Latest news with #DiamondintheDesert
Forbes
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Hans Zimmer And IMAX Sound Are Perfect Partners
As George Lucas famously said, sound is 50% of the movie-going experience. In the 1970s and 1980s, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg regularly relied on the genius of John Williams to elevate their celluloid visions from great to magic, with his iconic music for films such as Star Wars, E.T., and Indiana Jones. While Williams continued to produce great work, since the mid-1990s, it's Hans Zimmer who has become the name most associated with the great music for epic movies, from The Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean, to Interstellar and Dune. The concert film, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, is a fantastic testament to this and recently I was fortunate to be present at a showing of the film at London's BFI IMAX, followed by a Q+A with Hans Zimmer himself, along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the film's director, Paul Dugdale. The film is a tour-de-force for fans of movies and music, mixing footage of a live stage performance from one of Zimmer's concerts in Dubai, mixed with performances set in astonishing locations. It opens with the music from Dune, set in a desert that could have been the planet Arrakis, but was more likely Jordan, to a setting for Interstellar that appeared to be on a floating stage in space. The epic performances brought a tear to my eye, but to keep things grounded, these were interspersed with light-touch interviews with many of Zimmer's famous musical and professional collaborators. These included Johnny Marr, Pharrell Williams, and Billie Eilish. As well as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and of course, the two great directors, Chris Nolan and Denis Villeneuve. The latter, along with others, such as some of Zimmer's band members were in the audience for the screening, and it was fun seeing them casually in the foyer before we were all ushered in to watch the film: I even found myself walking and talking with Johnny Marr as we left the auditorium. As Marr explained in the film, it was he and Pharrell Williams (who worked with the composer on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014) who persuaded Zimmer that he needed to take his music on the road, describing him as more 'rock star' than a conventional film composer. (It was also a high point to hear Marr point out the irony of him being the man who wrote the music for The Smiths' song Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now working with the guy who wrote Happy.) Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert received a very limited release, so if you've seen it, you'll have to wait for the film to come to streaming, or preferably, pick up a physical disc copy for optimal sound quality. While the clear laser projection onto the huge screen was fantastic, after reading some reports of poor sound quality in some screenings, I was grateful that I had seen it in an IMAX, where as much attention is paid to the sound as the picture. As this video from nearly ten years ago demonstrates, IMAX makes much of the fact that its theatres are designed from the ground up to ensure optimal sound. Naturally, a lot of attention focuses on how loud the speakers can go, and, yes, in the video, Zimmer himself says, 'I love that I get to work and make a big noise', but let's not forget that it's the dynamic range that makes the difference: the ability to go from very loud to very quiet, quickly and with detail. Indeed, it's the space between those moments that conveys emotion and drama. When the wall of sound stops on a dime, it's that sudden absence of noise that has the biggest impact – and that's where the emotional engagement comes from. In any cinema, then, you'll be listening to the sound of the room as much as the sound of the speakers, and the result will be as much down to the room design as the quality of the speakers themselves. It's clear that in an IMAX, or indeed other high-quality theaters, attention is paid to the entire space, from the speaker enclosures and the air conditioning system to the acoustic treatment on the floor and seats. So next time you are heading out to the theater, even if it's not to see a Hans Zimmer concert movie, pay attention to the sound – and if it's not good enough, say something, or find somewhere that is put together by people that care.
The Independent
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘I don't have vertigo anymore': Hans Zimmer on his new documentary, Glastonbury, and his on-stage proposal
Hans Zimmer used to have vertigo, but has overcome it to the point that he was able to perform from the helipad of the Burj Al Arab, one of the tallest hotels in the world. The revered composer, 67, features in the jaw-dropping scene for his new documentary, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, which opened this week to a limited release in select global cinemas. Directed by Paul Dugdale with Jerry Bruckheimer serving as executive producer, the film captures a live performance by Zimmer and his orchestra of some of his best known works, including the scores to films such as Gladiator, Dune, The Lion King, Interstellar and Pirates of the Caribbean. Interspersed between footage of the concert at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai are dramatic performances such as the one at the Burj Al Arab, along with interviews with some of the German musician's close collaborators, from directors Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan to actors Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. 'I think I have the best band in the world right now,' Zimmer told The Independent 's new podcast, Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations. 'We were in the Middle East and Denis [Villeneuve] was shooting Dune around the corner, so we thought… you know, why not?' He said it was important to be able to capture the sheer scale of his tour operation, which now includes '15 articulated lorries and 13 buses', so that fans can enjoy it 'all over the world'. 'I used to get vertigo,' he said, while discussing the scene at the Burj Al Arab, 'but I also, for 40 years, wouldn't set foot on a stage either because I got stage fright. 'And the whole thing of being terrified by 20,000 people every night and at the same time, loving everything that's going on… suddenly I don't have vertigo anymore. You just know how to plant your feet. And I went right up to the edge!' Zimmer is now so accustomed to the stage that he was able to summon the courage to propose to his partner, hotelier and film producer Dina De Luca, during a live show at the O2 Arena in London, back in 2023. The romantic gesture was not planned, he revealed: 'I just had to do it. She looked so beautiful. I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn't dare to do it. And so I said, 'I have some, I have some important questions to ask you… Uh, did you put the milk back in the fridge? Did you lock the back door? Will you marry me?' He confirmed that she accepted, and praised his partner for being 'incredibly supportive' of his career. In the same interview, Zimmer discussed how he continued writing music after completing the score for Villneuve's adaptation of Dune starring Chalamet and Zendaya, only to learn later that this made him ineligible for the Oscars when Dune: Part Two was submitted. 'I got disqualified by the Oscars because the music that Dune 2 used was created before the movie,' he said. 'One of their reasons was because I used the tunes again from the first movie, but of course I used the tunes again from the first movie, since it was the completion of a story with the same characters!' He joked: 'Maybe we should have recast [the sequel] as well.' Zimmer won the Oscar for Best Score in 2022 for his work on the first Dune film. His first Academy Award win was in 1994 for The Lion King. The current Academy rules for music eligibility from sequels state: 'In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20 per cent of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.' Villeneuve also hit back at the idea that Zimmer's second score should be deemed ineligible, telling Variety's Awards Circuit podcast that he did 'a tremendous amount of music' and that Part Two was a new score. The composer is the first to admit that he has, on occasion, had to be persuaded to do things, such as when Pharrell and Johnny Marr first convinced him to take his music on tour. The trio discuss their conversations in the documentary, with Marr joking that Zimmer now tours more than him. Meanwhile, Marr's son Nile, also a musician, was apparently the one who told him to 'get over himself' and perform the score to The Lion King at Coachella festival in 2017. 'I didn't want to play it. I'm going, no, this is a kid's movie,' Zimmer explained. 'And Nile goes, 'Hans, this was the music of my youth, get out there.' And we played it, and 80,000 people started crying.' Zimmer's daughter, graphic artist, photographer and model Zoë Zimmer, has also been telling him he should perform at Glastonbury: 'I think it's on the cards,' he said. 'I'd love to be the weird guy who drags an orchestra and a choir around.' The full episode of 'Good Vibrations' with Zimmer will be available from Wednesday 26 March on all streaming platforms. 'Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert' is in cinemas now for a limited time.
The National
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
'This place is the future': Why Dubai was the ideal setting for Hans Zimmer's latest concert film
With his new concert film, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, the composer may have finally found settings that match the grandeur and thrill of his acclaimed film scores. Screening in select UAE cinemas and globally until Saturday, the German composer and his 19-piece orchestra perform a selection of songs across Dubai's landmarks, from the serene desert landscapes to Al Wasl Plaza at Expo City Dubai. A particular highlight for Zimmer is performing a solo piano version of the haunting Time – from sci-fi blockbuster Inception – on the helipad of Burj Al Arab. "Putting my little piano on top of that building was amazing," he tells The National. "Everyone kept saying I'd be scared, but I wasn't. I just remember feeling how much I loved it – and that's why I wanted to shoot the film in Dubai. There's so much grace, sophistication and meaningful conversation to be had here. I say it in the film, and I'll say it again – this place is the future." A high-octane concert film as well as a meditation on creativity, Diamond in the Desert features live performances from Zimmer's concerts at Coca-Cola Arena on May 31 and June 1 last year. It also includes sit-down interviews between Zimmer and his famous collaborators such as singers Billie Eilish and Pharrell Williams, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actor Timothee Chalamet and director Christopher Nolan. While those discussions were filmed in the US, the lion's share of the two-and-a-half-hour film comes from the arena performances. Backed by a sprawling band, including two drummers, a string and horn section, plus an eclectic array of vocalists – from South African and Irish folk singers to sopranos – Diamond in the Desert is a stirring showcase of a composer who has captured the imagination of generations of filmgoers over four decades. Beginning with A Time of Quiet Between the Storms from last year's Dune: Part Two, the film opens with a sparse introduction to the score, filmed in the Dubai desert, before transitioning to the arena, where the piece picks up steam. The galloping Wonder Woman Suite – taken from Wonder Woman 1984 – is a brilliant showcase of the band, who come together to painstakingly reimagine Zimmer's scores, which are often built on electronic keyboards before taking on layers of evocative orchestration. Zimmer, who is seen on film ensconced within the ensemble, playing instruments including keyboards, bass and electric guitar, explains that the concert film is partly a tribute to the group he began performing with in 2016. 'I never really felt this film was about me, and it might actually be safer to leave it that way. But honestly, I love my band, and this film was made because of that," he says. "You know, I never designed the band to be this big multicultural thing, but it just so happens that I have friends from all over the world who happen to play very well." While not appearing on stage, two key figures were instrumental in bringing Zimmer's live spectacle to life. Happy singer Pharrell and guitarist Johnny Marr – who co-wrote The Smiths' Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now – come from different musical backgrounds, yet the film highlights how their encouragement ultimately led Zimmer to take his show on the road. "I was initially afraid of all of it – being out there on stage terrified me. But it was Pharrell and Johnny who kept telling me, 'Come on, you've got to do it. You owe it to the people,'" Zimmer recalls. "And they were absolutely right. If I do get stage fright, then that's the price I have to pay. But the reward is great – being on stage and having this conversation with people is genuinely exciting." As it turned out, Williams and Zimmer unleashed a road hound, with Zimmer and his orchestra touring the world consistently for about a decade. Each tour has added new material from Zimmer's latest Hollywood compositions – from the 2017 war film Dunkirk to 2021's James Bond installment No Time to Die. UAE fans will once again savour the live experience when Zimmer ends his Australian and Asian tour with his Abu Dhabi debut concert at Etihad Arena on May 31. All that time on the road has kept him away from the studio, particularly from his latest high-profile gig – reinterpreting Saudi Arabia's national anthem, a commission from the General Entertainment Authority. 'All I can tell you is I've been thinking a lot about it,' Zimmer says. 'I have some ideas and I have some plans. At the moment it's going really well because I haven't played anybody anything.' Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert is showing in UAE cinemas until Saturday
