One could be forgiven for never having heard a film score by
Danny Elfman’s output, on the other hand, is everywhere.
His credits include the opening theme from The Simpsons, The Nightmare Before Christmas (and many other Tim Burton movie soundtracks), a broad swathe of other film scores, and a successful performing career with the band Oingo Boingo.
Thus, you might not have known it was Danny Elfman, but chances are you’ve heard his work. All of this is to say that it was a huge get when
Consisting of 21 lessons adding up to 3 hours and 10 minutes of material, “Danny Elfman Teaches Music for Film” is one of several series that might draw a musician to
In fact, while you’re here, you can check out our other
- Armin Van Buuren
Masterclass Review - Hans Zimmer
Masterclass Review - deadmau5 Masterclass Review
- Timbaland Masterclass Review
Overview
Throughout the 3 hours and 10 minutes of lessons in the Danny Elfman
He begins by sharing how he got into film as a child, then music as an adult, and how his performing career became a film music career.
These autobiographical sketches are both entertaining and foundational for establishing who composer Danny Elfman is and what he brings to his film scores. Once Elfman establishes this foundation, he shares some technical know-how.
This includes some musical discussion, sure, but also the music-adjacent considerations, such as trimming music so that it continues to work even as frames and measures are dropped in the editing process.
He also shares stories about working productively with others, like his long-time creative partner Tim Burton, and getting past interpersonal difficulties.
In the end, the viewer ends up with an overview of a toolkit of musical, music-adjacent, and interpersonal skills that the modern film composer needs to succeed in film scoring.
Features
The Danny Elfman Masterclass contains many of the features we have come to expect from a
The History Of Film Scoring
In walking us through his background, composer Danny Elfman also introduces us to the film music of his childhood: the film scores written by composers who would become his influences before he even considered a career in film scores.
He discusses the impact Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann had on his development as a lover of film, and later a film composer.
In particular, he points to the history of the narrative music-making tradition in film. He connects it to the late Romantic tradition of the great Russian composers: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev.
In one fell swoop, he draws a straight line from these composers through the scores accompanying King Kong and Bride of Frankenstein, through to the big, shimmering, lyrical strings parts found in John Williams’ scores. He argues that Williams revitalized the lyrical orchestral film score.
What becomes abundantly clear in listening to composer Danny Elfman’s lecture on the history of film music is that he is, first and foremost, a film lover and a student of the greats of film scoring.
His creative process is informed by extensive study, not in school but in the theater. Film scoring came naturally to him after he gained some notoriety via Oingo Boingo because he had already immersed himself in the art of film scoring on the other end, as an audience member.
Though he never says it outright, these moments in the Danny Elfman
One of the key steps that turned Danny Elfman into Danny Elfman is a deep understanding of a list of composers and the films they worked on.
For a prospective film composer, Elfman has outlined the path to becoming well-versed in the history of film scoring.
Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman teaches you his eclectic creative process and his approach to elevating a story with sound.
Live Listening
Scattered throughout the series are a few very special moments, in which composer Danny Elfman walks us through particular elements and techniques that he has included in well-known and well-loved music examples.
He tells the story behind the theme from “The Simpsons,” he walks us through the theme from “A Simple Plan,” and he takes us on a deep dive into music from “The Unknown Known.”
Each of these opportunities to follow Elfman’s thought process and the path he takes from idea to finished composition is invaluable, especially for a newer film composer unsure where to begin in generating ideas and developing them into pieces of music.
Production Value
Danny Elfman’s personality is manifested in his studio, and the B-roll from his
Before
Access
One of the fascinating aspects of
What follows throughout that lesson and the rest of the series is the story of how he became a musician as an adult, with very little musical training aside from a few lessons he stole by sneaking into a University Gamelan ensemble in California.
What might at first seem like entertaining stories added strictly to fill out the 5 to 10-minute lesson span, actually brings a critical bit of perspective.
In sharing a bit of his personal history with us, Elfman makes himself a bit more accessible and makes the career of a film composer feel a bit more accessible.
To every musician watching who has had an atypical musical career, these anecdotes are priceless because they reinforce our potential for greatness.
They suggest that the barriers we perceive as standing between ourselves and the musical careers we aspire to may not be as rigid as they seem.
Is The Danny Elfman Masterclass Worth It?
As other
The question for the prospective subscriber is, “how many of these classes interest you?”
If the answer is 150, and you have enough free time to binge through each of the 150 classes you find interesting, it ends up being about $1.20 per class, which is a steal.
If, however, you are solely interested in the Danny Elfman
I know a handful of very good musicians and teachers who would charge about the same for 3 hours of one-on-one lessons. In all honesty, the latter would be a better deal than the former.
With one subscription for all of the different series, there is no real competition between series. Still, it is worth noting that the Danny Elfman
Even in considering quality over quantity, this is a pretty substantial difference.
Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman teaches you his eclectic creative process and his approach to elevating a story with sound.
In Summary
Perhaps I’m biased because I would listen to just about anybody tell me about their creative process.
There is so much variety in how people’s minds work and how they arrive at sounds that make sense to them that I find the subject and how people communicate the subject utterly fascinating.
Having said that, Danny Elfman’s discussion of film scores and his approach to composition is truly something special.
A few moments in the series continue to rattle around in the back of my mind as I take a seat in my studio to work on my own music.
If for no other reason than to be impacted by these moments, I recommend checking out the Danny Elfman