You’re presently working on several
projects at the same time; how do you manage to do
do that?
TB-I simplified my
schedule so there are no conflicts. While many
composers are comfortable handling several projects
at once, I prefer to give my undivided attention to
each film and director. I am currently working
exclusively with Rob Zombie on ‘HALLOWEEN.’
Would you tell us about the
WATCHMEN?
TB-It is much too early to tell what the music for
‘Watchmen’ will be and what musical devices it will
employ. It is my intention (like HALLOWEEN) to
create a complete ‘temp score’ of original music
before and during filming. This way if there is any
specific “orientation” it is in reference to the
body of music created for the film itself. I have
never embraced ”temp scores” but I understand their
necessity in the process of modern filmmaking. I
would like to see film-scoring return to the
process of old when composers wrote the score in
advance to filming, and afterwards refined the
music if necessary after principal photography. It
sounds idealistic, but I think it is the only way
to create a reasonably “original” body of music for
a film.
La petite histoire...
Une
image subliminale de THE WATCHMEN aurait été
glissée par Zack Snyder dans un trailer de 300.
L'HISTOIRE:
Plusieurs super-héros combattent le crime dans une
Amérique de fin du monde. Vulnérables, humains,
imparfaits, ils ont autant de qualités que de défauts
et font pour la plupart ressortir leur côté sombre,
mélange de cruauté et d'égoïsme.
And about 300?
TB- I
first became involved in ‘300’ in May of 2004, just
after the release of my first project with Zack
Snyder, “Dawn Of The Dead.” He showed the ‘300’
graphic novel to me and asked if I was interested
in creating music for a presentation he was
preparing in effort to attract studio backing for
the film. This ultimately entailed the creation of
several pieces of music. Once Zack expressed his
approach to making the novel into a film, we
discussed that the music needed to feel indigenous
to 480 B.C, expressed in a highly contemporized
way. Percussion and vocals immediately came to mind
in respect to the simplicity of musical structure
centuries ago. I also thought of my friend,
vocalist Azam Ali, with whom I was making a record
with at the time. Because I knew the depth of
Azam’s talent and techniques, I was able to utilize
her voice for many characters within the the score
far beyond your typical film score “oohs and ahhs.”
I think she added a tremendous amount of emotion
and personality to the score. In addition to the
final score, Azam participated in the initial music
sketches for the presentation, music created for a
“test shot,” which embodied the majority of the
score concepts, and several pieces of music written
for which to choreograph various scenes during
principal photography.
The ambient sound design aspect of
‘300’ is a consistent component in my scores. In
discussing the films’ various locations, I was
excited by the opportunity to create textural
elements and soundscapes unlike anything I have heard
in an epic film. The majority of this material is
handcrafted in my studio. It was Zack’s idea to bring
electric guitars into the mix. He is well aware of my
history as a recording artist and touring musician. I
am a guitarist by trade, so this was not a surprise
to me. I did feel that in the scope of the “rock”
element of the score would need to be connected to
the more traditional aspects of the music. After
work-shopping the many “rock’ pieces with a few
friends who play in some of today’s biggest heavy
bands, I then experimented with “detuning” the
guitars and affecting them so that they became as
crude as the on-screen weaponry. I also wanted to
create a “rock’ sound without the use of a
traditional drum kit, which I think worked out pretty
well. Ultimately, the music to ‘300’ is precisely
what Zack and I worked to create in a 2 1/2 year
span.
You're
actualy working with Rob Zombie on Halloween 9.
What's about this new experience with Rob, and
what's about the score? Are you working with John
Carpenter?
TB-I
have known Rob Zombie for several years, which led
to him bringing me on board his last film, “The
Devil’s Rejects.” When he was first asked to do
‘HALLOWEEN,’ he came to me to create our version of
John Carpenter’s great classic theme for his
presentation to the studio regarding his concept
for the film. It went over well, and is now used as
the music for the current theatrical trailer for
the movie. I won’t be collaborating with John
Carpenter on this project although that would be
great fun. My collaboration with Rob is not
verbally specific. The information is in his film.
I do watch the film in its various permutations to
see where he is going with the movie and how he
feels about the structure at any given time. I also
have the opportunity to see what he has done with
the music I have created for “temp” purposes. He
makes it fairly obvious what he wants the music to
accomplish without making specific musical
references. The film itself embodies the character
of great classic films, although there is nothing
cheesy about this movie. I would liken the first
act to ‘In Cold Blood.’ It is insane. I have to say
that it is a great challenge to augment what is
taking place on-screen without being too heady. As
I write this I feel like the music is headed in the
right direction for this film. It is truly
disturbing and raw. The music becomes a bit more
traditional in the third act, and employs most if
not all of the classic John Carpenter themes. The
cinematography is a determining factor in the
expression of these themes. They tend to work the
best when they saty close to the minimalist
approach of John Carpenter in the first ‘HALLOWEEN’
film. I anticipate that orchestra will play a large
role in the music throughout the third act, but
that doesn’t mean it will be less intense than the
music in the first half of the film. We are still
in the middle of this project so I cannot make any
definitive claims about the film or its music other
than it is scary as hell!
What's about Resident Evil:
Extinction?
TB-I
opted out of this film because their schedule
pushed too far into a conflict with ‘HALLOWEEN.’
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