I am Hans Zimmer, back on reddit once more. Ask me anything!

Do you ever look at a scene in a film and tell the director that "I think this scene works better without music"

All the time. Music is as much about silence as it is about notes, and storytelling is as much about letting a scene breathe as it is about cluttering it up with notes.

I just want to say your studio is pretty awesome. Maybe I can visit there?

I’m offering you the chance to do just that. We are raising money for Not On Our Watch, which is a great charity that help victims of war crimes. And when you contribute to them, you earn the chance to fly out to LA and sit with me as I score Amazing Spider-man 2 and tour my studio. Here’s the link if you’re interested. http://www.omaze.com/experiences/amazingspider-man-2

What is the most unconventional noise you've utilized in one of your scores?

Destroying a piano in an underground car park for Sherlock Holmes with a big sledgehammer.

What film score in the past decade has stood out to you the most and why?

There Will Be Blood, cause it's recklessly, crazily beautiful.

Re: Daft Punk's OST for Tron Legacy:

You were thanked in the record's liner notes. A lot of people have noted your influence on its sound, and if I'm not wrong it was partly recorded or mixed at your studio. Were you personally much involved in the creation of the record?

I tried to stay as far away from them as possible and give them as much room as I could. I think they just thanked me because I didn't interfere. In fact I didn't hear a note until the movie came out.

What experience with drugs do you have?

Good experiences! My brain is still functioning.

What's your favourite beverage and why?

Terrible confession...sometimes I think the greatest American invention is Coca-Cola. But just so you know, it's better everywhere else in the world than it is in the US. "Mexican Coke" is way better. It's got real sugar in it.

Hans, you've worked on so many things, but I'm wondering: is it "easier" to score completely new things (like Inception) or for established franchises/characters like Spidey, Batman, Superman and, dare I say it, perhaps the Justice League one day?

For me it's much harder to follow in the footsteps of preexisting great composers like John Williams and Danny Elfman. It's much nicer to start with a clean slate.

What was the hardest movie to write a score for?

Writing scores is a bit like surgery, you never remember the pain. I keep talking about how much fun I had on inception, and the rest of my team reminds me that I nearly killed myself. They seem to get harder and harder.

What is your favorite solo instrument?

The cello. It's got the most soul for me. Plus I keep writing for it.

Hi Hans! What is your favorite snack to eat while watching movies?

Hazelnut gelato. I can be very specific about this!

Just seen all those skulls in your studio. Are they real? What do they mean for you?

Each one signifies a discarded score.

If you didn't score movies what do you think you'd be doing today?

Thinking about new technology for music. If I hadn’t become a musician, I would’ve become a scientist.

Hola, Hans! Mexican girl here. Someone told me that you were a tad disappointed that last time you visited people were too respectful and they didn't really ask ANYTHING. So here it goes: What was the single most embarrassing moment of your life? (PS, will donate more than the one dollar I contributed one time to your endeavors. Promise.).

The most embarrassing moment of my professional life was when I was in a script meeting and I hadn't read the script and I kept talking about how the two heroes are going to ride off into the sunset and describing the glorious music in great scene at the end and how beautiful it was going to be. Then the producer said "you haven't read the script have you?" I said "yes I have." He then said "One of the heroes dies."

What are your 5 favourite movie soundtracks of all time?

Once Upon a Time in America, Avalon, Midnight Express, Close Encounters, and Hannah.

What's your favourite piece of music and why?

Beethoven's 5th, because any kid could have come up with the first 3 notes, but it takes genius and inventiveness to do what he did with them. I'm always astonished by how brilliant something can become from something so simple.

Are any of your scores consciously influenced by Beethoven's 5th? If so, which ones?

None of them are influenced by the music itself, but I had an amazing day a few years back, where I went to Beethoven's house in Bonn, and we were looking at his work, and it was such a good reminder about work ethic and inventiveness. I'm more interested in developing my own style, but I take the work very seriously, as he did. But I'll never be as good as that.

What's the most embarrassing album in your personal collection?

All the Abba albums that I have, and I have them all.

Hi Mr. Zimmer! If you could pick one composer to do the soundtrack for your life, who would it be and why?

Bonus question: What is your single favorite piece (if possible) of cinematic music that you did not compose?

Pharrell Williams. He knows me so well. And whenever I'm being a dark German he says the word happy to me.

What music do you listen to the most in your free time? Are you a fan of metal at all?

I don't have any free time, but I used to know all of the guys in Motorhead and would go and get my ears ripped off going to rehearsals and leave with bleeding eyeballs and no enamel left on my teeth. I loved it.

What was it like on The Lion King taking the music of Elton John and making it into a more African piece?

At first terrifying because I changed all the chords in his songs, and then wonderful because he loved what I had done. He is an incredibly generous spirit, and man can he sing. But I refused to play the piano in front of him.

Who's your favourite character from DC universe?

It is, actually, Batman. Because he's the darkest.

And who is your favorite villain?

Hannibal Lector because he's an excellent chef and knows his Dante.

Hello Mr Zimmer. Thanks for doing this AMA! Do you feel that there's a distinct lack of female composers in film? If so, what do you think of this?

I think there is a disgustingly terrible lack of female composers in films. I don't know why it is, and I wish the balance was addressed. I used to work with Shirley Walker, and at one point I fired her from being my orchestrator so she would have to compose. I knew she wouldn't have the courage to go compose as long as she could make a living as my orchestrator.

When releasing a soundtrack to the public, how do you feel about mixing the cues into suites versus releasing them as they were cut in the film?

Important question...I always try to have the music stand on its own two feet separate from the movie. So sometimes I try to change the order to create suites that flow. But my main dilemma with soundtracks is that they are in stereo while everything we do is composed in surround, so by doing stereo you take away half of my world. So we create an app called z+ that is free download so allows you to listen to music in surround. Here it is if you want to use: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/z+-music/id656392290?mt=8

Did you like working on music for game Crisis? Was it much different than composing theme for a movie?

For me the difference in scoring a game is that in a movie I know who the main protagonist is. In a game, I don’t know who the protagonist is, because I don’t know you. I’m imagining who you are. Its very difficult to have a point of view if I don’t know your point of view.

What was your inspiration behind the Inception soundtrack?

Chris. The work with Chris is absolutely collaborative. He is as much involved in the music as I am. So Chris is the inspiration.

Mr. Zimmer, how did you go to the point where you are in your career today? I am really interested in your profession and I hope I could do what you do one day.

Luck and the support of all the musicians and directors I've ever worked with. But mainly luck.

Hans Zimmer, are you proud of the sacrifices you made in your lifetime? Also what movie soundtrack are you most proud of?

I don't think I've made any sacrifices. I'm a musician. It's an honor and a pleasure to be a musician. At the the end of my life I can say it has been a blast. My hero is the English comedian Tommy Cooper who dropped dead on stage. People thought it was part of the act, and I think that's a good way to go. You can find the clip it on youtube.

Bach, Mozart, Brahms, or Beethoven?

Any composer other than Bruckner will do. As Stravinsky said, "you can either like music of Bruckner."

What's the strangest place or moment that a great musical idea has come to you?

I dreamt what ended up being part of the Dark Knight Rises score. I very rarely dream music or remember it and it was very experimental so I went to Warner Brothers and asked them if I had earned the right yet to get a really really big orchestra to just try an experiment for two days, and if it all went horribly wrong, that they weren’t going to turn around and tell me I blew the whole budget on nonsense, but it actually turned out alright, and was a completely different way of working with the orchestra. It was a 25 minute piece called the Bane Suite.

What would you say is the most inspiring thing someone has ever told you?

Oh god good question. "Don't ever take no for an answer." Nic Roeg told me that at the beginning of my career.

What score do you consider your best?

Haven't written it yet. They all could do with a little improvement. That's why I don't sleep at night.

I use Reason and Cubase to make music, what is a hint you can give me to make orchestral sounds, especially strings sound more life-like?

This is a subject you can go on for seven days. If I could sum up, I would say, the first thing is learn how to listen to real orchestras and try to translate that into your programming. I'll also say, I've been doing it 30 years and am still trying to get better at it.

I would do ANYTHING if you were wish me luck on my date tonight!

Or any advice on how to impress the lady! I already told her all about you last weekend on our first date when we talked about music!

Well, good luck! I'd play her "You're So Cool" from True Romance. And if you can learn how to play an instrument that helps. As a teenager, while all the other kids at school we're trying to chat the girls, I just started playing the piano...

How would you say your approach to the new Spiderman will differ from the previous James Horner's installment?

Completely and utterly different. I have a wonderful band including Johnny Marr, Pharrell Williams, Mike Einziger, Ann Marie Calhoun, Arturo Sandoval, it goes on.

Who's your archenemy in the business?

I can think of a couple of producers...

How did you get your first commision for a soundtrack?

I was an assistant to another composer named Stanley Myers, who taught me everything I know about film. There was a movie he couldn't do, so I ended up doing it. My first big break I owe to Diana Levinson, Barry Levinson's wife who bought him the soundtrack to A World Apart which he listened to while directing Rain Man. So he had to hire an unknown to score a major Hollywood movie.

Is there a certain Director/Producer you have yet to work with but would love the chance to collaborate with?

There are always new directors coming up that are exciting. Working with Steve McQueen was exciting because, to me, seeing Hunger, I felt there was a new voice in the world of cinema, and you want to work with the ones that have a voice and a point of view.

How is it working with Lisa Gerrard and the process of brainstorming when a singer is involved in a soundtrack?

Lisa and I just sit down and jam. We don't really talk. We don't have to talk. It just works by telepathy with her. One leads the other follows, you know its the magic of music. It's a world less conversation. You just have to be in the same room and it happens.

hey hans! ich hoffe dir gehts gut :) bist du noch manchmal in deutschland? villeicht sogar in berlin?

I love going back to Germany and especially Berlin, but these days I never seem to get a chance to go.

What is your favourite thing about working on a new project?

The people: the musicians, the director... the adventure.

Hi Hans. Do you ever feel like you don't have enough motivation? If so, what do you do in times like that? I really appreciate that you take the time to do this. Thank you. - Zoe

Think of the deadline. As Ridley Scott once said to me, "Fear is a great motivator."

How did you get started with music? Did you play before you composed? Compose before you played!?

I started like most musicians, when I was 5-years-old, and it was just interesting making noises and torturing a piano and it just became a great refuge and a great distraction and a great source of entertainment to me.

Are there any movies that you wanted to work on the Scores for but never got the chance to? If so, which ones?

No. If I was excited about them, I was just as excited to see them when they are finished. One of the problems about working on a movie is, is that you never get to experience it the way the audience experience it. And I'm a fan of movies!

How did you get involved with Not On Our Watch?

I got involved with John Prendergast, the founder of Not On Our Watch, with Bonnie Abauanza when she was at Amnesty International. I met John and we just instantly hit it off. I saw an extraordinary man who has just an incredible sense of adventure. Except the difference is that everything he does is for the good of man kind. The work he's doing for the people of South Sudan is incredible. I feel so small and insignificant that I just write music. I will do anything and everything to help John make this world a better place. He is the future.

Hello, sir!

On the upcoming Spider-Man score, how did you approach the music to differentiate it from what you´ve done for The Dark Knight-movies and Man of Steel? And will you reference James Horner´s theme from the first movie in any way?

Thanks a lot!

I try to approach it from the character's point of view. The character is a lot younger than any of those other superheroes and he's not as dark. I was thinking, how does a college graduate deal with their emotion? And I thought it wouldn't be Wagnarian Hans and slushy strings, but more of a post-rock approach.

Of all the films you've worked on, which was the most challenging?

They're are equally challenging because the blank page is the blank page, and it just seems to get harder, not easier.

What is the best possible advice you can give to an aspiring film composer like myself?

• Matthew Fisher

I go back to "Don't take no for an answer." And write every day. Really learn about storytelling. This isn't concert music, this is storytelling.

What's your favorite cigarette brand? I like Marlboro.

Ahhh so do I. I'm smoking one right now. But you should quit while you can.

Hello Mr. Zimmer, I am a huge fan of your work. What soundtrack are you most proud of?

I don't know, it's still to be written. There are a few that I nearly like: Inception, Hannibal (because Ridley let me write an absurdist comedy) Thin Red Line, and The Dark Knight (because I think we changed the way people perceive film music.)