Danny Elfman was born in Amarillo, Texas on 29th May 1953. He is a film composer with a long list of projects in his repertoire, despite the fact that he has “no formal musical training, but taught himself the rudiments of music notation by transcribing Duke Ellington works” in his youth, which is something he confesses often in interviews himself (Wright, 2006, pp. 1030). He is known for his dark scores filled with idiosyncratic tones. Through Elfman’s coming of age, whilst travelling, he and his brother formed a musical alliance with the performance group Oingo Boingo, which did not have much commercial success, but had a cult following of fans. One of these fans went by the name of Tim Burton. And thus it was, a tremendous collaborative force was born.
Elfman composed his first fully fledged film score in 1985 for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure: A strange and bewildering tale of a ‘man-child’ engaging in a quest to locate his stolen bike. Arguably, without Elfman’s score, the film would have been terribly unsuccessful, artistically and commercially. The influences behind the score were extremely evident within this debut major film composition. Elfman has often publicly identified Bernard Herrman as one of his strongest influences, which is expressed through many of his scores, but is done in a very blatant and unsubtle way in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, with slashing strings being played in a replicable fashion to Psycho at the point in which Pee-Wee realises that his bicycle is missing. This is almost done as an inoffensive parody in admiration toward Herrman. But, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure was not Elfman’s only venture alongside Burton. Their collaboration has been career-long ever since, with films such as: Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Planet of the Apes (2001), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and many more.
For now, I would like to steer away from Burton, if only temporarily, to Elfman’s other projects outside of the, as mentioned, collaboration. Moving onto, what I would call, super hero movie score genius: Spider-Man (2002). Although the music within this film was given criticism from some for being merely functional, the film score has been critically acclaimed and was nominated for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Media at the 45th Grammy Awards. It is completely obvious that Elfman was hired to compose the film score for this film after his success with his scores for Burton’s Batman films in the previous decade. The score for Spider-Man delivers a rich soundscape that is full of subtle intricacies, which Elfman is synonymous for, along with his authorial signature stamp of “using tonal devices in ways our ears didn’t expect.” (Laney, 2008, pp. 4). These various devices served a similar purpose in different scenes, but added a variety of sensations to accompany the visuals at the same moment. These are all the ingredients for a classic Elfman's score, along with his dark tones that make his music instantly recognisable. This is the formula that works so well within his collaboration projects with Burton, 1989’s Batman being a prime example.
Batman demonstrated a very different type of scoring for Elfman, compared to his previous work. A grand orchestral style achieving both a sombre and dramatic sound that was described as gothic by critics. Much of the music in Batman resembles that of a horror score, which is a genre that Elfman himself loves to be involved in. The score for Batman was so substantial within Elfman’s career, it turned him into a comic book film director’s dream composer. There is a character of Elfman’s music that creates dark and quirky elements, derived from a juxtaposition of sound within his phrases and especially within his instrumentation: often grouping an oboe, harp and clashing symbols together, for example. This technique relays a sense of drama, unease and uncertainty which is essential to the arc of a comic book hero film. I would not say that Elfman’s style is restricted to comic book films at all, but I would argue that the genre is where his compositions are most fitting and where he excels, especially with the Batman films, as they merge the comic book genre with the world of Tim Burton. However, many regard his scores “for film dramas, where the narratives and characters are often more complex” to be “among his best work, including […] Good Will Hunting (1997). “ (Halfyard, 2004, pp. 24)
Elfman’s tendency to structure almost an entire score around aspects of a single theme has caused criticism from some, stating that once removed from the visuals of the film, it is evident that many of the tracks or cues use very similar materials, causing the score to become bland and watered down. I, myself, feel that the idea of having one theme for a whole score allows the music to harness continuity in the mind of the viewer. The thematic material helps to express and clarify the tone of the film, creating the sought after ambience, identity and atmosphere. This is a causal effect of Elfman’ hands- on approach to projects when collaborating with one of his regulars: Burton included. His starting point is to visit the set during production, where he starts to let the world that has been created burn itself into his mind’s eye, allowing him to grasp the visual identity and environment of the film. He has done this with Burton’s films ever since Beetlejuice.
The action packed, atmospheric score that Elfman composed for Mission: Impossible (1996) was seen as a flop to die hard fans of his work, originally, and to many it still is. Mission: Impossible grounds itself with significant use of light bass, orchestral accompaniment, overpowering percussion and a lack of varying tonal development. The fact that Elfman did not showcase his substantial library of tones, timbres and theme developing techniques is most probably a consequence of being involved in a saga that already introduced highly recognisable musical material in the original television series. However, Elfman achieves the desired ambience in the title theme of the film, which he adapted from the original, but then changes the ambient mood for the rest of the score. Elfman's own ideas are present, but are lost in the rhythmic underscore.
The score for Mission: Impossible could not be farther away from what is expected from Elfman. When you listen to the score separately from the visuals of the film, even in the bigger, action-packed scenes, the score is clunky and muted in quality. Normally, with Elfman’s scores you can hear every instrument separately, or at least groups of instruments, with the soundscape being full of vivid textures. With this score, it’s hard to identify any instrument that isn’t percussion. The standout piece of music that could possibly resemble Elfman’s work is right in the middle of the film where a choir is heard over the top of a bass guitar sounding rhythm. This is almost full, typical, gothic Elfman. It is clearly a nod back to Batman, but it just doesn’t work, not for me anyway. It seems misplaced and out of character, compared to the rest of the film. Personally, I do not class this an Elfman score, not in spirit at least. The score seems as though it is the polar opposite to the rest of Elfman’s work.
Back to where Elfman, arguably, produces his finest and most coveted work, with Tim Burton. The 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, for example. For Tim Burton, this moment in time could not be better, with the success, both financially and artistically, of Batman. The story of Edward Scissorhands is aimed directly at the heart of anyone who feels that they are different, not unlike Burton and Elfman themselves growing up, providing a harsh and honest insight into a scientist’s final, misunderstood creation being released into the civilised world in the 1950’s. The score itself remains a strong contender in album charts to this day, not just within film scores. It’s ongoing success almost proves that the triumphs of Elfman’s scores for Batman and Edward Scissorhands have not been bettered, or indeed equaled, by the composer, in my opinion, as no composition produced by Elfman since has come up to the mark, commercially. While Batman appeals to action enthusiasts, Edward Scissorhands has an extraordinary relationship with fans of Elfman's very early style of irregular rhythms and haunting harmonies. It is one of Elfman's only scores that balances, perfectly, the best of both the quirkiness and surrealism of his earliest writing and the thematic glamorous enchantment of his later works.
The most impressive element of the Edward Scissorhands score is it’s ability to tell the story without the aesthetics. The score takes you on the journey of the film, with precise detail, expressing the heart-wrenching moments of Edward's curiosity and also his shortcomings, without affecting the quality and continuity of the music. The piano, while a major instrument in other Elfman scores, is mostly replaced by the celesta, though a few piano solos are executed throughout. The harp returns from Batman, but instead of strong flourishing chords, it is plucked. This plucking of the harp, along with the strings, helps the celesta set the score's subtle rhythms. Chaotic rhythms for brass and bass woodwinds attack recklessly in the dramatic scenes, like in the cookie factory scene, serving as the score's only reminder of the sharpness and over-the-top features and aspects of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Beetlejuice.
Elfman and Burton, as I have stated previously, are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to artistic collaborations, especially within film, in my opinion. The secret to their success is that, before they ever even started a project, they were acquaintances. Not only this, Burton was a fan of Elfman's musical stamp whilst he was a member of Oingo Boingo, meaning that Burton wanted him on board before he’d even witnessed Elfman’s composing with film. It seems to me that Burton knew very well that Elfman’s style was exactly what he was looking for to accompany his visions for years to come. It is also key to point out that both of these extremely successful artists started from the bottom, with both of them being, respectively, novices before they got involved with the big screen. They have both experienced the journey together, evolving alongside each other, with very few indiscretions. It also seems as though they both share the same visions, artistically, but I would argue that the truth behind this is mainly on Elfman’s side of the collaboration, with the skill to be able to adapt and evolve to the director’s ideas and visions.
It is my outlook that, though his collaboration with Burton is a healthy and successful one and it may seem they are made for each other, Elfman is not limited to Burton’s projects. He is a chameleon. From dramas to comedies to science fiction to fantasy and even horror, Elfman has tackled many a genre, with definite highlights (fantasy/superhero/action), and h come out of the other end of the projects with a more expansive musical vocabulary up his sleeve. This, in my opinion, is the reason why his career with Burton has evolved so successfully and is also the reason that his works with other directors and artists have seemed so seamless and his transitions between films have been so smooth. Not one Elfman score is the same, yet his signatures are plastered all over his music sheets(with the exception of Mission: Impossible), allowing us to instantly recognise an Elfman score.