“Of course we talk about this without talking about Star Wars. Hearing that music as a kid just blew me away! That showed me what music could do. I just remember crying every time I would hear the theme music as a kid.”
When I was a kid my sister and I used to play videogames together while listening to music. The games weren’t too particularly complicated back then, so it was perfect to turn the sound to the game on and turn some music on instead. Since we were kids we didn’t have too many games, or too big of a music selection, so to this day I can still remember every single album tied to every single game we would play it with. Some games I don’t even remember the title, but I sure do know what we listened to with it. Samurai Showdown and TLC’s Crazy Sexy Cool. Some cartoony Mario Cart-esque snowboarding game and The Wedding Singer soundtrack. I have countless memories like this from my life where I can remember exactly what song was playing with what memory. Music is a pretty powerful thing! Today’s guest knows all about the power the music and its tie to emotion and memory. Chris is a composer and specifically he regularly composes music for movies. Some pieces that are out in the forefront, and some pieces that stay back and subtly influence a scene. He’ll tell us all about both and the music writing process.
“When they cut a long section from a scene or add a big chunk or change the order of scenes, all of these things can really wreak havoc on the music…You find ways of not committing to something too far until everything is totally finalized and the picture is locked. ”
“The challenge is coming up with the right feeling while being out of the way. It’s easy to be in the way. Sometimes staying out of the way while still creating movement can be a challenge.”
Interview Contents
3:00 - What defines a composer?
5:40 - Underscore.
7:30 - Chris’s path to becoming a composer.
8:00 - Being overwhelmed by the emotion of music.
11:30 - Evolving into becoming a composer.
15:30 - The uncertain, un-secure lifestyle of being a composer.
20:15 - Being an introvert and trying to network and get your work out there.
23:00 - The balance of making your art and dealing with what other people want who are making the movie.
29:00 - Chris’s favorite types of projects to work on.
33:00 - Cross-disciplines.
36:00 - Work vs. play.
39:30 - Living in the moment.
42:45 - Being an old man.
45:30 - The process of making a film score.
52:50 - The challenges when making an underscore.
56:00 - The experience of seeing your music in a film.
59:30 - Time and pay.
1:07 - Advice.
Links
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
