Theatrical magic: movies with a live orchestra create a breathtaking film-going experience
25 September 2024. Written by Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier.
In the age of on-demand streaming, heading out to see a film elicits a strong sense of occasion.
When that movie-going experience is combined with an orchestral concert, the result is nothing short of spectacular, says film expert Dr Will Jeffery.
In a recent article, Jeffery, who is a sessional academic in Film Studies at the University of Sydney, says there is a reason why Australians are wholeheartedly embracing film-with-orchestra experiences.
‘It’s the most unique film experience. You have to experience it to believe its incredible spectacle,’ Jeffery tells the TSO.
‘These events regularly sell out. Even though I’ve seen these films many times, either in the theatre or at home, and listened to their soundtracks countless times too, I am still willing to pay extra money to revisit them with a live orchestra (and) I am not alone.’
In Hobart, audiences will soon have the chance to experience the popular film-with-orchestra format, with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra performing two major movie concerts, The Man From Snowy River on 19 October and Batman (1989) on 13 and 14 December.
Revered Australian composer Bruce Rowland received the Australian Film Institute’s Best Score award for his work on The Man from Snowy River in 1982. He tells the TSO that Hobart audiences are in for a movie experience like no other.
‘This is something you need to see for yourself,’ Rowland says. ‘It is quite a remarkable experience. It’s been hugely popular with audiences right around Australia.’
While The Man From Snowy River is believed to be the first Australian film to be played live with symphony orchestras, Rowland says that judging from the sell-out events around the country, ‘it certainly won’t be the last!’.
'It’s the most unique film experience. You have to experience it to believe its incredible spectacle.'
- Dr Will Jeffery, University of Sydney
‘This is something you need to see for yourself. It is quite a remarkable experience. It’s been hugely popular with audiences right around Australia.’
- Bruce Rowland, composer of The Man From Snowy River soundtrack
TSO musicians are also getting excited about the upcoming stage spectacular of Batman (1989) live in concert, as part of a national tour celebrating 35 years of Tim Burton’s cult classic.
As with The Man From Snowy River, Tim Burton’s classic 1989 Batman will play on huge screens in Hobart’s MyState Arena as the TSO performs the film’s epic soundtrack by Danny Elfman.
‘There’s a lot of iconic things about that 1989 Batman movie by Tim Burton and one of them is definitely the famously dark and heroic soundtrack,’ says viola player Will Newbery.
‘Danny Elfman really manages to capture not just the heroic energy of Batman, but the darkness.’
Elfman created the music for other Burton films including Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. He is also famous for writing the theme song for The Simpsons.
Newbery says that while TSO musicians always love the chance to dress up, they also hoped to see many spectators in costume.
‘I’m sure there will be plenty of film fans who will want to stay true to the 1989 Batman, so we’ll have a lot of Batmans and Jokers and Vicky Vales (Kim Basinger’s character). I’m also hoping we’ll see the whole gamut of superheroes and villains from across the DC Universe,’ Newbery says.
‘There’s a lot of iconic things about that 1989 Batman movie by Tim Burton and one of them is definitely the famously dark and heroic soundtrack.’
- TSO viola player Will Newbery.
Sydney Uni film expert Dr Will Jeffery says film-with-orchestra concerts draw the audience’s attention to the power of the soundtrack, unlike in a cinema when a sense of familiarity can dampen the impact of the film’s musical score.
The added spectacle of a live orchestra provides an extra dimension by which to visualise the film’s music and recognise its emotional impact on the viewing experience, he says.
‘Filmgoers become aware of how important film music is in a film, how it operates. Also, the film becomes a live performance,’ Jeffery says.
The TSO’s upcoming live film concerts offer far more than the popcorn escapism of the movie theatre. As Jefferey invitingly suggests, ‘when you see your favourite film with live orchestra, we are no longer just spectators to a screen, we are audience members to a film performance’.
See the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra live in concert at MyState Arena, Glenorchy, with the TSO’s spectacular orchestral movie experiences.
The Man from Snowy River will be screened with live orchestra at 3pm on Saturday 19 October 2024. Batman (1989) will be screened with live orchestra at 7:30 pm on Friday 13 December and Saturday 14 Dec 2024.
Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier is a freelance writer and classical music reviewer based in Melbourne.
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