Minimalistic Approach in Christopher Nolan’s Movie Interstellar

In more recent years, minimalistic approaches can be found in popular films such as Christopher Nolan’s highly rated 2004 Interstellar. Other previous sci-fi space films such as 2001 A Space Odyssey and Star Wars, feature grandiose romantic space opera scores. The large orchestras in these films play instruments such as heavy-handed brass chords and the heart pounding timpani. This style is nowhere to be found in Hans Zimmer’s score for Interstellar. Instead, the composer chose a minimalist approach in his music.

Interstellar is a film about the vastness of space and how little humans really know about what is out there. It is a film that relies deeply on the human emotions and connections of the characters. Although it is the opposite of most sci-fi film scores, Zimmer’s score fits perfectly with the themes of the film. A sense of fragility is felt with the light orchestration heard throughout the film. The themes are uncomplicated and are comprised of very few notes with lots of repetition. The music is able to portray the great vastness of the unknown universe and show the power of love and how important it is to pay attention to all the little things that matter in life. Humans are a very fragile thing that make up a tiny space in the vastness of the universe, and so are stars, and every cell and motif that make up Zimmer’s score. While the most sophisticated scores have little to no relation to what you can see – focusing on feelings and emotions, which can’t be seen – there is almost a visual and proportional correlation between the literal visual imagery and what is heard in the score.

Minimalism has also been used to portray dystopian themes in films. It is easy to see why the creators of these films would choose to use non-traditional film music since they are portraying the otherworldly. In the 1984 post-apocalyptic film The Terminator, minimalistic techniques are used to show the cyborgs as mechanical and emotionless. In The Terminator, a cyborg from a future ruled by machines is sent back in time to kill the mother of the future human leader of the resistance. The score is composed by Brad Fiedel and is primarily synthesizer driven. Action films of the time often used loud orchestral scores to mark the protagonist with heroic themes.

In this film however, the composer’s main purpose appears to be to portray the mechanical and emotionless nature of the cyborgs. The main title music of the film, “The Terminator Theme,” is an example of how Fiedel used minimalistic techniques to successfully convey the machines. The theme begins with a synthetic metallic percussion rhythm which doesn’t sound like any natural sound or instrument. The rhythm repeats unchanged for most of the theme. The metallic nature of the rhythm as well as it’s minimalistic but constant repetition fits perfectly with the unwavering, unemotional, mechanical nature of the cyborgs.