Alan Menken Quotes

I've not used a score in any of my films so far.

To me, score is really important. I would rather not have any score if it's something that's going to detract from the film. So often when I watch films, the score is what really bothers me.

Music in this film is a very important part.

I finally wasn't interested in writing music that played while actors talked.

It's a deliberate choice. I am a fervent supporter of the idea that you don't have to have wall-to-wall music in good films.

Sometimes you write music to a script or while a film is being edited. Sometimes I write without seeing any images, but that's rare. The approach is often based on practical decisions, but I'm interested in the narrative and physical space that music can occupy in a film or play.

A good theme - like the 'Pink Panther' or 'Baby Elephant Walk' - can work all the way through the picture, which is what I did with them. So, for me, a good melody is not just a pretty tune.

So I prefer to do the entire music for a film. And when I'm doing the background score, I can weave the whole film together in terms of themes and songs for a good cinematic feel.

I think that most films have too much music in them; it overwhelms an audience.

What kills music in films is when it's done as performance, drawing attention to the fact that someone's in the background playing it.

Music is the life of a film.

Godzilla' took two months because it required a two-hour-plus score. 'Imitation Game' was three weeks.

The score, which comes often quite later in a film, can help reinvigorate your emotional engagement with it.

When you're working on film music, you're only working on 20, 30-minute sections at a time.

Music is a very integral part of the film, but it will not be as full of music as a Bollywood film.

In film, I was surprised when I first saw the movie 'Drive.' I said, 'Oh, God. It sounds great - I love it. Wow, this could be the soundtrack from 'American Gigolo' or 'Cat People.' But I'm surprised that the director would agree with a composer to write that kind of sound.

I love Philip Glass' work, not only as a film composer but also as a musician. The film score work that he does always amazes and shocks me.

I have tremendous respect for film composers.

Normally, when people compose for film, you give them the film, and they look at it, and they compose it.

Music is half the film.

I wouldn't mind doing a soundtrack someday.

I often begin movies with music in my head; it's a very important dimension to me. Not just the music itself, but how to use music in film: when and how and subtlety. I don't like to be too sweet in my stories, and I like the abrasive clang, the contrasting of sounds and cultures.

When I was recording my first solo album 'Imaginaryland,' I was listening to a lot of movie scores.

Music is one of the important things for me in cinema.

I'm pretty proud of my film music in general.