74
votes
Accepted
Is the loudness of a movie in the theater set by the theater or by the publisher/studio?
The overall answer is it can depend, but it's usually set by the movie theater.
Unless the studio has requested an optimal volume range for a movie, the theater is free to set the volume at whatever ...
36
votes
Accepted
What does "a nickel on the dime" mean?
The line is
I wasn't born this morning, eighteen would be just fine.
Why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime?
Both "nickels" and "dimes" are common names for coins ...
25
votes
Why aren't the songs from a TV show credited in the end credits?
Money.
In this case Time which equals money.
The vast majority of TV content is still provided by TV networks who make their income from ads. Every second not devoted to actual content is a second ...
24
votes
Accepted
What is the reason behind this musical reference to Pinocchio in the Close Encounters main theme?
In an 1998 interview with Ian Lace, John Williams explained
"In this spirit, the idea to incorporate When You Wish Upon A Star was Spielberg's. I think for him, it had something to do with the ...
22
votes
Accepted
What is the relationship between the theme songs in Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie) and Sherlock (BBC series)?
They were not influenced by Zimmer
Michael Price and David Arnold answered this in an interview:
How much of an influence was Hans Zimmer's score from the Sherlock Holmes movie?
Regarding ...
21
votes
Accepted
Was the Psych theme song written for the show?
The song "The Best Man Lies" was included on The Friendly Indians' EP Tiny Badness, released in 2004.
A version song was re-released as "I know, You know" in 2006 after it became popular as the show'...
20
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between a movie's soundtrack, and its score?
A soundtrack can often include complementary popular music and may not be original to the movie. Soundtracks can also offer a complete experience when played separately from the film and some songs ...
20
votes
Accepted
Which comes first in song-and-dance movies: The soundtrack or the video?
This might be a bit broad [but answerable in a broad sense], and I have no documentary evidence to back things up, but my qualification for this is I am a (retired) professional sound engineer, who ...
19
votes
Accepted
Did the actors sing for Pitch Perfect?
I believe that the cast did in fact sing all of the songs in the movie. Some are even professional a capella singers.
From People's Choice
Everyone in the films who plays a singing part had to ...
16
votes
Accepted
Significance of the song "Should I Stay or Should I Go"?
For me, the scene where Joyce Byers sees the monster for the first time, coming out of the wall in Will's bedroom and runs away from her house, explains it. At that moment she is both devastated by ...
15
votes
Accepted
Did Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman do the singing in Moulin Rouge?
Yes, both of them did their own singing for the movie. Ewan McGregor is quoted in this MTV article talking about the pressure that he felt, as it was more singing than he had done previously for parts,...
14
votes
Accepted
What do Hans and Anna mean when they Jinx each other in "Love Is an Open Door"?
Jinx is also a children's game, when 2 people say the same thing at the same time:
When I was in school, if two people said the same thing at the same time you hurried to say "jinx" first - whoever ...
14
votes
Accepted
Why do they sing Nirvana in Pan?
From The Huffington Post who interviewed Joe Wright, the director:
One of the most memorable scenes in 'Pan', Joe Wright’s lavish Peter
Pan prequel is when young Londoner Peter is first ...
14
votes
Is the loudness of a movie in the theater set by the theater or by the publisher/studio?
The relative volume (this piece of dialogue is louder/quieter than that sound effect) is determined by the producers and part of the film (or digital video). The absolute volume (this is how high we ...
13
votes
Accepted
What came first? Venom as the movie or as the song?
I would point you to the Wikipedia page for this song which reads:
"Venom – Music from the Motion Picture", more commonly known as simply "Venom", is a song by American rapper Eminem, written for ...
12
votes
Accepted
What is the term for that style device when a soundtrack turns out to be heard within the reality of the film?
What you're looking for is called diegetic music, or more colloquially Source Music. Switching back and forth in a single scene is called a "diegetic switch", or "cross-over diegetic music".
TVTropes ...
12
votes
Accepted
What is the importance of background music in A Clockwork Orange?
From Interview with Stanley Kubrick regarding A Clockwork Orange by Philip Strick & Penelope Houston (Sight&Sound, Spring 1972):
Question: To what extent do you rationalise a shot before ...
11
votes
Accepted
"Highlander" music used as New Line Cinema theme song
You're thinking of New Line Cinema, but your instinct is spot-on! ;)
According to film composer Michael Kamen's wikipedia page,
New Line's corresponding theme is the opening segment of a track ...
11
votes
Accepted
What was Martian Manhunter singing in the end of Christmas special episode "Comfort and Joy"?
This song got no particular name. They didn't actually write a song for the episode. Voice actor for J'onn J'onzz, Carl Lumbly, came up with what Martian lullaby sounds like.
By the quote from Bruce ...

A J♦
- 57.2k
11
votes
What does "a nickel on the dime" mean?
Just to add to the accepted answer, nickels on the dime is a common expression in parts of North America (I have heard it used in Ontario and BC), indicating that you are getting ripped off in a deal.
...
10
votes
Accepted
How to describe the music that appears in the background of EVERY Egyptian related scene?
According to TVTropes, it's a Regional Riff- or more specifically, an Egyptian riff.
Here we're exploring Regional Riffs — and the musical instruments that
seem inexorably linked as cues to ...
10
votes
Accepted
Why the discrepancies between setting and music in "Moulin Rouge!"?
The action of Moulin Rouge! takes place in 1899:
In the year 1900, a British writer suffering from depression named
Christian (Ewan McGregor) begins writing on his typewriter (...). He explains ...
10
votes
Accepted
Is the Wonder Woman theme original?
Composer Hans Zimmer says in this video interview:
It was really important for me to figure out how to find, like this
banshee wail ... but it had to be feminine.
...
10
votes
Accepted
Why does the movie Inside Man start with a Bollywood track?
In the director's commentary on the DVD, Spike Lee addresses this. Short version; he liked the song so he used it.
When he was teaching film school, a student recommended the film Dil Se.., where ...
9
votes
Accepted
Where is the music from the Interstellar trailer from?
This is the track Evey Reborn from Dario Marianelli's soundtrack for 'V For Vendetta' (the recognizable part you've pointed out appears around 2:30).
EDIT: A comment has raised an interesting point (...
9
votes
Accepted
Who recorded "The West Wing Theme"?
INSIGHTS: Interview with W. G. Snuffy Walden:
From the down beat of "The West Wing" theme it's a magnificent build
and, for me, a perfect prelude to the show. The pilot has a longer
version?
...
9
votes
Accepted
What is the name of a sound track in Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 3
The name of the background score is called House of Black and White
Skip forward to 2:57 for this particular track
9
votes
When was whistling music first used in basketball videos?
The song in question is an old jazz song called "Sweet Georgia Brown", in this case a version by Brother Bones. The Harlem Globetrotters, as far as I know, are the ones who first introduced the song ...
9
votes
Accepted
What is the significance of Nimrod to Dunkirk's original score?
Elgar's Enigma variations - and Nimrod, in particular - have long been a part of the British consciousness.
Interestingly, Elgar ended up writing 14 variations (Nimrod being number 9).
Zimmer is ...
9
votes
Accepted
Why is Nightcrawler's soundtrack so upbeat?
It seems that the writer, Dan Gilroy, wanted to bring out the humanity of the character rather than just portray him as a sociopath. He seems to have intended the music to be subversive, as he ...
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