Harbor.
To get a better understanding at how someone like Hans Zimmer tackles a project such as Gladiator, I viewed his interview on the making of this film, which was included with the purchase of the Gladiator DVD. Although the questions Zimmer was asked by the interviewer are not audible, his remarks are obvious enough as to what he was asked. What caught my attention almost immediately is the fact that Zimmer loves what he does for a living. "I love this film, it makes a big difference if you can fall in love with a project," said Zimmer. That single statement is the main reason why this film was so successful. When an entire cast and crew can take an imaginary project to heart, the final product will touch the hearts of others, and that's exactly what was proven when this film won an Oscar for Best Picture at the 2001 Academy Awards. "You hear the name of the movie, it's called Gladiator. And then the first image you see is the hand on the wheat, it's so poetic. And in a way it's music that gives you the license to be that poetic," said Zimmer. With this statement, Zimmer clearly agrees that the music in this film was the key to an emotional atmosphere, acting as a crucial link between what we see, and what we feel. He also understands the importance in his role as composer, realizing that poorly composed music can set the wrong mood in the film, thus confusing the viewer. According to Zimmer, he had produced hours of additional music for the film which was never used, simply because he later felt it wasn't appropriate. .
To get the most out of his work in scoring Gladiator, Zimmer had prepared his music for a female harmonizer. After weeks of searching and listening to soundtracks from other films, he chose an artist by the name of Lisa Gerrard of whom he felt "digs very deep." It was clear that Zimmer wanted someone who had the ability to magically touch the viewer like no other, and that's exactly what he got.