John Jesensky Discusses Minimalism in Hollywood Film Scoring

Trends often drive all aspects of Hollywood filmmaking, and, according to John Jesensky, film scoring is certainly not an exception in this regard. Although not all filmmaking trends necessarily deliver wholly positive results, there is at least one recent trend that Jesensky, a composer and conductor who possesses ample film scoring experience, believes is worthy of substantial praise for contributing to some truly outstanding filmmaking.

After correctly recognizing the clear influence of Philip Glass -- as well as that of Bernard Herrmann’s work in the films of Alfred Hitchcock -- Jesensky offered high praise for the score composed by Abel Korzeniowski for Tom Ford’s new project, Nocturnal Animals. It indeed turns out that Korzeniowski’s approach was explicitly inspired, at least in part, by the minimalism so apparent throughout Glass’ career. Ford, the film’s director, is also fond of the minimalist compositions created by Glass, which is part of the reason Korzeniowski and Ford have collaborated on multiple projects, including the 2009 film A Single Man.

Nocturnal Animals’ minimalist-inspired score impressed Jesensky for reasons beyond its adherence to a minimalist approach, and the longtime composer and conductor praised the subtleties found throughout the score, particularly those that so deftly reflect the complex narrative structure of the film while retaining a cohesiveness that unites the entire composition. It is this kind of creativity and innovation that, when combined with a detail-oriented and unyielding approach, makes it possible to deliver exceptional art under the most demanding of circumstances.

The process favored by Korzeniowski and Ford in creating a score with thematic elements appropriately suited for the three distinct settings and timelines that comprise the film’s narrative structure is fascinating for any number of reasons. Perhaps most impressive is the manner in which Korzeniowski set out to strike a thematic balance that preserved what the composer referred to as an “oversaturated expression” without venturing over the threshold that crosses over into the grotesque. As a result, Korzeniowski was forced to rewrite the opening theme over a dozen times, with the finished product ultimately coming across in a manner quite reminiscent of film noir.

Pairing the multiple layers of the film’s narrative structure with a similarly layered and minimalism-inspired score proved to be remarkably successful in its application to Noctural Animals. Jesensky believes the success of this approach will ensure the trend toward minimalism in film scoring will continue to remain visible throughout Hollywood’s filmmaking industry. Given the complexity of the composition and the demanding process required to create the film’s impressive score, it also seems likely that this particular approach will be favored by only the most dedicated and detail-oriented of Hollywood composers.