SOUNDTRACK Interview
By Lukas Remis
Soundtrack: First of all, tell me, why film music? When did you decide that composing film music is what you want to do?
Ryan Shore: I became interested in film music when I first became aware of my uncle Howard's (Howard Shore) scoring, sometime when I was around 16, although I wasn't fully aware of what was involved in the process. I then studied film composing at the Berklee College of Music and received a degree in it. I became interested in film composing because it is an aspect of music that uses many of my skills at the same time composing, playing, orchestrating, conducting, technology, collaborating, being a leader of a team, organization, etc. I also have developed a passion for the use of music with visuals in the process of storytelling.
S: Please tell me something about the process of creating a score (from composing to recording). Is it schematic or individual?
RS: The process usually begins by watching the film together with the director and possibly other people who are creatively involved, such as the editor. This is called the spotting session. During this session you watch the film and talk about what role the music will play in the film, where the music will be, and what kind of music it will be. After the session, the composer then begins composing the score maybe just the themes or a few cues at first. Then you usually have a preview session for the director to listen to what you have been composing. Sometimes you might preview the music on just the piano or maybe a more mocked up version with virtual instruments. Once the director and composer are in agreement about the score and the cues have been composed, you then record the music with the live instruments. After recording, you mix all the music and deliver it to the film dub where the film mixer combines all of the sound elements music, dialogue, and sound effects.
S: Is the director working with you or giving you some direction? Or is it only on you?
RS: Every director is different. Some know exactly what they are looking for, and some rely on their composer to help guide them. It's usually a collaborative process, although I have done some films where the director relied on me completely to create the score.
S: Where are your ideas coming from - the melodies and a general idea? Is the film enough inspiring, or do you need something more?
RS: Most all of the inspiration comes from the film. The only exception would be if there was something that the director wanted to be happening in the film that is not already there, and would like to the music to do it like foreshadowing something or evoking an emotion that is not already in the dialogue or visuals. I usually like to watch a film a few times, and then walk away from it. I think about it. Think about the overall feelings I have for the film and the individual scenes. The characters, the performances, the storyline, the locations, the colors of the cinematography, the pacing, the overall impact of the filmmaking, etc. For me, the film needs to get inside me and then work itself through. I often come up with my best ideas when I'm lying in bed at the end of the day and I'm not thinking about the technicalities of creating music or film, and I'm just thinking of human emotions, overall gestures, musical settings, etc. Then of course, I have to get up and write them down, or I'll never remember them the next morning. I have found that when you are open to the film, the film will actually tell you what to write. And, when you try to "force" a piece of music onto a scene, it usually doesn't work. For me, I've also found that my first reactions to a scene are usually my best, and oddly enough, the less time it takes me to compose, the more cohesive the compositions seem to be.
S: Is it very different to work on different types of films?
RS: Absolutely, every project is different. Even if the genre is the same, the collaborators or the individual parameters of each film can create different musical situations. The role for music in a comedy may be one of playing the "straight man" in order to emphasize the humor, whereas the role for music in a period drama may be to help create another time and place as well as supporting the through points of the storyline. Therefore, each situation creates a completely different role and set of requirements for the music, as well as what preparations I will do to prepare writing the score.
S: Have you made any special preparations to write this great Japanese music for "Shadowplay"?
RS: Yes, I researched traditional Japanese music quite a bit. Learning about the compositional tradition, and what the roles of the traditional instruments play in the creation of the music. Also, the Shakuhachi is of course an Eastern instrument and therefore the notation for it is different than traditional Western notation, so I studied that as well. I listened to many recordings, looked through the scores that were available, read a few books about the long history of traditional Japanese music, and also spoke with the musicians that I worked with, prior to the recording sessions.
S: How long does it take you to create a score?
RS: The amount of time it takes to compose a score depends on the type of music you are composing and how much there is to write, but generally you are given anywhere from 4-8 weeks to compose the score for a film. Sometimes you are given more in special cases, and unfortunately sometimes less as well.
S: Is there something you don't like in creating music (in the whole process)?
RS: I truly love creating music so there aren't many aspects I don't like. If I was to name one, it might be when technology can sometimes get in the way of the creative process. Sometimes I like to compose away from all technology and all instruments just composing in my mind. It can be the most uninhibited and liberating way to create sounds and music.
S: What was the biggest orchestra you've been working with?
RS: The largest orchestra I have worked with is about 80 musicians and a choir, so about 110 musicians.
S: Please tell me, what is an orchestrator (co-orchestrator) doing? I've noticed that in many soundtracks there was such a person.
RS: Well the composer literally composes the music. Once it has been written, the music can now be played on any instrument or instruments solo piano, full orchestra, string quartet, choir only, rock band, big band, etc. So it is the orchestrator's role to translate the compositions to the chosen instrumentation. It requires a complete knowledge of all of the instruments what is idiomatic for them to play, what their ranges are, what their special characteristics are, how to combine multiple instruments to create layered sounds, and balancing each element of the composition so that the music performs effectively.
S: Could you also explain: Music Preparation Supervisor and Source Music Arranger?
RS: The Music Preparation Supervisor is in charge of translating all of the music for the film into written music preparing all of the written parts for the musicians and the scores for the conductor. On a typical film it can generally amount to between 3000-5000 pages of music. A Source Music Arranger arranges the music that is in a film, that doesn't pertain to the music in the score for example, songs or music that might be played by people who are on the screen. More specifically about the arranging side, arranging is a form of composing, and it is what you would do to a composition that already exists such as creating background figures, musical accompaniments, countermelodies, giving the music a unique signature, and shaping the form for a composition.
S: Is there a composer you value most, or has had an influence on you and your style?
RS: There are many great composers who have inspired me over the years and have created great ways of scoring films. John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, Howard Shore, Elmer Bernstein, Max Steiner, John Morris, and many other composers of today come to mind. There hasn't been any one composer that I would like to write exactly like, but there are many elements of individual composer's styles which I have learned from. Classical composers like Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Prokofiev, and many other contemporary composers and instrumentalists from the last 100 years have also had an influence on me such as Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and so many others. For me, I am continually discovering my own musical voice, and I think with each time I compose, I come a little closer to defining it.
Interview by Lukas Remis for Soundtrack
Please click HERE for interview on Soundtrack Web Site.