The respect for a musical score must come from the director... If the director has no power and has to surrender to budgetary constraints, this is where we have the problem.
Ennio MorriconeRead
When I have to score a film, I watch the movie first and then start thinking about it. And from that moment on, it is as if I were pregnant. I then have to deliver the child, so from that moment on, I think always about the music - even when I go to the grocery store, I think about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creating music for a film is a deeply immersive and constant process for the composer.
Ennio Morricone expresses how scoring a film is not just a task but a profound experience that consumes his thoughts and emotions. He uses the metaphor of pregnancy to illustrate the deep connection and responsibility he feels towards the music he composes, indicating that once he begins to think about the score, it becomes an integral part of his life until it is 'delivered' in the form of a finished piece.
Themes
MusicFilmCreationComposerEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used at a film scoring workshop to emphasize the dedication required in musical composition.
More from Ennio Morricone
All quotes →In music, what is very important is temporality of space and length, based on the breathing space the director gives the music within the film, by separating the music from various elements of reality, like noises, dialogues... That's how you treat music properly, but it doesn't always happen this way. Music is often blamed, but it's not its fault.
Ennio MorriconeRead
I really like conducting my music in concerts because I'm convinced it's not just for films; it has its own life. It can live far away from the images of the movie.
Ennio MorriconeRead
There are some directors who actually fear the possible success of music. They fear that the audience or the critics will think the film has worked because there was a very good music score.
Ennio MorriconeRead
I often use the same harmonies as pop music because the complexity of what I do is elsewhere.
Ennio MorriconeRead
Everyone has to die. I'm not particularly scared about it. What really frightens me is that if I go before my wife, I will leave her alone, and vice versa. The ideal would be to die together.
Ennio MorriconeRead
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