Thessaloniki, GREECE
23th May, 2007
Brian, please accept my deep appreciation for this interview, it´s been a real honor to chat with and host you in our page.
All attention falls on one of your latest score release, “Partition”; Your lush and sentimental string driven score for Vic Sarin´s love story which played out against a backdrop of political and religious upheaval, right after the end of World War II. Was it the first time you two collaborated? How did you get onboard?
This was the first time that I had worked with Vic. He had been shooting the film in India while pondering the what the music would be for his film. We eventually met aong with the producers Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts to see if I would be interested in scoring the film. He was very familiar with the “Children of Dune” score.
Judging from the final musical result, I´d say that you pretty much made a sensitive connection with the film there; something vividly mirrored in your score´s touching nature. What element(s) brought you nearer to the on-screen events? Was it the storyline in general, the filmmakers behind it or the war element? Do you have any personal experiences which could be linked to the film´s core?
The score is very personal to me. The story resonates with me on many levels and I am very supportive of what the movie is saying philosophically. It is a story of conquering love, sacrifice, and tolerance. Vic was so passionate about his movie. In this way we were like brothers. And certainly in the case of “Partition”, it was much more than a job to me. Both the historical context of the story and the literal love story are powerful. I wanted to capture the frustration of living in a war zone under intolerance while showing the humanity of those who lead their own path against the odds.
Your score for “Partition” is surprisingly old-school, and in the good way; primarily string-driven and deeply-relying on profoundly direct, simple and particularly melodic themes, created by those long and dramatic string lines along with slowly-building chord progressions. Was it a musical direction that came slowly and naturally to you when starting to work on this one or where there some specific points you wanted to make with your music, such as the “Children of Dune” references? Did the director prefer a particular direction for your music to follow?
This score certainly falls under the musical category that “Children of Dune” is in. It is melodic in a way that hopefully sounds like it has been around for a long time. I wanted this to seem like music from another time. As for the writing process, I sat down at a piano and just wrote the themes. The entire theme came to me at once.
For this score, you also used a selection of ethnic woodwind instruments, like the bansuri, performed by Chris Bleth. Was this done in order to attribute the ethnic (middle-Eastern and Indian) characteristics into the whole, or for some other reason as well?
The music was supposed have what Vic called "an echo of India" and not necessarily completely regionally centered. The percussion, stringed instruments outside of the orchestra, and the ethnic woodwinds were supposed to evoke the idea that each Society has a long history that is worth preserving while at the same time finding room for tolerance. I know it sounds crazy, but this is really what I was going for. The duduk, hammered dulcimer, and bansuri are instruments that are found in many cultures, not just India. They go by different names, but are really the same thing. This is what the movie was also trying to say about Hindus, Muslims, Jews,, and Christians.
Superficially we may be different and have different labels, but we are all fundamentally just people living on this spinning rock we call Earth. Vic was very sure he wanted the orchestra to pay a large part in the score as well as these intruments I mentioned. That was, it would have a cross cultural feel.
Do you think that the soloists one chooses to utilize each time bear significant impact to the final result? Were there times you actually changed something you previously wrote in order to adapt it to – or because of a soloist? Do you like your solo performers to ´just follow the rules´ of bring in their ideas and style on the table?
Wow. I am not sure how to answer that. I just hear the music in my head and try to hire the people that will best bring that to life.
But the great joy in using these talented musicians is that they often bring more to the music than I even expected and thus make it better.
How did you decide on which particular ethnic instruments to use? Do you think that it´s necessary for a composer to be familiar and equipped with ethnomusicology knowledge – such as specific scales and modes from the various countries and the handling of the melodic lines within them or ethnic instrument characteristics such as range, way of tuning and playing – in order to efficiently write good ethnic- influenced music ? Do you think that a similarly good result might be reached when one thinks of melodies and themes in their usual way and have them later adapted to the ethnic scales and instruments by someone else (say an orchestrator or arranger)? How do you usually work in terms of ethnic solo instruments?
I like working with ethnic instruments in their natural scale. Sometimes there is no way to fit that in to a particular cue but I find it beautiful. I am familiar with ethnic tunings so I don´t find them all that strange. I think composers should probably have some sort of familiarity with how they naturally work in order to get the most out of them.
You also incorporated some previously-recorded drums and guitars in “Partition”, which were later mixed with the orchestra by Stephen Krause. Why do most composers choose this way of later-mixing pre- recorded material with the orchestra, especially when it comes to mixing a rock ensemble with the traditional western classical orchestra? Don´t you think that having them performing at the same time would result in a more coherent and tighter result? What difficulties such a task would face?
Well, I record many of those instruments ahead of time because I am the one playing them. Since I conduct, it would be impossible for me to play the instruments at the same time. Beyond that, certain things like complex percussion parts would take far too long to get right if played at the same time as the orchestra. Guitar and piano parts are so personal that I could never get another performer to play these parts just right. As for the ethnic woods, those were done at the same time as the orchestra.
“Partition” came closely after “Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”, and I just can´t think of anything more different for you to have worked on, right after the excitingly loud and amazingly rousing modern metal and techno-meet-orchestra ride that was “Tokyo Drift”. How do you clear off your mind when having to work so densely between vastly different projects? Is there a specific procedure you follow?
I score films in many genres so I am used to changing styles quickly. There is usually no time in between projects. It is just an immediate change of course. I get whiplash!
Speaking of which, “Tokyo Drift” successfully incorporates all these modern and heavy elements into this surprisingly qualitative, adrenaline-packed and fresh amalgam or rock/metal and techno with imposing orchestral action writing; a work that left no film music fan untouched. What were your influences for this score? If I had to take a guess I´d say you either love hot cars or hot women; or both of them!
Honestly, there is really nothing better to look at than hot cars and hot women when one is writing music! And this had both. What´s not to love? And as all who know me realize, I race cars and I am a Formula
1 freak. Go Ferrari! But yes, it was a blast working with my good friend Justin Lin on the film. And I have known drift racer extraordinaire Toshi Hayama (who was the racing consultant on the film) since I was 13.
Having previously mentioned “Children of Dune”, I guess you´d know by now that many people consider this to be your best work to date, with an equally-sized portion argues that the very spot is already taken by the massively dark and ominous orchestral beast that is your admittedly amazing “Darkness Falls”. Which one´s your favorite off your filmography, someone that´s not in this very pair, perhaps?
Tough one. I have spent huge amounts of time and poured my heart into so many scores that it is impossible to choose. Children of Dune, Frailty, Darkness Falls, Greatest Game, Tokyo Drift, Annapolis, Partition, Timeline, Bangkok Dangerous, War, The Final Cut, Panic, Paparazzi, Star Trek, The Hunted, etc. These are all so special to me. Honestly, they are like children to me. That is why I avoid reading reviews. People really don´t know how personal it is to me.
These compositions are directly tied into my emotions so I want people to enjoy the music very much.
Those two works clearly showcase your two largely conflicting but at the same time common elements-sharing musical sides of you. The first one being the particularly melodic and passionate scores with the large themes; works like “Partition”, “Children of Dune”, “Annapolis”, “The Greatest Game ever Played”, and “Timeline” and the other being the characteristically dark, percussive and brassy, hostile and brooding thrillers like “Darkness Falls”, “Terror Tract”, “Frailty”, “The Hunted” and “Vampires: Los Muertos”, frequently enriched with vivid and modern electronics like “Paparazzi” or “The Final Cut”. Which one´s your favorite are to work into? Is there something you haven´t done musically yet but still have a great wish to do in the near future?
I love being able to move around and explore different modes. It was fantastic scoring in the jazz mode for "Last Call" for instance.
Thematic music is great to score but so is the aggressively dark and avant garde. Alien vs Predator 2 and Bug are both examples of having fun doing "extreme" music. The darker side is interesting. But strange that "Final Cut" is seen as electronic since I used no synths and it was all orchestra and piano. But that is also interesting how things are perceived. I just hope I am able to continue to score in different styles.
What are your musical influences Brian? I happen to know you´re an avid film music lover yourself, what are your all-time favorite composers? Do you also have other musical preferences outside the film music area?
Wow! Too many to list. I will list a few by looking at my iPod playlists that get a lot of action: Williams, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Corigliano, Webern, Chopin, Corigliano, Silvestri, John Barry, Penderecki, Reich, Adams, Stravinsky, Kraftwerk, Boulez, Rush, The Beatles, Massive Attack, Hans, Harry Gregson, John Powell, Newton Howard, Howard Shore, Goldenthal, Horner, Muse, Kayhan Kalhor, Black Sabbath, Keith Green, Tori Amos, Bjork, Tears for Fears, U2, Thomas Dolby, The Doobie Brothers, Yello, Stevie Wonder, Tommy Newman, Tool, Trevor Jones, Maurice Jarre, Basil, Vangelis, Patrick Doyle, Jean Luc Ponty, Arvo Pårt, Depeche Mode, Elfman, Kate Bush, King Crimson, The Mars Volta, Missing Persons, Mute Math, MIA, Slipknot, Steven Curtis Chapman, The Prodigy, The Police, Prefab Sprout, Prince, Queen, Ice Cube, Rim Banna, Azam Ali, Quincy Jones, Ali Akbar Moradi,The Who, and on and on. That list makes no sense but maybe it explains some things about my personality!
Speaking of which, a lot of people - even some from the insides of film music world - consider film music affection to be quite geeky. I personally disagree with the said notion as I find no difference between being an avid fan of film music and any other kind of music, but as you´re a film music lover yourself, do you think that the film music idiom bears characteristics which make it ´more nerdy´ in comparison to devoted avocations with different musical areas indeed?
Good music is good music. Playa haters are not invited to the party!
You´re a very warm and open person yourself, vividly active in terms of interacting with both your fans but also professionals inside the film music area, attending public events (like the Composer Expo), being involved in online activities and openly discussing your work in numerous publications, radio shows and so on; all this to your own, rare credit, if I may observe. Do you think that the internet in general and with all the film music-related publications in particular, has a vital and perhaps crucial role to play in the preservation or even further development and growth of the film music world of today?
I think the internet is going to be a massive part of film scoring in the future. The promotion and sales of film scores will be helped by the internet. It opens the discussion and the community. I love it.
Also, and on a similar subject-line, a lot of buzz has been created this year as well, around the awards´ season, particularly on the Academy Awards and the win of Gustavo Santaolalla´s Babel for Best Original Score. Are you in any way familiar with the said score?
Plus, how do you personally find the whole film music awards thing? Do you think that the criteria are purely musical or they´re a part of the general media business? Do you think that such an award, say like the Oscar, is the highest form of recognition a film composer can get for its work these days? What would something like that in the near future possibly mean to you?
Awards are nice. But music awards are extremely strange to me. I would love to win an Oscar (my grandfather´s Oscar stares me down in the studio all day long). The odd thing is, my agent told me that when I win my first Oscar (may I interject that he is a very positive and hopeful guy) that it will not be for my best score. He has an interesting observation from years of experience.
And finally for something completely different: Your upcoming scores! “Bug”, “Time to Kill”, “War”, “Finishing the Game”, “Alien Vs. Predator 2” and “Rogue”; that´s a lot - plus the expected “Rambo IV”! What can you tell us about each one of these at the present time?
Up to which level have you worked with the ones you already started composing and what can we expect from them? Any other upcoming and / or dream projects?
"Bug" is a completely blind jump off the experimental music cliff. It is such a great and disturbing journey. And I recorded "War" with the London Symphony Orchestra recently and the film is a wild thrill ride. It is very aggressive and wild. That comes out in the Fall I believe with a soundtrack release as well. Right now I am just finishing up the score for "Bangkok Dangerous" starring Nic Cage. The film was an interesting to compose to since the film has very little dialogue. Nic Cage is a hitman in Thailand and does not speak the language and he falls in love with a Thai girl who is deaf-mute. So the music had to tell the story. It was a great challenge. I also finished up scoring Justin Lin´s "Finishing the Game" which is a mockumentary about the making of Bruce Lee´s last film. The score is 1970s funk, rock, and disco. All the recording techniques were straight outta 1977. Fun stuff. Now I am scoring "Aliens vs Predator 2" and that is absolutely incredible to work on. The Brothers Strause are directing this like men possessed. It has the grit and grime and the feel of the original films. The music is going to be along those lines. Bringing it back old school style!
After that is "John Rambo", which will be the coda film to the series. I am looking forward to that very much!
Brian, we wish you all the best for the near future and once again, thank you both for your interview but also for your heartfelt, brilliant music.
Thanks a lot. It has been a pleasure to chat with you.
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