COMPOSER CAMEOS

As a music for picture historian, fan and photojournalist I have always been intrigued by the involvement of composers in their projects... From attending a number of talks, festivals and through my own discussions there tends to be a finite set questions that often get whirled around; including the obvious 'Did the director steer you in the style of music that they wanted or were you given free reign?' or the tried and tested 'Had the Director and Producers given you any ideas based upon temp tracks?' etc. etc.

What is fair to assume is that their really is no 'set' formula to the composition process when it comes to each individual project; sure, the internet is full of conspiracy theories, industry insights and interviews explaining the decisions and processes for scoring to picture but ultimately as with many aspects of the film industry it all boils down to each individual moment that the creative team spend together and the needs, wants and desires of the Director/Producers.

What has fascinated me for a very long time is the involvement of composers in a very different setting, i.e. non-musically. How often does the composer appear on film in a project that they are involved with (be it TV, film or a game character)? As a youngster growing up on the staple 80's kids films I remember getting really excited when my older brother pointed out Jerry Goldsmith in Gremlins II and also John Barry in The Living Daylights, and much later recognising the great Miklos Rozsa in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and these moments have stayed with me for some time only to be reignited by a recent interview with Tyler Bates about his work on Guardians of the Galaxy as the composer and an actor.

Anyone that knows me personally will appreciate that I am a huge silent film fan and in particular the works of Chaplin, Lloyd, Arbuckle and Keaton; however Chaplin is so often overlooked when it comes to his body work not only as an actor but as a musician and composer. A boy from the working class slums of Lambeth, England who made it to Hollywood could be well argued to be the first fully fledged 'Film Composer' at a time the industry was changing dramatically. To quote Chaplin- "Nothing is more exciting than to hear the tunes one has composed played for the first time by a 50-piece orchestra"

And so to the role of composer on screen... whilst this is by no means a definitive list it does show another side to composers and also the trust placed in them by the creative team as they are rewarded with a cameo on screen in a project that they are scoring:

ENNIO MORRICONE Everybody's Fine (1990)

TYLER BATES Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ Art House (1998)

MARK ISHAM Made in Heaven (1987)

BLAKE NEELY Eastwick (2009) - TV

DAVID ARNOLD Little Britain (2003) - TV The League of Gentlemen (2000) - TV The Young Americans (1993)

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) Dr Finlay (1993) - TV

PATRICK DOYLE Brave (2012) As You Like It (2006) A Midwinters Tale (1994) Frankenstein (1994) Dead Again (1991) Henry V (1989) - his first ever score and he appeared in it

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT Monuments Men (2013) My Life Is Hell (1991)

JOHN BARRY Deadfall (1968) The Living Daylights (1987)

DAFT PUNK Tron: Legacy (2010)

DANNY ELFMAN Forbidden Zone (1982) The Gift (2000)

MICHAEL GIACCHINO Super 8 (2011) Undercovers (2010) - TV

JERRY GOLDSMITH In Harm's Way (1965) Gremlins (1984) Gremlins 2 (1990)

RANDY NEWMAN

Princess and the Frog (2009)

Leatherhead's (2008)

RAMIN DJAWADI, HEITOR PEREIRA, RYELAND ALLISON

It's Complicated (2009)

BERNARD HERRMANN The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

JAMES HORNER Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982)

QUINCY JONES Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002)

HENRY MANCINI Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

ALFRED NEWMAN They Shall Have Music (1939) How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

DAVID NEWMAN The Runestone (1991)

MIKLÓS RÓZSA The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

LALO SCHIFRIN Red Dragon (2002)

MARC SHAIMAN Broadcast News (1987) Beaches (1988) Hot Shots (1991) Addams Family (1991) North (1994) South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) Hairspray (2007) SMASH (2012) - TV