Media and Music: “Whiplash” and the Musical Muse of an Obsessed Artist

Drumroll, please. In honor of the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards, we cued you into our examination of the big band jazz score for the award-winning film “Whiplash.” 

In Media and Music, our writers take a deep dive into how movies use scores and songs to engage viewers, give new meaning and tone to some of our favorite scenes, and establish themes. It almost goes without saying, but there are spoilers abound.

Written by Miranda Garza 

Photos courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

This year marks the seventh anniversary of “Whiplash,” a film that explores the plights of percussion student Andrew Neiman and his ambition for greatness, which quickly turns sour at the hands of his abusive mentor, Terence Fletcher. The film’s score features strident and energetic arrangements that mirror Neiman’s psyche as he strives for musical prominence. 

Throughout the entire movie, the score has a significant influence on the film's rapid, fear-inducing editing, which garnered it an Academy Award in 2015. Editor Tom Cross makes the film feel like it’s embedded in the music, with cuts after every quarter note and swinging shots between each instrument.  

The film is named after Hank Levy's big band jazz composition, “Whiplash,” a number that serves as a motif for the film's jarring conflict. Neiman first hears “Whiplash” when he attends his inaugural practice session with the upper-division ensemble after being recruited by Fletcher, who was seemingly impressed with his potential after observing him practice. The intricate, titular piece is driven by punchy trumpets, brassy saxophones, precise drums, a virtuosic piano, and a mighty double bass that capture the caliber of perfection Fletcher expects from his students. 

The speedy editing and constant tight shots moving back and forth between each instrument in the ensemble during this sequence are dizzying, much like a whiplash. Fletcher, a seemingly-kind conductor, first reveals his harsh teaching methods when he yells profanities in Neiman’s face and hurls a chair at him after the freshman fails to play at the correct tempo. 

Following Neiman’s harrowing first day of joining the Schaffer Conservatory, the aspiring next-Buddy Rich humbles himself on a practice kit and sets his sights on perfecting "Whiplash." The crashing cymbals and snarling snares of the composition accompany the audience's unease as it watches Neiman’s blistered and bloodied hands, barely patched up by peeling adhesive bandages, continue their assault on the drumset. 

The unnerving rhythm continues to quicken in pace as Neiman physically tears himself apart to feed his obsession. The young drummer ruthlessly sacrifices all aspects of his life, including his new relationship and his sleep, to dedicate all time to his craft, tearing himself apart both physically and mentally to fuel his ambition.

At the start of a new rehearsal, unease replaces Fletcher's harsh demeanor, and the bandleader appears disconnected from his usual dynamic. He pauses the practice to inform the band that one of his past pupils, Sean Casey, passed away in a car accident. During this scene, he plays a clip of Sean’s work, a slow and gloomy piece driven by the tinny notes of a somber trumpet. Sean's actual cause of death is revealed later in the film: unbeknownst to everyone but Fletcher, Sean died by suicide due to the severe depression and anxiety he developed during his time as Fletcher's student. The revelation amplified the recording's melancholy feel and the weight of Sean’s death. For the first time in the film, viewers are met with steady, unexaggerated angles, giving them the chance to catch their breaths and prepare for what's to come after the dark change in tone. 

The turning point of the film comes when the ensemble plays its next competition. The score features an eerily fast double-time tempo from a drum with a beat as fast as the one in the audience members’ hearts. After his only form of transportation — the city bus — breaks down, Neiman rents a car and arrives at the venue before quickly realizing he left his drumsticks at the car rental lot. 

With just minutes to spare, Neiman retrieves his sticks and speeds back to the concert hall before getting hit by a semi-truck. The uneasy score that propelled this scene and instilled hypervigilance and suspense into the audience fades to silence before Neiman shockingly crawls out of his wrecked car and returns to the competition, battered and bruised. 

There, Neiman is barely able to stay conscious, let alone play his part cohesively. Fletcher notices this and dismisses him, which leads to Neiman’s breakdown. The drummer tosses his drum set aside and tackles his mentor, pinning him to the ground and threatening to kill him. Following the incident, Neiman is expelled from Schaffer and picks up a job at a cafe, convinced his drumming career is over. Believing he has nothing left to lose, Neiman meets with his lawyer and reluctantly agrees to testify against Fletcher in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Sean Casey. However, during a lonely night of exploring the city, he runs into Fletcher performing piano at a club. A stark contrast to the cymbal-heavy numbers from before, Fletcher's song is the best example of smooth jazz on the soundtrack. The tune is atmospheric and melodic, led by harmonious piano supported by light drums and an easy bass line. After his set, Fletcher reveals that he no longer works at the conservatory, and now conducts a professional band, using the same music from his time at Schaffer. He complains that the players don't know his tempo, and tells Neiman he needs someone who's mastered them like his pupil had. Fletcher invites him to play with his band at a Carnegie Hall festival, which Neiman gladly accepts.

The night the ex-drummer returns to the set, Fletcher confronts Neiman and reveals he knows Neiman testified against him. When the concert begins, Neiman realizes Fletcher gave him the wrong sheet music to sabotage his performance. As panic overtakes Neiman, the band begins to play “Upswingin''' by Tim Simonec. The lively piece is fast-paced with explosive cymbal crashes and exuberant brass riffs, an audible replication of Neiman’s anxiety as he grasps for a solution that will save him from humiliation. 

The film’s final scene sees Neiman performing “Caravan,” a nine-minute arrangement filled with relentless drumming that features clanging cymbals and aggressive snares from every direction — all without pause. The sweat-covered cymbals are falling over and the battered drum set is coming off its hinges, but Neiman’s focus goes uninterrupted, so he doesn't seem to notice. Sharp cuts move back and forth between Neiman and Fletcher, showing the audience Neiman’s flawless execution of every note his mentor conducts. The finale of the score is Neiman’s moment of truth, and by surrendering himself to his drumming, he earns what he’s wanted all along: Fletcher’s approval. 

While most films feature scores that complement their content, “Whiplash” is a film that was built around its soundtrack. The score builds scenes and embodies the emotion and composition of the characters in a way the audience wouldn’t otherwise see. The aggressive drum solos and energetic big band compositions that backdrop Neiman's struggle towards greatness will not only leave watchers with a new appreciation for jazz, but on their feet giving the movie a standing ovation.