The Big Picture - AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores

The Big Picture - AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores

Memorable Movie Music Celebrated at the Hollywood Bowl on September 23

THE GODFATHER, GONE WITH THE WIND, JAWS, PSYCHO, STAR WARS, TITANIC and More Vie for the Title of Greatest Score

LOS ANGELES, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- American Film Institute (AFI) today distributed a ballot with 250 nominated movie scores to a jury of over 500 leaders from the creative community, including composers, musicians, film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors and cinematographers), critics and historians. The 25 film scores that receive the most votes will be presented live -- and in order -- by Principal Conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with classic scenes from many of the films projected on the Bowl's big screens. AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores will be held one night only at the Hollywood Bowl at 8:00 p.m. on September 23, 2005.

"Music has a unique ability to underscore the emotional power of a film's story," stated AFI's Director and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg. "We are delighted to translate our popular AFI's 100 Years ... series into a live musical event, shining a spotlight on the many contributions of musical giants in the film world."

The jury has been asked to choose up to 25 movie scores from a comprehensive list, including entries such as ANATOMY OF A MURDER (composer Duke Ellington), BATMAN (composer Danny Elfman), BEN-HUR (composer Miklos Rozsa), BORN FREE (composer John Barry), GLADIATOR (composer Hans Zimmer), THE GREAT ESCAPE (composer Elmer Bernstein), THE PINK PANTHER (composer Henry Mancini), ROCKY (composer Bill Conti), SHAFT (composer Issac Hayes), STAR WARS (composer John Williams), TITANIC (composer James Horner) and RAGTIME (composer Randy Newman). Due to the extensive number of memorable movie scores in American film, jurors may also write in votes for up to five scores that may not already appear on the ballot. Only films from the sound era (1927 to present) will be considered.

Created as a sidebar to AFI's popular AFI's 100 Years ... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores will continue the mission of this program -- to reignite an interest in classic American cinema. Each year, the AFI program has garnered considerable attention from movie lovers around the world. Previous programs within this series have included AFI 100 Years ... 100 Movies (1998), ... 100 Stars (1999), ... 100 Laughs (2000), ... 100 Thrills (2001), ... 100 Passions (2002), ... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003), ... 100 Songs (2004) and on June 21 CBS will air ...100 Movie Quotes.

About the Jury Process

The jurors have been asked to consider the following criteria in making their selections:

FILM SCORE

An original music composition written to serve as the dramatic underscore to an American film released in the sound era.*

CREATIVE IMPACT

Film Scores that enrich the moviegoing experience by bringing the emotional elements of a film's story to life.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Film Scores that create a new sound and, therefore, present the film in a distinct fashion while advancing the art forms.

LEGACY

Film Scores that are also enjoyed apart from the movie and evoking the memory of its film source, thus ensuring and enlivening both the music and the movie's historical legacy.

* AFI defines an American film as an English language motion picture
with significant creative and/or financial production elements from
the United States. Additionally, only Film Scores from feature-length
American films released in the sound era (1927 to present) will be
considered. AFI defines a feature-length film as a motion picture of
narrative format that is typically over 60 minutes in length.

Interesting Facts about the Ballot

Chronologically, the ballot spans film scores dating from 1933 -- with CITY LIGHTS from composer Charles Chaplin -- to 2004's THE VILLAGE from composer James Newton Howard.

The most represented composers -- with 11 entries each -- include Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman and John Williams. Also well represented are Bernard Herrmann with nine entries, and Dimitri Tiomkin and Erich Wolfgang Korngold each with seven entries.

Tickets ($1 - $92) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232 at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations) or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000. Beginning June 10, AFI members receive a 20% discount on bench seats for this performance purchased via mail, fax, online at HollywoodBowl.com, or at the box office.

About the Hollywood Bowl

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduces audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2005, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue at the 16th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; it is no wonder that the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

About AFI

AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through AFI's New Media Ventures. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival and SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, while offering year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years ... series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 32 years, AFI'S LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

- The complete ballot for AFI's 100 YEARS OF FILM SCORES can be found at

http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/scores.aspx

Source: American Film Institute

CONTACT: Alison Deknatel, +1-323-856-7896, adeknatel@AFI.com, or Erin
Hurff, +1-323-856-7603, ehurff@AFI.com, both of American Film Institute

Web site: http://www.afi.com/

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