Composer Named for Hank Williams “I Saw The Light” Movie Score
The highly-anticipated biopic film on the life of Hank Williams that is set to be released later this year has announced who will compose the music score. San Diego native Aaron Zigman, most noted for his work on films such as The Notebook and Sex and the City will be in charge of the score for I Saw The Light, a film based off the Hank Williams biography by Colin Escott, written and directed by Marc Abraham, and starring Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams. The film was shot in Shreveport, Louisiana in October of 2014 and is currently in post-production.
Aaron Zigman is a 52-year-old songwriter, musician, and composer who began his career writing songs for Carly Simon and co-writing with other songwriters. Zigman has worked with a wide range of performers in the field of arrangement and production, including Ray Charles, Sting, Phil Collins, Chicago, and Christina Aguilera. He began working in film in 2002 on the movie John Q., and later on the highly-acclaimed 2004 film The Notebook. Zigman has worked with The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes on many films, and regularly works with director Tyler Perry. He’s worked on the music of 48 films total during his career.
It was revealed previously that the original songs and recordings from Hank Williams had been licensed by Sony ATV for use in the film, and that the British-born Tom Hiddleston would be singing multiple Hank Williams songs during the movie, potentially “Move It On Over,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and others. Americana artist Rodney Crowell was chosen as the film’s Executive Music Director, and was also assigned to coach Hiddleston on how to sing like Hank.
The selection of Hiddleston drew sharp criticism from some, including Hank Williams III who said of Hiddleston, “You got no soul or moan in your voice” after video surfaced of Hiddleston performing with Crowell at the Wheatland Music Festival in September of 2014.
First Images of Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams from “I Saw The Light”
The score of a film, different from the soundtrack, is used to set the mood of a movie, though the two audio elements do interface and work together. With the musical aspect of I Saw The Light, and the potential to pull from the Hank Williams songbook as part of the score, Aaron Zigman’s efforts will be an important element in the film.
Scotty J
March 23, 2015 @ 6:40 pm
San Diego? Hell, that’s not in the south.
Trigger
March 23, 2015 @ 7:58 pm
It’s south in California. You go any farther and you’re in Tijuana. 🙂
Truthiness
March 24, 2015 @ 5:55 pm
Reminds me of salsa…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooPBXfnIpYI
Jim Bob
March 23, 2015 @ 7:10 pm
Never heard of this guy before, so I spent the entire first paragraph reminding myself to try to keep an open mind. Couldn’t make it through the second paragraph without saying it was impossible to keep an open mind and I can’t wait to see how godawful this POS movie turns out to be.
ElectricOutcast
March 23, 2015 @ 7:22 pm
Guess T-Bone Burnett said no, I did like his work on “Walk the Line”
Trigger
March 23, 2015 @ 7:58 pm
Or he was never asked.
Almost Out of Gas
March 23, 2015 @ 9:12 pm
Keeps getting worse.
Applejack
March 23, 2015 @ 9:44 pm
Come on y’all.
I understood the controversy over a British actor playing Hank, but I don’t see why the guy composing the score has to be from the South.
Hopefully Mr. Zigman do a good job.
Although I have to say, the reference to Tyler Perry did make me wince.
Scotty J
March 23, 2015 @ 10:01 pm
Can only speak for myself but my comment was sarcastic because it seems that every news story on here about this production attracts the southern purity crowd.
Applejack
March 23, 2015 @ 11:19 pm
Fair enough, Scotty J.
Oh, and I meant to say, “Hopefully, Mr. Zigman *will* do a good job.”
Tennessee schools fail us again. 😉
Jim Bob
March 24, 2015 @ 4:45 am
I couldn’t care less where the guy’s from. I hated this based purely on the list of projects he’s been on and been a part of. Call me crazy, but the notebook and Phil Collins don’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence for a Hank Williams film.
Trigger
March 24, 2015 @ 1:11 pm
He’s done the score for 10 Tyler Perry films in the last 8 years. That has to be close to all of them through that period.
Eric
March 23, 2015 @ 11:26 pm
Hmm, a person with a background in 80s pop music doing the score for a movie on country music…
I always love it when my two favorite genres intersect in such interesting ways.
Ags Connolly
March 24, 2015 @ 1:44 am
Considering the key parts of the score will presumably be Hank Williams songs I’m not sure how much bearing the composer of the incidental score is going to have on the film ultimately.
I think the criticism of the movie has been understandable to a point but we really have no idea what it’s going to be like. A point that some people have missed is that the video of Hiddleston singing was taken before he’d even started his vocal coaching with Crowell. That in itself suggests we have no real idea what to expect from the finished product.
No harm in being open-minded until we’ve actually seen it.
Oh, and I’m just relieved there’s no T-Bone Burnett. For once.
Charlie
March 24, 2015 @ 6:38 am
I think I’m a lot less worried about a seasoned pro with 48 film scores to his credit than I would be about a noob.
It does make me think they want to go for a more general audience with the score. Which is good, I think? Maybe the film is rough and real–in a good way, and they think they need a ‘mainstream’ score to counter that.
I think. Maybe.
WTFDIK
RD
March 24, 2015 @ 7:10 am
The Notebook was a good movie.
Doc Croc
March 25, 2015 @ 5:17 am
Aaron Zigman already composed the score for Abraham’s previous film so I guess he’s the director’s go-to guy? (If you can call 2 films a pattern.)
I just noticed Abraham only directed one film before and that one is not considered good by critics. That’s more worrying. I sure hope he can direct actors.
m
May 7, 2015 @ 9:59 am
I am extremely open minded though this does not feel right. Score is supposed to set mood Wish they had respected Hank3