Punisher: War Zone Score Discussion

[KnightBatman]

Okay I know there isn't a Punisher: War Zone score out but I just wanted to start this thread to discuss the score in the movie.So let's discuss.I'll just start off by saying whenever Frank was onscreen, it was really catchy, fast, and it was just really good. The music had it's good emotional moments with the little girl and really pumped me up when it played while Frank was prepping his weapons before entering the Brad Street Hotel. It was just one of the movie's greatest elements and I really hope the whole score gets released

 

[nomad662]

The score WILL be released! And soon! At the premiere, I was talking to Michael Wandmacher, the composer. He told me that it may very well be released before the end of the year. This is rather quick, and the reason for moving the timetable up is the number of hits Michael's MySpace page has had since he posted some of the tracks there. So go listen! The second track is from another film.

http://www.myspace.com/michaelwandmacher

Nomad

 

[Punisher 04]

Okay I know there isn't a Punisher: War Zone score out but I just wanted to start this thread to discuss the score in the movie.So let's discuss.I'll just start off by saying whenever Frank was onscreen, it was really catchy, fast, and it was just really good. The music had it's good emotional moments with the little girl and really pumped me up when it played while Frank was prepping his weapons before entering the Brad Street Hotel. It was just one of the movie's greatest elements and I really hope the whole score gets released

It is great trust me, Ray playing the Punisher and the score is spot on and are even troll proof (if there is such a thing).

 

[daywalker2007]

great score, better than Sillioto's 2004 score.
At least this score, the Punisher gets a theme and the score drives the action along.

 

[KT7777]

The score WILL be released! And soon! At the premiere, I was talking to Michael Wandmacher, the composer. He told me that it may very well be released before the end of the year. This is rather quick, and the reason for moving the timetable up is the number of hits Michael's MySpace page has had since he posted some of the tracks there. So go listen! The second track is from another film.

http://www.myspace.com/michaelwandmacher

Nomad

Thanks for the info Nomad hun.The score is great!!t:

 

[Punisher_MAX]

i liked the main theme...i need to hear the whole score alone cause i didnt pay too much attention during the movie

 

[screams]

I really liked the music throughout the movie, it was great!

 

[nomad662]

Great interview with Michael Wandmacher, Composer
Composers aren’t normally thought of as tough guys. But just try knocking a Duracell battery off of Michael Wandmacher’s shoulder, and you’re likely to find yourself in a world of hurt with this martial arts belt-holding musician. And that’s not counting what happens to the villains who find themselves on the wrong end of Wandmacher’s action scores, especially the thugs who dare cross the orchestral bombast, hard-driving guitar chords and eerie electronica of PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, a score that’s likely to blast Wandmacher up another few rungs in Hollywood’s thrill-kill scoring scene.

The Minnesota native already had a kick up in the genre when he got his start for the American re-scores of Jackie Chan’s ARMOR OF GOD, TWIN DRAGONS and DRUNKEN MASTER II before more-than-capably handling original genre material like MODERN VAMPIRES and ON THE BORDERLINE. However, it would be Disney’s far-more innocent MAX KEEBLE’S BIG ADVENTURE that would give Wandmacher his first major studio break. Since then, Wandmacher’s pulsing orchestral work has included TV’s NIGHT STALKER and SAMURAI GIRL, with such film soundtracks as TRAIN, THE KILLING FLOOR and NEVER BACK DOWN showing off Wandmacher’s geek love for horror and fisticuffs.

But Michael Wandmacher’s work has rarely hit the psychopathically heroic heights of PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, a film and score that’s sure to put bloody honor back into a hero who was blasted in more ways than one on his last cinematic outing. WAR ZONE rectifies that defamation with the kind of musical blood, thunder and gunpowder that defines Marvel’s most merciless “superhero.” But then, perhaps only a composer who’s taken his action chops to a whole new level could give this iconic, skull-wearing vigilante the merciless melody he deserves.

iF: How do you think your previous action scores led you to THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE?
MICHAEL WANDMACHER: While there isn't a particular score or credit that facilitated getting PWZ, the backlog of action scores I've amassed over the years was certainly helpful towards getting in the loop of people considered for the job. Action/thriller scores have always been a creative happy place for me. So, when the time came, there was no lack of material to help persuade everyone in the decision making process that I could make a great score for PWZ.

iF: How familiar were you with the Punisher comics before taking the job?
WANDMACHER: Very familiar. Like I-could-go-on-a-gameshow-and-win-money-answering-Punisher-questions familiar. I've followed the exploits of Frank Castle since he teamed up with The Jackal in Spider-Man #129 back in 1974. Since then, there have been many incarnations of The Punisher, be it in "War Journal", "War Zone", the regular series' in the 80s and 90s, all the way to the current MAX label. I've read and collected them all. Some of the best one-offs and crossovers in all of Marvel's history are focused on The Punisher.

iF: The last PUNISHER is regarded as one of the worst made, and scored Marvel films. How important was it for you to put respect back into the series, no more so than with the music?
WANDMACHER: My primary focus throughout the making of this score was creating a definitive musical identity for The Punisher. I knew I needed something dark, relentless and muscular, but I also couldn't forget Frank's humanity, his personal torment and deep sadness. So, I approached the job equally as a fan and as a composer. Taking that angle helped tremendously when trying to sort out what to keep and what to scrap. After completing a cue I would ask myself as a fan if the music was working. If so, it stayed in the score. At the end of the process, I had something that I knew was true to The Punisher in every sense. His theme, especially, is equal parts stoic, forceful, dark and mournful.

iF: Were you taken aback that a woman made such a body-packed film, or did you find her as cinematically bloodthirsty as any of the boys, especially when it came to the scoring?
WANDMACHER: It didn't surprise me at all. It was very clear from the look of the film that Lexi Alexander had done her homework in terms of translating The Punisher's domain to the big screen. All the details were there. Some of the sets looked as if panels from MAX series books had been magically lifted right off the page! Staging the violence "correctly", in Punisher terms, seemed to evolve naturally from the tone and look of the movie. Plus, Lexi is a world champion martial artist. She's no stranger to a good fight.

iF: Even with so much tough action music, how did you want to bring out the buried humanity in Frank Castle?
WANDMACHER: You've touched on something important here! The thing that makes Frank so intriguing to most is the sadness and turmoil that drive his near-amoral vigilantism. Showcasing the part of him that is most flawed, the most humane, was critical in the score. If the audience simply perceives Frank as a machine, they'll lose interest and certainly won't give his M.O. the benefit of the doubt. This all led to using a rather sizable orchestra (70+ with strings and brass only), a minimum of clearly defined themes and a set of motifs that could highlight critical emotional moments in the story. You'll find throughout the score that primary melodies are focused, straightforward and highly versatile - just like The Punisher. Because he's a "comic book" hero, it also gives license to use a strong thematic approach. I wanted to capitalize on that. Too few films like this have a melody you can hum on the way out of the theater. This one does.

iF: How "military" did you want to make WAR ZONE’s score?
WANDMACHER: Not as much as you might think. While Frank's military background is his "superpower", I thought using a rote military-style approach in the music would make the character seem too one-dimensional and rather cliché, even campy. The action scenes are sprinkled with snare cadences and the like, but I opted to use powerful, dynamic ostinatos and slowly rising string repetitions to mimic a relentless entity, like an approaching battalion.

iF: Is the score's use of weird, electronic grooves used to reflect the fact that Castle's as twisted as the foes he kills?
WANDMACHER: It started as that. But as I worked through the movie this approach stopped working for me. I stuck to using all the strange sounds for Frank's interactions with Jigsaw and Looney Bin Jim. And for creating tone and textural elements depending on where a particular scene is taking place. I love programming complete weirdness for my rhythm tracks, but sorry Frank, it just ended up lending itself to the bad guys!

iF: Do you think the music shows a nobility to Frank's work?
WANDMACHER: Absolutely. Being a vigilante puts you in a very confusing place morally. Many people would consider what The Punisher does as noble as it is horrifying. Much of music that accompanies Frank throughout the film is thematically powerful, almost majestic at times, but often veers off into something very dark or tense in the next bar or two. Capturing that "noble criminal" aspect of Frank was tricky.

iF: Talk about Jigsaw's music
WANDMACHER: Sheer dread. All of it. Dissonant and disfigured, just like him. I focused on sounds created by metals and glass, much of it highly processed, to offset all of the atonal strings and brass that accompany his screen time. In some cases I used power tools. And quite a bit of prepared piano. However, when Looney Bin Jim enters the picture I also injected the use of LOTS of brass mutes and chromatic lines in the bass and celli. There's something about the way those two characters interact that's almost comic. They have this goofy, loving brotherly bond that stays in tact amidst all the merciless mayhem they create. Plus, they're both insane. It's arch in every sense, so it felt right to do a little of that with the music.

iF: PUNISHER: WAR ZONE has an unusually big orchestral sound, and power for a smaller budget film. How did you achieve it?
WANDMACHER: The first decision was to use strings and brass only for the orchestra. I felt it was the best way to get the point across when dealing with The Punisher. He's just not a "flute" kind of guy. Tim Simonec came up with the idea of using tuba and contrabass trombone together for really powerful low end and my assistant and orchestrator, Susie Benchasil, did a bang up job of putting together the rest of the band and getting the balances right specifically for the music I was writing. We had six horns, four trombones, three trumpets and 50+ strings. I programmed everything else. It's been my practice since I started in this business to program and produce all of my electronic score elements. I actually really enjoy that. Most mixers are bummed when they find out I have more plug-ins than they do!

iF: There's a lot of controversy regarded this Punisher's production, as well as its possible censorship. How did that behind-the-scenes war zone affect your work on the film?
WANDMACHER: It didn't. Everything went very well on my end and everyone was a tremendous support. Once the filmmakers knew I was on track, they let me run with it. I was on a very short schedule. I had to write it in about 3.5 weeks and use about ten days to record and mix.

iF: You're a composer who can actually kick ass. Tell us about your love of martial arts, and do you think it transfers to your action music?
WANDMACHER: I've followed martial arts since I was a kid and spent 17 years doing it myself. By default, if you train to fight you're naturally interested in watching other people do it, too. Hence, MANY hours of my life have been spent watching action films. This is the genre that most imprinted itself on my film music brain.

iF: Are you happiest having your music blast away in the action arena?
WANDMACHER: I do get a lot of gratification from working in this genre. I like BIG music. Conversely, I'm as much a horror fan as anyone out there, I love animation and I am fascinated by primitive world music. A dream would be to score some outrageously huge sword and sorcery epic. I guess action is a place where I'm comfortable, but I don't rule out other styles. Ever. One of my favorite scoring experiences was doing a documentary called MAN OF TWO HAVANAS. The bulk of the score was rather intimate guitar and rhythm-section pieces steeped in traditional Cuban music. I learned how to play a tres for that. It was a very organic and spontaneous process. Not my usual fare, but tons of fun just the same.

iF: You're scoring a 3-D remake of MY BLOODY VALENTINE next. What can we expect from the film and your music?
WANDMACHER: The film is a rocket sled ride from start of finish. It starts on furious and accelerates to insane. The 3-D is amazing and the whole process has been an absolute blast. As for the score, it's about as big and brazen as a horror score can get. No mercy. He He.

iF: Who would be your favorite Marvel superhero to score?
WANDMACHER: That's a tough one! Mainly because I just did one of them! Punisher was the top of my list, seriously. Looking forward, Dr. Strange would be damn cool. All of the director choices Marvel has been making as of late make projects like Thor and Captain America a whole lot more interesting. Heck, I don't know. I'd be thrilled working on any of them!

http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=3111

Nomad

 

[nomad662]

Score now available!!!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_g...ywords=michael+wandmacher&sprefix=Michael+Wan

I bought "The Killing Floor" too, because I liked the sample Michael had on his MySpace page.

Nomad

 

[S. Grundy]

Awesome.

 

[KT7777]

That's great new

 

[KnightBatman]

YES!!!!
Now hopefully limewire or frostwire will have it really soon lol

 

[Devil]

Someone have some link to download the score?
I can't buy it for now...And i'd want listen to it.

 

[KnightBatman]

Ok I ordered the Punisher War Zone score on amazon and I'm just waiting right now. It might take awhile but I'll try and put them up on youtube when I can or if I can lol

 

[Devil]

ok, some megaupload or rapidshare or torrent link to download it?