatile and talented music composers in the business and we’re excited to have him on board for Call of Duty 3," said Tim Riley, Activision’s Worldwide Executive of Music.  â€œFans know to expect a ‘cinematically intense’ experience from the Call of Duty franchise – Goldsmith is the man for the job."    

               

The son of legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith, Joel collaborated with his father on several projects over the years, most notably on Star Trek: First Contact.  The younger Goldsmith launched his career in the late seventies, and began to gain particular notoriety with projects that included The Man with Two Brains (1983) and then later The New Untouchables (1993), allowing Goldsmith to solidify his style, one that has since come to be marked by big, bold, symphonic scores.  A three-time Emmy nominee for his work with “Stargate: Atlantis" and “SG-1," Goldsmith currently serves as resident composer for the latter.  For more information on Goldsmith, visit www.freeclyde.com.    

     

Call of Duty 3 is scheduled for release this fall for the Xbox 360â„¢ and Xboxâ„¢ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo’s Wiiâ„¢.  Call of Duty 3 is not yet rated by the ESRB.

[vudu]

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The son of legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith...

Funny, I'm watching the opening credits to Chinatown right now, which was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.  I'll let you know if it's any good.

[Pryopizm]

Jerry Goldsmith did some great themes.  <3 the music from Rudy.

[vudu]

Well that was officially the worst movie ending of all time.

Music was good, but kind of cheesy in an overly-dramatic kind of way.  But then again, it's the 70's, so what do you expect?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Isaac Hayes should compose game soundtracks.

ULTIMATE FUNK

[Smash_Brother]

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Originally posted by: Professional 666
Isaac Hayes should compose game soundtracks.

ULTIMATE FUNK

I think you mean "Ultimate Scientology".

Any respect I had for him went out the window when he pulled that crap...

[Svevan]

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Originally posted by: vudu
Well that was officially the worst movie ending of all time.

Music was good, but kind of cheesy in an overly-dramatic kind of way.  But then again, it's the 70's, so what do you expect?

Did you really just call the ending to Chinatown the worst movie ending of all time? Because I'm reading those words and I have a rough time believing anyone actually thinks that.

The music in that film was actually more inspired by the 1940s; at the very least, it's a nostalgic look back at 40s movie music. Jerry Goldsmith himself was a hack (check him on IMDB), but he has plenty of good scores to his name (among them Chinatown, The Burbs, Patton, and Gremlins).

But back to Joel.

This is the best part of the press release:

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[Joel Goldsmith's style has] come to be marked by big, bold, symphonic scores.

Ahahahahahahah, right right, like I can name a hack movie composer that isn't "marked" by this "style."

Sorry for being pretentious, but this press release is insulting. For one, Joel Goldsmith is a famous composer's son, not a famous composer. Jerry Goldsmith himself was famous only through prolificacy, and his work varies in quality. Secondly, Joel Goldsmith may be able to write great music for this video game, but the question is why? I am fully in support of crossover between mediums; having John Williams or Philip Glass score a video game would be great. However, the framing of this release makes it seem as though Joel Goldsmith got this job because otherwise it would be done by just another worthless video game composer. It's like saying we got Steven Spielberg to direct the cinematics, or Charlie Kaufman to write the script. Why are video games so often trying to imitate dramatic film? It's a problem plaguing the War genre especially (among other things).

The problem is that even video game makers see their art as inferior. If we can get a "real" artist to help us, maybe we'll make better art. Please, Hollywood, teach us how to make games! It's pathetic. Make your own music, your own story, your own rules, otherwise there will be truth to the statement that videogames are just movies with options. If video games are art, they have to be able to stand on their own.

[vudu]

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Did you really just call the ending to Chinatown the worst movie ending of all time? Because I'm reading those words and I have a rough time believing anyone actually thinks that.

Yes, I did.  It's not that I mind so much Mrs. Mulwray dying.  I just don't like the fact that they left so many loose ends.  The movie felt like it ended five minutes too early.  What's going to happen with Noah Cross and his daughter/granddaughter?  Will he really get away with running the farmers out of business and stealing their land so he can expand LA?  What's up with Roman Polanski's character?  The movie left too many questions unanswered.  

Considering that Roman Polanski wrote the ending himself (after a falling out with the screenwriter Robert Towne) it's not surprising that the ending was a let-down.  

[NWR_Lindy]

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Originally posted by: SvevanThe problem is that even video game makers see their art as inferior. If we can get a "real" artist to help us, maybe we'll make better art. Please, Hollywood, teach us how to make games! It's pathetic. Make your own music, your own story, your own rules, otherwise there will be truth to the statement that videogames are just movies with options. If video games are art, they have to be able to stand on their own.

True dat.  Did this kind of stuff happen when movies were in their infancy?  I mean, were directors getting novelists to write their scripts so they seemed more "legitimate", and advertising the hell out of that fact?

[ShyGuy]

Mario = Buster Keaton

[Kairon]

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Originally posted by: Silks

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Originally posted by: SvevanThe problem is that even video game makers see their art as inferior. If we can get a "real" artist to help us, maybe we'll make better art. Please, Hollywood, teach us how to make games! It's pathetic. Make your own music, your own story, your own rules, otherwise there will be truth to the statement that videogames are just movies with options. If video games are art, they have to be able to stand on their own.

True dat.  Did this kind of stuff happen when movies were in their infancy?  I mean, were directors getting novelists to write their scripts so they seemed more "legitimate", and advertising the hell out of that fact?

Double dat true.

But didn't early film-making borrow heavily from vaudeville, then also theatre?

Edit: Now that I looked up Buster Keaton, I realize that Shyguy beat me to it.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com  

[Svevan]

I don't think the error in judgement is in adaptation from other mediums - art is universal, and each medium should be versatile enough to handle a variety of subject matter. The problem is when artists from other mediums are asked to "shine up the joint" by their mere presence. This press release pretty much says that bad television is better than any video game. Lindy got it right: Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat was advertised as written by John Steinbeck (it barely was), and this was supposed to elevate the material beyond typical Hitchcock fluff. It's odd to us today, but Hitch received no respect from Hollywood when he was making his best movies. Wrangling playwrights and authors into work on his movies was something he did often, for sometimes good reasons, like quality, and other times bad, like publicity.  

[NWR_Lindy]

Interesting link I came across today, linked from Fark of all places.

Top 50 Endings of All Time

[wandering]

...The Sixth Sense, Psycho, and 2001 should be on there. The Blair Witch Project and especially that stupid cliffhanger from Back to the Future (which I'm pretty sure was tacked onto the video release, and wasn't, actually, there originally, as the authors suggest.) But overall, a pretty solid list (haven't seen Chinatown so can't comment on it.)

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Jerry Goldsmith himself was a hack (check him on IMDB), but he has plenty of good scores to his name (among them Chinatown, The Burbs, Patton, and Gremlins).

Wha? Yes, he does have plenty of good scores to his name. What proof of his hackiness am I supposed to find on imdb, again? That he scored some bad films? Bah.

[Pryopizm]

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Originally posted by: Svevan
I don't think the error in judgement is in adaptation from other mediums - art is universal, and each medium should be versatile enough to handle a variety of subject matter. The problem is when artists from other mediums are asked to "shine up the joint" by their mere presence. This press release pretty much says that bad television is better than any video game. Lindy got it right: Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat was advertised as written by John Steinbeck (it barely was), and this was supposed to elevate the material beyond typical Hitchcock fluff. It's odd to us today, but Hitch received no respect from Hollywood when he was making his best movies. Wrangling playwrights and authors into work on his movies was something he did often, for sometimes good reasons, like quality, and other times bad, like publicity.

Williams did an amazing job with Metal Gear Solid 2.  So, sometimes the shine actually works very well.  

Somehow, though, I doubt Joel is as brilliant in creating a pop score as his father was.

[Artimus]

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Originally posted by: vudu

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Did you really just call the ending to Chinatown the worst movie ending of all time? Because I'm reading those words and I have a rough time believing anyone actually thinks that.

Yes, I did.  It's not that I mind so much Mrs. Mulwray dying.  I just don't like the fact that they left so many loose ends.  The movie felt like it ended five minutes too early.  What's going to happen with Noah Cross and his daughter/granddaughter?  Will he really get away with running the farmers out of business and stealing their land so he can expand LA?  What's up with Roman Polanski's character?  The movie left too many questions unanswered.  

Considering that Roman Polanski wrote the ending himself (after a falling out with the screenwriter Robert Towne) it's not surprising that the ending was a let-down.

From Silks link (which I also saw today):

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The bad guy gets away and Nicholson's Jake Gittes, after solving the case, is told to forget the whole affair.

The ending is the perfect ending because it wraps up Gittes and the entire feel of the film perfectly. In fact...:

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Robert Towne originally intended to have a happy ending. However, during pre-production Roman Polanski and Towne argued over it, with Polanski insisting on a tragic ending. Polanski won the argument and, when the picture was re-released in 1999, Towne admitted that he had been wrong.

[vudu]

That doesn't change the fact that the movie ended five minutes too early.  Something should have been said about the bad guy getting away at least.  Instead, nothing.  He just stopped appearing on film.  There wasn't an ending scene or any hint as to what was going to happen.  The movie just sort of stopped.

[Deguello]

Videogames definitely are not their own art form yet.  Well they were at one point, but then somebody let Hollywood in and it seems that they never left.  And Videogames have been a slave to Hollywood ever since.

For example, every E3 I hear the same thing from that Lowenstein guy.  "Videogames make more money than Movies.  Hollywood has a new butt to kiss."   And so forth.  And he may be right... the videogame REVENUES (remember to distinct revenue from profit) may have outdone Motion Picture revenues, but that isn't the whole story right then and there.  You gotta wonder, how much of that videogame revenue is crossover material from movies?  Hypothetical question... has there ever been a game based off a movie that topped the sales charts?  Why yes!  GoldenEye 007!  Heck, just last month!  All told, the game Cars (as in Disney presents a Pixar Animation Studios Cars) sold more than every piece of software, followed by New Super Mario Bros.  So I would say that Movie and other media tie-ins greatly contribute to videogames' very existance and furthermore bolster that very revenue stream that the ESA preens about.

So what about the converse?  Do Videogame movies contribute to Hollywood?  Short answer no.  Long answer, I am not even aware of a videogame movie that ever was the #1 movie for any given weekend at any point in history.  (Correct me if I am wrong)  So the moral of the story is that Hollywood has a much greater impact on videogames than videogames has on Hollywood.  The side effect of this is that many videogame producers and directors and such all wanna make movies so bad they can taste it.  I mean, let's not kid ourselves, Hideo Kojima makes movies, period.  He has NEVER made a video game in his entire life.  The gameplay to cinematic ratio is shifted greatly in the cinematic direction.  The 1998 joke that Metal Gear Solid is an interactive movie is becoming a 2006 reality.  And LOL don't even get me started on Final Fantasy.  I heard that the latest one (FFXII) can play itself.  PLAY ITSELF.  And all this for a half-baked sub-par plot artificially said to have "quality" by its fans and its fans alone.  All this while truly interactive experiences like Wario Ware, Nintendogs, F-Zero, and Chibi-Robo are maligned and pushed aside (maybe not Nintendogs) for reason of having "no plot."  Gag me.

It's time for videogame companies to start being videogame companies again and stop apeing Hollywood.  

[Mario]

Well, the videogame companies that ARE videogame companies make games that flop left, right and centre, so the root of the problem is elsewhere.

[IceCold]

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So what about the converse? Do Videogame movies contribute to Hollywood? Short answer no. Long answer, I am not even aware of a videogame movie that ever was the #1 movie for any given weekend at any point in history. (Correct me if I am wrong)

Resident Evil Apocalypse?