Paris orchestra cuts into film business
mainThe go-to cities for orchestral soundtracks these days are London, Munich and Prague. London is fairly expensive but gets the job done in record time. Munich is cheaper but time-consuming. Prague can be rough and ready.
The last place anyone would go for soundtracks is Paris, where unions stick and mutter at every production detail.
That could be about to change.
The orchestre national de l’ ile de france has put together a package that would include all services, including, composer, for a single competitive price. It has pitched the deal to Variety magazine and is open for business. Read here.
what do you mean by ‘rough and ready’ in Prague? And aren’t they less expensive than Munich?
Have you listened to the Tristan und Isolde they recorded in Prague for the film Melancholia? Just one great example to come from their film studios.
Glad they have finally cottoned on. There would be far more of this work in the UK as a whole, too, if the MU had got its act together years ago when it was obvious to everyone else that the work, other than big-budget blockbusters or those that want the “London” kudos, was fast disappearing.
@Paul, Norman’s assessment is broadly pretty fair – I write from experience of recording soundtracks in numerous cities. Prague is no longer as cheap as it once was (though still more affordable than Western Europe). Of course, that’s not to say it isn’t possible to achieve outstanding results there, just as you can in say Poland or Italy or elsewhere. But as a broad overview, NL has it about right.
If you still think Prague is rough and ready, do take the time to check any of their recent releases:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl8w-cMqNfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9IctI3FbWs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN2_1Ar6C0M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcSIwQaaxl4
In the end, it’s not just the orchestra, but also preparation, orchestration/reconstruction of the score, the conductor in charge and overall production values. I’ve heard worse from British orchestras when production was not up to standards.
But go ahead, Paris. The more, the merrier!