Comparing The Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo, Cinderella Man

You may not have heard of Thomas Newman, or know what he does, or who he is, but it is probable that you have heard of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘American Beauty’, ‘The Green Mile’, ‘The Lost Boys’, ‘The Help’, ‘Cinderella Man’, ‘Revolutionary Road’, ‘Road to Perdition’, ‘Wall-E’ or the most recent Bond film ‘Skyfall’. Thomas Newman has composed music for each of these films. There are many narrative aspects of a films structure which need to be taken into consideration when assessing how important a film score is. This includes, characterisation, symbollism, themes, setting and point of view. So, ‘To what extent do Thomas Newman’s film scores affect the telling of narrative and enhance the viewing experience?’ “Even if
This can be viewed as an unusual aspect within his composing career as both films share the dramatic genre, yet the music is distinctly different. It has been suggested, that the frequent use of vibraphones and guitars creates an uneasy and bizarre atmosphere, which is in result is relevant to the unique narrative behind the film and the issues confronted. The first track ‘Dead Already’ has a driving minimalist percussion, which is appropriate in terms of translating the narrative. The repetitive beat is representative of the main character, Lester Burnham’s monotonous life. However, the uniqueness of the beat combined with the guitar, foreshadows the series of unusual events, which follow, and as Lester Burnham says at the beginning of the film he is in fact ‘Dead Already’ and is looking in retrospective. The track is repeated in differing rhythmic phrases throughout the film. The title track ‘American Beauty’ is used when a character records a plastic bag that is caught in a whirlwind. The soft piano and strings, which is paired with narration, creates a moving scene and vastly enhances the viewing experience as it initiates the films major theme of real beauty. Whilst the track in itself is not powerful, some view it as “one of the most moving pieces of music I've ever heard, when accompanied with the images and narration” (Review by Dan
The track plays after the audience sees a young boy stood outside of Lester’s house recording a family argument which has moved into the kitchen, whilst, his camera follows Lester’s daughter, Janie. The track begins slowly with a simple piano melody, which is accompanied by holding the strings (Newman’s signature sound) the track has an emotional and sombre sound. This particular track is one of the main themes within the film and displays a drastic difference from the upbeat ‘Dead Already’ track. The track ‘Mental Boy’ which the audience originally associated with Ricky’s character is now used for a long sequence/montage, which looks at each character and their actions. This melody is also heard when Lester begins to undress Angela whilst she lies in his bed. The sombre piano melody foreshadows a sad end and the realisation of real beauty, which Lester soon