Moonlight (soundtrack) explained

Cover:Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).jpg
Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Type:Soundtrack
Artist:Nicholas Britell
Released:October 21, 2016
Studio:20152016
Length:38:04
Label:Lakeshore
Producer:Nicholas Britell

Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2016 film of the same name directed by Barry Jenkins. The film's original score is composed by Nicholas Britell who applied a chopped and screwed technique of hip hop remixes to orchestral music, producing a "fluid, bass-heavy score". The soundtrack album consisted of 21 tracks, with incorporated compositions from Goodie Mob, Boris Gardiner and Barbara Lewis and an arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Vesperae solennes de confessore" by Britell, with the score accompanying the remainder of it.[1]

Lakeshore Records released the film's soundtrack digitally on October 21, 2016 and in physical formats on November 25, 2016, with the vinyl edition of the album, being released on February 17, 2017.[2] The score received positive critical acclaim praising Britell's composition and the chopped and screwed musical technique. The score received nominations for "Best Original Score" category in the Academy Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Awards and other ceremonies, but lost all of them to Justin Hurwitz for La La Land. However, Britell won the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Score and Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Feature Film.

Background

The original score is composed by Nicholas Britell, marking the beginning of a collaboration with Jenkins.[3] Plan B Entertainment, co-producer Jeremy Kleiner approached Britell with a script for reading, which he felt as "incredibly beautiful" and "completely overwhelmed" agreeing to contribute to the music. He added "the film felt like poetry, it was so beautiful and tender".[4] [5]

Recording and production

The score is an alteration of minimal instrumentation and sounds from full chamber orchestra.[6] His initial musical instincts were to have "sensitivity, tenderness and intimacy", and adding a counterpoint is the idea of chopped and screwed music, a type of Southern hip hop genre where songs are bent and pitched and slowed down and become "fascinating morphed versions of themselves that are deepened and enriched". This technique is mainly to slow down the tempo between 60-70 quarter-note beats that, when repeated in a measure, creates a "choppy" effect. The recordings he scored where manipulated with the Ableton Live software, where he would play with octaves and tone and layered them to achieve that sound.[7] [8] As the film is divided into three chapters of Chiron's life, the score itself depict the character's growth with the progressive community. He first began with "Chiron's Theme" where he chopped and screwed piano alternates between major and minor chords, with spare violin acting as counterpoint, which led Britell call it as "Piano and Violin Poem". The theme was then morphed into cellos, when Chiron reunites with his childhood friend Kevin (André Holland). In contrast, the score for "The Middle of the World" is played when a young Chiron is taught to swim by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a sensitive drug-dealer who becomes his father-figure. This provoked him to write the main theme for the film. In a sequence, where Chiron and Kevin slap hands in a high-five before tragedy separates them, Britell used the sonic element to create a percussion tapestry, which was "a fascinating exploration of what happens to the pieces after they’ve been woven into a sonic landscape".[9]

Cover artwork

The soundtrack album to Moonlight featured cover art designed by John Bergin,[10] The original edition has a still of Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders and Alex Hibbert as Chiron, split in three sides of the cover, and primary colors include blue, violet and indigo.[11] The second album for the vinyl edition has a still of Sanders' facing the left side of the background.[12] [13]

Release

Lakeshore Records distributed the Moonlight soundtrack in digital formats on October 21, 2016, the same day as the film's release, and in physical formats on November 25.[14] The album was released in vinyl on February 17, 2017.[15] The album was released in the United Kingdom by Invada Records on June 2, 2017 in digital CD and vinyl editions.[16] In Taiwan, the album was published by Noble Music and Lakeshore on April 13, 2017. Rambling Records released the album in Japan on April 7, 2017.[17] Two repressed editions of the album were released in 2019 and 2020.

Live performance

Britell performed the score live at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles on January 10, 2017, where a special screening of the film was held. Wordless Music Orchestra performed the score at the stage with Britell conducting, and will also receive a copy of the film's soundtrack in physical form by A24. On the live performance, Britell felt "incredibly excited" and also added that he would re-record the complex soundscapes and audio textures and use "a variety of techniques (including real-time pitch shifting) to recreate the chopped and screwed music recorded in the studio".[18]

Reception

Giving a score 7.7 out of 10, Calum Marsh of Pitchfork reviewed "Nicholas Britell composed a score that splits the difference between classical and codeine". About the chopped and screwed technique for the score, Marsh explained "Moonlight is all about slowing things down: it’s about how identities are made, how appearances are cultivated, and how if we stop for a moment the difference between who we’re trying to be and who we are becomes obvious. The clash in styles lays bare these themes so compellingly. It’s real life chopped and screwed." Writing for Drowned in Sound, Adam Turner-Heffer gave a score of 8 out 10 and commented "Britell's soundtrack is every bit as unnerving and beautiful as the film it colours and is well worth exploring as a wonderful piece of contemporary music, as well as cinema."[19] Laurie Chen of The Quietus called the album as "immensely evocative and conjures up entire scenes of the film when only a fragment is heard".[20] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "Britell tells the musical story well, but on album it doesn’t offer nearly as compelling a musical narrative despite scaling some high peaks along the way."[21]

Accolades

Moonlight's score by Nicholas Britell received nominations under Best Original Score category in major award ceremonies—including Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards. He lose all of them to Justin Hurwitz for his score in La La Land (2016). However, at the 2017 Black Reel Awards, Britell won the award for Outstanding Original Score, and also won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Feature Film.

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Academy AwardsFebruary 26, 2017Best Original Score[22]
Black Reel AwardsFebruary 16, 2017Outstanding Original Score[23]
[24]
Chicago Film Critics AssociationDecember 15, 2016Best Original Score[25]
[26]
Critics' Choice Movie AwardsDecember 11, 2016Best Original Score[27]
[28]
Florida Film Critics CircleDecember 23, 2016Best ScoreMoonlight [29]
[30]
Georgia Film Critics AssociationJanuary 13, 2017Best Original Score[31]
Golden Globe AwardsJanuary 8, 2017Best Original Score[32]
[33]
Hollywood Music in Media AwardsNovember 17, 2016Best Original Score – Feature Film[34]
Houston Film Critics SocietyJanuary 6, 2017Best Original Score[35]
International Film Music Critics AssociationFebruary 23, 2017Best Original Score for a Drama Film[36]
San Francisco Film Critics CircleDecember 11, 2016Best Original Score[37]
[38]
Seattle Film Critics SocietyJanuary 5, 2017Best Original Score[39]
[40]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics AssociationDecember 18, 2016Best Music/Score[41]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics AssociationDecember 5, 2016Best Score[42]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Calvario . Liz . 2016-10-29 . 'Moonlight' Score: Listen to Nicholas Britell's Moving Compositions . 2022-12-02 . IndieWire . en.
  2. Web site: Listen To A Chopped and Screwed mix of the Moonlight Soundtrack . February 25, 2017 . The Fader.
  3. Web site: Kilday . Gregg . 2016-11-11 . How 'Moonlight' Became a "Personal Memoir" for Director Barry Jenkins: "I Knew the Story Like the Back of My Hand" . 2022-12-02 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  4. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . 2016-11-16 . The Sound Of 'Moonlight': How Composer Nicholas Britell Tapped The Poetic Soul Of Barry Jenkins' Coming-Of-Age Drama . 2022-12-02 . Deadline . en-US.
  5. Web site: 'Moonlight' Director Barry Jenkins on Bringing 'Art House to the Hood' . 2022-12-02 . www.vice.com . October 20, 2016 . en.
  6. News: Cooper . Michael . 2017-02-21 . Hear How 'Moonlight' Got Its Sound: Violins, Chopped and Screwed . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-12-02 . 0362-4331.
  7. Web site: Galas . Marj . 2016-11-18 . 'Moonlight' Composer Used Music Ranging From Hip-Hop to Classical to Inspire Score . 2022-12-02 . Variety . en-US.
  8. Web site: Swanson . Carl . Moonlight Director Barry Jenkins Thought He'd Fled His Past, Then He Accidentally Made a Movie About It . 2022-12-02 . Vulture . December 2016 . en-us.
  9. Web site: Desowitz . Bill . 2016-10-13 . 'Moonlight': How Nicholas Britell's Score Balances Poetry and Southern Hip-Hop . 2022-12-02 . IndieWire . en.
  10. Web site: Nicholas Britell: Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) . 2022-12-02 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  11. Web site: Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), by Nicholas Britell . 2022-12-02 . Nicholas Britell . en.
  12. Web site: Nicholas Britell - Moonlight OST 2020 Re-Press [LP] ]. 2022-12-02 . www.invada.co.uk.
  13. Web site: Nicholas Britell Moonlight Soundtrack 180g LP (Transparent Blue Vinyl) . 2022-12-02 . Elusive Disc . en.
  14. Web site: October 21, 2016 . Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Nicholas Britell . February 25, 2017 . iTunes.
  15. Web site: Nicholas Britell - Moonlight - (Vinyl LP) . 2022-12-02 . Rough Trade . en.
  16. Web site: Moonlight - Nicholas Britell LP, Album, Blu (2017) . 2022-12-02 . The Retro Store . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Nicholas Britell: Filmmusik: Moonlight (O.S.T.) (180g) (Blue Vinyl) (LP) – jpc . 2022-12-02 . www.jpc.de . de.
  18. Web site: O'Falt . Chris . 2016-11-21 . 'Moonlight' Set to Receive Live Orchestra Screening Treatment, Featuring Composer Nicholas Britell . 2022-12-02 . IndieWire . en.
  19. Web site: Album Review: Nicholas Britell - Moonlight – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack . 2022-12-02 . DrownedInSound . June 23, 2017 . en.
  20. Web site: Chen . Laurie . 2017-03-05 . A Kind Of Blue: Reflections On The Moonlight Soundtrack . 2022-12-02 . The Quietus . en-us.
  21. Web site: 2017-01-29 . Moonlight soundtrack review Nicholas Britell movie-wave.net . 2022-12-02 . en-GB.
  22. Web site: The 89th Academy Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170303124907/http://oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017 . March 3, 2017 . May 17, 2017 . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
  23. Web site: February 17, 2017 . 'Moonlight' Shines Bright! . May 18, 2017 . Black Reel Awards.
  24. Web site: December 14, 2016 . 17th Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170228121330/http://blackreelawards.com/17th-annual-black-reel-awards-nominations/ . February 28, 2017 . May 18, 2017 . Black Reel Awards.
  25. Web site: December 11, 2016 . The 2016 Chicago Film Critics Association Award Nominees . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220200944/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/component/content/article/148-cfca-nominees-2016 . December 20, 2016 . December 12, 2016 . Chicago Film Critics Association.
  26. Web site: December 15, 2016 . Chicago Film Critics 2016 Winners Announced: Moonlight is Best Picture . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170127141058/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/chicago-film-critics-2016-winners-announced/ . January 27, 2017 . May 18, 2017 . Rotten Tomatoes.
  27. News: Kilday . Gregg . December 1, 2016 . 'La La Land,' 'Arrival,' 'Moonlight' Top Critics' Choice Nominations . The Hollywood Reporter . June 7, 2017.
  28. News: Nordyke . Kimberly . Shanley . Patrick . December 11, 2016 . Critics' Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List . The Hollywood Reporter . June 8, 2017.
  29. Web site: December 21, 2016 . 'Moonlight' Leads 2016 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161222003126/http://www.floridafilmcritics.com/2016/12/20/moonlight-leads-2016-florida-film-critics-awards-nominations/ . December 22, 2016 . December 21, 2016 . Florida Film Critics Circle.
  30. News: Rodriguez . Rene . December 23, 2016 . Florida Film Critics Circle swoons for 'The Lobster,' 'La La Land' and 'Moonlight' . . live . May 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170103164945/http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article122673374.html . January 3, 2017.
  31. Web site: January 12, 2017 . 2016 Awards . March 5, 2020 . Georgia Film Critics Association.
  32. News: December 12, 2016 . Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations . The Hollywood Reporter . live . December 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161213020558/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/golden-globes-nominees-2017-list-955075 . December 13, 2016.
  33. News: January 9, 2017 . Golden Globes 2017 winners: full list of TV and film awards as The Crown and La La Land triumph . The Daily Telegraph . live . May 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170206232854/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/01/09/golden-globe-awards-2017-full-list-winners-tv-film-awards1/ . February 6, 2017.
  34. Web site: The 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Awards winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150703033335/http://www.hmmawards.com/hmma-winners/ . July 3, 2015 . May 18, 2017 . Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
  35. News: Dansby . Andrew . December 14, 2016 . 'La La Land' la la lands multiple noms from Houston Film Critics . . live . May 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220164213/http://www.chron.com/entertainment/movies/article/La-La-Land-la-la-lands-multiple-noms-from-10795334.php . December 20, 2016.
  36. News: Levy . Dani . February 9, 2017 . 'Arrival,' 'La La Land' Among Film Music Critics Nominees . Variety . live . May 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170304120232/http://variety.com/2017/film/in-contention/international-film-music-critics-association-awards-la-la-land-1201983114/ . March 4, 2017.
  37. Web site: December 11, 2016 . San Francisco Critics Award Winners Announced: Moonlight Wins Best Picture . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204195540/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/san-francisco-critics-award-winners-announced-moonlight-wins-best-picture/ . February 4, 2017 . May 18, 2017 . Rotten Tomatoes.
  38. News: Nordyke . Kimberly . December 12, 2016 . 'Moonlight' Named Best Picture by San Francisco Film Critics Circle . The Hollywood Reporter . live . May 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161213020831/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/moonlight-named-best-picture-by-san-francisco-film-critics-circle-955302 . December 13, 2016.
  39. Web site: December 21, 2016 . The 2016 Seattle Film Award Nominees . December 21, 2016 . Seattle Film Critics Society.
  40. Web site: January 5, 2017 . "Moonlight" Awarded Best Picture by Seattle Film Critics Society . January 5, 2017 . Seattle Film Critics Society.
  41. Web site: December 18, 2016 . 2016 StLFCA Annual Award Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160504082034/http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/awards . May 4, 2016 . December 18, 2016 . St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.
  42. Web site: December 5, 2016 . 'La La Land' Music to the Ears of D.C. Film Critics . https://web.archive.org/web/20170312055647/http://www.dcfilmcritics.com/awards/ . March 12, 2017 . Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association.

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