Bruce Faulconer

[TheMightyOzaru]

I have always wondered what happened to the guy.

[Gonstead]

I have always wondered what happened to the guy.

http://www.faulconer.com/

[TheMightyOzaru]

I have always wondered what happened to the guy.

http://www.faulconer.com/

Why did Funimation fire him?

[Gonstead]

I have always wondered what happened to the guy.

http://www.faulconer.com/

Why did Funimation fire him?

Basic summary.

FUNimation didn't want him to compose for GT, he threw a hissy fit and distributed the email addresses of known FUNimation executives to people on the web asking them to email the executives to get him to compose for GT.

One or a few court cases later involving a legal dispute, FUNimation is required to pay royalties for whenever a DBZ episode with music composed by Faulconer Productions is aired on TV but FUNimation do not have to pay royalties for when the music is used in the DVD's.

Other people would have a better understanding of the situation but this is basically what I know of it.

[penguintruth]

I like to think he collapsed in on himself out of pure failure, creating a black hole of awfulness that eventually was home for Mark Menza.

But it's probably more like Funimation's changing policies about replacement music.

[TheMightyOzaru]

I like to think he collapsed in on himself out of pure failure, creating a black hole of awfulness that eventually was home for Mark Menza.

But it's probably more like Funimation's changing policies about replacement music.

Are you saying Faulconers compositions are bad? I can get behind people thinking it doesnt fit moments in the show but claiming his music is bad is not cool. They are well done.

[penguintruth]

Are you saying Faulconers compositions are bad?

Just with every breath I take.

[TheMightyOzaru]

Are you saying Faulconers compositions are bad?

Just with every breath I take.

Why?

[linkdude20002001]

For me, I don't like the Fauconer Productions music because, while sometimes I do find a good song, it's only good for about 30 seconds, if that, and the other three minutes is like some COMPLETELY different song, and a really bad one at that.
And then the rest are just noise... So yes, there are some that are good...but only a small amount, and then that doesn't really count as good either, so really there are almost no songs I consider good.
And I don't hate on it because it was a replacement score. I mean, just as instrumental music (which I love), they aren't good songs.

[penguintruth]

Are you saying Faulconers compositions are bad?

Just with every breath I take.

Why?

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

[Ringworm128]

For every great piece that got made there were about 10 that nobody remembers. Also the placing seemed a bit of in some places. Still better then Shuki Levi's G major "music".

[Fionordequester]

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

You know. as much as I generally disagree with Penguintruth in regards to the Team Faulconer score, I do think he has a point in how the music will sometimes trail off into something lame. The moment he said that, I immediately thought of this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAmqcn1KFVY (just look at the first 32 seconds compared to the rest of the song)

I don't think the score is all flash and no substance (unlike, say, the rock music that was used in almost all of the DBZ movies in the FUNI version...man that sucked >_<!), but, he's not entirely wrong there.

[TheMightyOzaru]

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

Obviously any composer has some bad work but a lot of it is good. Again playing 24/7 does not make the music sound bad. Trust me I wish there was silence when silence was necessary but he has mad some kickass tunes. SSJ Vegeta's theme, SSJ3 Goku's theme, Gohan's rage theme, etc. Honestly I'm pretty sure Bruce has learned that silence is good when necessary. It would be pretty neat to see what he would do for Kai now.

[AgitoZ]

Obviously any composer has some bad work but a lot of it is good. Again playing 24/7 does not make the music sound bad. Trust me I wish there was silence when silence was necessary but he has mad some kickass tunes. SSJ Vegeta's theme, SSJ3 Goku's theme, Gohan's rage theme, etc. Honestly I'm pretty sure Bruce has learned that silence is good when necessary. It would be pretty neat to see what he would do for Kai now.

The biggest problem with Faulconer's music isn't the music itself, it's how it relates to the franchise. It doesn't fit.

When taken out of context I can see how someone can enjoy it. Hell, I loved the music in Legacy of Goku II. But when I'm supposed to accept it as the soundtrack to DBZ, I can't.

[cRookie_Monster]

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

You know. as much as I generally disagree with Penguintruth in regards to the Team Faulconer score, I do think he has a point in how the music will sometimes trail off into something lame. The moment he said that, I immediately thought of this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAmqcn1KFVY (just look at the first 32 seconds compared to the rest of the song)

I don't think the score is all flash and no substance (unlike, say, the rock music that was used in almost all of the DBZ movies in the FUNI version...man that sucked >_<!), but, he's not entirely wrong there.

This kind of thing is usually a symptom of trying to match too many things to picture.

DBZ can be highly frustrating to score\edit for since it'll have some epic battle, then invariably cut to comedic moments or drawn out reaction shots of other characters. What worked musically is now inappropriate.

But of course the problem you are talking about goes beyond that. There are some scenes where the "Mickey Mousing" is just wayyy over the top. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_mousing.

As for Faulconer Productions not being hired for GT, I think there were many factors. It's probably not so appropriate for me to comment on that actually =\

The lawsuit thing was crazy(which happened after the spam thing mentioned by someone else). It went on for 3 years. Bruce sued them, then Funi counter sued. I found it infinitely amusing that these two companies were throwing lawsuits worth millions of dollars( 47.3 mill according to one docket!) at each other over music mostly created by a couple of recent underpaid college grads. I guess he was pretty unhappy that he didn't get that job for Julius to execute =\

Yeah, he still gets some royalties, but Funi owns the copyrights. That's why he can't release any more CDs. I also found evidence that Faulconer nearly lost his studio shortly after all the court stuff. I guess those legal fees were pretty hefty in spite of the 680,000$ he won.

Then at the end of 2010 Faulconer Productions went bankrupt. Here's some old threads:

http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtop ... 12&t=16880
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtop ... 12&t=17167

[mysticboy]

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

Faulconer's SSJ Goku theme comes to mind.

[Lord Exor]

It's severely shallow, is why. Not just in its use in DBZ, but in general. It just feels all flash and no substance. Often when some somewhat interesting riffs or notable themes manage to emerge, it then lapses into this weird filler music, like the composer just gave up at some point. And of course, it doesn't bring out the sense of grandness and cosmic opera that Kikuchi's work does to the material it's applied to. I find myself having to fast forward through each piece to find the little bits of good it does have. It ends up droning on and on without any real emotional intensity and ends up meandering and disengenuous.

I'm going to have to chime in here on this one. I've been trying to circumvent confrontation, but I'm going to indulge just this once. I mean no disrespect, but your criticisms of the music appear derived mostly from sentimentality. As a result, I feel that your arguments are based around nebulous, abstract definitions of what constitutes "disingenuous" and "cosmic." In fact, I find the ambient synth pads used in the Faulconer score "cosmic" with their otherworldly timbre.

If you have a problem with how the pieces are composed, or feel the melodies and rhythms are poorly executed, that's one thing--but the grandiose claim that Kikuchi's score engenders the show with "cosmic" or "operatic" qualities (all indistinct, objective descriptors) isn't going to bolster any argument that the Faulconer Productions music is trash. Remember, I'm not trying to insult you or launch a personal attack, and I respect that you feel so strongly about Kikuchi's work; I just don't believe it functions well as evidence against the other musicians.

Personally, I can't see how the music is shallow when it does well to provide catchy riffs, recurring motifs, and characteristic sound. A good example of shallow background noise would probably be Menza's almost purely rhythm-based guitar. There's nothing distinctive about it, and it's lucidly clear that the intent is purely the addition of texture to the soundtrack. In that regard I don't think either the Kikuchi score or the Faulconer score is vacuous.

It's apparent to me that both soundtracks have their own unique atmosphere, and it all comes down to personal preference as to which one the listener enjoys more. My disinclination toward Kikuchi's music is fueled mostly by what I perceive to be mood dissonance and a comparative lack of character themes that truly define each major (and minor) player. I don't think the individual motifs and leitmotifs are descriptive enough of the characters they're supposed to represent. Of course, there are some odd choices in the Faulconer Productions score as well--King Cold comes to mind--but for the most part I can glean at least a cursory sense of who each person is based upon the music. At no point in Kikuchi's score can I detect a divergence as severe as the difference between, say, John Williams' "Yoda's Theme" and "The Emperor's Theme."

At the end of the day, I suppose I'd just appreciate a more tempered and deliberate approach toward any discussion comparing versions.

[penguintruth]

Kikuchi's score has complexities and is constantly building, only occasionally refraining to build again, an effect that creates a feeling of tension being released, of a natural flow of power, crashing against the narrative, a sense of its own "ki", you could say. Very little obvious electronic sound, making it more raw and viceral, instead of feeling artificial.

A lot of Faulconer's stuff just seems to drone after a while. It makes a little statement, if at all, which might be good for a few moments, and then just sort of gives up, surrenders to just being background noise. Even the more memorable pieces have a tendancy to follow the same kind of rules, skewing towards too obvious and artificial. It doesn't give off the feeling of this great dramatic wuxia, but rather just some loud action cartoon.

I feel the same way about the voice acting in the English dub, which is why it's strange to hear it with the Kikuchi music, because the script and acting in the dub also seems to fit a sense of shallow, meatheaded "badassery", making the show into little more than a low rent wrestling match.

I know that ultimately DBZ is, after all, kind of a dumb action show, but I felt the Japanese approach is so much more respectful to the grandiosity of the narrative and atmosphere. When I hear that music playing when Vegeta is powering up during his fight with Goku, with the clouds streaming lightning, the animals running for cover, the rocks flying up, I am shaken. When I see Goku transform in the heat of a maddening rage, I get shivers. If it's just some blaring electric guitar, I feel like it doesn't really have the same emotional punch. I want it to sound like these characters are ripping apart the worlds they're standing on. Because they often are.

[kei17]

But of course the problem you are talking about goes beyond that. There are some scenes where the "Mickey Mousing" is just wayyy over the top. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_mousing.

This scene came to my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR84NPF9tY4

[Gonstead]

But of course the problem you are talking about goes beyond that. There are some scenes where the "Mickey Mousing" is just wayyy over the top. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_mousing.

This scene came to my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR84NPF9tY4

Off topic: What's up with the video quality? It looks like an old TV recording from a VHS.