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Paparazzi

Composed, Co-Conducted, Produced, and Performed by:
Brian Tyler
Co-Conducted by:
Adam Klemens
Vocal Solos by:
Azam Ali
Orchestrated by:
Christopher Lennertz
Brad Warnaar
Brian Tyler
Dana Nui
Performed by:
The City of Prague Philharmonic
The Northwest Sinfonia


Label:
Varèse Sarabande
Release Date:
August 31st, 2004


Audio Clips:

4. The Break-In (0:30), 150K paparazzi4.ra

5. The Awakening (0:31), 156K paparazzi5.ra

8. Falling (0:30), 150K paparazzi8.ra

23. Premiere (0:31), 154K paparazzi23.ra



Availability:

  Regular U.S. release.


Awards:

  None.









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Paparazzi

Audio | Availability | Viewer Ratings | Tracks | Viewer Comments | Notes & Quotes
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  Sales Rank: 332614

  Avg. Rating: 4.50

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Filmtracks Recommends:

Buy it... if you want to be driven by an aggressive orchestral, electronic, and highly percussive score that lets up only for a few cues of melodic beauty.

Avoid it... if that same aggression, relentless in its sonic depth and propulsive rhythms, leaves too little of the thematic integrity that many Brian Tyler fans enjoy.



Filmtracks Editorial Review:

Tyler
Paparazzi: (Brian Tyler) Given the highly publicized events surrounding Princess Diana's death and a considerable number celebrity lawsuits involving nosey paparazzi photographers, it's surprising that Hollywood took this long to strike back with a film like Paparazzi. For people familiar with the celebrity scene, the premise is believable: a dashing actor with newly achieved fame becomes the victim of hoards of paparazzi, and they eventually cause a car crash that severely injures his family. Whether or not you believe the tale from here on is your decision, but the actor exacts his revenge upon the paparazzi by plotting their individual demise, and the film becomes an exploration of integrity and the concept of revenge. A first-time director to the mainstream, Paul Abascal has a propulsive vision of the movement of his film, with the paparazzi swarming like insects and the cascade of emotions of the film's hero taking the story down some very dark alleyways. For the score, Abascal wanted music that was both highly aggressive in rhythm and thematic in style. Composer Mark Isham had originally been attached to Paparazzi, but given the desires of the director, Isham could not have been a more ill-advised choice (especially with his Twisted score earlier in the year being completely devoid of rhythm or theme). Rising star Brian Tyler was contacted for the job based on a sampler of Tyler's talents that contained music from his previous suspense and action efforts. Between the sharp edges of Darkness Falls and smooth lines of Children of Dune, Tyler's abilities would suit Abascal's wishes well, and both Abascal and Tyler would give the result of their collaboration rave reviews once their work was finished.

Tyler would assemble an 80-piece orchestra (recorded in Prague and Seattle, an odd combination that does, however, allow for a longer album release), a significantly larger than normal percussion section, a solo vocalist, and several electronic instruments (from keyboards to guitars) to provide the full spectrum of emotions necessary. The result of this combination of forces is a score that, as Tyler explains, is very richly layered, both in instrumentation and in the alteration and mixing of all of those elements into one very thick sound. While Tyler also states that the score is thematic, the two primary themes (for the primary character and for the paparazzi) are very loosely interpolated into the length of the score. An alternating minor/major key motif sets the rhythm of the score throughout and continues to give us the drive behind the perilous good-guy/bad-guy psyche of the film. The more sensitive subtheme for the family is less developed, but does assert itself in about three cues in the score. One thing that Tyler did indeed succeed in providing Abascal with was an extremely aggressive score. There is substantial malice throughout the Paparazzi score, both in the pace of the rhythms and in the extensive mixing process during which Tyler highlighted the harsher edges of each instrumental section. Also resulting from those mixings are sound effects that often rumble, tick, and clang in tandem with the traditional percussion section of the orchestra. Each relatively short cue presents itself in a slightly different variation of mixing, almost as though Tyler is experimenting with the sounds as the film progresses. Despite the extensive lengths to which Tyler went to produce a locust-like "sonic image" for the paparazzi, the score is ultimately not one of memorable creativity. Rather, its 70-minute length (57+ minutes on album) wears you down with the force of its own size and momentum.

Within the aggression, Tyler does occasionally let rip with a slightly more stylish variation on his vengeance ideas, and these moments often include a heavier reliance on the electronic instruments rather than the orchestra. The "Premiere" cue, for instance, is appropriately "cool" for the circumstance of Hollywood glamour, all the while maintaining the fast pace of both the lifestyle and chase at the heart of the film. Tyler has arranged the softer moments of the score near the beginning of the album, with the first six or seven cues very effectively alternating between drive and passion, beauty and that invigorating aggression. As the score progresses at the consistently heightened volume and pace in the second half, it does run the risk of aggravating the listener... even with a few minimalistic offers interspersed. This attribute isn't as much of a complaint as it is a comment about the nature of the beast. Paparazzi may not be a score you wish to drive to, because Tyler very effectively boils your blood with his action sequences. The only straight complaint about the score centers on the beautiful "The Awakening" cue, which features one of those over-simplistic melodies that Tyler has a tendency to write, and this one just happens to be over-simplistic in too many similar ways to the overblown melodies of Armageddon. Additionally, an argument could be made that Tyler didn't sufficiently offer a distinct enough sound effect (or orchestral effect) to convince the listener that the photographers are indeed insects. Overall, Paparazzi is a very effective score, and the diverse ranges of theme and sound heard in the first half dozen cues will set you up for the disappointment of over-consistency in the latter half (much like the Timeline album was arranged). In all its parts, Tyler's score has a depth of sonic manipulation that will, along with its breakneck rhythms, at least keep you interested until the end. ***

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   Viewer Ratings and Comments:



   Track Listings:
Total Time: 57:34

    • 1. Cat and Mouse (2:22)
    • 2. Aftermath (3:29)
    • 3. Solitude (1:07)
    • 4. The Break-In (1:25)
    • 5. The Awakening (1:35)
    • 6. Turning Tables (3:03)
    • 7. Silent Anger (1:34)
    • 8. Falling (2:13)
    • 9. Taped Evidence (2:25)
    • 10. Questioning (2:26)
    • 11. Taking Rex In (0:49)
    • 12. Realization (1:48)
    • 13. End of the Line (3:36)
    • 14. Discussion with a Detective (0:53)
    • 15. The Telltale Pen (2:31)
    • 16. Celebrity Life (2:47)
    • 17. Garbage Fetish (1:00)
    • 18. Evidence Lost (1:22)
    • 19. Laramie Hitches a Ride (3:17)
    • 20. Batter Up (2:15)
    • 21. Hand in the Air (1:10)
    • 22. Telling (0:43)
    • 23. Premiere (1:23)
    • 24. Scene of the Crime (2:50)
    • 25. Blackmail (1:59)
    • 26. Camera Chase (0:50)
    • 27. Tabloid Exposure (1:49)
    • 28. Adrenaline Force 2 (0:30)
    • 29. Invasion of Privacy (0:34)
    • 30. Intruders (1:41)
    • 31. Fans and Lights (1:33)
    • 32. Resolution (1:57)




   Notes and Quotes:

    The insert includes a note from the director about the score.







All artwork and sound clips from Paparazzi are Copyright © 2004, Varèse Sarabande. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/4/04, updated 9/6/04. Review Version 4.2 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2004-2008, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved.