Jesper Kyd – Assassin’s Creed 2

ASSASSIN'S CREED II IMMERSES PLAYERS  WITH EPIC MUSIC SCORE BY JESPER KYD   Assassin's Creed II Original Soundtrack available November 16th

 

Los Angeles - November 2nd, 2009 - Award-winning composer Jesper Kyd has created an epic soundtrack for Assassin's Creed II, the sequel to the fastest-selling new IP in video game history. Following his atmospheric score for the original Assassin's Creed, Kyd takes the music in an adventurous new direction and crafts an immensely diverse, melodic and progressive musical pallete featuring acoustic and symphonic orchestrations with emotional depth and diversity. The original score was recorded with A-List musicians and a Hollywood orchestra and choir at the world-renowned Capitol Studios. The Assassin's Creed II Original Soundtrack will be available for digital download from popular music stores on November 16th. Assassin's Creed II features a new hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Italian noble, and a new era, the Renaissance. The game tells an epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of a Renaissance Italy. Ezio befriends Leonardo da Vinci, takes on Florence's most powerful families and ventures throughout the canals of Venice where he learns to become a master assassin. The music propels the action, captures the allure and mystery of the story and immerses players in the breathtakingly detailed settings.  Patrice Desilets, Creative Director at Ubisoft: "Jesper Kyd's score for Assassin's Creed II brings players into the Italian Renaissance by providing a true sense of depth for the poignant moments, while also giving a jolt of adrenaline to the action-packed sequences. We are thrilled to have Jesper Kyd back with us in making Assassin's Creed II an epic title on all levels."  Jesper Kyd: "We created a unique musical identity for Assassin's Creed II that reflects the character and story of Ezio and elevated the music, both in terms of creativity and live production, to a whole new level."  Assassin's Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin's Creed brand. Assassin's Creed II is scheduled to launch on November 17th, 2009 for the PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC. For more information about Assassin's Creed II, please visit www.assassinscreed.com.

 

 

 

 

 

After some great videogames like Unreal Tournament 3, Hitman: Blood Money and Kane & Lynch you did the soundtracks for Borderlands and Assassin’s Creed 2.

 What changed between Assassin’s Creed 1 and 2? Did you change your way of work/composing?

 There was a huge difference between the scoring methods but I can’t share these details without breaking my NDA.

 We didn’t worry too much about syncing the music as there are a lot of music rules depending on what the player does already. We have music for many different modes and types including fighting, running, stealth, flying, racing, specific areas etc.

 

What are the musical differences between the first and the second one?

 

Assassin's Creed II is a revenge story where Ezio seeks justice for the killing of his father and brothers, so there is a tragic sadness to some of the music. The first game is about a master Assassin being stripped of his title and having to learn and prove to the Brotherhood that he is worthy of being an Assassin.  The original Assassin’s Creed takes place during the Third Crusades in 1191AD so there is also an emotional impact in the music.

 The overall difference is the time period. Music for Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre sounds very different from Renaissance Italy, so we wanted the game to sound different.

 The cities in the Assassin’s Creed series all have different moods. There are areas in AC2 such as the Wastelands, which is a plague-infested location full of misery, death and despair. Broken guitars and acoustic percussion make up the music for these sections of the game. The acoustic guitars here are played by loosening the strings on the guitars and it becomes a modern approach to playing an old instrument.

 However Renaissance influenced music is not something that works for all the locations in Assassin's Creed II. Some areas needed something dark and different from the beauty and tranquility of cities such as Venice and Florence. Experiencing such music changes really makes the player appreciate the beauty and elegance that Venice and Florence offer. Modern elements also “bleed” through the score into the past. The modern elements mixed with the Renaissance influence is an important atmosphere for us to express and most of the music features modern sounds.

 

Do you work together with the same musicians and orchestra? What changed? Do you used some electronic music and synthesizer too or just some real instruments, playing and orchestra? 

For the first Assassin's Creed I mostly worked with solo performers and a large choir. For Assassin’s Creed 2 I worked with some of the same solo musicians but this time around we recorded the orchestra and choir at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. I also used lots of synths, much more than for the original Assassin’s Creed.

 

Are you working with female and male choirs? Maybe also with children?

 We recorded solo vocals and mixed choir but not any children. Some of the performances were manipulated and made to sound more like children etc.

 

 Have you worked with the same choirs as in Assassin’s Creed 1?

For the original Assassin's Creed we recorded the choir at the Bastyr Chapel in Seattle. As mentioned earlier, for the sequel we recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood.

 

When do you use choirs? Why? For cinematiques animations or less dramatic scenes?

 It depends on the scene and music style required. If appropriate, I like using choirs for any style of music. Choir works great for almost any intensity. 

 

Where do you worked on it? In the United States of America or Europe? Do you work in the Studios of Ubisoft?

I wrote the score at my studio in Burbank and recorded most of the live elements in Hollywood.

 

What kind of software are you using to mixing and producing?

 The music was created in Cubase and then mixed in Pro Tools.

 

 I think there are much more tracks with in Assassin’s Creed 2 then in the first one.  Why that? Have you got more time for Assassin’s Creed 2 or has it more content on it, so that you need to create more tracks?

 Actually I wrote more music for the first Assassin’s Creed, about 3 ½ hours worth. For Assassin's Creed 2 I wrote around 3 hours.

  

How much time do you have to realize and compose the soundtrack to Assassin’s Creed 2?

 I had around 12 months to write the score and it was written over a time period of 9 months during two sessions.

 

What kind of instruments do you used for Assassin’s Creed 2?

 Many solo instruments performed live, mixed together with a string section, woodwinds, choirs, solo vocals, lots of live percussion, acoustic and electric guitars, pianos and synthesizers such as Yamaha CS80, Oberheim OBXa, Yamaha VL-1, Roland V-Synth GT, A6 Andromeda etc.

 

Did you compose the score for Borderlands on the same time as Assassin’s Creed 2 or was that before/after it?

 The score for Assassin’s Creed 2 was written in two major writing sessions. After the first half of the score was complete, I worked on other projects;  I had to wait for some of the gameplay features to be complete before I could continue writing the gameplay specific music. During this period I wrote the music for Borderlands and other projects.

  

How do you start with composing? How do you mix your soundtracks usually?
When do you know to use some choirs or some special instruments?

 When scoring a video game it’s not always clear what is needed since you don’t have a script or scene to follow. Writing tracks for exploration is the most challenging aspect since I have to invent a scenario or mood that will fit the game.  For example, music for walking around Venice when there is no danger. How do you write a dramatic piece of music when there is no drama to score to? And then when that is done, you have to do it again and again. There is a lot of exploration music in Assassin's Creed 2 and those tracks took the longest to write. Basically I try to figure out what these tracks should express and then as the track starts to come to life I figure out what is needed. Other times I would plan each track and write for a designated number of live performers and orchestra players. There is a limitation in writing like that,  and that kind of technique. But both techniques are equally effective and I apply both to my music.

 

 Where do you find your inspiration for Assassin’s Creed 2 or other games?

 I think about what the ultimate type of music for each situation would be. Players will spend 20+ hours playing through Assassin’s Creed 2 and I care about writing music people will want to hear again. Some films have a score that complements the film and nothing more. It never gets in the way and it always follows exactly how you should feel when watching it. I like different kinds of film scores that dare to do more than just complement the story; soundtracks that enhance the atmosphere and also add elements that are not part of what you see but are part of the storyline and the director's vision.  Scores such as Gladiator, Blade Runner, First Blood etc add so much that they make great movies absolute classics. I always liked watching those movies over and over because I Iike to be transported to these places. The atmosphere and soundtrack has a lot to do with that.

  

Are there some game styles which are easier or more difficult to compose? Is for example Hitman: Blood Money as difficult as Borderlands? Or is maybe Assassin’s Creed 2 easier then Unreal Tournament 3?

 The Hitman series is difficult to score since the soundtracks to Hitman: Codename 47, some of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money all were written as interior music to fit with Agent 47's mindset. I also included inspiration from the locations but each track for most of the series has interior mindset elements of Agent 47 in them.

  

Are you a gamer too? If yes, what kind of videogames are you playing (action, adventure, racing, sport…)?

 I don't get time to check out games as much as I used to as I'm busy writing the music for my projects. However I do enjoy racing games (Burnout series), open sandbox games (Grand Theft Auto Series, Assassin’s Creed Series) and first person shooters with good storylines or strategic elements (BioShock, Half-Life 2 Series, Dead Space). My favourite titles of all time are Battle Zone 1+2, GTA: Vice City and the first Far Cry.

  

If you play video games, where do you play? On a console like Playstation 3 or directly on PC?

 Consoles and PC.

  

Did you already play Assassin’s Creed 2?

 Yes, I have been experiencing the game for a long time. I recently completed playing through the final release version.

 

How is the feeling of the game? What changed in comparison to the first one? I think there is more action and stealth movements, is this correct?

 So much has been improved while keeping the best aspects that worked well from the first game. Now the missions are divided into several sections. For example, there are missions where you locate, follow, assassinate and then escape, all within one mission. So there is a lot more variety to the gameplay. The story is also crucial to the game and you play through the game following the storyline.

 

Do you think there will be a part 3? If yes, are you composing it too?

 I don’t know. I think Ubisoft is focusing their effort right now on creating the 2 DLC’s for Assassin’s Creed 2.

 

There are some rumours in the internet about a movie based on Assassin’s Creed. Hollywood is creating more and more some movies based on video games. The also did «Hitman». Do you know if there is coming a movie for Assassin’s Creed or other games? 

I have not heard anything about it. The Assassin’s Creed Series is such a huge franchise so I wouldn't be surprised if there was going to be a movie made some day.

 

I loved the game Borderlands, the complete Unreal series and of course Hitman. They are my favourites. Not least because of the music. 

Thank you.J  I enjoy composing for a variety of genres and they were all great projects to work on for different reasons.

 

But you did also soundtracks for movies like Staunton Hill or Year Zero. Could you please tell us something about those movies?

 Staunton Hill is a really interesting movie with some terrifying scenes as well as a good story. I recorded with a New York jazz ensemble and modified some old tube radios from the 1950’s and 1960’s with inputs and outputs so I could run different instruments and sometimes the entire score through these tube radios. The killer in the movie always turns on the radio when going to work in his slaughterhouse. The radio was like a character and so I wanted the radio to have its own voice as well. It worked out quite effective. We even used this approach for the opening of the film. The jazz music is so distorted in the opening that at the end of the opening credits, it borderlines noiseJ 

Year Zero is a documentary shot during a couple of year’s time in Cambodia with a former child solider and de-miner. It’s a powerful story and the score is written from the perspective of “hope remains”. I use some interesting instruments, such as African kalimbas, acoustic guitars and local singers. It’s more of a small ensemble score mixed with electronics and filtered acoustic performances.

 

Do you prefer to compose some tracks for movies or for video games? What is more difficult and more time expensive?

 I enjoy scoring both media for different reasons.  Overall, games are more challenging since you don’t always have a storyline to follow. You have to make a lot of things up when composing for games. You have to be very creative and imaginative! Film poses different challenges and once you have a good idea, it’s about applying that method or those instruments to write a score that follow the story. In some ways games are more like writing character themes or main title music or song structured tracks. For example, a typical game score could use 6 combat cues, each 2 minutes long. Where a film often has many different moods in an action scene, an action cue for a game usually has to maintain the same level of intensity throughout.

  

Which are your favourite composers, if you have? Have you an idol or master?

 I like composers who reinvent themselves such as Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith, John Powell. It’s not just about being good at writing music in different genres but to be able to expand your skillset further with each new score and create something unique or original is very challenging. I have a lot of respect for composers that go the extra mile to do that. It's what I try to do as well and it’s one reason all my scores sound so different from each other.

 

Is there a favourite music instrument, which you are using in your soundtracks? Hans Zimmer often likes to use some synthesizer, but often it’s too expensive and takes to much time to compose/produce. What do you think about that?

 It would be the piano and synthesizer. I use old analog synths such as the Yamaha CS80 (used by Vangelis for the Blade Runner score), Korg MonoPoly, System 100, Paraphonic 505, OBXa etc. These are old monster synths that take time and patience to learn. It took me a few years before I got comfortable using the CS-80 but it’s used throughout the Assassin's Creed 2 score together with the Oberheim OBXa.

 

Please tell us something about your next projects. What kind of composing are you doing right now?

 I have a new project coming out soon called The Resistance Series.

I composed about 45 minutes of action music and I also scored the trailer which is playing at: http://www.theresistanceseries.com/ I also have 2 new game projects in the works that I can’t talk about yet.

 

Which movie or video game would you like to compose in the near future?  What would you ever like to compose or be a part of it?

 I don’t really think of it that way. I am more interested in forming a good working relationship with a director or game producer. To be able to be creative with a score far outweighs working on a 'dream' project. For me it’s about the music and being in a situation where people trust you and want you to invent. That is what motivates me and makes me happy.

 

What are you doing in your free time?

 I have 2 very young kids and that’s where my spare time is spent these daysJ

 

 Now I would like to ask you my last question in this interview. I found different names in the internet about your name. Some writes “Jesper”, and others “Jasper”. Are both names possible or is that a mistake? What’s on it?

 Well, my name is Jesper, so there you have it ;)

 

Thank you very much for your time and all the best from France and Switzerland.

 Thanks guys!

 

Christine Blanc                               Fabrice Steurer   

www.inter-activities.com              www.hans-zimmer.ch 

                                         

 

 

© by Christine Blanc and Fabrice Steurer  

6^th November 2009