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Jacob Boyd
Professors: Lucio Godoy, Vanessa Garde, Ben Houge, Alfons Conde
MMus in Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games
Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus
July, 2014
The Music of Hugo
Thesis Goal
Was the score written as intended for the movie, or was there significant music
editing completed in order to accommodate late changes in the picture editing? The goal of
this research is to accurately and thoroughly come to a conclusion for the aforementioned
question through the proper identification, labeling and discerning of the music of Hugo.
The Story
Hugo is derived from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. The
movie was directed by Martin Scorsese and the music was composed by Howard Shore.
Hugo is based on a true story about a boy who lives alone in a train station in Paris in the
1930’s. His father died in a fire in a museum so he was adopted by his belligerent alcoholic
uncle. They lived in the walls of the train station where he taught Hugo how to wind and
maintain the clocks of the station. The one thing Hugo chose to take with him to the train
station after his father died was an automaton, which his father and he had been working to
repair.
Hugo’s uncle disappeared and left him alone to manage the clocks of the station. To
pass the time, Hugo would steal clock parts from a clock store in the station in a desperate
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attempt to bring the automaton to life. He had hopes that the automaton would give Hugo a
secret message left by his father before he died. He does all this while averting the train
station inspector and his dog, who finds young children alone in the train station and sends
them to an orphanage.
In the beginning of the movie, the clock store owner, Georges Méliès, catches Hugo
and forces him to empty his pockets. Hugo surrenders clock parts from his pocket and a
notebook which his father used to record the process of restoring the automaton. The clock
store owner, oddly obsessed with the contents of the notebook, keeps Hugo’s notebook and
vows to burn it that night as revenge for Hugo’s stealing from the clock store.
Hugo follows the man home and meets Georges’ goddaughter, Isabelle. Hugo tells her
vaguely about the importance of his notebook, and she promises that she won’t let the
notebook be destroyed by her godfather.
Hugo returns to the clock store inside the train station the next day and demands his
notebook back. Georges denies him, but after a few exchanges he agrees to give the notebook
back if Hugo works for him in the clock store for an undetermined amount of time. Hugo
works cleaning the shop and repairing clocks and various toys.
During this time, Hugo has been meeting with Isabelle secretly to scheme how to help
him retrieve his notebook. Hugo tells her how much he loved going to movies with his father
and she tells him how her godfather rejected the idea of her ever going to the movies. Hugo
recalls a movie that he saw with his father, a film about the moon being shot in the eye with a
bullet.
At one point, he notices a key on her necklace that would fit as the last missing piece
to bring his automaton to life. He brings her into the walls of the train station to see where he
keeps it. The key fit, and the automaton comes to life and draws a picture of a moon with a
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rocket in its eye. The last thing the automaton does is sign the name of the artist who created
the automaton do draw the picture. They discover it is the name of her godfather, Georges.
As their friendship develops, she introduces him to her favorite bookstore. They
discover a book about famous movie directors that gives a biography of her godfather, which
says he died in the war. An eavesdropping gentleman, Mr. Tabard, hears their debate over her
very much alive godfather and shows disbelief, which turns into interest in meeting him.
They agree and work out a plan to introduce the man to Isabelle’s surprisingly famous
godfather.
They meet at Papa Georges’ house where the three of them are hesitatingly greeted by
Georges’ wife, Mama Jeanne, who the man recognizes as the star of many of the movies
Georges directed. Mr. Tabard brought a film with him and gets consent to show it in secret
while Georges is asleep. It is the film of the moon with a rocket shot into its eye. Georges
awakes and is upset at the four of them for bringing back sad memories from his past life.
Georges explains how he got into making movies after being a successful magician.
He tells a story about how he was very successful at making movies, but the World War took
its toll on the movie making industry. He was forced to close the studio and sell many of his
films, which were melted to make plastic products. Ashamed of his failure, Georges hid away
at the clock shop in the train station ever since.
During Georges’ recount of his past, he mentioned his dear automaton that he missed
so much. He didn’t know that Hugo had it at the train station. Hugo leaves the home to go
back to the train station to bring back the automaton to give to Georges. While he is there,
Hugo is arrested by the station inspector who tells him he will be sent to an orphanage. Hugo
escapes the jail cell at the train station and a pursuit by the train station inspector and his dog.
Hugo is eventually caught while running with his automaton, and he drops it onto the train
rails below. He sees a train approaching, but jumps down to the rails anyway to try to save his
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automaton; his connection between his father and his new family. The station inspector pulls
Hugo out of harm’s way at the last possible instant. While scolding him, Georges’ family
approaches them and escorts Hugo away from the station inspector. Hugo says that the
automaton is now broken, but Georges, with a change of heart toward life, says it worked
perfectly. He was then welcomed into the Méliès’ home as a part of their family.
Hugo Cue List
Since I do not have access to the movie with the original timecode burned to the
picture, I am using the Paramount logo sequence start as reference for 01:00:00:00. The first
sounds of the movie can be heard at this instance. For a more specific reference, the very first
frame of the inner workings of a clock at the beginning of the movie can be seen at
01:00:47:04 and set at 23.976 frames per second. This will be the reference for calibration to
sync the timecode references listed in this paper to the actual movie. This information is
beneficial for the use of recreating my sequence in Pro Tools for the possible purposes of
further research, confirmation of my findings, or even rebuttal. The master cue list of Hugo
can be found as a combination of the three cue lists seen on subsequent pages. The lists titled
The Official Soundtrack of Hugo, Diegetic Music and Missing Cues can be combined to
create a master cue list for the music of this movie.
Precision
The margin of error in re-editing the music and adding markers to the timeline was 1
frame or less. Sometimes music and dialogue or effects made entrances or endings of cues
difficult to analyze. Without the original Hugo music editing DAW session, the precision of
these cues are almost impossible to detect with absolute certainty.
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Music Editing
At first glance, the music editing seems extensive in Hugo. This is most likely due to
late changes in the film editing after the orchestra had been recorded. Sometimes the music in
the soundtrack has different volume levels of sections and instruments than the music in the
movie. This is evidence that music editing was completed using audio stems rather than one
stereo (or 7.1 surround) track. Music editing can have freedom, flexibility and creativity
when working with separate audio stem tracks.
According to Howard Shore, the music from the movie was edited to create the music
for the official soundtrack. This can explain why there are cues of different length and
content between the movie and the soundtrack. He explained that some cues were too short or
would not stand alone well enough as a song in itself for an album. This is why he created
entire songs for the soundtrack album out of a few short cues or added to thematic ideas that
were intentionally not musically complete in the movie.
Official Soundtrack of Hugo
Listed below is the album order, published titles, play lengths, and number of edits to
the final version of each track that appeared in the movie. I was able to reverse music edit the
original recorded music using the stereo track from the actual movie and each individual
track from the soundtrack in Pro Tools. The movie track was then lined up with individual
tracks from the film soundtrack. Both tracks were then reviewed at the same time. When a
change was heard, I would search further in the individual track to find a section that would
match where the soundtrack left off. The individual track was then split, the section not
present in the movie track was cut and then the individual track was re-aligned with the main
stereo film track. This process was used for all 21 songs made available in the soundtrack.
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Track
Track Title
Album Time
Movie Time
Edits
01.
The Thief
04:20
04:23
8
02.
The Chase
02:50
02:08
12
03.
The Clocks
04:28
03:02
14
04.
Snowfall
01:50
01:01
6
05.
Hugo’s Father
03:24
03:13
6
06.
Ashes
02:33
00:37
1
07.
The Station Inspector
01:10
00:21
1
08.
Bookstore
01:51
00:25
1
09.
The Movies
01:29
00:52
1
10.
The Message
04:36
02:46
11
11.
The Armoire
02:32
02:16
18
12.
Purpose
02:04
N/A
N/A
13.
The Plan
02:48
00:56
4
14.
Trains
02:50
01:57
7
15.
Papa Georges Made Movies
01:52
01:27
5
16.
The Invention of Dreams
06:29
00:58
8
17.
A Ghost in the Station
06:00
03:36
32
18.
A Train Arrives in the Station
03:25
01:46
9
19.
The Magician
02:33
01:24
9
20.
Coeur Volant (featuring Zaz)
04:19
03:56
1
21.
Winding it Up
04:11
03:02
1
1:07:34
40:06
155
TOTAL:
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The total number of music edits from the original soundtrack to the finished movie
was 155. After editing the music from the soundtrack to the movie timeline, it became clear
that about 27 minutes and 28 seconds of music from the album was never present in the
movie. Track 12, ironically titled “Purpose”, had no direct purpose in the album because
none of the music from the 02:04 track was ever presented in the film. According to Shore,
“Purpose” was a good fit for the soundtrack although the scene it was intended for was cut
from the final version of the film.
The 155 music edits does not account for the music that was originally recorded that
was not chosen to be a part of the soundtrack. Possible diegetic music editing was not
included in this number as well. Without being able to obtain the original recordings for the
entire soundtrack, it is difficult to track the amount of music edits that were completed for the
entire movie. Given that forty minutes of music from the soundtrack resulted in 155 music
edits, a conservative estimate of over 200 music edits were most likely completed in the film.
Given the known 155 music edits in Hugo, my theory is that the film was viewed by
test audiences who thought it was too long, or this decision to cut sections came to fruition
within the film production team after the score was recorded. Either of these theories are
evident because of many reasons. First, some of the music edits slightly alter the flow of the
tempo of the cue. This was covered by turning the music down low at some points and by
using Foley to mask transitions between splices in the audio. The second reason why I
believe that the film was shortened after the music was recorded is because the music was cut
about 30 times and was only added to three times. The additions were probably made to fix
transitions that were cut but did not flow to an adjacent section of the music cue. Another
reason why I believe music was cut is because the final product resulted in a film length over
two hours and this duration can test the patience of an audience. The final piece of evidence
that shows the film was shortened at the end of post production is that the music in the
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recorded soundtrack makes musical sense to the ear and tends to have a clear sense of
direction and development. The final product obviously tampers with these musical
phrasings. This is evident by hearing the music very low in the final dubbing mix. If no edits
were needed I strongly believe the music would be more prominent, such as during The
Chase (track 3). Mr. Shore stated that the film was test-screened around 12 times and changes
had to be made to the film each time. He stated he always did his best to accommodate to the
changes, be it re-recording the orchestra or editing the current music to stay in emotional
congruence with the picture. Shore also stated that not all of the music recorded during the
sessions at Abbey Road Studios made the final cut of Hugo.
The music editing also shows that the accordion was not recorded at the same time as
the orchestra. Mr. Shore confirmed this theory and added that a small ensemble (including the
musette/accordion) was recorded several months before the orchestra parts were written.
Overdubs of accordion were added and removed during certain parts of the music editing
process. Having the accordion as a stem enabled the music editor to have the freedom of
adjusting it to adjacent sections of music. Otherwise, entire sections of music might have
been discarded if there was not an option to remove the accordion from a part or move it to a
different part of the cue.
In the following screenshots, the music edits can be easily seen. Approximate
timecode can be seen at the top, the movie video track is next, followed by the original stereo
track from the movie, and then the edited soundtrack to match the original stereo track is seen
on the bottom. The names of the audio can also be seen in the screen shots to allow for the
replication of these edited cues. (Make sure the names of your Hugo soundtrack audio files
exactly match the following audio file names so the Pro Tools 10 file included in this CE can
sync the tracks accurately. For example Track 1 should be titled “Hugo Soundtrack - 1 The
Thief.mp3” and so on. Check the track names in the following wave files for accuracy.)
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01. The Thief
02. The Chase
03. The Clocks
04. Snowfall
05. Hugo’s Father
06. Ashes
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07. The Station Inspector
08. Bookstore
09. The Movies
10. The Message
11. The Armoire
13. The Plan
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14. Trains
15. Papa Georges Made Movies
16. The Invention of Dreams
17. A Ghost in the Station
18. A Train Arrives in the Station
19. The Magician
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20. Coeur Volant (featuring Zaz)
21. Winding it Up
Screenshot of entire session view of markers, cues and music edits of the movie Hugo in Pro Tools
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Additional Music
There is additional music in some scenes that is not included in the soundtrack. This
could be because they were too short (usually less than a minute) to be justified as a track on
the album. Another possibility could be that they were written and added in later either by
Howard Shore, music editor Jennifer Dunnington, or by a composer of additional music.1
Given Mr. Shore’s history of being a very experienced and thorough composer, it is more
likely that he composed the music we hear in the movie that is not included on the soundtrack
because of length or thematic significance. Howard Shore mentioned that a lot of music used,
especially diegetically, were written by other composers from around the time period of the
movie. Some of these pre-existing music pieces were re-recorded by Shore to accommodate
the movie sequence.
Diegetic Music
The diegetic music in Hugo is sometimes heard through “live” musicians on screen.
This can be seen and heard on Track 02 “The Chase” when the station inspector chases Hugo
through the cafe in the train station. There is a live band playing. The playing stops when the
station inspector falls onto the standup bass, demolishing it. From there, we can hear a pause
in the music filled with the sounds of calamity. Once the chase resumes, non-diegetic music
fills its place. Music played by “live musicians” in the cafe can also be heard in Diegetic
Cues C and D, seen in the chart following. In the final scene of the movie, these musicians
were featured “performing” in the curtain call scene at the Méliès’ home in Diegetic Cue K.
Diegetic French music can also be heard over “radio speakers” in the train station out
in front of the cafe. This music conveys a sense of peace and love, serving as the background
to a side story for two courting couples. Clear examples of this background music can be
1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
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found below in Diegetic Cues A, F and J. The low volume, heavy reverb and heavy use of
early reflections in these three cues makes it obvious that the cues were intended to be
diegetic.
Sometimes the diegetic music is implied. The first example is Cue A when Georges
winds up the mouse that Hugo fixed. The music sounds like a music box with a magic feel,
and it could be implied that the music is coming from the mouse, which seems to move
magically. The music is also panned narrowly and the reverb placement is congruent with the
placement on the toy mouse. Diegetic music is also implied in Cue E when Hugo and Isabelle
are watching the movie of the man climbing the building. The reverb placement and also the
use of a bandpass EQ gives the feel that the music is supposed to be coming from the movie
they are watching. At Cue G, the sounds of music from carousels and other attractions can be
heard as Georges and Jeanne stroll about. This is proven to be diegetic by having the music
low in the background with longer early reflections and a high pass in the EQ. Cue H is when
Georges and Jeanne walk in to the “Cinema” carnival tent and watch the film “A Train
Arrives at the Station”. A live piano player was playing along with the movie, even though
the music was most likely pre-recorded. Music was also diegetically implied during the
scenes in Diegetic Cue I, music at Star Films Studio. EQ, panning, reverb and early
reflections assisted the piano in sounding like it was accompanying the actors as they filmed
their movies, even though there was not a piano shown in these scenes.
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Cue Name
Start Time
End Time
Length (MM:SS)
01. The Thief
01:02:30:14
01:02:36:03
00:06
02. The Chase
01:07:47:09
01:08:17:22
00:30
Diegetic Cue A
01:23:31:14
01:24:33:15
01:02
Diegetic Cue B
01:31:59:15
01:32:10:07
00:11
Diegetic Cue C
01:32:58:21
01:34:34:08
01:36
Diegetic Cue D
01:35:41:05
01:35:56:11
00:15
Diegetic Cue E
01:40:11:02
01:40:56:02
00:45
Diegetic Cue F
02:04:48:17
02:08:12:08
03:24
Diegetic Cue G
02:35:28:14
02:35:54:07
00:26
Diegetic Cue H
02:35:54:07
02:36:24:18
00:30
Diegetic Cue I
02:36:56:07
02:40:03:05
03:07
Diegetic Cue J
02:42:45:02
02:43:45:21
01:01
Diegetic Cue K
02:58:16:23
02:59:03:14
00:47
TOTAL:
13:40
The length of diegetic music found in tracks 01 and 02 of the official soundtrack have
already been accounted for in the Official Soundtrack Cue List. The total amount of diegetic
music is 13 minutes and 40 seconds, but the length of diegetic music from tracks 01 and 02
must be deducted from the overall music time in the movie. Thus, we must only add 13
minutes and 4 seconds, which brings the total music in the movie to 53:04.
Missing Partial Cues
These cues are present as an addition to the motion picture soundtrack. The music
given below was later edited to be added to, within, or after the music from the soundtrack as
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an intent to modify the original music to better fit the picture. These sounds are not found on
the actual music soundtrack.
Track #
Start Time
End Time
Total Time (MM:SS)
02.
01:08:02:15
01:08:17:22
00:15
03.
01:11:36:01
01:11:50:21
00:15
03.
01:12:52:12
01:12:59:19
00:07
05.
01:17:09:18
01:18:50:22
01:41
06.
01:27:11:05
01:27:26:08
00:15
08.
01:28:21:22
01:28:54:06
00:33
07.
01:35:56:11
01:36:41:05
00:44
10.
01:48:03:08
01:48:10:02
00:07
10.
01:50:44:15
01:53:06:06
02:22
10.
01:54:07:16
01:54:10:05
00:03
11.
01:59:27:01
01:59:51:02
00:25
11.
02:01:16:06
02:01:22:07
00:06
13.
02:18:13:17
02:19:53:00
01:40
14.
02:21:58:15
02:22:08:06
00:10
14.
02:24:04:15
02:24:20:22
00:16
14.
02:25:06:20
02:25:29:04
00:23
16.
02:34:28:13
02:34:34:04
00:06
17.
02:45:10:07
02:45:11:18
00:01
17.
02:46:58:06
02:47:08:04
00:10
17.
02:47:56:14
02:49:05:04
01:09
17
18.
02:50:47:20
02:50:59:09
00:12
19.
02:57:49:20
02:57:50:05
00:01
20.
02:59:49:04
02:59:51:13
00:02
TOTAL:
11:03
Given the original soundtrack and diegetic music, this brings the total music time in
the movie to 01:04:07 (HH:MM:SS).
Missing Cues
These music cues are not present in the original motion picture soundtrack. They are
independent cues not intended to be appended to the original 21 tracks. They are titled
“MISSING CUE (01-33)” only because they are missing from the music soundtrack, and
their significance should not to be dismissed by the title “MISSING”. Cue #05 and #14 have
two parts each. These have been split into two different sections each, even though they are
sonically the same cue. The pauses between the two sections where the music stops is
deemed to be an edit instead of measures of rest in the music. Given this break, the space
between the two sections will not be counted toward the total length of Cue #05 and #14.
This is noted with “(cont.)”, abbreviating continued from a break in the music.
Missing Cue #
TC START
TC END
Total Time (MM:SS)
01
01:05:44:06
01:06:29:04
00:45
02
01:13:46:19
01:14:18:03
00:32
03
01:15:23:12
01:17:09:08
01:46
04
01:21:29:06
01:23:31:14
01:58
18
05
01:24:33:15
01:25:38:12
01:05
05 (cont.)
01:25:48:00
01:26:00:12
00:12
06
01:30:10:09
01:30:32:19
00:22
07
01:30:50:00
01:31:50:14
01:00
08
01:32:10:07
01:32:58:21
00:48
09
01:34:34:08
01:35:41:05
01:07
10
01:37:31:19
01:38:09:02
00:38
11
01:38:19:22
01:38:42:07
00:23
12
01:40:56:02
01:41:11:05
00:15
13
01:42:28:10
01:42:55:02
00:27
14
01:42:59:05
01:43:17:20
00:18
14 (cont.)
01:43:26:01
01:44:35:21
01:10
15
01:45:36:04
01:45:54:11
00:18
16
01:46:12:18
01:47:13:08
01:01
17
01:55:15:04
01:55:47:23
00:32
18
01:56:30:07
01:57:06:13
00:36
19
02:02:53:00
02:03:53:04
01:00
20
02:03:56:14
02:04:48:17
00:52
21
02:08:12:08
02:08:25:09
00:13
22
02:08:27:18
02:09:12:15
00:45
23
02:09:19:17
02:10:50:21
01:31
24
02:12:42:16
02:13:39:22
00:57
25
02:13:48:21
02:15:58:13
02:10
26
02:19:54:09
02:21:04:10
01:10
19
27
02:25:51:02
02:26:59:05
01:08
28
02:30:22:12
02:30:42:04
00:20
29
02:36:24:18
02:36:43:19
00:19
30
02:36:43:19
02:36:56:07
00:13
31
02:40:17:19
02:41:48:00
01:31
32
02:42:35:03
02:42:45:02
00:10
33
02:43:45:21
02:44:10:05
00:25
TOTAL:
27:57
This brings the total music time in the entire movie to 01:32:04. The length of the
movie is 2:06:20. This translates to about 73% of the movie having music with picture. With
13:40 of diegetic music, 11% of the movie contains diegetic music. This is a good balance
because a decent amount of the movie takes place in or around a café with live musicians.
There is also a significant part of the story involving the making and showing of movies.
Even though some of the movies shown were from the “pre-audio track” era, they have live
musicians performing to the picture within the movie Hugo.
Instrumentation Notes
The following instruments were used in making the soundtrack of Hugo.
Approximately 88 musicians were involved in the recording process.2 The score was recorded
at Abbey Road Studios in London.
WOODWINDS: Piccolo, Flute, Pan Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Alto
Saxophone
BRASS: French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba
2
http://www.filmmusicmag.com/?p=8894
20
PERCUSSION: Harp, Piano, Celeste, Bass Drum, Snare Drum (brushes and sticks),
Cymbals, Wind Chimes, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Tam Tam, Woodblock, Timpani, Trap Set
STRINGS: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Bass, Acoustic Guitar
OTHER INSTRUMENTS: Musette (French Accordion) performed by Eddie Hession, Ondes
Martenot (French Theremin)
The following are notes from Howard Shore about instrumentation and orchestration
for Hugo.
“The sextet was recorded separate from the orchestra over about 4 months at abbey
road and each week I would do a session. I think I did 12 sessions in total with the sextet. It
was almost one every week for 3 or for months. Basically, the score is essentially written for
the sextet. It was piano, bass, guitar, kind of an antique percussion, like 20’s style theater
percussion, Ondes Martenot, and Musette. The sextet was done on their own and I did that
remotely from New York. Then I wrote the score and orchestrated it around the sextet. That
became the score for the London Philharmonic and then I recorded the London Philharmonic
and essentially put the two recordings together.”
Themes
Ten main themes are found in the movie Hugo. Since I do not have access to the
original score, I can only apply generic titles for each theme. These titles have been invented
only for the use of labeling each theme.
The themes shown on the following pages are first explained by how the music works
for the picture. Then a brief note about the typical instrumentation is given. Next, the themes
are listed in order of appearance with a short description of the event happening that is
congruent with each thematic instance. When there are instances of themes appearing within
themes, a brief note tells which new theme interrupts the current thematic idea. Follow the
mentioned theme letter and relevant timecode to see where each thematic interruption occurs.
21
For example, under Theme G we see “01:23:00:00 Automaton in new home, then to E”. We
then look to Theme E and find “01:23:14:00 Hugo’s father’s funeral”. Thus, it can be clearly
seen that Theme G can be heard for 14 seconds before directly transitioning to Theme E.
Another important note is the occasional mention of “part.” and “vari.”. “Part.” means
that this is only a partial idea from the theme, but it is still present or obvious enough to note.
“Vari.” means that the basic underlying structure of the theme is present, but a variation of
the melody may be present or the melody may be missing altogether. This is still clearly an
idea derived from the original theme so it must be noted and labeled appropriately.
Occasionally, the thematic instances below will also have an instrumentation note
beside them. This is to give support to their placement in a particular scene in the movie,
which otherwise might seem out of place without given a stronger context for how it could
possibly work appropriately with the picture.
These themes listed are labeled in no particular order of appearance or significance.
Theme A
This theme is used exclusively when
we experience the awkward authority of the
station inspector. His character is the
obvious antagonist and a blatant minor triad
to begin his theme highlights this.
Characteristics of instrumentation include
drums, dark and low woodwinds, brass, and
short articulations in the strings. Pauses
between short military-like rhythms are
common as well.
22
Theme A Instances
01:07:15:00 Station Inspector sends his dog to begin the pursuit of Hugo in the train station
for the first time after hearing Georges’ discontent at his toy booth
01:24:33:00 Inspector and Hugo at the post
01:35:56:00 Station Inspector catches orphan boy alone in the station (A lot of reverb)
01:42:59:00 Isabelle and Hugo encounter the station inspector
02:08:12:17 Station Inspector after finally speaking to Lisette
02:26:04:00 Station Inspector gets a call to learn that Hugo’s Uncle has died
02:43:45:00 Hugo sees the Station Inspector in the station while attempting to retrieve his
automaton for Georges
02:44:53:00 The Station Inspector catches Hugo and puts him in a jail cell in the train station
02:46:37:00 Hugo escapes the jail cell of the Station Inspector and a pursuit ensues
Theme B
Theme B is used to highlight
mysterious and pensive scenes that often
involve short lapses in time. Examples of
this are the opening scene of flying to and
through the train station, Hugo following
Georges home, and the lapse between when
the bookstore owner tells them about the
Film Academy Library and when they
actually arrive. This cue is rarely heard
under dialogue. Instrumentation usually
involves piano playing the melody
23
(sometimes the accordion) with celli playing the arpeggios and basses playing accents to the
celli line.
Theme B Instances
01:01:15:00 Opening shot, camera zooming in on train station in winter
01:03:27:00 First view of Georges standing alone at his toy booth in the train station
01:05:44:00 Georges makes Hugo take his notebook out of his pocket
01:14:36:00 Hugo continues to follow Georges home in the streets of Paris
01:15:23:00 (part.) Hugo sees Isabelle through a window in Georges home, then to F
01:15:29:00 (part.) Hugo tries to get Isabelle’s attention, then to F
01:15:56:00 (part.) Isabelle comes out of her home to meet Hugo for the first time
01:20:16:00 Hugo’s father in the museum alone while fixing something and hears a sound
and turns around
01:48:00:00 (vari., part.) Hugo and Isabelle enter his living quarters in the station
01:54:31:00 (vari., part.) Automaton finishes writing “Georges Méliès”, then to G
01:55:34:00 Hugo walks with Isabelle to her home with the automaton drawing
02:08:27:00 Hugo and Isabelle visit the Film Academy Library
02:21:33:00 Isabelle kisses Hugo on the cheek after they make a plan to fix Georges
24
Theme C
This is the main theme of Hugo. It is
heard in the time leading up to the main title
(see first Theme Instance). It is also the first
song of the end credits (Featuring Zaz) and
is the only non-diegetic cue with lyrics put
to it. This theme conveys a sense of progress
and hope throughout the movie. Being in a
major key with constantly ascending
harmony, it gives an uplifting feeling and a
sense of musical progression. There is not a
typical instrumentation for the melody of
Theme C but it is utilizes most of the orchestra most of the time. Full string or brass sections
typically carry the melody. To convey a sense of progress and hope for Hugo, a thin
orchestration would not be congruent to this idea. Although, sometimes a simple piano with
light accompaniment helps the listener understand these feelings when these scenes
appropriately align with the music.
Theme C Instances
01:01:56:00 Movie opening sequence finishes and Hugo can be seen for the first time
through the train station clock
01:10:14:00 Hugo enters his living quarters in the train station
01:12:11:00 (4/4 time) Hugo views Paris at sunset from the top of the clock tower and the
main title appears
01:30:10:00 How to get the notebook back
01:31:14:00 Fix the broken toy mouse
25
01:32:49:00 Hugo starts working in the toy shop
01:35:02:00 (part.) Hugo waiting for automaton to work for the first time, then to E
01:49:24:00 Isabelle gives Hugo the key to start his automaton, then to E
01:50:44:00 The automaton starts writing for the first time (4/4 time, trumpet melody)
01:55:15:00 Hugo thanks the automaton for giving him the message, then to B
01:56:30:00 Hugo gives Mama Jeanne the drawing of the automaton
02:15:32:00 (4/4 time, vari.) Georges tells young Tabard that his studio is where dreams are
made, then continues with the directing of his movie in progress
02:19:16:00 (4/4) Hugo suggests to Isabelle that they can try to fix Georges
Theme D
This theme is a feeling or reflection
of sadness or loneliness. The tempo is
typically slow and the instrumentation is
mainly strings. The melody does not stray
far from the minor third degree of the key and the melody never resolves on the tonic. This
keeps the theme feeling sad, lonely and unresolved. This is shown in the instances below,
such as Hugo learning his father is dead, Hugo opening up his notebook that is now ashes,
and Mama Jeanne reflecting with sadness after seeing a picture that reminded her of a time of
emotional pain.
Theme D Instances
01:09:36:00 Hugo runs through the maze in the walls of the train station
01:13:48:00 Hugo begins following Georges through the train station to try to get his
notebook back
01:21:29:00 Hugo learns his father is dead
26
01:26:35:00 Notebook of ashes
01:47:33:00 Hugo shows Isabelle where he lives
01:56:54:00 Mama Jeanne sits down in disbelief after seeing the automaton drawing
02:02:56:00 Hugo and Isabelle leave after discovering Georges’ artwork chest, then to F
02:13:48:00 Professor Tabard tells the children that he has already met Georges, then to G
02:59:56:00 Last shot of the face of the automaton before end credits begin
Theme E
Theme E is used almost exclusively
for when we see or hear of a reference to
Hugo’s father. This idea is stretched when
we hear this theme after Hugo talks about
the bookstore owner giving him a book that
Hugo read with his father. The
instrumentation is typically Spanish guitar for the melody and strings for the accompaniment.
It is interesting that this has a Spanish feel to it given the instrumentation and harmonies
because no back-story was ever mentioned in the movie that would link Hugo’s father with a
Spanish reference. It does evoke a feeling of longing and fondness, while the melody
communicates how Hugo misses his father.
Theme E Instances
01:17:59:00 Hugo and his father talk about the automaton his father found, then to G
01:18:56:00 Hugo and his father figure out if they can fix the automaton, then to G
01:23:14:00 Hugo’s father’s funeral
01:35:22:00 (vari., part.) Hugo realizes the automaton still needs the key
27
01:49:35:00 Hugo tells Isabelle he thinks they’re unlocking a message from his father in the
automaton, then to D
02:18:18:00 Hugo sees the bookstore owner and tells Isabelle that he gave Hugo a book
Theme F
This theme is commonly used as a
transitional theme and is rarely used by
itself. It is not usually used to accompany
dialogue. Depending on instrumentation, its
intended mood can adapt to the scene.
Instrumentation can be flute, piano or
accordion in the melody and low strings or
harp in the accompaniment. String bass
usually carries the bass line if present.
Theme F Instances
01:03:50:00 Isabelle seen for the first time
at Georges’ toy store
01:05:58:00 Georges starts to read the contents of Hugo’s notebook at the toy booth
01:15:26:00 (part.) Hugo is watching the Méliès family through the windows in their home
from the street below, then to B
01:15:33:00 Hugo throws a stone at Isabelle’s window to get her attention, then to B
01:27:57:00 Going to the bookstore
01:39:39:00 An adventure with Isabelle at the movies
02:03:31:00 Isabelle thanks Hugo for the adventure that day
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Theme G
This is a very haunting and
mysterious sounding theme. This is the main
theme for Hugo’s automaton as its instances
show below. Instrumentation is usually a
solo instrument in the melody. This can be harp, piano, or Ondes Martenot, but never a solo
brass or bowed string instrument. Supporting chords and harmonies can be minimal, such as
when Georges notices drawings in Hugo’s book, or fully orchestrated as when Hugo wakes
from his dream and realizes that he is actually an automaton. Although short, Theme G is the
most common thematic occurrence in Hugo.
Theme G Instances
01:06:08:00 Georges notices drawings of his automaton in Hugo’s notebook
01:09:57:00 Hugo returns to his living quarters after evading the station inspector
01:17:34:00 Hugo sits down by his automaton
01:18:28:00 (part.) Hugo’s father shows him what the automaton can do
01:19:38:00 Hugo and his father working together in his father’s clock shop, then to B
01:23:00:00 Automaton in new home, then to E
01:34:34:00 Hugo winds automaton for the first time
01:47:46:00 Hugo and Isabelle enter his home in the station, then to B
01:54:17:00 The automaton writes “Georges Méliès”, then to B
01:54:41:00 The automaton finishes writing and shuts down
02:14:24:00 Filming of an underwater movie by Georges as the Tabard brothers enter the
studio building, then to C
02:25:06:00 Hugo wakes from his dream within a dream to see that he is an automaton
02:29:20:00 (vari.) Mr. Tabard tells Jeanne how she was lovely in Georges’ movies
29
02:31:54:00 (vari.) Scene of Mama Jeanne sitting on a moon in one of Georges’ movies and
Isabelle points her out, then to I
02:32:26:00 Scene in Georges’ movie when the rocket ship falls back into the ocean
02:53:33:00 (vari.) Lisette approaches the station inspector to comfort him after he let Hugo
go into the custody of Georges at the train station
02:59:36:00 (part.) Isabelle is narrating while the automaton comes into view in Georges’
home
Theme H
Theme H is used exclusively when
reference is made to Jeanne and Georges’
past life as magicians and movie makers.
The feeling it conveys is that of a stage or
circus act with more full instrumentation,
with trumpet in the melody. When a high
register piano is used with light
orchestration, it conveys a mystical music
box-like nostalgic feeling, but still has a
melody reminiscent of a magic trick. This
could be because of the time signature in
three and atypical chord structure of the theme.
Theme H Instances
01:56:42:00 Mama Jeanne opens the folded paper that Hugo gave her of the drawing made
by his automaton
30
02:29:40:00 Mama Jeanne admits to Mr. Tabard, Isabelle, and Hugo that she was in
Georges’ movies
02:34:34:00 Georges and Jeanne perform a magic trick at one of their early shows
02:57:53:00 Shooting of a rocket into the eye of the man in the moon at the movie ceremony
honoring Georges
Theme I
This theme is debatably the most
warm and comforting of the themes of this
film. It only appears a few times, but the
instances below prove this feeling. The
instrumentation is typically a celeste for the
melody and string chords for the
accompaniment.
Theme I Instances
02:31:18:00 Man in the moon can be seen
while watching Georges’ movie in their
home, then to G
02:32:06:00 Isabelle puts her hand on Jeanne’s shoulder as they continue to watch George’s
movie in their home
02:59:03:00 Isabelle begins her narration at the final scene at the Méliès’ home
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Theme J
Similar to Theme I, theme J is only
heard a few times in the movie, but its
presence is strong. It conveys a sense of
mystic magic with a significant amount of
movement. The unpredictable and perpetual
motion of the melodic contour supports this
feeling. Instrumentation used are strings,
celeste, bells or piano for the melody. String
bass is used for the bass line. Horns, strings
and woodwinds lightly carry the chords
across each cue with this theme.
Theme J Instances
01:39:39:00 Hugo decides to take Isabelle on an adventure to the movies
02:00:49:00 Isabelle drops the chest they found in Georges’ room and all his artwork comes
out of it and magically floats around
02:12:44:00 Doors open to see Mr. Tabard’s collection of Méliès memoirs
02:56:52:00 Georges performs an illusion as a transition from his final speech to the showing
of his films at his recognition ceremony
Major/Minor Chord Motifs
A very common harmonic occurrence in Hugo is the use of a major tonic chord
followed by a minor tonic chord from its borrowed minor key. There are also many instances
where this is inverted (minor to major). At some parts, it can be difficult to analyze which
comes first, but the intended feeling is the same. This major/minor chord motif helps to better
32
translate the dream-like, fantasy world of Hugo even though it is mostly reality based and is
derived from a true story. The major/minor motif is used as short transitions between themes
and is also used as musical ideas that stand alone. This motif is transposed into different keys
and uses a wide variety of instrumentation. Because of this, it would be difficult to identify
and label each thematic instance of this motif because it is used so often in so many forms. It
fits the style of the movie very well and finds a place close to most of the themes.
Other Music in Hugo
Artists other than Howard Shore wrote the following music found in Hugo.3 Most of
these following songs had a diegetic function in the movie.
Ça Gaze
Composed by V. Marceau, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by Les Primitifs du Futur
Aubade Charmeuse
Written by Jean Peyronnin, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by Les Primitifs du Futur
Frou Frou
Words by Marie Blondeau, Henri Custillon and Hector Monreal, Music by Henri Chatau and
Lucien Dormel, Performed by Lucille Panis
Carinosa
Written by Alberto Larena and Auguste Pesenti, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by
Les Primitifs du Futur
Carinosa
Written by Alberto Larena and Auguste Pesenti, Conducted by Howard Shore
Score excerpts from the motion picture Safety Last, Composed by Carl Davis
Tarantella
3
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/soundtrack
33
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns, Arranged by Howard Shore
Si Tu Veux Marguerite
Written by Albert Valensi and Joseph Vincentelli, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by
Olivier Constantin and J. M. Bernard
Danse Macabre
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns, Arranged by Howard Shore
Marche de Radetzky
Composed by 'Johann Strauss Sr.', Produced by Doug Adams, Courtesy of Jasper and Marian
Sanfilippo and the Sanfilippo Foundation, Recorded from a 1908 Limonaire Orchestrophone
- Style 250, built in Paris, France
Friendly Day
Written and Performed by Kevin MacLeod, Dardanella, Written by Felix Bernard, Johnny
Black and Fred Fisher, Performed by Paul Eakins Mortier Belgian Band Organ
By the Waters of the Minnetonka
Written by James M. Cavanass and Thurlow Lieurance, Performed by Zez Confrey
Trois Morceaux en Forme de Poire: Manière de Commencement (Allez Modérément),
Written by Erik Satie, Performed by Aldo Ciccolini & Gabriel Tacchino
Six Gnossiennes: No. 1 Lent
Written by Erik Satie, Performed by Aldo Ciccolini
Coeur Volant
Word and Music by Elizabeth Cotnoir, Zaz (as Isabelle Geffroy) and Howard Shore,
Performed by Zaz
Les Primitifs du Futur:
Dominique Cravic, Hervé Legeay, Romane, Jean-Phillippe Viret, Mathilde Febrer, Daniel
Colin
34
Oddities
Although Hugo contains beautifully composed, orchestrated and edited music, there
are a few oddities that need to be noted. First, “Missing” Cue 12 at 01:40:56:02 is a 15
second cue that stands out from the other music of the movie. The owner of the movie theater
catches Hugo and Isabelle watching a movie that they snuck into and kicks them out.
Diegetic music is playing during the movie as they are watching it, but it switches to nondiegetic when the owner kicks them out. This music carries no theme that is similar to
anything in the rest of the movie. Sonically, it is similar only to diegetic music in its style
(classical) and instrumentation (flute and piano). This is clearly not a diegetic cue because it
starts when the owner suddenly grabs Hugo and Isabelle, which breaks away from the
diegetic music of the movie. The bandpass EQ, reverb placement, and flicker sound of the
projector goes away when “Missing” Cue 12 starts. A possible explanation for the
functionality of this cue is to simulate a scene that might be found in an early 20th century
movie. The calamity of the movie they were watching before they got caught turned into
calamity of the reality they found themselves in when they were kicked out of the theater.
This cue took a break from the seriousness of the rest of the themes of Hugo. According to
Shore, this music was chosen by the director and then Shore re-arranged, re-orchestrated and
recorded it for the movie.
Another small oddity is found in Theme A at 01:35:56:00. Diegetic music from the
small French ensemble is playing in the train station and then it quickly changes to Theme A
when we see the station inspector sneaking up on the orphan boy in the station. This
transition from diegetic to non-diegetic music works well, but there is a lot of early
reflections and reverb added to non-diegetic Theme A when it enters. This sounds like an
attempt to make the cue sound diegetic as if it coming out of the train station PA system. The
music is put into the reality of the characters of the train station, which seems odd. The boy
35
that the station inspector is sneaking up on should then be able to hear the ominous music in
the train station and escape before being caught. This curious use of reverb gradually returns
to normal non-diegetic settings within a few seconds. It seems the use of reverb in this
instance of Theme A was unnecessary to achieve the desired emotional effect to match the
character of the station inspector.
At timecode 02:50:11:00, Hugo can be seen in the train station with his automaton.
When the music starts, it holds on a note that is a half-step clash with a train whistle in the
station. This conflict could have been intentional to add tension to the scene, but to support
this, the same clash of notes should have happened again for consistency of the leitmotif.
This does not happen, which leads me to believe that it might have been unintentional. The
train whistle is in tune with the tonic of the minor key and the clashing note in the cue is held
on the seventh degree. On the other hand, the train is in tune with the scale being used for the
cue so it could also have been used an intended tension for effect. Howard Shore mentioned
that the music and sound effects team worked together for the entire movie. The train whistle
conflict with the music was indeed intentional to add tension to the scene.
Final Thoughts
The first time I watched the movie, the music seemed to be very prominent. The
instrumentation, themes and use of a small French ensemble made the music a little too
obviously French. This seems consistent with the ideas of the music and picture working
together to create a movie based in early 20th century France. However, the contrast of the
strong presence of the French accordion matched with some actors attempting English
accents created a sensorial contradiction. I believe that the constant use of the French
accordion was a little too strong which made the music a little less palatable when paired with
the picture. I understood that the movie took place in Paris within the first 30 seconds of the
36
opening sequence. I felt aurally patronized when I had to be reminded that I was still in Paris
every few minutes when the accordion made an appearance. Shore did a great job creating
music that put me in the proper context, including dream-like characteristics. The accordion
was too obvious to allow me to be immersed in the story without becoming distracted.
Overall, the people involved with making Hugo really created a beautiful work of art.
The story was easy to follow, the acting was believable, the characters and their relationships
were nicely developed, and the special effects were tastefully added as an overall
enhancement to the picture. Hugo is not a very well-known picture but it won many awards4
in 2011 and 2012. There is not one specific reason why Hugo was not a big success, but I feel
there are many smaller reasons.
First, Hugo had some tough competition on opening weekend. The Muppets5 and The
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 had triple and quadruple the box office revenue
respectively than Hugo on opening weekend. On Thanksgiving weekend 2011, the familiar
and safe family movie of choice was The Muppets and Breaking Dawn was the teen draw.
Second, Hugo had a strong story and beautiful music, but it withheld a level of overstimulation that typically attracts moviegoers. Breaking Dawn (Vampires that sparkle),
Happy Feet Two (cute animated penguins), and The Muppets (colorful dancing puppets
galore) all had this quality that was not necessary in the production of Hugo.
Third, Hugo was missing the strong marketing background that was established for
the Twilight/Breaking Dawn saga, Happy Feet Two (sequel of Happy Feet), and The Muppets
movies, which literally have generations of marketing years behind them. When entire
extended families are lined up outside of a movie theater, it’s difficult enough to decide on a
movie, let alone the decision to see a movie that has no familiarity to its name.
4
5
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/awards?ref_=tt_awd
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2011&wknd=47&p=.htm
37
Although it peaked at the number three movie in theaters,6 Hugo was in a tough spot
before it even hit theaters. From what we have discovered in the extensive music editing, it
seems clear that there was a rush to cut parts of scenes as well as entire scenes after the music
had already been recorded. For a family movie on Thanksgiving weekend, Hugo was too long
and this was not remedied until after the music had already been recorded by Howard Shore
at Abbey Road Studios.7 Music editing this extensive would not have been needed to take
place if the picture was actually locked within a reasonable amount of time prior to recording
the score.
Conclusion
The goal of this thesis was to determine if the score was written as intended for the
movie, or if there was significant music editing completed in order to accommodate late
changes in the picture editing. There has been thorough identification, labeling and discerning
of the music of Hugo. In conclusion, the evidence is clear that there was significant music
editing completed to accommodate a picture that needed late changes in length in order to
compete with other strong contenders for opening weekend in 2011. These changes to the
music were tasteful and seamless for the most part. Because the music editor had stems to
work with during the music editing process, Howard Shore’s work on the music of Hugo was
saved and successfully conveyed to audiences around the world. In the pre-digital music era,
this would not have been possible. Before digital music editing, the music would have been
either scrapped and replaced with something completely new to meet the deadline for
opening weekend or Howard Shore would have had to rewrite the score and re-record the
score. I speculate that something this drastic could have caused the movie to miss its deadline
for the premier.
6
7
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=studioest&yr=2011&wknd=48&p=.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
38
I gained a significant amount of knowledge by analyzing and re-editing the music to
the movie. My interview with Howard Shore gave me incredible insight of the music creation
process as well. Hugo was a magical movie in many ways and it was an adventure to “see
behind the curtain” how everything came together as a beautiful work of art.
39
References
“Soundtracks.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 1 June 2014.
Schweiger, Daniel. “An Interview with Howard Shore.” Film Music Magazine. Global
Media. 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 7 April 2011.
Britan. “Jean-Michel Bernard Biography.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 9 June 2014.
“Hugo (2011) Awards.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 9 June 2014.
“Weekend Box Office November 25-27, 2011.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB. n.d. 22 June 2014.
“Weekend Box Office December 2-4, 2011.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB. n.d. 22 June 2014.
“Hugo (2011) Full Cast & Crew.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 1 April 2014.
Shore, Howard. Personal Interview. 3 July 2014.
Jacob Boyd
Professors: Lucio Godoy, Vanessa Garde, Ben Houge, Alfons Conde
MMus in Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games
Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus
July, 2014
The Music of Hugo
Thesis Goal
Was the score written as intended for the movie, or was there significant music
editing completed in order to accommodate late changes in the picture editing? The goal of
this research is to accurately and thoroughly come to a conclusion for the aforementioned
question through the proper identification, labeling and discerning of the music of Hugo.
The Story
Hugo is derived from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. The
movie was directed by Martin Scorsese and the music was composed by Howard Shore.
Hugo is based on a true story about a boy who lives alone in a train station in Paris in the
1930’s. His father died in a fire in a museum so he was adopted by his belligerent alcoholic
uncle. They lived in the walls of the train station where he taught Hugo how to wind and
maintain the clocks of the station. The one thing Hugo chose to take with him to the train
station after his father died was an automaton, which his father and he had been working to
repair.
Hugo’s uncle disappeared and left him alone to manage the clocks of the station. To
pass the time, Hugo would steal clock parts from a clock store in the station in a desperate
2
attempt to bring the automaton to life. He had hopes that the automaton would give Hugo a
secret message left by his father before he died. He does all this while averting the train
station inspector and his dog, who finds young children alone in the train station and sends
them to an orphanage.
In the beginning of the movie, the clock store owner, Georges Méliès, catches Hugo
and forces him to empty his pockets. Hugo surrenders clock parts from his pocket and a
notebook which his father used to record the process of restoring the automaton. The clock
store owner, oddly obsessed with the contents of the notebook, keeps Hugo’s notebook and
vows to burn it that night as revenge for Hugo’s stealing from the clock store.
Hugo follows the man home and meets Georges’ goddaughter, Isabelle. Hugo tells her
vaguely about the importance of his notebook, and she promises that she won’t let the
notebook be destroyed by her godfather.
Hugo returns to the clock store inside the train station the next day and demands his
notebook back. Georges denies him, but after a few exchanges he agrees to give the notebook
back if Hugo works for him in the clock store for an undetermined amount of time. Hugo
works cleaning the shop and repairing clocks and various toys.
During this time, Hugo has been meeting with Isabelle secretly to scheme how to help
him retrieve his notebook. Hugo tells her how much he loved going to movies with his father
and she tells him how her godfather rejected the idea of her ever going to the movies. Hugo
recalls a movie that he saw with his father, a film about the moon being shot in the eye with a
bullet.
At one point, he notices a key on her necklace that would fit as the last missing piece
to bring his automaton to life. He brings her into the walls of the train station to see where he
keeps it. The key fit, and the automaton comes to life and draws a picture of a moon with a
3
rocket in its eye. The last thing the automaton does is sign the name of the artist who created
the automaton do draw the picture. They discover it is the name of her godfather, Georges.
As their friendship develops, she introduces him to her favorite bookstore. They
discover a book about famous movie directors that gives a biography of her godfather, which
says he died in the war. An eavesdropping gentleman, Mr. Tabard, hears their debate over her
very much alive godfather and shows disbelief, which turns into interest in meeting him.
They agree and work out a plan to introduce the man to Isabelle’s surprisingly famous
godfather.
They meet at Papa Georges’ house where the three of them are hesitatingly greeted by
Georges’ wife, Mama Jeanne, who the man recognizes as the star of many of the movies
Georges directed. Mr. Tabard brought a film with him and gets consent to show it in secret
while Georges is asleep. It is the film of the moon with a rocket shot into its eye. Georges
awakes and is upset at the four of them for bringing back sad memories from his past life.
Georges explains how he got into making movies after being a successful magician.
He tells a story about how he was very successful at making movies, but the World War took
its toll on the movie making industry. He was forced to close the studio and sell many of his
films, which were melted to make plastic products. Ashamed of his failure, Georges hid away
at the clock shop in the train station ever since.
During Georges’ recount of his past, he mentioned his dear automaton that he missed
so much. He didn’t know that Hugo had it at the train station. Hugo leaves the home to go
back to the train station to bring back the automaton to give to Georges. While he is there,
Hugo is arrested by the station inspector who tells him he will be sent to an orphanage. Hugo
escapes the jail cell at the train station and a pursuit by the train station inspector and his dog.
Hugo is eventually caught while running with his automaton, and he drops it onto the train
rails below. He sees a train approaching, but jumps down to the rails anyway to try to save his
4
automaton; his connection between his father and his new family. The station inspector pulls
Hugo out of harm’s way at the last possible instant. While scolding him, Georges’ family
approaches them and escorts Hugo away from the station inspector. Hugo says that the
automaton is now broken, but Georges, with a change of heart toward life, says it worked
perfectly. He was then welcomed into the Méliès’ home as a part of their family.
Hugo Cue List
Since I do not have access to the movie with the original timecode burned to the
picture, I am using the Paramount logo sequence start as reference for 01:00:00:00. The first
sounds of the movie can be heard at this instance. For a more specific reference, the very first
frame of the inner workings of a clock at the beginning of the movie can be seen at
01:00:47:04 and set at 23.976 frames per second. This will be the reference for calibration to
sync the timecode references listed in this paper to the actual movie. This information is
beneficial for the use of recreating my sequence in Pro Tools for the possible purposes of
further research, confirmation of my findings, or even rebuttal. The master cue list of Hugo
can be found as a combination of the three cue lists seen on subsequent pages. The lists titled
The Official Soundtrack of Hugo, Diegetic Music and Missing Cues can be combined to
create a master cue list for the music of this movie.
Precision
The margin of error in re-editing the music and adding markers to the timeline was 1
frame or less. Sometimes music and dialogue or effects made entrances or endings of cues
difficult to analyze. Without the original Hugo music editing DAW session, the precision of
these cues are almost impossible to detect with absolute certainty.
5
Music Editing
At first glance, the music editing seems extensive in Hugo. This is most likely due to
late changes in the film editing after the orchestra had been recorded. Sometimes the music in
the soundtrack has different volume levels of sections and instruments than the music in the
movie. This is evidence that music editing was completed using audio stems rather than one
stereo (or 7.1 surround) track. Music editing can have freedom, flexibility and creativity
when working with separate audio stem tracks.
According to Howard Shore, the music from the movie was edited to create the music
for the official soundtrack. This can explain why there are cues of different length and
content between the movie and the soundtrack. He explained that some cues were too short or
would not stand alone well enough as a song in itself for an album. This is why he created
entire songs for the soundtrack album out of a few short cues or added to thematic ideas that
were intentionally not musically complete in the movie.
Official Soundtrack of Hugo
Listed below is the album order, published titles, play lengths, and number of edits to
the final version of each track that appeared in the movie. I was able to reverse music edit the
original recorded music using the stereo track from the actual movie and each individual
track from the soundtrack in Pro Tools. The movie track was then lined up with individual
tracks from the film soundtrack. Both tracks were then reviewed at the same time. When a
change was heard, I would search further in the individual track to find a section that would
match where the soundtrack left off. The individual track was then split, the section not
present in the movie track was cut and then the individual track was re-aligned with the main
stereo film track. This process was used for all 21 songs made available in the soundtrack.
6
Track
Track Title
Album Time
Movie Time
Edits
01.
The Thief
04:20
04:23
8
02.
The Chase
02:50
02:08
12
03.
The Clocks
04:28
03:02
14
04.
Snowfall
01:50
01:01
6
05.
Hugo’s Father
03:24
03:13
6
06.
Ashes
02:33
00:37
1
07.
The Station Inspector
01:10
00:21
1
08.
Bookstore
01:51
00:25
1
09.
The Movies
01:29
00:52
1
10.
The Message
04:36
02:46
11
11.
The Armoire
02:32
02:16
18
12.
Purpose
02:04
N/A
N/A
13.
The Plan
02:48
00:56
4
14.
Trains
02:50
01:57
7
15.
Papa Georges Made Movies
01:52
01:27
5
16.
The Invention of Dreams
06:29
00:58
8
17.
A Ghost in the Station
06:00
03:36
32
18.
A Train Arrives in the Station
03:25
01:46
9
19.
The Magician
02:33
01:24
9
20.
Coeur Volant (featuring Zaz)
04:19
03:56
1
21.
Winding it Up
04:11
03:02
1
1:07:34
40:06
155
TOTAL:
7
The total number of music edits from the original soundtrack to the finished movie
was 155. After editing the music from the soundtrack to the movie timeline, it became clear
that about 27 minutes and 28 seconds of music from the album was never present in the
movie. Track 12, ironically titled “Purpose”, had no direct purpose in the album because
none of the music from the 02:04 track was ever presented in the film. According to Shore,
“Purpose” was a good fit for the soundtrack although the scene it was intended for was cut
from the final version of the film.
The 155 music edits does not account for the music that was originally recorded that
was not chosen to be a part of the soundtrack. Possible diegetic music editing was not
included in this number as well. Without being able to obtain the original recordings for the
entire soundtrack, it is difficult to track the amount of music edits that were completed for the
entire movie. Given that forty minutes of music from the soundtrack resulted in 155 music
edits, a conservative estimate of over 200 music edits were most likely completed in the film.
Given the known 155 music edits in Hugo, my theory is that the film was viewed by
test audiences who thought it was too long, or this decision to cut sections came to fruition
within the film production team after the score was recorded. Either of these theories are
evident because of many reasons. First, some of the music edits slightly alter the flow of the
tempo of the cue. This was covered by turning the music down low at some points and by
using Foley to mask transitions between splices in the audio. The second reason why I
believe that the film was shortened after the music was recorded is because the music was cut
about 30 times and was only added to three times. The additions were probably made to fix
transitions that were cut but did not flow to an adjacent section of the music cue. Another
reason why I believe music was cut is because the final product resulted in a film length over
two hours and this duration can test the patience of an audience. The final piece of evidence
that shows the film was shortened at the end of post production is that the music in the
8
recorded soundtrack makes musical sense to the ear and tends to have a clear sense of
direction and development. The final product obviously tampers with these musical
phrasings. This is evident by hearing the music very low in the final dubbing mix. If no edits
were needed I strongly believe the music would be more prominent, such as during The
Chase (track 3). Mr. Shore stated that the film was test-screened around 12 times and changes
had to be made to the film each time. He stated he always did his best to accommodate to the
changes, be it re-recording the orchestra or editing the current music to stay in emotional
congruence with the picture. Shore also stated that not all of the music recorded during the
sessions at Abbey Road Studios made the final cut of Hugo.
The music editing also shows that the accordion was not recorded at the same time as
the orchestra. Mr. Shore confirmed this theory and added that a small ensemble (including the
musette/accordion) was recorded several months before the orchestra parts were written.
Overdubs of accordion were added and removed during certain parts of the music editing
process. Having the accordion as a stem enabled the music editor to have the freedom of
adjusting it to adjacent sections of music. Otherwise, entire sections of music might have
been discarded if there was not an option to remove the accordion from a part or move it to a
different part of the cue.
In the following screenshots, the music edits can be easily seen. Approximate
timecode can be seen at the top, the movie video track is next, followed by the original stereo
track from the movie, and then the edited soundtrack to match the original stereo track is seen
on the bottom. The names of the audio can also be seen in the screen shots to allow for the
replication of these edited cues. (Make sure the names of your Hugo soundtrack audio files
exactly match the following audio file names so the Pro Tools 10 file included in this CE can
sync the tracks accurately. For example Track 1 should be titled “Hugo Soundtrack - 1 The
Thief.mp3” and so on. Check the track names in the following wave files for accuracy.)
9
01. The Thief
02. The Chase
03. The Clocks
04. Snowfall
05. Hugo’s Father
06. Ashes
10
07. The Station Inspector
08. Bookstore
09. The Movies
10. The Message
11. The Armoire
13. The Plan
11
14. Trains
15. Papa Georges Made Movies
16. The Invention of Dreams
17. A Ghost in the Station
18. A Train Arrives in the Station
19. The Magician
12
20. Coeur Volant (featuring Zaz)
21. Winding it Up
Screenshot of entire session view of markers, cues and music edits of the movie Hugo in Pro Tools
13
Additional Music
There is additional music in some scenes that is not included in the soundtrack. This
could be because they were too short (usually less than a minute) to be justified as a track on
the album. Another possibility could be that they were written and added in later either by
Howard Shore, music editor Jennifer Dunnington, or by a composer of additional music.1
Given Mr. Shore’s history of being a very experienced and thorough composer, it is more
likely that he composed the music we hear in the movie that is not included on the soundtrack
because of length or thematic significance. Howard Shore mentioned that a lot of music used,
especially diegetically, were written by other composers from around the time period of the
movie. Some of these pre-existing music pieces were re-recorded by Shore to accommodate
the movie sequence.
Diegetic Music
The diegetic music in Hugo is sometimes heard through “live” musicians on screen.
This can be seen and heard on Track 02 “The Chase” when the station inspector chases Hugo
through the cafe in the train station. There is a live band playing. The playing stops when the
station inspector falls onto the standup bass, demolishing it. From there, we can hear a pause
in the music filled with the sounds of calamity. Once the chase resumes, non-diegetic music
fills its place. Music played by “live musicians” in the cafe can also be heard in Diegetic
Cues C and D, seen in the chart following. In the final scene of the movie, these musicians
were featured “performing” in the curtain call scene at the Méliès’ home in Diegetic Cue K.
Diegetic French music can also be heard over “radio speakers” in the train station out
in front of the cafe. This music conveys a sense of peace and love, serving as the background
to a side story for two courting couples. Clear examples of this background music can be
1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
14
found below in Diegetic Cues A, F and J. The low volume, heavy reverb and heavy use of
early reflections in these three cues makes it obvious that the cues were intended to be
diegetic.
Sometimes the diegetic music is implied. The first example is Cue A when Georges
winds up the mouse that Hugo fixed. The music sounds like a music box with a magic feel,
and it could be implied that the music is coming from the mouse, which seems to move
magically. The music is also panned narrowly and the reverb placement is congruent with the
placement on the toy mouse. Diegetic music is also implied in Cue E when Hugo and Isabelle
are watching the movie of the man climbing the building. The reverb placement and also the
use of a bandpass EQ gives the feel that the music is supposed to be coming from the movie
they are watching. At Cue G, the sounds of music from carousels and other attractions can be
heard as Georges and Jeanne stroll about. This is proven to be diegetic by having the music
low in the background with longer early reflections and a high pass in the EQ. Cue H is when
Georges and Jeanne walk in to the “Cinema” carnival tent and watch the film “A Train
Arrives at the Station”. A live piano player was playing along with the movie, even though
the music was most likely pre-recorded. Music was also diegetically implied during the
scenes in Diegetic Cue I, music at Star Films Studio. EQ, panning, reverb and early
reflections assisted the piano in sounding like it was accompanying the actors as they filmed
their movies, even though there was not a piano shown in these scenes.
15
Cue Name
Start Time
End Time
Length (MM:SS)
01. The Thief
01:02:30:14
01:02:36:03
00:06
02. The Chase
01:07:47:09
01:08:17:22
00:30
Diegetic Cue A
01:23:31:14
01:24:33:15
01:02
Diegetic Cue B
01:31:59:15
01:32:10:07
00:11
Diegetic Cue C
01:32:58:21
01:34:34:08
01:36
Diegetic Cue D
01:35:41:05
01:35:56:11
00:15
Diegetic Cue E
01:40:11:02
01:40:56:02
00:45
Diegetic Cue F
02:04:48:17
02:08:12:08
03:24
Diegetic Cue G
02:35:28:14
02:35:54:07
00:26
Diegetic Cue H
02:35:54:07
02:36:24:18
00:30
Diegetic Cue I
02:36:56:07
02:40:03:05
03:07
Diegetic Cue J
02:42:45:02
02:43:45:21
01:01
Diegetic Cue K
02:58:16:23
02:59:03:14
00:47
TOTAL:
13:40
The length of diegetic music found in tracks 01 and 02 of the official soundtrack have
already been accounted for in the Official Soundtrack Cue List. The total amount of diegetic
music is 13 minutes and 40 seconds, but the length of diegetic music from tracks 01 and 02
must be deducted from the overall music time in the movie. Thus, we must only add 13
minutes and 4 seconds, which brings the total music in the movie to 53:04.
Missing Partial Cues
These cues are present as an addition to the motion picture soundtrack. The music
given below was later edited to be added to, within, or after the music from the soundtrack as
16
an intent to modify the original music to better fit the picture. These sounds are not found on
the actual music soundtrack.
Track #
Start Time
End Time
Total Time (MM:SS)
02.
01:08:02:15
01:08:17:22
00:15
03.
01:11:36:01
01:11:50:21
00:15
03.
01:12:52:12
01:12:59:19
00:07
05.
01:17:09:18
01:18:50:22
01:41
06.
01:27:11:05
01:27:26:08
00:15
08.
01:28:21:22
01:28:54:06
00:33
07.
01:35:56:11
01:36:41:05
00:44
10.
01:48:03:08
01:48:10:02
00:07
10.
01:50:44:15
01:53:06:06
02:22
10.
01:54:07:16
01:54:10:05
00:03
11.
01:59:27:01
01:59:51:02
00:25
11.
02:01:16:06
02:01:22:07
00:06
13.
02:18:13:17
02:19:53:00
01:40
14.
02:21:58:15
02:22:08:06
00:10
14.
02:24:04:15
02:24:20:22
00:16
14.
02:25:06:20
02:25:29:04
00:23
16.
02:34:28:13
02:34:34:04
00:06
17.
02:45:10:07
02:45:11:18
00:01
17.
02:46:58:06
02:47:08:04
00:10
17.
02:47:56:14
02:49:05:04
01:09
17
18.
02:50:47:20
02:50:59:09
00:12
19.
02:57:49:20
02:57:50:05
00:01
20.
02:59:49:04
02:59:51:13
00:02
TOTAL:
11:03
Given the original soundtrack and diegetic music, this brings the total music time in
the movie to 01:04:07 (HH:MM:SS).
Missing Cues
These music cues are not present in the original motion picture soundtrack. They are
independent cues not intended to be appended to the original 21 tracks. They are titled
“MISSING CUE (01-33)” only because they are missing from the music soundtrack, and
their significance should not to be dismissed by the title “MISSING”. Cue #05 and #14 have
two parts each. These have been split into two different sections each, even though they are
sonically the same cue. The pauses between the two sections where the music stops is
deemed to be an edit instead of measures of rest in the music. Given this break, the space
between the two sections will not be counted toward the total length of Cue #05 and #14.
This is noted with “(cont.)”, abbreviating continued from a break in the music.
Missing Cue #
TC START
TC END
Total Time (MM:SS)
01
01:05:44:06
01:06:29:04
00:45
02
01:13:46:19
01:14:18:03
00:32
03
01:15:23:12
01:17:09:08
01:46
04
01:21:29:06
01:23:31:14
01:58
18
05
01:24:33:15
01:25:38:12
01:05
05 (cont.)
01:25:48:00
01:26:00:12
00:12
06
01:30:10:09
01:30:32:19
00:22
07
01:30:50:00
01:31:50:14
01:00
08
01:32:10:07
01:32:58:21
00:48
09
01:34:34:08
01:35:41:05
01:07
10
01:37:31:19
01:38:09:02
00:38
11
01:38:19:22
01:38:42:07
00:23
12
01:40:56:02
01:41:11:05
00:15
13
01:42:28:10
01:42:55:02
00:27
14
01:42:59:05
01:43:17:20
00:18
14 (cont.)
01:43:26:01
01:44:35:21
01:10
15
01:45:36:04
01:45:54:11
00:18
16
01:46:12:18
01:47:13:08
01:01
17
01:55:15:04
01:55:47:23
00:32
18
01:56:30:07
01:57:06:13
00:36
19
02:02:53:00
02:03:53:04
01:00
20
02:03:56:14
02:04:48:17
00:52
21
02:08:12:08
02:08:25:09
00:13
22
02:08:27:18
02:09:12:15
00:45
23
02:09:19:17
02:10:50:21
01:31
24
02:12:42:16
02:13:39:22
00:57
25
02:13:48:21
02:15:58:13
02:10
26
02:19:54:09
02:21:04:10
01:10
19
27
02:25:51:02
02:26:59:05
01:08
28
02:30:22:12
02:30:42:04
00:20
29
02:36:24:18
02:36:43:19
00:19
30
02:36:43:19
02:36:56:07
00:13
31
02:40:17:19
02:41:48:00
01:31
32
02:42:35:03
02:42:45:02
00:10
33
02:43:45:21
02:44:10:05
00:25
TOTAL:
27:57
This brings the total music time in the entire movie to 01:32:04. The length of the
movie is 2:06:20. This translates to about 73% of the movie having music with picture. With
13:40 of diegetic music, 11% of the movie contains diegetic music. This is a good balance
because a decent amount of the movie takes place in or around a café with live musicians.
There is also a significant part of the story involving the making and showing of movies.
Even though some of the movies shown were from the “pre-audio track” era, they have live
musicians performing to the picture within the movie Hugo.
Instrumentation Notes
The following instruments were used in making the soundtrack of Hugo.
Approximately 88 musicians were involved in the recording process.2 The score was recorded
at Abbey Road Studios in London.
WOODWINDS: Piccolo, Flute, Pan Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Alto
Saxophone
BRASS: French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba
2
http://www.filmmusicmag.com/?p=8894
20
PERCUSSION: Harp, Piano, Celeste, Bass Drum, Snare Drum (brushes and sticks),
Cymbals, Wind Chimes, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Tam Tam, Woodblock, Timpani, Trap Set
STRINGS: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Bass, Acoustic Guitar
OTHER INSTRUMENTS: Musette (French Accordion) performed by Eddie Hession, Ondes
Martenot (French Theremin)
The following are notes from Howard Shore about instrumentation and orchestration
for Hugo.
“The sextet was recorded separate from the orchestra over about 4 months at abbey
road and each week I would do a session. I think I did 12 sessions in total with the sextet. It
was almost one every week for 3 or for months. Basically, the score is essentially written for
the sextet. It was piano, bass, guitar, kind of an antique percussion, like 20’s style theater
percussion, Ondes Martenot, and Musette. The sextet was done on their own and I did that
remotely from New York. Then I wrote the score and orchestrated it around the sextet. That
became the score for the London Philharmonic and then I recorded the London Philharmonic
and essentially put the two recordings together.”
Themes
Ten main themes are found in the movie Hugo. Since I do not have access to the
original score, I can only apply generic titles for each theme. These titles have been invented
only for the use of labeling each theme.
The themes shown on the following pages are first explained by how the music works
for the picture. Then a brief note about the typical instrumentation is given. Next, the themes
are listed in order of appearance with a short description of the event happening that is
congruent with each thematic instance. When there are instances of themes appearing within
themes, a brief note tells which new theme interrupts the current thematic idea. Follow the
mentioned theme letter and relevant timecode to see where each thematic interruption occurs.
21
For example, under Theme G we see “01:23:00:00 Automaton in new home, then to E”. We
then look to Theme E and find “01:23:14:00 Hugo’s father’s funeral”. Thus, it can be clearly
seen that Theme G can be heard for 14 seconds before directly transitioning to Theme E.
Another important note is the occasional mention of “part.” and “vari.”. “Part.” means
that this is only a partial idea from the theme, but it is still present or obvious enough to note.
“Vari.” means that the basic underlying structure of the theme is present, but a variation of
the melody may be present or the melody may be missing altogether. This is still clearly an
idea derived from the original theme so it must be noted and labeled appropriately.
Occasionally, the thematic instances below will also have an instrumentation note
beside them. This is to give support to their placement in a particular scene in the movie,
which otherwise might seem out of place without given a stronger context for how it could
possibly work appropriately with the picture.
These themes listed are labeled in no particular order of appearance or significance.
Theme A
This theme is used exclusively when
we experience the awkward authority of the
station inspector. His character is the
obvious antagonist and a blatant minor triad
to begin his theme highlights this.
Characteristics of instrumentation include
drums, dark and low woodwinds, brass, and
short articulations in the strings. Pauses
between short military-like rhythms are
common as well.
22
Theme A Instances
01:07:15:00 Station Inspector sends his dog to begin the pursuit of Hugo in the train station
for the first time after hearing Georges’ discontent at his toy booth
01:24:33:00 Inspector and Hugo at the post
01:35:56:00 Station Inspector catches orphan boy alone in the station (A lot of reverb)
01:42:59:00 Isabelle and Hugo encounter the station inspector
02:08:12:17 Station Inspector after finally speaking to Lisette
02:26:04:00 Station Inspector gets a call to learn that Hugo’s Uncle has died
02:43:45:00 Hugo sees the Station Inspector in the station while attempting to retrieve his
automaton for Georges
02:44:53:00 The Station Inspector catches Hugo and puts him in a jail cell in the train station
02:46:37:00 Hugo escapes the jail cell of the Station Inspector and a pursuit ensues
Theme B
Theme B is used to highlight
mysterious and pensive scenes that often
involve short lapses in time. Examples of
this are the opening scene of flying to and
through the train station, Hugo following
Georges home, and the lapse between when
the bookstore owner tells them about the
Film Academy Library and when they
actually arrive. This cue is rarely heard
under dialogue. Instrumentation usually
involves piano playing the melody
23
(sometimes the accordion) with celli playing the arpeggios and basses playing accents to the
celli line.
Theme B Instances
01:01:15:00 Opening shot, camera zooming in on train station in winter
01:03:27:00 First view of Georges standing alone at his toy booth in the train station
01:05:44:00 Georges makes Hugo take his notebook out of his pocket
01:14:36:00 Hugo continues to follow Georges home in the streets of Paris
01:15:23:00 (part.) Hugo sees Isabelle through a window in Georges home, then to F
01:15:29:00 (part.) Hugo tries to get Isabelle’s attention, then to F
01:15:56:00 (part.) Isabelle comes out of her home to meet Hugo for the first time
01:20:16:00 Hugo’s father in the museum alone while fixing something and hears a sound
and turns around
01:48:00:00 (vari., part.) Hugo and Isabelle enter his living quarters in the station
01:54:31:00 (vari., part.) Automaton finishes writing “Georges Méliès”, then to G
01:55:34:00 Hugo walks with Isabelle to her home with the automaton drawing
02:08:27:00 Hugo and Isabelle visit the Film Academy Library
02:21:33:00 Isabelle kisses Hugo on the cheek after they make a plan to fix Georges
24
Theme C
This is the main theme of Hugo. It is
heard in the time leading up to the main title
(see first Theme Instance). It is also the first
song of the end credits (Featuring Zaz) and
is the only non-diegetic cue with lyrics put
to it. This theme conveys a sense of progress
and hope throughout the movie. Being in a
major key with constantly ascending
harmony, it gives an uplifting feeling and a
sense of musical progression. There is not a
typical instrumentation for the melody of
Theme C but it is utilizes most of the orchestra most of the time. Full string or brass sections
typically carry the melody. To convey a sense of progress and hope for Hugo, a thin
orchestration would not be congruent to this idea. Although, sometimes a simple piano with
light accompaniment helps the listener understand these feelings when these scenes
appropriately align with the music.
Theme C Instances
01:01:56:00 Movie opening sequence finishes and Hugo can be seen for the first time
through the train station clock
01:10:14:00 Hugo enters his living quarters in the train station
01:12:11:00 (4/4 time) Hugo views Paris at sunset from the top of the clock tower and the
main title appears
01:30:10:00 How to get the notebook back
01:31:14:00 Fix the broken toy mouse
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01:32:49:00 Hugo starts working in the toy shop
01:35:02:00 (part.) Hugo waiting for automaton to work for the first time, then to E
01:49:24:00 Isabelle gives Hugo the key to start his automaton, then to E
01:50:44:00 The automaton starts writing for the first time (4/4 time, trumpet melody)
01:55:15:00 Hugo thanks the automaton for giving him the message, then to B
01:56:30:00 Hugo gives Mama Jeanne the drawing of the automaton
02:15:32:00 (4/4 time, vari.) Georges tells young Tabard that his studio is where dreams are
made, then continues with the directing of his movie in progress
02:19:16:00 (4/4) Hugo suggests to Isabelle that they can try to fix Georges
Theme D
This theme is a feeling or reflection
of sadness or loneliness. The tempo is
typically slow and the instrumentation is
mainly strings. The melody does not stray
far from the minor third degree of the key and the melody never resolves on the tonic. This
keeps the theme feeling sad, lonely and unresolved. This is shown in the instances below,
such as Hugo learning his father is dead, Hugo opening up his notebook that is now ashes,
and Mama Jeanne reflecting with sadness after seeing a picture that reminded her of a time of
emotional pain.
Theme D Instances
01:09:36:00 Hugo runs through the maze in the walls of the train station
01:13:48:00 Hugo begins following Georges through the train station to try to get his
notebook back
01:21:29:00 Hugo learns his father is dead
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01:26:35:00 Notebook of ashes
01:47:33:00 Hugo shows Isabelle where he lives
01:56:54:00 Mama Jeanne sits down in disbelief after seeing the automaton drawing
02:02:56:00 Hugo and Isabelle leave after discovering Georges’ artwork chest, then to F
02:13:48:00 Professor Tabard tells the children that he has already met Georges, then to G
02:59:56:00 Last shot of the face of the automaton before end credits begin
Theme E
Theme E is used almost exclusively
for when we see or hear of a reference to
Hugo’s father. This idea is stretched when
we hear this theme after Hugo talks about
the bookstore owner giving him a book that
Hugo read with his father. The
instrumentation is typically Spanish guitar for the melody and strings for the accompaniment.
It is interesting that this has a Spanish feel to it given the instrumentation and harmonies
because no back-story was ever mentioned in the movie that would link Hugo’s father with a
Spanish reference. It does evoke a feeling of longing and fondness, while the melody
communicates how Hugo misses his father.
Theme E Instances
01:17:59:00 Hugo and his father talk about the automaton his father found, then to G
01:18:56:00 Hugo and his father figure out if they can fix the automaton, then to G
01:23:14:00 Hugo’s father’s funeral
01:35:22:00 (vari., part.) Hugo realizes the automaton still needs the key
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01:49:35:00 Hugo tells Isabelle he thinks they’re unlocking a message from his father in the
automaton, then to D
02:18:18:00 Hugo sees the bookstore owner and tells Isabelle that he gave Hugo a book
Theme F
This theme is commonly used as a
transitional theme and is rarely used by
itself. It is not usually used to accompany
dialogue. Depending on instrumentation, its
intended mood can adapt to the scene.
Instrumentation can be flute, piano or
accordion in the melody and low strings or
harp in the accompaniment. String bass
usually carries the bass line if present.
Theme F Instances
01:03:50:00 Isabelle seen for the first time
at Georges’ toy store
01:05:58:00 Georges starts to read the contents of Hugo’s notebook at the toy booth
01:15:26:00 (part.) Hugo is watching the Méliès family through the windows in their home
from the street below, then to B
01:15:33:00 Hugo throws a stone at Isabelle’s window to get her attention, then to B
01:27:57:00 Going to the bookstore
01:39:39:00 An adventure with Isabelle at the movies
02:03:31:00 Isabelle thanks Hugo for the adventure that day
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Theme G
This is a very haunting and
mysterious sounding theme. This is the main
theme for Hugo’s automaton as its instances
show below. Instrumentation is usually a
solo instrument in the melody. This can be harp, piano, or Ondes Martenot, but never a solo
brass or bowed string instrument. Supporting chords and harmonies can be minimal, such as
when Georges notices drawings in Hugo’s book, or fully orchestrated as when Hugo wakes
from his dream and realizes that he is actually an automaton. Although short, Theme G is the
most common thematic occurrence in Hugo.
Theme G Instances
01:06:08:00 Georges notices drawings of his automaton in Hugo’s notebook
01:09:57:00 Hugo returns to his living quarters after evading the station inspector
01:17:34:00 Hugo sits down by his automaton
01:18:28:00 (part.) Hugo’s father shows him what the automaton can do
01:19:38:00 Hugo and his father working together in his father’s clock shop, then to B
01:23:00:00 Automaton in new home, then to E
01:34:34:00 Hugo winds automaton for the first time
01:47:46:00 Hugo and Isabelle enter his home in the station, then to B
01:54:17:00 The automaton writes “Georges Méliès”, then to B
01:54:41:00 The automaton finishes writing and shuts down
02:14:24:00 Filming of an underwater movie by Georges as the Tabard brothers enter the
studio building, then to C
02:25:06:00 Hugo wakes from his dream within a dream to see that he is an automaton
02:29:20:00 (vari.) Mr. Tabard tells Jeanne how she was lovely in Georges’ movies
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02:31:54:00 (vari.) Scene of Mama Jeanne sitting on a moon in one of Georges’ movies and
Isabelle points her out, then to I
02:32:26:00 Scene in Georges’ movie when the rocket ship falls back into the ocean
02:53:33:00 (vari.) Lisette approaches the station inspector to comfort him after he let Hugo
go into the custody of Georges at the train station
02:59:36:00 (part.) Isabelle is narrating while the automaton comes into view in Georges’
home
Theme H
Theme H is used exclusively when
reference is made to Jeanne and Georges’
past life as magicians and movie makers.
The feeling it conveys is that of a stage or
circus act with more full instrumentation,
with trumpet in the melody. When a high
register piano is used with light
orchestration, it conveys a mystical music
box-like nostalgic feeling, but still has a
melody reminiscent of a magic trick. This
could be because of the time signature in
three and atypical chord structure of the theme.
Theme H Instances
01:56:42:00 Mama Jeanne opens the folded paper that Hugo gave her of the drawing made
by his automaton
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02:29:40:00 Mama Jeanne admits to Mr. Tabard, Isabelle, and Hugo that she was in
Georges’ movies
02:34:34:00 Georges and Jeanne perform a magic trick at one of their early shows
02:57:53:00 Shooting of a rocket into the eye of the man in the moon at the movie ceremony
honoring Georges
Theme I
This theme is debatably the most
warm and comforting of the themes of this
film. It only appears a few times, but the
instances below prove this feeling. The
instrumentation is typically a celeste for the
melody and string chords for the
accompaniment.
Theme I Instances
02:31:18:00 Man in the moon can be seen
while watching Georges’ movie in their
home, then to G
02:32:06:00 Isabelle puts her hand on Jeanne’s shoulder as they continue to watch George’s
movie in their home
02:59:03:00 Isabelle begins her narration at the final scene at the Méliès’ home
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Theme J
Similar to Theme I, theme J is only
heard a few times in the movie, but its
presence is strong. It conveys a sense of
mystic magic with a significant amount of
movement. The unpredictable and perpetual
motion of the melodic contour supports this
feeling. Instrumentation used are strings,
celeste, bells or piano for the melody. String
bass is used for the bass line. Horns, strings
and woodwinds lightly carry the chords
across each cue with this theme.
Theme J Instances
01:39:39:00 Hugo decides to take Isabelle on an adventure to the movies
02:00:49:00 Isabelle drops the chest they found in Georges’ room and all his artwork comes
out of it and magically floats around
02:12:44:00 Doors open to see Mr. Tabard’s collection of Méliès memoirs
02:56:52:00 Georges performs an illusion as a transition from his final speech to the showing
of his films at his recognition ceremony
Major/Minor Chord Motifs
A very common harmonic occurrence in Hugo is the use of a major tonic chord
followed by a minor tonic chord from its borrowed minor key. There are also many instances
where this is inverted (minor to major). At some parts, it can be difficult to analyze which
comes first, but the intended feeling is the same. This major/minor chord motif helps to better
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translate the dream-like, fantasy world of Hugo even though it is mostly reality based and is
derived from a true story. The major/minor motif is used as short transitions between themes
and is also used as musical ideas that stand alone. This motif is transposed into different keys
and uses a wide variety of instrumentation. Because of this, it would be difficult to identify
and label each thematic instance of this motif because it is used so often in so many forms. It
fits the style of the movie very well and finds a place close to most of the themes.
Other Music in Hugo
Artists other than Howard Shore wrote the following music found in Hugo.3 Most of
these following songs had a diegetic function in the movie.
Ça Gaze
Composed by V. Marceau, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by Les Primitifs du Futur
Aubade Charmeuse
Written by Jean Peyronnin, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by Les Primitifs du Futur
Frou Frou
Words by Marie Blondeau, Henri Custillon and Hector Monreal, Music by Henri Chatau and
Lucien Dormel, Performed by Lucille Panis
Carinosa
Written by Alberto Larena and Auguste Pesenti, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by
Les Primitifs du Futur
Carinosa
Written by Alberto Larena and Auguste Pesenti, Conducted by Howard Shore
Score excerpts from the motion picture Safety Last, Composed by Carl Davis
Tarantella
3
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/soundtrack
33
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns, Arranged by Howard Shore
Si Tu Veux Marguerite
Written by Albert Valensi and Joseph Vincentelli, Produced by J. M. Bernard, Performed by
Olivier Constantin and J. M. Bernard
Danse Macabre
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns, Arranged by Howard Shore
Marche de Radetzky
Composed by 'Johann Strauss Sr.', Produced by Doug Adams, Courtesy of Jasper and Marian
Sanfilippo and the Sanfilippo Foundation, Recorded from a 1908 Limonaire Orchestrophone
- Style 250, built in Paris, France
Friendly Day
Written and Performed by Kevin MacLeod, Dardanella, Written by Felix Bernard, Johnny
Black and Fred Fisher, Performed by Paul Eakins Mortier Belgian Band Organ
By the Waters of the Minnetonka
Written by James M. Cavanass and Thurlow Lieurance, Performed by Zez Confrey
Trois Morceaux en Forme de Poire: Manière de Commencement (Allez Modérément),
Written by Erik Satie, Performed by Aldo Ciccolini & Gabriel Tacchino
Six Gnossiennes: No. 1 Lent
Written by Erik Satie, Performed by Aldo Ciccolini
Coeur Volant
Word and Music by Elizabeth Cotnoir, Zaz (as Isabelle Geffroy) and Howard Shore,
Performed by Zaz
Les Primitifs du Futur:
Dominique Cravic, Hervé Legeay, Romane, Jean-Phillippe Viret, Mathilde Febrer, Daniel
Colin
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Oddities
Although Hugo contains beautifully composed, orchestrated and edited music, there
are a few oddities that need to be noted. First, “Missing” Cue 12 at 01:40:56:02 is a 15
second cue that stands out from the other music of the movie. The owner of the movie theater
catches Hugo and Isabelle watching a movie that they snuck into and kicks them out.
Diegetic music is playing during the movie as they are watching it, but it switches to nondiegetic when the owner kicks them out. This music carries no theme that is similar to
anything in the rest of the movie. Sonically, it is similar only to diegetic music in its style
(classical) and instrumentation (flute and piano). This is clearly not a diegetic cue because it
starts when the owner suddenly grabs Hugo and Isabelle, which breaks away from the
diegetic music of the movie. The bandpass EQ, reverb placement, and flicker sound of the
projector goes away when “Missing” Cue 12 starts. A possible explanation for the
functionality of this cue is to simulate a scene that might be found in an early 20th century
movie. The calamity of the movie they were watching before they got caught turned into
calamity of the reality they found themselves in when they were kicked out of the theater.
This cue took a break from the seriousness of the rest of the themes of Hugo. According to
Shore, this music was chosen by the director and then Shore re-arranged, re-orchestrated and
recorded it for the movie.
Another small oddity is found in Theme A at 01:35:56:00. Diegetic music from the
small French ensemble is playing in the train station and then it quickly changes to Theme A
when we see the station inspector sneaking up on the orphan boy in the station. This
transition from diegetic to non-diegetic music works well, but there is a lot of early
reflections and reverb added to non-diegetic Theme A when it enters. This sounds like an
attempt to make the cue sound diegetic as if it coming out of the train station PA system. The
music is put into the reality of the characters of the train station, which seems odd. The boy
35
that the station inspector is sneaking up on should then be able to hear the ominous music in
the train station and escape before being caught. This curious use of reverb gradually returns
to normal non-diegetic settings within a few seconds. It seems the use of reverb in this
instance of Theme A was unnecessary to achieve the desired emotional effect to match the
character of the station inspector.
At timecode 02:50:11:00, Hugo can be seen in the train station with his automaton.
When the music starts, it holds on a note that is a half-step clash with a train whistle in the
station. This conflict could have been intentional to add tension to the scene, but to support
this, the same clash of notes should have happened again for consistency of the leitmotif.
This does not happen, which leads me to believe that it might have been unintentional. The
train whistle is in tune with the tonic of the minor key and the clashing note in the cue is held
on the seventh degree. On the other hand, the train is in tune with the scale being used for the
cue so it could also have been used an intended tension for effect. Howard Shore mentioned
that the music and sound effects team worked together for the entire movie. The train whistle
conflict with the music was indeed intentional to add tension to the scene.
Final Thoughts
The first time I watched the movie, the music seemed to be very prominent. The
instrumentation, themes and use of a small French ensemble made the music a little too
obviously French. This seems consistent with the ideas of the music and picture working
together to create a movie based in early 20th century France. However, the contrast of the
strong presence of the French accordion matched with some actors attempting English
accents created a sensorial contradiction. I believe that the constant use of the French
accordion was a little too strong which made the music a little less palatable when paired with
the picture. I understood that the movie took place in Paris within the first 30 seconds of the
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opening sequence. I felt aurally patronized when I had to be reminded that I was still in Paris
every few minutes when the accordion made an appearance. Shore did a great job creating
music that put me in the proper context, including dream-like characteristics. The accordion
was too obvious to allow me to be immersed in the story without becoming distracted.
Overall, the people involved with making Hugo really created a beautiful work of art.
The story was easy to follow, the acting was believable, the characters and their relationships
were nicely developed, and the special effects were tastefully added as an overall
enhancement to the picture. Hugo is not a very well-known picture but it won many awards4
in 2011 and 2012. There is not one specific reason why Hugo was not a big success, but I feel
there are many smaller reasons.
First, Hugo had some tough competition on opening weekend. The Muppets5 and The
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 had triple and quadruple the box office revenue
respectively than Hugo on opening weekend. On Thanksgiving weekend 2011, the familiar
and safe family movie of choice was The Muppets and Breaking Dawn was the teen draw.
Second, Hugo had a strong story and beautiful music, but it withheld a level of overstimulation that typically attracts moviegoers. Breaking Dawn (Vampires that sparkle),
Happy Feet Two (cute animated penguins), and The Muppets (colorful dancing puppets
galore) all had this quality that was not necessary in the production of Hugo.
Third, Hugo was missing the strong marketing background that was established for
the Twilight/Breaking Dawn saga, Happy Feet Two (sequel of Happy Feet), and The Muppets
movies, which literally have generations of marketing years behind them. When entire
extended families are lined up outside of a movie theater, it’s difficult enough to decide on a
movie, let alone the decision to see a movie that has no familiarity to its name.
4
5
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/awards?ref_=tt_awd
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2011&wknd=47&p=.htm
37
Although it peaked at the number three movie in theaters,6 Hugo was in a tough spot
before it even hit theaters. From what we have discovered in the extensive music editing, it
seems clear that there was a rush to cut parts of scenes as well as entire scenes after the music
had already been recorded. For a family movie on Thanksgiving weekend, Hugo was too long
and this was not remedied until after the music had already been recorded by Howard Shore
at Abbey Road Studios.7 Music editing this extensive would not have been needed to take
place if the picture was actually locked within a reasonable amount of time prior to recording
the score.
Conclusion
The goal of this thesis was to determine if the score was written as intended for the
movie, or if there was significant music editing completed in order to accommodate late
changes in the picture editing. There has been thorough identification, labeling and discerning
of the music of Hugo. In conclusion, the evidence is clear that there was significant music
editing completed to accommodate a picture that needed late changes in length in order to
compete with other strong contenders for opening weekend in 2011. These changes to the
music were tasteful and seamless for the most part. Because the music editor had stems to
work with during the music editing process, Howard Shore’s work on the music of Hugo was
saved and successfully conveyed to audiences around the world. In the pre-digital music era,
this would not have been possible. Before digital music editing, the music would have been
either scrapped and replaced with something completely new to meet the deadline for
opening weekend or Howard Shore would have had to rewrite the score and re-record the
score. I speculate that something this drastic could have caused the movie to miss its deadline
for the premier.
6
7
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=studioest&yr=2011&wknd=48&p=.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
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I gained a significant amount of knowledge by analyzing and re-editing the music to
the movie. My interview with Howard Shore gave me incredible insight of the music creation
process as well. Hugo was a magical movie in many ways and it was an adventure to “see
behind the curtain” how everything came together as a beautiful work of art.
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References
“Soundtracks.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 1 June 2014.
Schweiger, Daniel. “An Interview with Howard Shore.” Film Music Magazine. Global
Media. 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 7 April 2011.
Britan. “Jean-Michel Bernard Biography.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 9 June 2014.
“Hugo (2011) Awards.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 9 June 2014.
“Weekend Box Office November 25-27, 2011.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB. n.d. 22 June 2014.
“Weekend Box Office December 2-4, 2011.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB. n.d. 22 June 2014.
“Hugo (2011) Full Cast & Crew.” IMDB. n.p. n.d. 1 April 2014.
Shore, Howard. Personal Interview. 3 July 2014.
Media of
