Hans Zimmer

Hans Florian Zimmer is a type-setter of musics of Film S, born on September 12th, 1957 with Frankfurt (Germany).
Naturalized American, it lives from now on with Los Angeles.

Biography

Its youth

As of the three years age, Hans Zimmer starts to study the piano, but the experiment lasts only two weeks. He thus does not study the Solfège, and learns the self-educated music of manner. In adolescence, it is interested in the electronic music, and leaves Germany to settle in England at the 22 years age, in 1979. He writes jingles for the studio Air Eidel (where he will meet later in particular Patrick Doyle and his assistants of then, John Powell and Gavin Greenaway) and integrates the group of the Buggles, launched by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, universally famous for the title Video Killed the Radio Star besides (Zimmer makes an appearance at the end of the video clip, behind a keyboard). Hans also launches out in the electronic music with Warren Cann, member of the group Ultravox.

Its beginnings

Zimmer also makes knowledge in this beginning of the year 1980 in Snake Ranch Studio with Stanley Myers, Nick Glennie-Smith and Richard Harvey (whose assistants are not other than the brothers Rupert and Harry Gregson-Williams). Becoming the assistant of Myers, Zimmer starts to work in 1982 on the film Moonlighting , which marks the beginning of a long collaboration between the two men on films like Castaway of Nicolas Roeg or My Beautiful Laundrette of Stephen Frears. It starts to only compose on the film a world with share of Chris Menges. This composition draws the attention of Barry Levinson, which engages it for its film Rain Man . Zimmer thus leaves England to attack Hollywood. First successful blow, Rain Man mark the entry thundering of the type-setter on the American ground with a nomination with the Oscars.

The Ventures Media

As of its arrival in the United States, in 1989, Zimmer founds with Santa Monica a studio with his/her friend Jay Rifkin who will revolutionize the methods of composition of the film music: Media Ventures. Its objective is to make it possible new type-setters (coming in particular from Europe, like Zimmer itself) to have access to a material of high-quality to be able to bore in the film music. Zimmer wants to offer the same chance to unknown as that which Levinson offered to him with Rain Man . It is surrounded then of many type-setters and technicians to help it with its setting up its studio, like Mark Mancina, Nick Glennie-Smith, Christopher Ward, John Van Tongeren, Jeff Rona, Bruce Fowler or Shirley Walker.

Its rise

The proposals rain after the success of Rain Man . Zimmer thus attacks a style which it had not had the occasion to test in England: the action film. It begins on the film Black Rain , which marks the beginning of a long agreement with Ridley Scott (1989), and connects with his brother Tony Scott on Jours of thunder . If these compositions did not occur very well with the production, and if Zimmer itself thinks that the result is rather bad, the name of the German type-setter resounds more and more in Hollywood. It connects the projects like Backdraft of Ron Howard (1991), or films of John Badham: As a bird on the branch (1990) and Drop Zone (1994). Less commercial, Zimmer is not devoted only to the action and composes for films like the Power of the angel of John G. Avildsen, Fenêtre on the Pacific of John Schlesinger or Radio Flyer of Richard Donner.

Curious situation for him in 1991, one requires of him to rewrite the score of Hook-White to replace that of Basil Poledouris. Finally little convinced, the producer will select the best tracks composed by Poledouris, Zimmer, Shirley Walker and Fiachra Trench (John Powell is present on this work). Frankly Roddam request this same year with Zimmer to compose the music of its film K2 , but it is finally used only in the European version of film.

Dedication

1994 mark a turning in its career. It composes for its first , cartoon film the King lion , and to date gains its first and single Oscar, but also a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award. In 1995 it composes for Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott - not without difficulty - the original soundtrack TO USE Alabama (with the assistance in particular of Nick Glennie-Smith), which will make mark in the history of Hollywood action films, for its alliance between electronic music, orchestral, and the impressive use of the choruses (directed for the occasion by Harry Gregson-Williams, hardly have just integrated the studio Media Ventures). The little story wants that this music enormously rained with Steven Spielberg - Zimmer forever which been able to confirm it - which then gave him the keys of the musical direction of its new studio DreamWorks SKG.

Criticisms

Zimmer becomes the target many criticisms. It is shown to be credited principal type-setter on works of which he is not the author. He pleads readily guilty. He is in particular credited as Co-type-setter with Harry Gregson-Williams with The Whole Wide World (1996) and Smilla (1997), or as type-setter of Millennium (1992), actually of Mancina. It did finally nothing but supervise these works, and explains why it is easier to sell a composition rather credited Hans Zimmer than an unknown. Another misunderstanding, theoriginal one of Rock'n'roll , often associated with Zimmer, whereas this one did nothing but replace some main themes of Nick Glennie-Smith which had been rejected. Refusing to grant the work of another, Glennie-Smith insisted that Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams are credited as Co-type-setters.

End of the year 1990

Thereafter alternation between scores of actions and continuous comedy, with in particular in 1997 the first film of the studios DreamWorks the Peacemaker of Mimi Leder and For worst and best the of James L. Brooks. Thanks to its studio, Zimmer makes it possible his/her collaborators to compose for large productions. It leaves its place to Jeff Rona for Ground swell of Ridley Scott but especially it launches John Powell, coldly unloaded of England with Media Ventures, on the blockbuster of John Woo Volte-face .
In 1998 it attacks the one of its showpieces, the Red line , of Terrence Malick, film for which it does not compose less than six hours of musics and recognized by much like the masterpiece of the German type-setter. It also puts in music drawing-animated at the subject boiling of DreamWorks, the Prince of Egypt , this same year. All the cartoon films of the studio will be then entrusted to Zimmer or has its team, in particular Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell or Rupert Gregson-Williams.

The statement

At the end of the years 1990 and with the beginning of the year 2000 the Media Ventures TEAM is renewed around Zimmer. Nick Glennie-Smith, Harry Gregson-Williams, Mancina Mark, Jeff Rona or Justin Caine Burnett take their distances with the studio, want émanciper of Zimmer. Arrive in the new generation Klaus Badelt, Ramin Djawadi, Steve Jablonsky (via Harry Gregson-Williams), Heitor Pereira, James Michael Dooley, Trevor Morris, Henning Lohner, Clay Duncan, Lorne Balfe, James S. Levine, Blake Neely or Mel Wesson.

Gladiator and after Gladiator

Zimmer is its larger business success with the film Gladiator of Ridley Scott where it joins the Australian singer of the group Dead Can Dance LISA Gerrard like Klaus Badelt.
La original soundtrack of film is one of largest successes of the kind. The same team occupies itself in this year 2000 of Mission: Impossible 2 of John Woo in the urgence.
The success of Gladiator reinforces collaboration between Zimmer and Scott. Both again work together on styles very different from/to each other: Hannibal - accompanied in particular by Badelt and the Irish type-setter Patrick Cassidy - then the Fall of the black falcon (2001) and the Associates (2003).

Remote control

After disagreements between Rifkin and Zimmer, this last showing Rifkin to have diverted funds, the German type-setter leaves the Ventures Media to create its own production company, the studio Remote Control Productions, not without discharging some type-setters of Ventures Media.

Catalog of films

2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
  • El Candidato of Jorge Patiño (series TV)
  • 50 degrees Fahrenheit of Hugh Johnson (Co-type-setter with John Powell)
1998 1997 the 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1982

  • (C): Marketed composition

  • (C*): Compilation of various artists marketed (the tracks of original composition are rare)

Producer of the music

2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 1998 1997 1996 1987

Distinctions

Rewards

  • Golden Globe (2000) for Gladiator like better original music.
  • Satellite Golden delicious Award (1998) for the Red line like better original music.
  • Grammy Award (1995) for USS Alabama like better original music.
  • Oscar (1994) for the King lion like better original music.
  • Golden Globe (1994) for the King lion like better original music.
  • Grammy Award (1994) for the King lion like better album for children.

Nominations

See too

  • Biography, photographs and catalog of films with accompanying notes of the type-setter
  • Hans Zimmer on Internet Movie Database
  • HansZimmer.com official site
  • Hans-Zimmer.com not-official site
  • '' GSA '' arranges of this type-setter

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