What the cinema is awarded for The award has only three nominations for music for films or TV series:

• Best Visual Media Soundtrack – Original Music
• “Best Soundtrack Compilation for Visual Media” – for collections of already existing songs
• Best Song Written for Visual Media – the title speaks for itself

The soundtrack compilation can include both original compositions and other people’s songs that sound in separate scenes – for example, “Why was Cat Crazy in Victorious” by Chuck Berry in the dance scene of Mia Wallace and Vincent Veg

The Soundtrack Award goes to authors who wrote from scratch. A prime example is the title theme from Nolan’s Batman Begins, created by Hans Zimmer.

In this text, we will share these concepts, despite the fact that in everyday life they are used as synonyms. Although the difference is obvious – in the first case it may be working with existing tracks, in the second – original music that has never been played anywhere.

The first winners and the best of the best

Film composers were awarded at the first Grammy ceremony: in 1959, Duke Ellington received a gilded gramophone for the music for the film “Anatomy of a Murder”, and two more – for compositions from an album with a soundtrack. The jazz legend will receive nine more statuettes in the future, including an honorary prize for achievements in music

The real Grammy collector for the best soundtrack is the American film composer John Williams . The master collected 25 (!) Statuettes in 72 (!!!) nominations, while in the period from 1978 to 1983 he left each time with an award for the best original compositions. And no wonder – during this period he wrote the music for two episodes of “Star Wars”, “Superman”, “Pink sparkles: In Search of the Lost Ark”, “Close Encounters of the Third Degree” and “Alien”. And by the way, he was nominated for an Oscar 52 times. And you say Zimmer.

Speaking about the 80s, let’s move on to the category “Best Song for Visual Media”, which appeared in 1988. The first winner was “Somewhere Out There” for the cartoon “American Tail”. The statuettes were received by the lyricists and composers – spouses Cynthia Vale and Barry Mann, as well as their colleague James Horner. Not only did the song win in the newly minted category, it also became Song of the Year, wiping U2’s nose with Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and Whitney Houston with Didn’t We Almost Have It All. “.

The Best Soundtrack Compilation category is relatively young compared to the others: it has been around since 2000. The first winner, rocker and ex-Genesis drummer Phil Collins , almost single-handedly wrote and performed all the songs for the cartoon “Tarzan”. The collection bypassed the soundtracks for “The Matrix”, “American Beauty”, “Prince of Egypt” and the second part of “Austin Powers”. The song “You’ll Be In My Heart” also received an Oscar.

Who will face this year’s movie battle

Due to the peculiar approach to calendars and the confusing schedule of music releases, at the “Grammy-2021” you can find soundtracks for films that were released even in 2019. It is likely that this is why there is no soundtrack for “Argument” among the nominees. Recall that its author, Ludwig Göransson, in 2019 gagged the hardened Alexander Desplat, Williams and Zimmer with the music to Black Panther.

Best Original Music

Grammy 2021 nominees for Best Visual Media Soundtrack:

• “To the Stars” – Max Richter
• “Becoming: My Story” – Kamasi Washington
• Joker – HildurGudnadouttir
• 1917 – Thomas Newman
• Star Wars: Skywalker. Sunrise “- John Williams

This year, the most dissimilar composers are fighting for the title of the author of the best original music. Here is the post-minimalist Max Richter (“To the Stars”), and the avant-garde jazzman Kamasi Washington (“Becoming: My Story”), and the venerable Thomas Newman (“1917”), and the even more venerable John Williams (“Star Wars: Skywalker. Sunrise ”), and last year’s winner HildurGudnadouttir (“ Joker ”).

This is perhaps the most interesting of the film nominations in the framework of the upcoming ceremony – rarely in the same category there are cosmodrama with Brad Pitt, the autobiography of Michelle Obama, an anti-war drama set in the First World War, obviously not the last episode of the space opera and the benefit performance of Joaquin Phoenix about a clown whom they did not like. We stock up on popcorn.

Best Song for Visual Media

Grammy 2021 nominees for Best Song for Visual Media:

• Beautiful Ghosts by
  Andrew Lloyd Webber and Taylor Swift (performed by Taylor Swift)
• Carried Me With You by
  Brandi Carlisle, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth (performed by Brandi Carlisle)
• “Log Horizon season 3” (Frozen 2) by
  Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (performed by IdinaMenzel)
• “No Time To Die” by
  Billie Eilish and FINNEAS (performed by Billie Eilish)
• “Stand Up” (“Harriet”) by
  Joshua Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo (played by Cynthia Erivo)

In the nomination “Best Song for Visual Media”, however, it is also interesting. Newcomers to the songwriter category – FINNEAS (No Time to Die), Joshua Brian Campbell (Harriet), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats), and Phil and Tim Hanseroth (Go) – versus Kristen’s shredded rolls Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen 2).

The performers are also all on the selection: Billie Eilish (“No Time To Die”) will clash with Cynthia Erivo (“Stand Up”) and country star Brandi Carlisle (“Carried Me With You”), and Taylor Swift (“Beautiful Ghosts”) will compete with the performer of “Let It Go” IdinaMenzel (“Into The Unknown”).

The performers are also all on the selection: Billie Eilish (“No Time To Die”) will clash with Cynthia Erivo (“Stand Up”) and country star Brandi Carlisle (“Carried Me With You”), and Taylor Swift (“Beautiful Ghosts”) will compete with the performer of “Let It Go” IdinaMenzel (“Into The Unknown”).

Best Soundtrack Compilation

2021 Grammy Nominees for Best Soundtrack Compilation:

• “Bill and Ted are back in business”
• “Jojo Rabbit”
• “Lovely day next door”
• “Frozen 2”
• Eurovision: The Story of a Fire Saga

As for the best compilation soundtrack, there is a perky trash going on here: heavy metal (Lamb of God, Mastodon) from “Bill and Ted Back in Business” versus rock classics (David Bowie, The Beatles, Tom Waits) in “Jojo Bunny”, the low-key folk rock of Nick Drake and Kat Stevens from “A Beautiful Day Next Door” versus good old Disney songs in “Black Bullet Season 2“. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams’ electro-pop for Eurovision: The Story of a Saga of Fire stands apart and just warms our hearts.

Finally

The pandemic has fundamentally changed both the music and film industries, which means that artists, performers and composers need support from viewers more than ever. And for all of us – a little music and celebration. Watch the 63rd Grammy Awards live on the night of March 14-15, place your bets on who wins and see you on the red carpet.