MOVIE MUSIC UK

by Jonathan Broxton

As many of you will have noticed, there has been a slight pause in new film music reviews recently. My mind has somewhat been preoccupied with other matters, so I thought I would just take a moment to explain, for anyone who is unaware.

Los Angeles was ravaged by two devastating wildfires last week. At the time of writing 28 people have died, more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged, and more than 200,000 people had to be evacuated from an area of more than 60 square miles.

The Palisades fire destroyed much of the city of Malibu, and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, and forced people to evacuate all the way down into Santa Monica. Similarly, the Eaton fire destroyed much of the city of Altadena and affected people in nearby Pasadena. There were also smaller fires in the Hollywood Hills, in the northern part of the San Fernando Valley near Sylmar, and in the western part of the San Fernando Valley near Woodland Hills (close to where I live), which also resulted in mass evacuations, although thankfully very little damage was done to property in those latter three.

I am fine, my family is fine, and my property is fine, but nevertheless it has been a mentally exhausting week not conducive to film music criticism. With the Santa Ana winds howling across the bone-dry terrain that has not seen rain in nine months, you spend days in a constant state of anxiety, worrying whether a new fire is going to crop up near you, forcing to you to evacuate, threatening everything.

Having lived in the greater Los Angeles area since 2005 I am very familiar with the cycle of wildfires that are a part of everyday life here, but even knowing that they are a natural – and sometimes necessary – phenomenon doesn’t lessen the impact of such devastation when you see it happening in front of your eyes, in places you know and love. I know dozens of people who have been affected by this: many people have lost their homes, all their possessions, sometimes their entire communities, and it’s just horrifying.

Wealth and status are not respected by these fires: yes, some multi-millionaire celebrities lost their homes, but hundreds and hundreds of everyday working people have also seen their lives go up in flames, especially in Altadena, and the impact of this is devastating no matter who you are. These people have families, children, animals. Many of them came from humble beginnings and worked for decades to build these lives for themselves, only to see it turn to ash in a matter of hours.

Many people in the film music industry have been affected by this – not just composers whose names we know, but many working musicians and technical staff behind the scenes who all contribute significantly to the music we love so much – and at this point they need all the help they can get to rebuild. From what I have been reading online, one of the best charities to donate to appears to be the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ MusiCares foundation, and so if you are able to do so, and if you feel so inclined, I would recommend donating to them here: https://musicares.org/. There is also an excellent website, Media Musicians United, which gives information about other resources for affected individuals, and other opportunities for charitable donations, which can be found here: https://www.mediamusiciansunited.com/

We at Movie Music UK are heartbroken at these events, and on behalf of myself and Craig we wish everyone who has been impacted strength and hope going forward.