The Man With The Movie Camera Cinematic Orchestra
The Man With The Movie Camera is a silent film directed by Dziga Vertov, released in 1929. This documentary showcases everyday life in the cities of the Soviet Union, capturing everything from the workday to leisure time. The film is also known for its groundbreaking cinematography and editing techniques, which made it a landmark in the history of cinema.
However, the film's soundtrack is equally remarkable, as it was given new life with the Cinematic Orchestra's reimagining in 2003. This article will take you through the journey of how the Cinematic Orchestra brought new life to this masterpiece of film music.
The Founding of the Cinematic Orchestra
The Cinematic Orchestra is a British nu-jazz and electronic music group founded by Jason Swinscoe and Phil France in 1999. The group's music is known for its sampling, improvisation, and live instrumentation.
The group's journey began when Jason Swinscoe found a box of old vinyl records in a Cleveland record shop. He was struck by the sounds of the past and began to experiment with the samples he found. Eventually, he formed a band called The Cinematic Orchestra.
The Cinematic Orchestra and The Man With The Movie Camera
The Cinematic Orchestra's involvement with The Man with the Movie Camera began in 2002 when French film director Michel Gondry asked the band to compose music for his short film "One Day" along with the Russian Animated Orchestra, a Moscow-based orchestra.
After this successful collaboration, Swinscoe, a fan of early cinema, was inspired to create an album featuring tracks inspired by the scores of classic silent films, including The Man With The Movie Camera. Swinscoe and France spent months dissecting the original film score and reimagining its layers of sound and musical themes, interpreting them through a contemporary lens.
Recording and Production
In 2003, the Cinematic Orchestra released its studio album, "Man With a Movie Camera," which was specifically created to be a soundtrack for Vertov's silent film.
The band used a combination of live instrumentation and electronic production techniques to create a sonic landscape that perfectly matched the film's imagery. The tracks on the album combine elements of jazz, classical and electronic music, with influences ranging from John Coltrane to Steve Reich to Can to Miles Davis.
The Cinematic Orchestra worked with a string section of 12 musicians, a jazz quartet, and a 14-piece percussion section to create a sound that is both cinematic and orchestral but also modern and innovative. The album's centerpiece was the epic 12-minute-long title track, which features the Moscow-based Russian Animated Orchestra playing the original film score, while the Cinematic Orchestra improvised around it.
Impact and Legacy
The Man With The Movie Camera Cinematic Orchestra album received critical acclaim for its innovative approach to creating a soundtrack for a classic silent film, and the band became known for its reimagining of film scores as well as its own original compositions.
The album has since been used as a soundtrack for other films, such as the documentary "Entrance," and has been praised for its ability to evoke emotions and capture the essence of different stories through its music.
The Cinematic Orchestra's work on The Man With The Movie Camera soundtrack is often cited as a landmark in the history of film music, as it showed how a classic piece of music could be reinterpreted and given new life through modern production techniques and contemporary composition.
Conclusion
The Man With The Movie Camera Cinematic Orchestra album is a masterpiece of film music that showcases the intersection of classic cinema and modern music production. The album's blend of live instrumentation and electronic production techniques creates a sonic landscape that perfectly matches the film's imagery and tells a story in its own right.
The Cinematic Orchestra's work on this album has had a lasting impact on the world of film music by showing that classic pieces of music could be re-interpreted and given new life through modern production techniques and contemporary composition.
The band's legacy continues to influence musicians and composers today, and their work on The Man With The Movie Camera soundtrack remains a landmark in the history of cinema.