One of the most subtle aspects of a film that also carries massive significance is the music. The correct tune or song playing at the right moment for the perfect duration of time, not too long not too short, can make or break a scene. Deciding what song from which era and what genre to include is an integral part of the production process. Original soundtracks, professionally referred to as "scores", are even further difficult to perfect.
A soundtrack that is specifically tailored to complement each and every scene of a movie will give it a special, distinguishable identity and determine what the final viewing experience is like for the audience. To commemorate this, the following list looks at some of the most celebrated original movie scores of the decade that have been awarded Oscars in recognition of their excellence.
2010 - The Social Network By Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross
David Fincher has directed some of the most amazing thriller movies of all time, from Se7en to Gone Girl. At his expert hands, the simple premise of The Social Network, essentially a biopic about Facebook and its creator Mark Zuckerberg, is molded into what many have called one of the best films of the decade. Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross, better known under the name of their rock band Nine Inch Nails, create a profound mix of alternative-rock and electronic music that fits the film and its undertones perfectly.
2011 - The Artist By Ludovic Bource
A black-and-white silent film, The Artist is a throwback to the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 1930s to be specific, when silent films were starting to go out of style as films with sound started to become more prevalent. Being a film completely devoid of any dialogue, its soundtrack defines every scene. In the same way, the film is a love letter made out to a bygone era, the music follows that same path as well, inspired by some of the greatest of that time such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrman, and many others. Charming to the bone, it will incite a rush of nostalgia in older viewers and a sense of novelty in others.
2012 - Life of Pi By Mychael Danna
Like many of the other films mentioned in this list, Life of Pi is a visual experience for the most part and the soundtracks of films like these hold the responsibility to make the experience a most memorable one. It is a bitter-sweet story of a boy who is stranded in the Pacific Ocean on a boat with a tiger.
Staying true to its South-Asian roots by using the sounds of traditional Indian instruments like sitars and bansuris, it bridges the gap between international cultures by applying a hint of Western orchestral music as well.
2013 - Gravity By Steven Price
The film itself states in its opening sequence that in space, "there is nothing to carry sound", but that didn't stop British film composer Steven Price from crafting an absolute gem of a soundtrack. As a story set in space about a lost astronaut, Gravity's main theme is about isolation and how terrifying it can be, about survival and the strength of man's will against even the worst-case scenario. A mix of electronic and classical ambiance music, the score moves up and down with the characters and the scenes, highlighting the panic and intensity of every moment.
2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel By Alexandre Desplat
Anyone who has seen Wes Anderson's films will know that the man is an artist and visual storyteller of the highest order, even going as far as to make movies with a 4:3 screen ratio even though they are considered unconventional now. Nowhere does his artistry shine brighter than in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Alexandre Desplat's score is one of the things that makes it worthy of being called a masterpiece. Every scene and character in the movie, like its main attraction the Hotel, is brimming with life and color, a motif replicated in a perfect auditory manner by its soundtrack.
2015 - The Hateful Eight By Ennio Morricone
Quentin Tarantino's films and Ennio Morricone's music is a relationship that goes back many years, and The Hateful Eight marked the first time Tarantino used an original score for his film. Recognized as one of the most legendary music composers of all time, Morricone is surprisingly lacking in the Oscar department.
The Hateful Eight seems like a western on the surface, similar to its predecessor Django Unchained, but really is more of a closed-room murder thriller where a plethora of horrific events takes place one after another. The music expands upon the desolate and evocative atmosphere of the film to deliver a penultimate experience.
2016 - La La Land By Justin Hurwitz
Being a musical, it is a no-brainer that La La Land's score plays a huge part in what its final rendition is like, it is infinitely dependent on its music. Some people might say that musicals are a thing of the past, but La La Land, directed and written by Damien Chazelle, showed everybody in 2016 that that certainly wasn't the case. Justin Hurwitz's (a long-time collaborator of Chazelle) original score, carries the film through its cheerful and high spirited ride filled with random dance sequences across its setting of Los Angeles, with a hint of sadness in the mix.
2017 - The Shape of Water By Alexandre Desplat
A modern-day fairy tale, The Shape of Water tells the story of an unlikely love between a mute woman working at a secret government lab who falls in love with a humanoid amphibious creature being caged there. Director Guillermo del Toro has always been a fan of the dark-fantasy themes, and many of his films explore concepts of human and non-human relationships.
Alexandre Desplat's original music hits all the necessary emotional keynotes of a plot that is on one hand a tragedy and on the other hand a message about true love and how it triumphs over everything.
2018 - Black Panther By Ludwig Göransson
Sweedish composer Ludwig Göransson has been in the music trade for quite some time now but compared to some of the other players in the game he is still new. In recent years he has started making greater and greater strides, composing music for blockbuster films like Creed, Venom, Tenet, and even for Star Wars. Black Panther's Oscar win was notable, to say the least, as it became the first MCU film to win an Academy Award. Ludwig Göransson's creative score helped bring the vibrant and lively world of Wakanda to life, with music that creatively blended traditional African elements with modern instruments.
2019 - Joker By Hildur Guðnadóttir
In the 86 year-long history of the Academy Awards, only 4 women have won an Oscar in the Music Score categories, and Icelandic musician Hildur Guðnadóttir deservingly earned her place among one of them for her haunting score for Joker. The Joker as a character might be a comic book supervillain, but the film is the farthest anything can be from the comic book movie genre that has become so commonplace in recent years. It is a tale of a broken man and his struggles in life, and the music deeply mirrors the absolutely depressing atmosphere of the film, not to mention the unforgettable "Bathroom dance" scene.