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Danny Elfman Quotes

Powerful Danny Elfman for Daily Growth

About Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman, born Daniel Robert Elfman on May 29, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, is an accomplished American composer, singer, musician, and actor, best known for composing film scores that have become iconic in Hollywood. Elfman's early life was filled with musical influences. His mother was a piano teacher, and his father played guitar and mandolin in a band. At age 16, Elfman joined a local rock band called 'Mysterious Ways,' which eventually evolved into 'Odd Alien.' The band's eccentric sound laid the foundation for Elfman's unique compositional style. In 1977, Elfman co-founded the musical group, Oingo Boingo, serving as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter. The band's blend of new wave, rock, and world beat music gained a cult following in the 80s. Elfman transitioned to film scoring in the late 1980s, with his breakthrough coming in 1985 when he composed the score for Tim Burton's 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure.' This collaboration with Burton, which continued through many iconic films such as 'Beetlejuice,' 'Edward Scissorhands,' and 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' would become one of Hollywood's most enduring creative partnerships. Elfman's distinctive style combines orchestral music with dark, whimsical themes. His other notable works include the scores for 'Batman,' 'Spider-Man,' 'Men in Black,' and 'Avatar.' In 2016, he composed the score for Burton's 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.' Elfman has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards and has won two Emmy Awards. His music continues to captivate audiences worldwide, underscoring the power of storytelling through sound. A quote that encapsulates Elfman's approach to his work is: "I always try to make it more melodic and interesting than what I would expect for a horror movie."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The music is not the job. The music is the excuse to be at the party."

This quote suggests that for Danny Elfman, creating music is more about the experience and connection it provides rather than just a task or obligation. He sees composing as an invitation to a creative 'party', where he gets to explore, experiment, and express himself. Essentially, Elfman's music serves as a vehicle for him to immerse in the joy and excitement of artistic expression.

"In a perfect world, I wouldn't want to score something that sounds like what's been scored before."

Danny Elfman expresses a desire for creativity and originality in his work as a composer, asserting that he aims to avoid mimicking past compositions. This quote suggests that Elfman values innovation and strives to contribute fresh ideas to the realm of music composition, especially within the context of film scoring where new works often build upon existing themes or styles.

"When I start writing music for a movie, it's the first time I ever see the movie."

This quote by Danny Elfman suggests that he composes music for movies after watching them for the first time, rather than having prior knowledge or understanding of the film's narrative or characters. In other words, his creative process begins with experiencing the visual storytelling, which serves as an inspiration and guide for him to compose music that complements and enhances the movie. This approach emphasizes the importance of empathy and intuition in creating music that resonates emotionally with audiences, capturing the essence of a film through sound.

"I can write music very quickly, but when you get into details and nuances, it takes me forever."

This quote by Danny Elfman signifies that while he has a natural ability to compose music swiftly, delving into the intricate details and subtle nuances of his compositions requires significant time and effort from him. It suggests that though the process of creating music might be quick overall, refining it to meet his own high standards can be painstakingly slow.

"There's a part of my brain that goes to a place where it doesn't think about anything. It just thinks about the movie and the story and the music."

Danny Elfman's quote signifies a deep immersion in creative work, where he transcends conscious thought and taps into an intuitive, subconscious realm. In this state, he focuses solely on the cinematic experience, weaving together movie, story, and music as one harmonious entity. This mindset allows him to create unique compositions that resonate with audiences on an emotional level.

I'll look back and I'd be better to answer that in about three months from now. Or when the movie comes out and I see it. I don't even know what it is yet. I've still been in the middle of it.

- Danny Elfman

Movie, Been, About, Answer

You're allowed to rip-off another score so close that it's ridiculous. In my opinion it's ridiculous, how closely one can just rip-off a score that happened a year or two earlier.

- Danny Elfman

Year, Closely, In My Opinion, Rip-Off

I had to do this very aggressive, big score in a very short time, and knowing that in the beginning, middle, and end would be this very, very famous theme, but I still had to weave a score around it and make it work as a score was really challenging.

- Danny Elfman

Beginning, Big, Very, Aggressive

I think that there's a lot more freedom in the low budget, the independent films where, unfortunately, you don't have the money, necessarily, to get the orchestras in there to play a lot of stuff. But, you have a lot more freedom, very often.

- Danny Elfman

Play, I Think, Very, Budget

I really liked doing a number of the projects and directors, and etc., etc., I knew about half-way through that I would never be doing that again. It's just not me. I really am happy as a part-time film composer, not a full-time film composer.

- Danny Elfman

Through, Full-Time, Half-Way, Part-Time

I think that's one of the things that has always put me in kind of an odd niche. It's that all of my understanding of orchestral music is via film, not via classical music like it's supposed to be. To me it's the same, it doesn't make any difference.

- Danny Elfman

I Think, One Of The Things, Orchestral

I'll just start laying out the melody exactly where I want it to fall. And then I'll go back and fill it out. Whereas, in other pieces I'm really just going a couple bars at a time.

- Danny Elfman

Other, Couple, Laying, Whereas

I don't see myself necessarily having a burning desire to write a symphony.

- Danny Elfman

See, Burning, Having, Symphony

The beauty of a main title is that you establish your main theme and maybe a bit of your secondary theme. You plant the seed that you're going to go water later in the score. And so, having that removed just made it so much more difficult.

- Danny Elfman

Beauty, Seed, Maybe, Establish

You have to nail the right tone because sometimes when you just see his films cold, you're not quite sure. It's the same in - I'm trying to think of other directors with a similar sense - David Lynch's films, Tim's films, some of Cronenberg's stuff.

- Danny Elfman

Some, Tone, Other, Cronenberg

Sometimes I like them artificial and sometimes I like them real. And the reason is because sometimes I like a real close sound. And I like a very specific snare sound and I can't get that in the big room.

- Danny Elfman

Reason, Big, Very, Snare

I'm trying to interpret the film through the director's head, but it all comes out through me. So, a composer is kind of like a psychic medium.

- Danny Elfman

Director, Through, Like, Interpret

I would have to say I might do some stuff, but it's the film that's appealing. I was raised on film. My musical experience is all via film, it's not from classical music.

- Danny Elfman

Some, Might, Musical, Classical Music

So, it becomes an exercise in futility if you write something that does not express the film as the director wishes. It's still their ball game. It's their show. I think any successful composer learns how to dance around the director's impulses.

- Danny Elfman

Game, Show, I Think, Impulses

Oh see, first off you gotta realize - everything for me is a reconstruction or deconstruction. I would actually say deconstruction. Mission: Impossible would be the exception. That would be a reconstruction- deconstruction.

- Danny Elfman

Impossible, Exception, Gotta, Reconstruction

In some types of music I'm working out all the chords one bar at a time - the whole structure, because it's about that. And there are other pieces which are really about - okay, the melody is going to start here and play through to here.

- Danny Elfman

Play, Through, Here, Structure

Doing Tim's film is always going to be the most pleasure. Let me just put it that way. So, without drawing favorites one way or the other, getting back with him and doing Mars Attacks! was certainly a special treat.

- Danny Elfman

Doing, Other, Favorites, Tim

In Tim's films, more than most, if you miss the tone, you don't get the film.

- Danny Elfman

Tone, Most, Films, Tim

There's kind of a cool feel that happens every now and then. I guess that feel is the thing that makes the score its own score. But, I don't know exactly what that is. So, it's hard for me to answer that question.

- Danny Elfman

Own, Feel, Score, Now And Then

That still has to be there. And so, it's kind of an interesting question you brought up. Because, on the one hand, yeah, it'd be lovely. I certainly don't see that happening. In fact, I see the opposite happening.

- Danny Elfman

Lovely, Still, Certainly, Hand

I'm looking for a feel and I have to find what that feel is before I can move on from there. I'm not necessarily catching stuff in such a simple way - I don't need to. So, I'm going for something else.

- Danny Elfman

Move, Before, Catching, Simple Way

The first thing I do is lay out that melody and figure out how it has to hold here and then finish to land here, because you know in advance you're going to want the melody to catch four things in the action.

- Danny Elfman

Here, Out, Hold, The First Thing

I can't get that live and I don't have the time to take the tape, after I've finished recording it, into a little studio somewhere else where I can get a different kind of percussion sound.

- Danny Elfman

Sound, Studio, Recording, Percussion

It's just hard. I wish the studios felt there was more value in these themes and these pieces of material - that they're worth protecting more. Because then it just wouldn't happen. If the studios cared, the stuff would be stopped in a second.

- Danny Elfman

Wish, Worth, Second, Cared

So I've learned in the past, if a company approaches me and they want something like this, or something like that that I've done and I turn them down, they're going to do it anyhow.

- Danny Elfman

In The Past, Like, Learned, Approaches

Or certainly I would need time - which I would love to have but there almost never is on a film - to just spend a week with a roomful of guys laying down these patterns.

- Danny Elfman

Love, Which, Certainly, Guys

I like creating these rhythmic patterns. These interlocking rhythmic things are really fun.

- Danny Elfman

Creating, Patterns, Like, Rhythmic

It sounds really stupid, I hate making cosmic comments like this but, I just let it do what it wants to do.

- Danny Elfman

Stupid, Making, Cosmic, Comments

You have to write a good score that you feel good about. At least, you're supposed to. But, if the director hates it, it ain't going to be in the movie!

- Danny Elfman

Director, Movie, Going, Hates

Most often the music does end up in the movie, and sometimes there's a point where I wish that it wasn't, just because I think the score would be more effective if there was less of it. But, again, that's not my call.

- Danny Elfman

Sometimes, Movie, I Think, Effective

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