Interview with Deborah Lurie, composer of the music for ‘Dear John’

By E. Corrado

Back on February 5th, we reviewed the film Dear John, which is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name.

Below is a short interview about the scoring process for the film, with composer Deborah Lurie.

Enjoy!

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When did you find out that you would be doing the score for Dear John? It was shortly after I completed my score for 9, actually. I had just flown back from the 9 sessions in London, and before I knew it, I was back on a plane to meet with Dear John's director Lasse Hallstrom in New York.

Have you seen the finished film? Absolutely! And they give you free popcorn at the premiere - it's awesome.

Were there any challenges that you felt you faced while working on Dear John? It was MUCH different scoring an entire film via email with the director. The director was actually in Sweden during the time I scored the film, so communication was much more difficult than in past movies.

Where was the score for Dear John recorded? In Los Angeles, at the Eastwood Scoring Stage on the Warner Brothers Backlot.

Were there any instruments that you wanted to focus on for Dear John? Yes! I wanted the guitar to play out over the orchestra. This was a sweeping, but modern love story. I wanted that to come across in my score.

Did you play any of the instruments? The synths!

What was your favorite part of doing the music for Dear John? The people. The team was full of characters - and since it was a New York - based project, the team was completely new to me. Getting to know everyone was incredibly fun and rewarding.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? Sorry. Top secret.

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A big thank you to Deborah Lurie for taking the time out to answer these questions. You can also read a previous interview with her from September for the animated film 9, here.

Interview with Coraline composer Bruno Coulais

By E. Corrado

The music of last year’s animated masterpiece, Coraline was one of the elements that really helped make the film work as well as it did. I had the pleasure of speaking with the composer of the music, Bruno Coulais, just over a week ago. The music of Coraline is nominated for Best Score at upcoming Annie Awards - winners will be announced February 6th.

In the interview, we spoke about everything from the collaboration process on films, to working with animation. Enjoy reading it below.

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When did you find out that you would be composing the score for Coraline? It was one year before the shooting. The director, Henry Selick, tried many different types of music, and I composed for Winged Migration and he found that it worked. I was very happy.

Have you done other animated movies? Yes, I did an animation in French, I don’t know exactly the English title, but it’s really a beautiful movie.

What was it like watching this film come together? I love animated movies. You have time to work on it, and change different things. On Coraline, I had about one year. First of all I started to find melodies and after that, I recorded some of them and my work was in progress.

Did you get to see part of the animation process? Yes that was very important. I came twice or three times. It was really interesting for me, since I worked a lot of time in Paris. This was not a big problem, I worked very closely with Henry. I would send via internet the clips and it was a very strange, but very close relationship. He would say what he wanted, what he would prefer in each sequence and I would work on it.

How late in the project did you finish - you did the orchestration as well, right? I remember the real shootings finished very late and it was so important to see the light of the movie - the atmosphere. Regarding the orchestration, I’m writing my own, waiting until the last moment, two weeks or one week before the movie was called.

When did you know that you wanted to compose music? When I was very young - I have a real patience for music. My mother and father played piano. I have a good ear, and started very, very early. I couldn't imagine a life without music. When I was 18, I recorded my first music for a film about Mexico in French - it was called México Mágico. It was by François Reichenbach, who was a very interesting director. I started with the documentaries and try to bring in more fiction, but for documentaries, Winged Migration was a very good one.

What do you find you like about a fiction like Coraline? I think it's very interesting doing music for Henry Selick. I’m really very happy to work on such a movie from France. I'm very lucky to work on a lot of French movies that are very realistic, but with Selick and Coraline, a fantasy, I could write very strange music, so that was very interesting, very freeing.

What were some of the instruments that you used in particular for Coraline? Actually the harp, and I used a lot of different big orchestral pieces, as well as a string quartet, stranger ethnic instruments, and synth, so it's a mix of those, and also voices are used.

What instruments do you play? I play violin and I play piano, but my main occupation is to write music.

Where did you learn to write music? I worked and I learned classical from very young. I started to compose for movies, and I went to a very good school. Very early I opted to write for orchestra. I had the classical education from a very good school in Paris for piano - very famous.

What are your favourite types of film to write for? I love the fantasies. I think it's good for music - I'm not too found of too realistic, not so gifted for comedy... I love the mysteries, very free to write for.

What was Henry Selick like as a director to work with? I think that he is a very good director, and the fantasy stories he tells, like Nightmare Before Christmas are very good. Since the beginning with all of the movie, he knew exactly what he wanted, but left me very free to write. Really, it’s kind of like the music of Henry, he very much knew the sounds that he wanted.

What are your thoughts on your Annie award nomination? Yes, those awards are at the beginning of February. I'm very proud of it, and this is an important movie in my life as a professional writer.

Have you seen any of the other films nominated there? Just Up, which is beautiful too, but I don’t think that I’ve seen any the others yet.

What is the composing process like for you? For me when I think about the melodies in my head, it always begins with the sound of the instruments - I am unable to imagine an abstract song, so the process of the orchestration in the beginning is an idea. It's very close to an instrument.

Do you have any instruments that you like to write with a lot? Maybe I think I like to write strings. I think it’s important to play violin if you are going to be writing for strings, since there are a lot of ways to play with the bow, and it’s good to play piano, since it's important for the harmonies. When I'm composing I am composing in my head, because if I compose at the piano, I always do the same thing, like my fingers are doing the composing. For me, I have to imagine the music in my head, and write the music from there.

Do you use the computer to do the writing? I use Finale - it's very useful. If I write for music on there when there’s anything to change, it's easier to change the orchestration. And for the demo’s, I use Logic Pro and I think that it's very great because you can record good demo’s, which are precious for the director, because it gives a real idea of the definite music. It’s like real instruments there, kind of.

What was the collaborative process for Coraline like? Yes, when I would send in the demo’s, very firstly he answered me, and it was magic for me because we were so far apart in distance and the relations were so close. So sometimes he asked me to change some details. First of all, I remember I sent to Henry all of the main melodies and after it was easier to work off of. I worked with the themes, and the music for the movie is different at the beginning, since little by little the movie answers the music as it gets a little scary at the end.

Where was the music recorded? In different places. First we started with the France children's choir in Paris, then we did all the soloists in Budapest and the orchestra, and we mixed it for the film at the Skywalker studio in L.A. - it was an amazing experience.

When did you first see the music really with the film? It was at Skywalker, reel by reel, and after really the first time was for the premiere. That was the first time I had the distance.

What is it like to be seeing a film with your music in it? I try to focus, but it's my music. But, the two mixes of the thing was so good that I focused very quickly. It was very fascinating to be seen with the new colour of the 3D. It was new as I had not seen a movie like that. And I think when you would work a long time on a film, it's only when you watch it with an audience that you really see it.

Do you use clips of the scenes when you are composing for them? Yes, for example if I am working on a sequence, I watch a long time the sequence and then try to forget it and compose from memory. I imagine when I write something, then I re-watch the sequence and change something and then record the demo. It's important to write with the memory of the sequence. When you are composing the music, sometimes I think the memory is stronger and more important than actually seeing.

Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up today? I was pleased to talk with you. For the last time, I think that Coraline was a great, great experience and I will have very many good memories of it.

Thank you to Bruno Coulais for taking the time to speak with me today. The Coraline soundtrack is available in stores, as is the DVD. You can read our reviews of the film here. The Annie Awards, where Bruno Coulais is nominated for Coraline’s score, take place on Saturday, February 6th, 2010.

Interview on the music from The Informant!

By E. Corrado

With the Golden Globes tomorrow, here is an interview with one of the five nominees in the Best Original Score category, Marvin Hamlisch. The interview includes a question about the song in the film, ‘Trust Me’, as well, a question which was answered by both Marvin Hamlisch, as well as the writers, Alan and Marilyn Bergman - this particular answer will be marked as from them. Before that, all questions are answered by Marvin Hamlisch. Enjoy reading!

When did you find out that you would be doing the score for The Informant? I got very busy lately as a concert director for many orchestras, and I’ve been very lucky to work with some great film directors in my lifetime including George Roy Hill, Sidney Pollock, Allan Pakula, and people like that. I got a call from Soderbergh and it was such a great feeling to work with him, and it really started my juices flowing.

What was it like working on this project? It was wonderful! First of all, there hasn’t been a film like The Informant! in a long time. It’s a very black and white film. Most of these films today don’t call a unique range of a score like this. What iced it for me was the desire to have this range. Every note in this score is written out hodgepodge, but every note has a purpose. That was the idea behind the score, and I’m very happy that Steven Soderburgh, who really knows how to use music, was happy with it.

For The Informant!, you received your 8th Golden Globe nomination. What was that like? I am thrilled for this nomination. It truly means a great deal to me.

The Informant! was based on a book of actual events. Have you read it, and did the fact that the story was true affect how you approached the score for the film? No, I did not read the book. But I’ll tell you what I’m very happy about was that I met Mr. Whitacre and his wife at the screening, he told me that what I wrote was very appropriate because that’s how he felt at the time. He’s doing pretty well, he’s the head of a major company, so it’s worked out pretty well for him.

I love the jazz sounds in the score for The Informant! What were some of the instruments that you chose specifically for this score? The film has zany, off-the-wall scoring —you have piccolos, kazoos, you have a bass saxophone, you’ve got a ho-down while he’s taking a polygraph test. So, all of this stuff is really zany—but it’s all part and parcel of the brain of Mark Whitacre. The truth of the matter is, we’ve given the other part of this bipolar person a voice.

How do you think this musical style adds to the finished film? The score of The Informant! is not so much about notes as it is about choices. Because the character is bipolar, I came to believe that the music would have to represent that part of him, that the world didn’t see, but that he inside of himself did. So therefore, as far as the score is concerned, without this theory of being a man in total control, he would respond to the FBI as though they were kind of silly. Therefore, they get kazoos and he gets this happy-go-lucky theme.

Do you play any instruments? No.

How did you start composing music? Well, I was a recording assistant for Funny Girl, so of course Julie Stein meant a lot to me. He’s a great, great man and a wonderful composer. Of course, the first time any composer ever hears Westside Story, that will influence you. But, I think that Julie Stein is one of the big influences on me because I love his music and I love Gypsy and there were a certain amount of shows, particularly earlier in my life, that I just adored, and would just listen to like crazy. On the other hand, one of the films that I always remember seeing—were three films—scoring wise, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, On the Waterfront, and High Noon.

Are there any upcoming projects you can tell me about? Film scores will definitely be in the future, but it has to do with being hired by directors.

Now, I have a question about the song in the film for both you, as well as the writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman...

For you first, what was the writing process like for the song, ‘Trust Me’? Steven Soderbergh wanted to make sure that the music in the film let the audience know the film was funny, and that’s what I wanted in the song ‘Trust Me’. The song was written in a minute and a half for me. Marilyn called me up with the title ‘Trust Me’ I think I wrote the song in literally three minutes, and then called them back up.

And now for Alan and Marilyn Bergman, what was the writing process for ‘Trust Me’ like for you? Well, when we write songs, we discuss them a lot—and in most cases we prefer to have the melodies first. In other cases we write 4 or 5 or 8 bars and I think in the case of ‘Trust Me’ for The Informant!, we wrote a couple of bars; Marvin took it from there. The melody was first, then the lyrics. It was a collaboration.

Thank you all for your time in answering my questions, and good luck this awards season!

The Golden Globes are on tomorrow night in a live telecast on NBC at 5:00pm PST and 8:00pm EST. Watch for my predictions for all categories early tomorrow, as well as live updated coverage of the event tomorrow night.

Interview with Richard Marvin, composer of the music for Surrogates

By E. Corrado

When did you find out that you would be doing the score for Surrogates? I found out in July 2008, which is quite early on for movies, although I didn’t actually start work on it until around April or May 2009.

What was it like working on this project? It was one of the most straight ahead projects, in that the music came very easily. I was approached by Jonathan [Mostow] quite early on. Because of the extra time I was able to spend a lot of it on themes, so by the time it got to temping the movie, they used a lot of my themes on it rather than other music, which was good.

Have you seen the finished film? Yes, many times in fact. It’s a really good film; I was delighted the way the music plays in the final mix.

Do you think it is the kind of movie that becomes clearer on consecutive viewings? Yes, I do. I’ve spoken to people who’ve seen it several times, and they often say that on the second viewing they finally get it a little bit more. Why more people didn’t go, I don’t know, but I found the ad campaign, with all of the billboards, (at least here in LA), was a bit confusing for people as to what the film was actually going to be about.

What were the challenges that you faced while working on Surrogates, if any? The greatest challenge I would say was maintaining the human emotion and isolation in the story while creating music that would propel the action.

When did you know that you wanted to compose music? I didn’t really know right away. I’d already been in LA, where I was doing synth work for TV shows. I was working with big names such as Mike Post, helping him compose some of his many TV shows. Then I started doing composing work myself, and slowly started getting more of it. I’ve been doing it for 17 years now.

Where did you study music? I went to school in Indiana at Bloomington. I was a jazz piano major, with aspirations to do that, but recording was what I pursued once I was in LA.

Would you ever want to get back to piano? Maybe if I get some time I’ll get back into it.

When composing music, do you have a favourite instrument to write for? Well it’s not one instrument, but actually the whole orchestra. On TV, I’m by myself mostly with all of the instruments on a synth board. Sometimes they bring in 1 - 2 real musicians on TV, but that’s about it. When working with the orchestra, it’s just so different. I also love all of the strings. It’s great to hear all of the string instruments playing together.

What kind of computer programs do you use for writing/synth work? My principal writing is done with digital performer, although I also use Pro Tools. For all of the instrument sounds, I have 12 computers connected through Pro Tools when I’m writing.

So you lay out what each instrument will be playing beforehand? I’m playing the parts on the computer, and I use samples of those early on. Like when I was writing for Surrogates, I make up samples using the computer that sound pretty much accurate to what the orchestra will be playing, so I have already assigned each of the instruments. These are used for the director and everyone to hear before we actually go to recording.

I’ve noticed that most movies don’t list the individual orchestra members - do you know why that is? I assume it’s a precedent that they have. For example, on Surrogates, that would have been 120 names added on the credits. Occasionally, I’ve noticed that they do list a main guitar player, or someone who did a special type of instrumental solo.

I guess it would get long... Especially with a movie that has a lot of animators on it for effects. Exactly. And, no one seems to watch the credits...

Next question: do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on? Yeah. It’s one for TV, called Six Feet Under. I really related to it and it was one I enjoyed doing.

If you could do any project, what kind would it be? I think I’d love to do another action-thriller. I’ve been doing mostly dramas for TV recently. What I would definitely love to do is one like I Am Legend, for example.

What about a favourite movie to write for? Surrogates was a great favorite of mine. Another one would have to be U571, which was also a Jonathan Mostow movie. The movie takes place in WWII, and it was a real challenge to do. The music had to be very old style, big huge sounds, and very patriotic sounding and large scale. I am very proud of how that one turned out.

Do you have a favourite movie from the last ten years? I don’t know about choosing a favorite, but I’m trying to remember. This year, District 9 was really, really good, as was The Brothers Bloom. Further back, I’d have to say American Beauty, Fatal Attraction, and Jacob’s Ladder, to name but a few...

Can you tell me about any upcoming projects you’re working on? Well, there are none for film right now, but for TV I’m working on a new show for CBS called Three Rivers.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I appreciate your taking the time to help promote music in film.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.

“The Music of 9” - An Interview With Composer Deborah Lurie

By E. Corrado

I had the opportunity to speak with composer Deborah Lurie about the music for the new animated feature 9 earlier this week. 9 opened in theatres last Wednesday, 9.9.09. Enjoy!

When did you find out that you would be doing the score for 9? I can’t remember quite how long ago, but there was a nice amount of time. It was worked on off and on, over a year ago.

What kind of timeline do you usually have for a movie like this? I’m not sure what the average would be but sometimes it’s as little as 3 weeks, and sometimes it’s as long as 2 1/2 months.

Had you done any animated projects before - do you think there's more time when it’s animated? Not movies, but I had done an animated tv show for Disney. I don’t know about more time, but like with 9, I imagine there’s more back and forth with animated as it goes through various stages.

Had you seen Shane Acker’s award winning short film, before you agreed to do the score for the feature of 9? Yes, I had, and I had to promise myself not to watch it 20 times, or something like that, because the film was going to be different, so I didn’t want to influence myself too much like that.

Have you seen the finished feature film? Yes, I just saw it actually at a screening with my friends. I seem to be getting most of my feedback from the Bay area though. You never know how a film like this is going to be received, and I try not to worry too much about it, but it is nice when it is received well. I’m quite proud of this score, and I’m very excited to see that it is getting good reviews on iTunes.

Now, the credits list Danny Elfman as doing the themes for 9, and you doing the score, can you elaborate a little bit on how that came to be? Well, I worked on 8 or so other films with him, doing additional music. So, I developed a great working relationship with him. Also, for this one, he does a lot of music for Tim Burton, who is one of the producers on this, and one of the other producers Timur Bekmambetov, is the director of Wanted, which was a film I did additional music for Danny Elfman’s score on. So, somewhere along the way, it was decided that Danny would do the themes for the film, and then I would get to take them, elaborate and score the film around them.

I loved the scene where the song “Over the Rainbow” was used. Who’s decision was it to use “Over the Rainbow” in the film? Well, I was there when they decided to do that, but I wasn't part of the decision. It was in London, and the director and producers and everyone started talking, and it seemed like they were discussing something really important. Finally, they told us that they had decided what they wanted to do for that scene, which was to use ‘Over the Rainbow’. It turned out to be a great idea.

How did you make it work with the rest of the score? Well, I just scored the parts before and after, e.g. when the machine emerges again. I think a lot of that artistry is owed to the people who mixed the film. It was their decision where the music would start up again from the song, etc. They actually decided that it was more effective to use the song for longer when the machine was starting to chase, before coming back to the score.

What were the challenges, if any, that felt you faced while working on 9? Well, I think the biggest challenge would be the fact that this was kind of uncharted territory for us all. Now that the film is out, it’s considered a certain genre film, but no one knew what it would become when we started. Also, the music is very different in the feature then from the short, so we had to kind of figure out where we were going with it.

Where exactly was the score for 9 recorded? Well, it was recorded at the Air Studios in London, England. It used to be an old church, and it was an amazing place to do the music. It was always my dream to do something in London. 9 didn’t have endless funding, but recording there was one of the things that the filmmakers really wanted to do. It was an absolute thrill for me to record there, but it was kind of bittersweet at the same time, since I missed the musicians that I regularly record with in LA.

So, when did you know that you wanted to compose music? For me, it was a little bit later than some people. It was kind of a series of events. I was a junior at highschool, and we had a music theory class, which was pretty amazing for a public school. Anyway, the final project was to write a piece of music. I was worrying over the project for a while, but afterward, I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

Where did you study music after highschool? Well, I basically asked my highschool piano teacher where I should go. I started telling him what was exciting me about writing music, and he said that I had to go to USC. So, that’s where I ended up going.

When composing music, do you have favourite instruments to write for? I like to write for so many different ones, but I really like writing a lot for guitars, mandolins, electric guitars, piano, and all kinds of strings. The last score I finished was mostly strings. I also like to do things for brass and winds.

What instruments did you want to focus on for 9, or is that the director’s decision? I feel everyone was kind of on the same page in regards to the music of 9. It has a lot of brass and winds and we ended up getting a really big sound like we had a 100+ piece orchestra, when in reality there were a lot less people in it than that. There was also a lot of discussion about Danny’s themes, and whether or not we were going to have the budget for a choir. It finally ended up that in the very last scene of the film, we have a choir singing. It was a great choir in London, and it was amazing to record with them.

Did you play any of the instruments? I played a lot of the synthesizer parts, which is more of an experimental thing than just keyboarding skills. There are a lot of electronic sounds on this film, since it is about machines and technology, and the power it has over people. I also sometimes sing on some of my scores, but not on this one.

Do you use a computer to test out different sounds? Yes, since it is pretty standard in the industry nowadays. You usually end up making pretty elaborate instrument accurate mockups for the director.

Which programs do you use? I’ve been composing for orchestra with ProTools. A lot of composers start off with other programs, even though it all goes to ProTools at the end especially with ProTools 8.

I’m just kind of curious about this one; when you’re writing a score like 9 for an orchestra, do you lay out what instruments will be playing what, or is that the job of an orchestrator? I make pretty much all of the overall layout decisions. The job of an orchestrator is more to take those ideas, and from them add expression, dynamics, and things like that. Also I will say, for example, that a certain part will be played by strings, but then the orchestrator will say, ok, these notes here will be played by 1st violin, this here viola, here cello, etc.

I also noticed that most movies don’t list the orchestra members in the credits, and only sometimes the actual orchestra... What are your thoughts on this? Well, the question of how attached to the film the actual orchestra members are, is highly debated. It is not so much about the actual credits, as it is about whether the individual people are entitled to royalties for the performances. It’s debated whether they should, or whether they are individual people that were hired exclusively for that day. When working in LA, under union laws, players are forever tied to the productions they work on.

What has been your favorite project to write music for, and why? 9 was definitely up there as one of the most rewarding. Another one that was really great that I just finished, is called Dear John, which is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. It is a romance, so that was a nice change from an action movie with machines.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for 9? I just loved being part of something so unique and new. It was very stressful at times, for those reasons, since it was uncharted territory, but it was fun.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? I’m not sure in regards to film projects right now, but I also work as an arranger for bands. So, I have some of those projects. I actually find it rather relaxing and fun. It’s really a different experience from film.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today about the music of 9. Thank you.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Deborah Lurie for taking the time to talk with us. Our reviews of the film can be found here.

Fox Searchlight’s Adam: Q & A with music composer Christopher Lennertz

By E. Corrado

When did you find out that you were scoring Adam? It was over a year ago - probably around last June. I had actually heard through my agent about his movie, and I had read the script and I really wanted to do this film. I met with Max Mayer - the writer/director of the film - and we started talking about the project.

What kind of timeline did you have to score this movie? Originally, a month or two, but once we found out it was going to Sundance, we had a few more months.

What was it like working on this movie; where did you draw your inspiration from? I drew it from a lot different places. We wanted the instruments to convey kind of who Adam is, very simple and honest - not childlike - but very clear. The character has trouble when the people around him are not very clear, and what they say is clouded with subtext. So, we didn’t want to use a big orchestra, and instead used instruments like a marimba, acoustic guitar, etc.. In general we wanted it to be kept simpler.

Were you aware of Aspergers’ Syndrome before working on this film? I knew it was a form of autism, but I wasn’t really sure exactly what it was. Now I know that one of the things that people with Aspergers’ have trouble with, is being able to relate sometimes to other people, like what to say, and when to say things, and also when people don’t always say what they mean, for example.

Have you seen the finished film? Yes, I saw it at Sundance, and I think it’s fantastic. We got a standing ovation, and there were people crying and laughing throughout it. I think that they really got that this is about a man who has Aspergers, but it is told as a love story, and people were rooting for the character at the end no matter what.

I heard that the ending was changed from the original version at Sundance, to what will be released in theatres now. Can you tell me anything about that? Yeah. I’ve seen both, and I must say that the new ending does work better. We changed the music slightly, and gave more resolution at the end. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but essentially, the new ending showed a little bit more of how they [Adam and Beth] affected each other, and where they are now.

What were the challenges, if any, that you faced while working on ‘Adam’? Well, the budget for one thing. This was more like a labour of love for the filmmakers, so we had to make do with a shoestring budget. And also, obviously, the material. We didn’t want to over sentimentalize the movie, but rather try to make the music fit the person it was portraying. We tried to use music to show that he is still one of us, even with Aspergers. That he has the same confusion about love, and relationships that we all have to a certain extent.

When did you know that you wanted to compose music? I knew at 21. I had been in various bands, and I was studying at USC. I ended up sneaking into the Universal scoring stage - which is no longer there - and Henry Mancini was scoring a film in there. So, I snuck in and watched him for the day, and that was when I realized that I wanted to do this. Afterwards, I went to USC and changed my major to music, where I studied with Elmer Bernstein.

When composing music, what are your favourite instruments to write for? I’m a guitar player, so I always love to write for the guitar. Now, for this movie, we actually had a live cello, and that is one that is great to write for since it has such a wide range. You can play it high, almost as high as the violin, or you can play it lower for more darker sounds, such as when Adam is having more stressful moments in the school yard scene, or things like that. It’s the same cello, giving low, more ominous sounds.

What instruments did you focus on for Adam? As I said, we wanted a pure and simple melody which is mostly on guitar with a bit of piano sometimes. We did write pieces that were more varied, more orchestral, but we ended up removing and simplifying a lot of them.

Did you play any of the instruments? I played the guitar, and some of the percussion. We used triangles, finger cymbals, and things like that, since one of the things we wanted was for it to seem like there were little twinkling sounds for the planetarium scene and to convey his interest in space.

Do you use a computer to test out different sounds? Yes, I would make samples on the computer, and them Max would come in and listen to what I had done. So, he’d tell me if what I wrote was what he was going for - or if it would fit - before we went to record it.

What computer programs did you use? I used something called Q-Base, and Pro Tools.

Now, I know that you’ve done a fair amount of scoring work in the past, so what was your favorite movie, tv show, or game to write music for, and why? For tv, it is probably Supernatural. The creator of that show is a close friend of mine, and I think we both like the same kind of things in a show. It has real emotion, while it is also scary and interesting at the same time.

For movies, I would say that I really liked doing the music for Adam, because there is so much real emotion there. But on the other hand, I also really liked doing the music for Alvin and The Chipmunks for the opposite reason. It is not real, so you can just have fun with it. Also, it’s a different experience to go and see little 4, 5, & 6 year olds enjoying a movie you’ve worked on and seeing people watching an indie movie at Sundance.

As for video games, I really loved doing Medal of Honour. My Grandfather was in WWII, so that was one that I really liked doing the music for.

When a video game is based on a movie do you have to try to base the music on the original score? Well, you do have to have that ability, but it depends. For The Godfather video game it was quite a bit different. It takes place at a later date/local, so the music had to be different to reflect the times. But for a James Bond game, you more just have to serve the action.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for ‘Adam’? The scene where Adam shows Beth his planetarium in his apartment. One of the reasons is because this character, Adam, has sort of stayed away from people because they confuse him, and now he’s finally found someone to share this with. Because you have all of these flashing stars and planets, it almost seems kind of like a fantasy world he’s created.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? There are several. I am currently doing Cats and Dogs 2 for Warner Bros., which is a sequel to the family spy movie with talking cats and dogs from 2002. I’m also doing a movie based on the comic strip Marmaduke for Fox, and a video game for the Wii called Sim’s Africa, where you can control the world and all the animals. For that one, I get to experiment with different African music and sounds.

Is there anything else you would like to add today? Just that I hope that people will go out and see this film. It’s a great movie that isn’t just about someone with a disorder, but someone who is very much like the rest of us.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Christopher Lennertz for taking the time to talk with us. Our reviews of the film Adam will be available on August 7th, 2009.

Interview With Composer John Debney - Hannah Montana The Movie

By E. Corrado

How did you find out you were going to be scoring the new ‘Hannah Montana’ movie? Well, it was a surprise. There was another composer originally on the project, but they had to go work another film. So I got a call from my friends at Disney to see if I would be available. I have a niece who loves Hannah Montana, so it was nice to do this project.

What was it like writing the score for a movie that is very much song/music driven? It was fantastic - they are already really well written songs. There is a song called Butterfly Fly Away written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri that I wrote the orchestral arrangement for. Essentially, they wanted me to write the score and arrange the songs.

You have a very diverse list of projects that you’ve worked on. How does working on something like this compare? Well it was not as difficult as some really long projects. I didn't really have a lot of underscore to write. There was actually only about 20 min. of score and then 15-18 minutes of arranging the songs for the movie. It was really not as bad as some of the bigger more comedic scores I have done.

I know that you have done very different movies like The Passion of The Christ for example. How does doing a movie so completely different like this compare? Well they are completely different. Here we’re dealing with Hannah Montana which is kind of the other end of the spectrum. I really had to make her come through in her own way. The character that Miley plays has a really strong fan base. Everyone seems to be pleased though, and I couldn't be more pleased. A lot of family and friends who see this film say it is even a lot better than it needs to be.

What drew you to music, and when did you know that you wanted to be a film composer? Really, I didn’t have any concrete plans until college. I was a music major and I wanted to do something probably in composing, but really gearing towards film and music.

Is it still just as fun a career now? It’s fun and challenging. I think having a career 20 years later is lucky. I am glad that I am still able to work on it consistently and it’s something that I enjoy doing.

Where did you study music? I got my degree at CalArts, which is the California Institute of the Arts. They have a really nice music program there.

What instruments do you play? Well, I have played instruments since like 4 years old. I’ve been in a lot of bands and stuff, and it’s mostly guitar and piano, but I also play cello and sax.

Do you work with a computer a lot while composing? Definitely - all the time. I write at the computer, since I have all of the sounds at my disposal. I create ‘mock-ups’ which are a synthesized version of the orchestra. On the computer, I use a great program called Digital Performer. I also use Pro Tools, and then I have this myriad of synthesizers and keyboards that I use.

Was this particular score recorded Analog, or Digitally? Is this the same as other scores you’ve worked on? Digital. [While some still use it], Analog has kind of fell by the wayside. We usually record at 96 k which is very high quality. Some Record people still record Analog because they love a lot of the sounds of it.

Digital must be easier to edit though... Definitely.

Looking back at this project and other ones you’ve worked on, do you ever feel like you could have done parts of them differently? Absolutely. There's probably something in every project. You’re always trying to give your best, but with a little hindsight there, sometimes you see things differently. Artists in general should always be striving to do it better.

What was your favorite movie to write music for, and why? That’s a hard one... There are a few. Definitely The Passion of The Christ is one of them, and then there are ones like Elf - that movie always makes me smile, - a movie called Hocus Pocus which was kind of the first film that I did a score for, and one called Cutthroat Island which wasn’t very successful, but everyone seems to remember it for it’s music.

What kinds of projects would you want to work on in the future? I would love to do a bit more dramatic films then I’ve been doing. Right now, there seem to be a lot of kid friendly movies, and they are a lot of fun. There was Hotel for Dogs about a few months ago, which started out as a little teeny movie that has now done very well, and now Hannah Montana.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for ‘Hannah Montana’? I think adding elements to the songs was really fun - I don't get to do that as much as I would like. I really love adding to them and doing different arrangements.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? There’s a film called A Thousand Words, which is a sort of comedy/drama with Eddie Murphy, a Disney one called Old Dogs with John Travolta and Robin Williams, and a Fox one called They Came From Upstairs which is kind of a Gremlins-type movie with kids and aliens and stuff like that.

Is there anything else you would like to add today? No, you’ve asked some great questions that cover just about everything.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with One Movie, Five Views. Thank you.

One Movie, Five Views thanks John Debney for this interview. For more information, you can visit his website at: www.johndebney.com

Interview with John Ottman on composing the music for, and editing the film, Valkyrie

Written By E. Corrado

When did you find out that you were going to be working on Valkyrie? It was around February or March two years ago. It was a few months after Superman Returns, which I had worked on, and was also directed by Bryan Singer. I work a lot with Bryan, and I usually like to take some time between his projects to work on composing for other movies. Anyway, it was just shortly after Superman, and he called me up, and I asked him why he was calling me so soon after. So he started telling me that there was this little movie he was working on. He told me it was a true story, just a quick in and out thing that wouldn’t take long. Now, here we are and well, it’s amazing what it’s become.

What kind of timeline do you usually have between finding out that you are going to be working on a film, and actually starting on it? It varies. As a composer, sometimes you find out you’re going to be on a project, but then not really start on it until months later. Other times, it’s literally that you’re starting the next day and working feverishly for a few weeks to get it done.

What was it like editing the film and doing the music for it? It’s an all consuming exercise to try to accomplish both tasks. It is very difficult to say the least.

What was it like working on a movie based on true events? It’s a suspense thriller, but you’re kind of hand-tied by history which adds a lot of weight. We had to make sure we were accurate about every single detail, like the insignias on the uniforms. We may not notice if it was off, but there are people who would, so the fact that you have to try to make it accurate to actual events, adds a lot.

What were the biggest challenges working on Valkyrie? One of the biggest challenges was that you realize that since it is based on true events, the majority of people will already know the story. So you have to keep it fascinating and suspenseful when it’s a reality that the ending’s known. The dialogue has to feel suspenseful even when nothing is actually happening, and they are just talking about what they are going to do.

What was your favorite part of working on Valkyrie? That’s a hard question. Probably the final sound mix on the film, because then I know that all of the editing decisions are final.

How does Valkyrie compare to other films that you have worked on? I would say it was the most difficult film for editing so far. It is kind of a different movie, and I like movies like that, but then again it was also a thriller too.

When did you know that you wanted to work with film, and music? I think I always wanted to make movies. I used to record my own radio programs, and make films with the neighbors as actors in them. When I was older, I went to film school, and in the mid-80’s midi technology came out, and I got myself a keyboard and started playing around with it. I started using my friends student films as guinea pigs for music composition, and found out that I had a knack for it. It started out as a hobby, but to make a long story short, I was helping Bryan Singer, whom I knew, edit his film Public Access, and he needed a composer at the last minute, so I did it.

Where did you study music/editing? I was mostly self taught. I played the clarinet when I was younger in marching bands, and I also loved going and watching the symphony in my home town. You learn through lots of trial and error. I also went to USC for film studies, and although there’s not a specific course on it, the film courses are very heavily centered on editing.

Are there any movies that you feel you could have done differently? It’s something that’s always at the back of my head when watching it, because you know what was ‘Option B’. If you look at Close Encounters Of The Third Kind as an example, the director, Steven Spielberg, released a bonus cut of it, and it shows that there are definitely options about how you edit a film. The thing is though, that’s it’s kind of weird to see, because, once a movie’s finished and people have seen it, how you see the movie is how it is. Anything else just doesn't feel the same.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. Thank you, and I hope that people will go see this movie, and enjoy it.

One Movie, Five Views thanks John Ottman for taking the time to do this interview.

Interview With Composer William Ross - The Tale Of Despereaux

Written By E. Corrado

When did you find out that you were scoring The Tale Of Despereaux? On this one it was about 2 - 2 1/2 years ago.

What kind of timeline on average do you usually have to score a movie? On a regular feature the process varies as the business keeps changing. It can be 2-3 months, 1 month, or in some emergency situations it can be 1 week.

Do you prefer having more time? That’s a good question - no one’s actually asked me that before. It’s a longer time to sit and worry, but no, I really do like having the extra time to do it especially with producer/writer, Gary Ross. During the process you can talk about what works, and doesn’t work. When you try various things you can edit them later, even though sometimes, it’s best to just go with your first instinct.

What’s it like working on an animated film? There was more time and it was interesting writing to footage that won’t be final footage. There were some cues I’d done that I didn’t get the footage until just before the scoring session. It’s always a work in progress.

What was it like doing The Tale Of Despereaux? Did you read the book beforehand? I remember the book from awhile ago, but there are always ways that they change things to make them work better on screen. I very quickly got the script on this one, which is a nice place to start from.

What were the challenges, if any, that you faced while working on The Tale Of Despereaux, and how does this compare to other films that you have worked on? The emotional challenges are constant because before you start anything, you wake up to blank sheet, or computer file. It was interesting in the sense that it wasn’t a real film to look at when I started. Imagine trying to write to just story boards, where’s in a live action movie, they’ve shot everything, so you know how things will move, the colours, and the camera angles. Sure they may edit it here or there but for the most part it’s close to what you will see on screen. Story boards are nice since you spend some time thinking about it.

When did you know that you wanted to compose and work with music? I grew up playing the piano, but I never really thought about it until college. I realized that what I was heading off to do was not what I really wanted to do, and I love music so that’s what I followed instead.

Did you study music formally? Yes in a lot of different places. I also started studying scores on my own and when you’re doing that, having a teacher really helps because they have a lot more experience than you and can give you their perspective on things. The musical vocabulary of film kind of dates back to orchestral music. It’s kind of like the romantic styles, but it’s so much greater than that, in the sense that when you put extreme dissonance in concert, some people find it difficult to connect emotionally with it, but in a cinematic sense, depending on the movie, it can really enhance the scene, and so it works.

How did you study scores? When I’d hear things that would interest me, I would look at where, and what it was on the score. Unfortunately, you can’t really just go out and buy most film scores. If you’re interested though, Hal Leonard does have a great series of John William’s work called the signature series, and that is a way to look at the orchestral scores of some of the themes from movies like Star Wars, and ET.

What programs do you use when working with the computer? I use Logic Pro 8 as well as ProTools and several other programs.

Are there any scores that you felt you could have done differently? Some seem like to me, the best I could do. Some I would not want to change, like My Dog Skip, which feels almost like it’s just one piece. You do sometimes think ‘why didn’t I make that before that’ and want to change things though.

What was your favorite movie to write music for, and why? ‘Despereaux’ is right up there at the top. Also, My Dog Skip, and Tuck Everlasting. The music really works with those ones, and like I said, My Dog Skip feels almost like it’s all just one piece.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for The Tale Of Despereaux? There is one scene in particular that I really loved. It is the one where Princess Pea is talking to Despereaux. I tried that three different ways, and it was the third way that worked. It was very simple, and it came back to a very simple theme. I thought it was great in the way that it just makes you fly through the scene.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. It’s been a pleasure, and I hope that your readers will go out and see ‘Despereaux’ and enjoy the music in it.

One Movie, Five Views thanks William Ross for taking the time to do this interview.

Interview with Alex Wurman; Composer of the Score for Four Christmases

Written By E. Corrado

When did you find out you were going to be working on Four Christmases? Just before the summer break. I was actually starting to listen to Christmas music in July because of it. It was a little challenging t0 get into the holiday spirit in the summertime.

What was it like working on Four Christmases? It was fun. And I really enjoyed working with Vince Vaughn. I remember him talking to me about this white gospel music from the 60’s and that was one way he wanted the score to sound but we ended up using more traditional Christmas music as references.

How does Four Christmases compare with another project you worked on - March Of The Penguins? Well they are both movies they take place in the winter and they both have a lot of heart but the similarity ends there. March Of The Penguins was a documentary and the music not only had to play the emotions of the story but also the penguins. For Four Christmases, the music needed to convey the difficulty the characters had to portray both comedically and somewhat dramatically.

When did you know that you wanted to be a composer? I came from a musical family. As a result I started writing music at seven years old. It was not until my mid 20's that I decided that I wanted to focus on composing. I had always thought that I would be more of a composer/performer, writing my own pieces and then performing them on stage but I am thrilled that my career as evolved that I can use all my musical influences into being a film composer.

What inspired you musically? I grew up studying the piano and listening to classical music like The Beatles and Bill Evans. When I was nine years old, Star Wars came out, and I fell in love with composer John Williams' score to that film. His music in that movie is amazing, as well as in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Catch Me If you Can, Munich, etc. He has such a tremendous range as a musician and I want to emulate that.

What instruments do you play? As a composer I need to know the sound of many instruments. I play many instruments but the ones I feel I play best are the piano, and the flügelhorn. I also really love the sound of either a violin played in the low register, or a viola. I just like something that is slightly lower than the highest in it’s group. I also love the cello, and the flute - it doesn’t matter how high the flute is played, I’ll always love a flute.

I recently played a solo flügelhorn on a movie called “Bernard and Doris”. I'm proud to say I received an Emmy nomination for that film.

Where did you study music? I attended the High School for the Performing Arts in Chicago, and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago as well as The University of Miami for their jazz program.

Are there any scores that you’ve done that you aren’t happy with, or think that you could have done better? No, only because I could never say if I could do one better now, because the inspiration is in the moment. That moment will never be there again, but could I technically do it better now? Maybe. For example, recording is better, but the same inspiration wouldn’t be there because what is written is like a moment captured in time that can’t be repeated. i.e. I always loved the music in West Side Story, because that is like a moment in time with these people. What it comes down to, is that it’s not so much talent, as inspiration at the time.

What kind of music is your favorite to do? I enjoy classical scoring with an orchestra but I also love the challenge of scoring an indie movie with smaller groups of musicians where I have to depend on multiple layers of the sound to create a mood.

When composing music, what computer programs do you use? Logic Pro, and Logic Audio, which are kind of like more complex versions of Garageband. As well as ProTools.

What was your favorite movie to write music for, and why? March Of The Penguins because of the fact that these creatures make their journey and yearly cycle is amazing and inspiring. I actually got feedback after the movie came out from someone who’s father was dying, and one of the last things that they did together was see March Of The Penguins. This person sent me an e-mail saying that he bought the soundtrack, and now whenever he listens to it, it reminds him of that time together. I don’t think that there can be anything more rewarding then that.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for ‘Four Christmases’? I think it was hearing the orchestra performing White Christmas for the opening titles on this one. I was conducting the orchestra, and being a part of executing that moment with that classic piece of music was an amazing feeling.

What have you learned through conducting? I have learned that standing in front of an orchestra, I can communicate physically in addition to the notes they read on paper. I develop this relationship with the musicians and we experience the music simultaneously.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? I recently completed the score to What Doesn’t Kill You, that I’m very proud of. It was interesting to do, because the story is autobiographical so I’m not only writing the music about the film, I'm writing music about the director's life. Another one that I am working on is called Overnight.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Alex Wurman for taking the time to talk about his score for Four Christmases.

Four Christmases opened in theatres November 26th, 2008.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars; an Interview with the Music Composer Kevin Kiner

Written By E. Corrado

When did you find out you were going to be working on ‘Clone Wars’? Two years ago in November or December of 2006. After I did an audition for it, I ended up getting the job.

What was it like working on ‘Clone Wars’? First of all it was very intimidating and daunting. John Williams did a fantastic job with the Star Wars movies and Star Wars definitely has some of the most memorable themes. I got support, input, and honest opinions from the people who were working on the project about what what they liked and didn’t like.

What were the challenges, if any, that you faced while working on ‘Clone Wars’? Well, George Lucas wanted every planet to have it’s own theme. It’s like there would be a Bulgarian planet, an African planet, and an Egyptian planet musically, so I had to research different types of music, and all the little idiosyncrasies that their music has. For the orchestra, every week you’re bringing in a different combination of styles.

How do you think the ‘Clone Wars’ movie compares to the original ‘Star Wars’ movies? Star Wars: The Clone Wars did not start out as a movie. It was originally going to be a three part TV series. But George Lucas liked it so much that he wrote a beginning for it since it already had an ending. From the beginning I was working on a TV show, and when it became a movie, I rewrote it to have a more orchestral feel, since it was being recorded with a 90 piece orchestra. It’s also animation, so that’s different as well.

When did you know that you wanted to be a composer? Probably not until after college. I was on the road conducting for a band, and I would have to arrange pieces for different instruments. I also played guitar, but I realized that I was better at composing and arranging than guitar. Arranging is a very natural step in composing, since if you have a violin for example, but no part for violin, you have to write something new.

When composing music, what software do you use, before it goes to the orchestra? Logic Pro, and Logic Audio which are from Apple.

Are there any scores that you’ve done that you aren’t happy with, or think that you could have done better? I’m pretty happy with most of the stuff I’ve done. Part of the process of composing, is thinking ‘should it go like this, or like that’, but you end up figuring it out and you kind of like what you’re doing. If I could change anything I’ve done, I would probably do the first few episodes of Superboy over again. At first, the music was written in the style of Miami Vice. Looking back, this was not a very good idea, but that was only for the first 6 episodes or so.

What was your favorite movie, or TV show to write music for, and why? Well that’s kind of hard, since it’s like trying to choose who’s your favorite child, but if I had to pick a few, I would have to say, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, CSI Miami, Stargate, and The Visitor.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for ‘Clone Wars’? Getting to be in that world. I grew up being a huge fan of it, and I really liked exploring that since it’s so sophisticated. The first time I saw Star Wars in 1977, I had never heard anything like that music.

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars soundtrack was released August 12th, 2008 in stores, and August 16th, 2008 on iTunes.