Danny Elfman Says the Theme of Fear of Death in ‘White Noise’ Made it a Perfect Project for Him
Written by on January 20, 2023
White Noise is officially available for streaming on Netflix. It debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, with a November release in select cinemas. The film, which stars Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, is based on a popular novel of the same name by Don DeLillo.
The film score was composed by Danny Elfman. His role received a lot of praise even though reviews of the movie itself have been mixed. But for Elfman, working on the film score for White Noise was a no-brainer. Not only was he already a big fan of director Noah Baumbuch’s work, but the theme was right up his alley.
The ‘White Noise’ buzz
The plot of White Noise is based on the novel White Noise, which was released in 1984. There are some differences in the movie version of the story. For example, the children in the movie are about five years older than they are in the novel. But the basic plot is the same: professor Jack Gladney and his wife, Babette, have to figure out how to get out of town with their children after a nearby train crash releases a cloud of toxic chemical waste over their town.
Before the cloud of chemicals forced the family to focus on their safety, they were dealing with typical everyday family drama. One theme was constant throughout the story, however: Jack and Babette both had a fear of death.
Danny Elfman was excited to work on ‘White Noise’
Although Elfman hadn’t read the book when he was invited to speak to Baumbuch, he jumped at the chance. This was largely because he was such a big fan of the writer and director, who’s worked on more than a dozen films. But he also got excited when Baumbuch told him what White Noise was about.
“I go, ‘What’s the movie about?’” said Elfman during a recent Netflix interview. “And he goes, ‘Death, and fear of death. It’s right up your alley.’”
Baumbach probably said this because of Elfman’s previous work. Elfman has written over 100 film scores. Many are collaborations with Tim Burton. Elfman composed music for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and Alice in Wonderland. Other impressive credentials include Wednesday and all three Fifty Shades movies.
Baumbuch’s hunch was correct — this project was right up Elfman’s alley.
“Without even having seen anything, I was already writing music for it,” said Elfman, who started making suggestions right away. He and Baumbuch worked closely together to make sure every scene was perfect. Elfman would even occasionally “tap on the glass” as he watched the filming, and Baumbuch would take his suggestions into consideration while editing scenes.
What’s next for Danny Elfman?
White Noise is on Netflix now. But soon, we’ll have a new Elfman project to appreciate. He created the film score for 65, a sci-fi film that’s slated to be released in March (and also happens to star Adam Driver).
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