Welcome to a new ongoing series on the channel
where I analysis the musical score from some
of the greatest movies, tv shows and video
games.
It’s here where I discuss how a soundtrack
compliments it’s corresponding title, along
with how it came to be.
In this episode, I’ll be going over the
marvolous score of Christopher Nolan’s Inception,
composed by Hans Zimmer.
We’ll talk about Hans vision for the score,
how he incorporates a leitmotif to the entire
soundtrack, and Inception’s iconic pulsating
brass sound that we know as
“BRAAMM”
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With all that said, let’s begin.
The 
idea for Inception’s soundtrack originated
with it becoming an electronic score.
Director, Christopher Nolan, wanted a precise
and edgy electric tone out of Zimmer and to
output the score from imagery and illusions.
Nolan demanded that Zimmer establish the score
with only their conversations rather than
planting the music to the screen.
Without permission to view the movie, Hans
had to build the soundtrack with his imagination.
Both Chris and Hans would work parallel in
the film’s production; Nolan would shoot
the film, while Zimmer composed it.
The soundtrack was created without a temporary
score, or in other words, a series of tracks
that guidelines the score’s mood to be later
replaced and rerecorded.
Since he wasn’t able to see the movie while
Chris was cutting it, Hans organized everything
he wrote for the movie to categories instead
of being linked to specific scenes.
The music was identified with characters in
mind with most of them revolving around Leonard
DiCaprio’s character, which I’ll go over
in detail later in the video.
Over time Nolan would rely information to
Zimmer on what he wanted in the musical score
for the film.
To execute an electronic sound he would need
to synthesize everything, but to push it to
a more innovative score, Zimmer used an orchestra
to imitate the synthetic sound.
Zimmer would write the music, then he would
translate it for the following orchestra instruments:
6 bass trombones, 6 tenor trombones, 4 tubas,
and 6 french horns.
In addition to these wind instruments, he
included an electric guitar to further encompass
that electric sound.
Zimmer brought guitarist Johnny Marr, former
guitarist of the 80s rock band “The Smiths”,
to achieve this guitar melody.
Marr was introduced to the score based on
a Ennio Morricone guitar inspired piece Hans
wrote.
He didn’t know it at the time, but Hans’
guitar piece was tailor-made for Johnny and
when he decided who he wanted to perform it,
he wouldn’t pick anyone else for the job.
Marr spent four 12-hour days working on the
score.
Zimmer garnered influence and inspiration
from a book by Douglas Hofstadter called,
“Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden
Braid”.
The book compounds the fundamentals of mathematics,
symmetry and intelligence in music.
To Zimmer, he was exceedingly interested in
the concept of time and the possibility in
its manipulation, since Inception approaches
this with time-travel through dreams.
The book was able to give Hans a better understanding
on to associate time manipulation in his score.
Nolan associated Édith Piaf’s song “Non,
Je Ne Regrette Rien” in the screenplay.
This song was included in the film.
Zimmer adopted this song and unified it as
the leitmotif for the score.
He integrated elements of this song into the
soundtrack to exhibit the theme of time and
it’s constant changing state.
By manipulating the opening bars of the original
song and slowing down the tempo significantly,
these new pulsating notes are replicated in
Inception’s score, especially in the track,
“Half Remembered Dream.”
Of course these pulsating notes were imitated
through brass wind instruments, which brought
to the world that popular foghorn sound.
The music of Inception is subdivided and multiplied
from the tempo of Édith Piaf’s song.
Zimmer was able to change this tempo by half
or even split it into a third of the time
and use that to outline the time manipulation
shown in the movie.
These foghorn notes were later added to the
music of the announcement trailer of Inception.
Although the score of this trailer wasn’t
composed by Hans Zimmer, but instead by Zack
Hemsey, the pulsating notes were used to highlight
the film’s motif of time.
The trailer music was also excluded from the
official soundtrack.
To further understand Hans elements extracted
from Piaf’s piece, you need to understand
the core of Inception.
Surprisingly enough, the score subjects the
fundamentals of romance.
With an emotional approach for Inception’s
soundtrack, it’s been said by Zimmer that
his composition revolves around Leonardo’s
character Cobb.
Hans’ wrote the score to match the sadness
and nostalgia that Cobb’s character holds
onto throughout the entire plot.
Rather than focusing on the atmosphere of
film, the music is trusting the audience to
direct their attention to Leonardo’s character
and what is retained there.
The storyline and even the score of the movie
keeps bringing the viewers back to Cobb’s
emotional past, something that is uncovered
at the end of the film.
The turmoil that this character possesses
is the backbone of Inception and it’s what
the plot heavily relies on.
Before we conclude the episode, don’t forget
to subscribe.
You’ll find more soundtrack analysis videos
much like this one.
You can see my past Score UnCovered episodes
on the popular tv show’s Game Of Thrones
and Twin Peaks.
Based on your interest for Inception, I’ll
continue to analysis other movies composed
by Zimmer in the future.
I’m also taking requests for movies, tv
shows and video games for Score UnCovered,
so let me know here on YouTube or on my Twitter
page.
So when someone asks me what my favorite movie
is, I can never categorize a list in my head,
but I’d have to say Inception has got to
be one of my favorites.
The reason I really enjoy this film is for
so many reasons, but one of it’s greatest
qualities is it’s soundtrack.
The masterful mind of Zimmer outputs a thrilling
and captivating tone that characterizes the
visual idea of a science fiction world created
in someone’s imagination.
Someone might label Hans Zimmer as a repetitive
composer or unimaginative, but if you look
at Inception, the originality and power of
each track highlights the movie’s tense
and emotional moments really well.
There is an attachment between the music and
it’s corresponding event on screen that
let’s the audience understand the story’s
progression.
Although each track is different, it always
comes back to the central theme of the film,
the leitmotif of “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”,
and doesn’t stray away from that tone.
I want to thank you for watching this episode
of “Score UnCovered”.
I love where this series is going.
You all have been very interactive on these
videos by voicing your recommendations and
thoughts and I truly appreciate that.
I’m glad you are all enjoying it.
I’m looking forward to discussing more with
you.
So to end here.
Once more, thank you greatly.
