CONDUCTOR / ORCHESTRATOR

Image printed with kind permission of Air Studios.

Tom Hoover: When I listen to the scores you are involved with, I often notice a very pleasing, polished sound that is consistent with each title. In my opinion, you have a magic touch! But as we all know, quite a bit of work goes into making this magic happen. Can you talk about what the typical scoring project is like for you as an orchestrator and conductor?

Nicholas Dodd: There is always a process that takes place. Usually I meet with the composer and see and hear a few cues for the film, discuss the approach. Then it is pen to paper. In almost all cases I write as I write—meaning I have a certain way I like to “say” things. It’s not conscious, but it just happens—usually there is little time to think about the cue you have just written down, but it is always important to listen to the synth demo as a guide only, to take the essence of what is trying to be said for the film and translate that as best as one can for the orchestra. Oftentimes this will mean that the notes I am given are not quite the notes that end up on the paper. (Here I talk about the presentation, not the themes.)

In conducting, I am always fortunate to work mostly in London or L.A., where the best musicians for film music reside, and I like to get the best from them. I have a tremendous respect for these guys—all masters of their instrument, and it is always a great pleasure to work with them. They have their job, and my job is to make sure they perform the cue as if it was a performance, which basically for me at least, it is—a performance. There is always a “curve” to the session, and certain cues are best done in the morning—i.e., battle/chase cues—then as the day goes on, more atmospheric cues, although still notey, can be done, just not as intense as the early-morning cues.

Pitch is a very important factor for me, and I enjoy tuning, say, the horn section and picking out the note that can be a shade “off”—which is rare with the London guys. One can be so spoilt because they have excellent tuning, and when I do mention this aspect, it is always just a shade, sometimes even a balance problem. Really, I approach the orchestra as a thoroughbred horse who knows inside out the course it has to run; I just guide it here and there.

Tom Hoover: Please tell us about your ongoing partnership with David Arnold and how it was that the two of you became affiliated with one another.

Nicholas Dodd: Many years ago I had a MIDI suite and used to get all my gear from Thatched Cottage Audio, run by Dave Simpson. One day I was there and wanted to get a demo of the TX16W, especially for the horn sounds. David was the chap doing the demo for me. We soon discovered we heard sound in the same way and got on well. He reminded me not long ago that I made a few suggestions as to his demo at that time (this has to be 1989??)—something about timp and pizz bass, which he said he used to good effect, I believe—ha! Anyway, that’s how we met. The Young Americans was our first project together, and six months later we both went to L.A. and wrote Stargate together, after which followed Independence Day, and the rest is history.

Tom Hoover: When the conversation is about film scores, the music of the James Bond movies is right there at the head of the class. Can you talk about the pop-culture impact the music of Bond has had on entertainment and how you and the team were able to preserve this legacy in your outings?

Nicholas Dodd: The thing with Bond is that it must always be for the time, so the producers use a pop group they feel is popular for the time (which won’t hurt sales either). Weaving this element into a score is another completely different field, which can be a pleasure if the artist or group concerned is down to earth and doesn’t become too protective of their work in the creative stages. More importantly, John Barry is the boss when it comes to the famous themes, and in the first five Bonds after GoldenEye, we were at pains to include this as much as possible. Slowly but surely the old themes are used more sparingly. That might be the fact that when Dave and I first wrote our first Bond, it was probably like two boys in a candy store—what’s not to like? However, the new Bond (Daniel Craig)—it’s as if he has to “earn” the bond theme—so the Bond themes were only hinted at during the film, and the full statement of the theme was purposefully left to the very end of both films—especially in Quantum of Solace.

Tom Hoover: How long does the orchestration process typically take on a score project, and what are some of the techniques you employ to ensure success?

Nicholas Dodd: A good time for any major feature is eight weeks. Ensure success—just keep writing, even if you don’t have anything to write, and be organized.

Tom Hoover: Be it orchestrating, conducting, or composing—what do you enjoy the most about each?

Nicholas Dodd: Hmm, difficult to say. I can answer thus: When I am conducting I love it and think only of myself as a conductor; when I orchestrate I am weaving sounds and I am an orchestrator only; and when I compose...well, I think you get the picture. I suppose one cannot really separate these fields; all are connected, and film draws upon them all at the same time, especially when you are conducting and need to provide a different solution than the one already on paper. I rather like that challenge to compose on the spot: Tell them then to hear it, see if the director and composer like it, change it if need be, but always do it very quickly!

Tom Hoover: You composed a marvelous score for Treasured Island, which featured a superlative theme as one of the highlights. How does timing factor into your equation as you pursue composing projects versus some of the (equally important) behind-the-scenes duties?

Nicholas Dodd: There are always clashes, and sometimes I have been doing three projects at once. The only way to do this is simply to write as much as possible in one day, but thankfully those moments don’t happen much—just a couple of times, but my goodness, they keep you busy. I must say I have been lucky, as composing projects have usually arrived in a two-week window, so I get themes together et cetera, and then it becomes an orchestrational exercise. On Die Another Day, I remember getting up at 4 a.m. to write a couple of cues for Andrew Lockington on Journey to the Center of the Earth, then spending a day conducting Bond, getting back and writing usually one cue, then crashing, then 4 a.m.... Luckily, that was only one week!

Tom Hoover: The more I learn about this industry, the more I realize that it takes skill at every level to deliver a polished product. How important is teamwork for achieving success in the scoring world, and what happens to the end product when the team’s chemistry is off?

Nicholas Dodd: Teamwork is very important. Now programmers are used and editors, et cetera, to help the composer. A good team makes the job great fun. I was once involved in a project that did not have a good team. It was not pleasant, but I have to say the music sounded good, so I think, to answer your question, the job gets done, but a good team can make it a good experience.

Tom Hoover: One of the hidden gems from the past decade was Clint Mansell’s score for Sahara. What are your recollections from this project, and do you think that this score was perhaps a bit underrated (or overlooked)?

Nicholas Dodd: This is a good question—and might I say astute? My recollections are varied. Suffice it to say I agree that this score was overlooked.

Tom Hoover: Many of the scores you are affiliated with are unafraid to present substantial main themes that carry a picture forward, which is a bit rare today. Why do you feel so many film producers have an aversion to embracing what a proper main theme can offer a given picture?

Nicholas Dodd: Producers mostly are concerned with making something successful, and this will lead to following the trends. I should say that there are quite a few producers out there who have great artistic integrity, but this industry is called the music business for a reason! The head of music at Warner Bros. is Paul Broucek, and he is the only head of music I have worked with who actually knows what he is talking about and is respectful to the musicians. He is a great person as well—can’t really say enough good things about Paul, and believe me that is rare! Included in this is Linda Springer at Paramount Pictures, who will always come through for you if you really need another session.

Tom Hoover: Peering ahead, do you have plans, schedule permitting, to pursue composing projects in addition to the great work you already do? Selfishly, I am quite eager to hear more from Nicholas Dodd the Composer, as I think you have a great knack for it.

Nicholas Dodd: You are most kind. I am writing my own melodies in my synth suite and will happily compose for any director who asks me, but this will be the exception rather than the rule, as people in the industry know me as an orchestrator and conductor. It’s all music, and I love what I do.

RECORDING ENGINEER

Tom Hoover: As an introduction, please provide us with a snapshot of your career within the film industry, as well as some of the noteworthy artists you have worked with apart from it.

John Kurlander: My work in the film industry started around 1993 with Howard Shore. He’d expressed some interest in working with a classically trained engineer, and my position at Abbey Road as chief recording engineer of both the studios and EMI Classics appealed to him.

I had started as a “tea boy” at Abbey Road Studios in 1967 at the age of 16, straight from school. After an initial training of three months, I began to assist on some sessions, both pop and classical. At the beginning of 1969, I was approached by George Martin and Geoff Emerick to be the principal “tape op,” or assistant engineer, on the Beatles’ upcoming album, which was later to become known as Abbey Road. This was an unbelievable experience and an amazing start so early in my career. As a music lover of pop and classical, the studios gave me a unique chance to work in both, and by 1970 I was engineering my first sessions for Badfinger, which Geoff produced for Apple Records.

Tom Hoover: As a recording engineer, do you alter your approach depending on the film you’re working on, or do the fundamentals remain the same?

John Kurlander: Yes, absolutely. My approach is similar; however, I always customize the layout and miking to the exact proportions of the given orchestral lineup and make it as musically intelligent as possible so that the musicians can hear each other and therefore blend better. I attempt to create a sonic identity or branding for each composer that is instantly recognizable but reflects his or her personality and taste. Whether or not it accumulatively also sounds like me is more difficult to say. I’d like to think it always sounds fresh, but most importantly has a sound that conveys the soul as well as the balance of the score.

Tom Hoover: On a typical film project, what would the range of your responsibilities consist of?

John Kurlander: The recording engineer/mixer is responsible for session planning, room setup, mic selection, creating the sound recordings, and eventually refining and finalizing those sounds in the mix. It’s a truly wonderful job, and just the chance to be working with so many talented musicians is a joy in itself. The best thing is that as technologies and tastes are quickly updating and changing, no two recordings are the same, and it’s a constantly evolving art. Having said that, many of the challenges and pitfalls can easily be avoided by doing lots of homework, research, and forward planning, especially on the large orchestral sessions where time, money, and reputations are all on the line.

Tom Hoover: How noteworthy an experience was it for you to be involved with the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

John Kurlander: This was a massive undertaking, with all three movies having pretty much continuous music throughout, with at least three hours of score for each film, plus an additional 30 minutes for each extended DVD. We needed to record in no fewer than four principal venues, in Wellington, New Zealand, and Abbey Road, Lyndhurst, and Watford Town Hall in London. However, to allow for extensive editing between performances, the sound had to be 100-percent consistent between takes from all venues, in some cases with different orchestral personnel—the edits had to sound like a single performance, even though this “single performance” was actually recorded over a time span of 3-1/2 years. My classical training and discipline became invaluable as I devised a studio setup that would be re-created in the four rooms, and I adopted an almost fanatical attention to detail (or simply “continuity,” as Peter Jackson accurately referred to it).

To allow Howard time to write and orchestrate new music as the final picture edits came in, for each film we initiated a two- to three-month recording schedule consisting of approximately 3-1/2 recording days per week. Concurrent with the recordings, an edit and mix team was set up at Abbey Road, and the final mixes were securely uploaded to the dub in New Zealand. Halfway through each film’s scoring sessions, Peter Jackson would need to return to New Zealand, so we continued without him and had numerous video-conference playbacks—common enough nowadays, but somewhat new back in 2001!

Tom Hoover: In films today, sound effects play an increasingly larger role in the movies we see, mainly because there are so many action-driven pictures being produced. What do you do when sound effects, dialogue, and the music are all fighting for screen time?

John Kurlander: I think some of the best directors and composers instinctively know when to leave music out completely if it’s facing an uphill battle with effects, and in those cases the music can be that much more effective when it is finally reintroduced. Having said that, there are several ways to compose, orchestrate, and mix the music for FX-heavy scenes that will let them convey the musical message without actually being noticeably audible. I’ve found that collaborating with the sound designers and dub mixers at an early stage can really be advantageous.

Tom Hoover: Do you think audiences might be unaware of this in the final product?

John Kurlander: Certainly. One film I mixed, Master and Commander, which won numerous awards for its sound mix, had the unusual challenge of having “white-noise” waves and ocean sounds continuously, and our music mix of a predominantly classical orchestral score was tailored to work with these watery restrictions. I worked very closely with the dubbing mixers and initially took some test mixes over to the pre-dubs to make sure what I gave them was going to be workable in this situation.

John Kurlander with composer Jesper Kyd at Capitol Studios during the Assassin’s Creed II orchestra and choir recording session.

Tom Hoover: What are some of the ways in which post-production has changed now as opposed to when you first started?

John Kurlander: My film career started in 1993, so that hasn’t been that long, but I’d have to say that since Pro Tools was introduced and upgraded, it has quickly become the indisputable industry standard over those years. When I made the move to Los Angeles, most film scores were being made to a Sony Digital 3348 tape machine, and Pro Tools was an 8-track device used for final mixdowns and its editing capabilities. With the approval and impetus of composer David Newman, we (Marty Frasu, Digidesign’s Tom Graham, and I) put ourselves on the spot by being the first team ever to assemble and use a 48-track input/output Pro Tools rig as the principal recorder for a live orchestral scoring session. Although we had the safety net of a tape backup running, it was still an exciting day at Twentieth Century Fox Scoring Stage to be at the cutting edge of the next stage of recording technology.

Tom Hoover: In 2010, The Hurt Locker captured quite a few awards. Story aside, can you comment on the technical achievements of this picture, and specifically, what the film’s score and sound design contributed to it? More than other films from 2009, the audio elements played a vital role toward the film’s success.

John Kurlander: The Hurt Locker was an extremely low-budget project, and many of the instruments were played by the composers Marco Beltrami (keyboards) and Buck Sanders (guitars) themselves. Three string players (violin, cello, and bass) as well as a couple of ethnic instrumentalists were brought in to Marco’s home studio and recorded separately—a truly minimalist setup in a space just large enough to accommodate one musician at a time. However, at the core of the composition was the integration of some electronic sounds, which were created partly with new elements, and some provided by the sound designer. For most of the first half of the film, we achieved a mix of music and ambient sound design interwoven into the fabric of the drama—so much so that some people were unaware of any music per se, until later on in the film when the melodic themes are introduced and featured. I think the camouflaged blend of musical tonality and sound design really helped sharpen the raw tension that this film has been so lauded for.

Marco and Buck had a gut instinct that this was to be a very special project, but we were all very happily surprised by the extent of its critical success.

Tom Hoover: As you look back on your career, what projects, film related or not, stand out to you the most and why?

John Kurlander: The standouts are probably a list of “first times” for me:

Tom Hoover: What would be some words of advice for individuals who are looking to break into this field? Is there a specific path you recommend they follow?

John Kurlander: First and foremost, proficiency with Pro Tools is a given, and although other compositional DAWs are useful to know, it’s really mostly about PT as far as the future is concerned.

Additionally, degrees in music, electronics, acoustics, architecture, construction, business, and people skills are all attributes that might come in useful; however, it helps getting plugged into a related field straight out of college, and then good old interning ’til you get the breaks.

Tom Hoover: What was it like for you to touch the Star Wars universe with the videogame projects you worked on for LucasArts? Also, how vast a difference was the time commitment spent on a game project versus a feature film for you?

John Kurlander: I recall each of the Star Wars games I worked on were scored in about two to three days, so that’s a major difference from the original films, obviously. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which regrettably is unlikely to ever see an official CD release (and is only available as an online listen or within the game), I think was an outstanding piece of work and especially noteworthy since it was the first Star Wars–related music to be recorded up at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch scoring stage. (All the film soundtracks were scored in London.) As far as time spent on films versus games, in general I’d say there’s very little difference at the lower end, and in fact some of the lowest-budget films have been scored in far less time than a medium-budget game. A generalization I find is that the gaming audience is more aware of and appreciative of the music scores, and since they often have the choice of easily replacing the score with some music choices of their own in-game, it often seems to have become a more respected feature of the art form than its current film counterpart.

Tom Hoover: Do you find that there is something new to learn with each and every new project you become involved with? Also, is that in part what is fun about it?

John Kurlander: Absolutely. Apart from when working on franchises and sequels, no two film scores are the same, and I’ll vary my technical approach in terms of miking and layout according to the artistic styles of the composer and filmmakers. It’s a vital part of the creative process, and every new project brings its own set of challenges. On more relaxed sessions where there’s time to pay attention to smaller details, it’s really interesting to notice the learning curves of all the different orchestras and how their performances can either improve or occasionally deteriorate with constant repetition and refinement.

As far as scheduling goes, on orchestral recordings I’ve found that the amount of music I’ve recorded in a single three-hour session with breaks has varied from six minutes up to a staggering 60 minutes (admittedly only once!), so sometimes the pure adrenalin of the musicians and crew working on something so fast can be a thrilling ride in itself.

COMPOSER / ORCHESTRATOR

Tom Hoover: Before we talk about your promising composing career, let’s touch on some of your work leading up to it. For the casual soundtrack fan, can you please elaborate on the key role of an orchestrator?

Penka Kouneva: The orchestrator works closely with the composer on creating scores that are recorded with large or small orchestras. Usually the composer is under tremendous pressure to write an enormous amount of music in a short time and to have “playback” meetings with the director, producers, and studio heads. While the composer is preoccupied with studio politics, crazy budgets, composing, feedback, and revisions, the orchestrator writes out the arrangements and ensures that the composer’s ideas sound their very best. The orchestrator also liaises with orchestra contractors, recording engineers, music editors, musicians, and various score production personnel in planning the sessions. One thing the orchestrator cannot do is order gourmet lunch for the session. It’s usually bagels....

Tom Hoover: What is the collaborative experience between an orchestrator and a film composer like on a typical project? Also, since you’ve worn both of those hats in your career, does that give you more of a unique insight toward what’s needed?

Penka Kouneva: When I orchestrate, my job is to support the composer by creating the best orchestral scores for their scoring session, producing the sessions, and “mothering” the score. A lot of musical and organizational work goes into it. Usually I discuss with the composer how big or small the orchestra will be (based on the needs of the score and budget), how many hours of sessions we need to record everything, timelines for delivery, et cetera. We talk about the style of the music, sometimes even who would play particular instruments and solos. I love being both an orchestrator and a composer. As an orchestrator, I provide the principal support to the composers and walk the extra mile to make their music shine and to make them feel in safe, caring hands. As a composer, I am the creative artist who supports the director’s vision. My unique soundtrack breathes life into his or her film. I myself am in the pressure cooker of politics, budgets, and all creative issues that composers negotiate daily.

Tom Hoover: Can you talk about the challenges of working on a score that uses both electronic and live orchestral elements and how that impacts the orchestration?

Penka Kouneva: Nowadays most scores incorporate both arsenals. Some are mostly traditional with added electronics for color or embellishment. Others, like Transformers, are electronic, where the orchestra is a texture integrated into an extremely complex sonic fabric. The impact on the orchestration is huge—it affects all decisions, from how many musicians, to how to flesh out the score, or how it will be recorded, so that the style comes across perfectly. I work from a deeply musical and organic perspective—always thinking, “What is the style and genre of the film? What are the composer’s musical intentions, and how they can best translate at the recording session?” Because of budgets, practically every ensemble is different in size and configuration of instruments. My job is to listen deeply to the music and determine what’s the best for that particular score.

Tom Hoover: How has your experience in these behind-the-scenes duties helped you in the way of composing? Do these experiences only make you stronger as a composer?

Penka Kouneva: It has been fantastic. I so much love my career and am grateful for being able to work at all levels—from the tiniest low-budget indie drama recorded with five musicians to the biggest blockbuster. I’ve worked with many great masters at the top of their game. I’ve absorbed how a great melody sounds and feels, how a powerhouse theme works, how these gigantic computer sequences are produced with samples. More importantly, on a cinematic and dramatic level I’ve observed how a great score shapes the arc of a scene. How the masters “hit” an element, or create suspense, or pick up the pace, or score a payoff... I came from a classical background, and this visceral, “on-the-job” experience of cinematic scoring was vital for my growth.

Tom Hoover: How exciting has it been to be involved with so many high-profile Hollywood productions, such as Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Matrix films, for example? Can you also talk about some of the opportunities that have opened up for you as a result of your good work?

Penka Kouneva: On the second and third Matrix films, I examined every note in every cue in the scores of two brilliant orchestrators (Erik Lundborg and Conrad Pope, who worked for Don Davis). Knowing the Matrix orchestrations inside out opened the door for my first major solo gig as an orchestrator, for Immediate Music, a trailer company that recorded their high-octane action trailers with 110-piece orchestra and 60-piece choir. Just think...trailers for the most bombastic summer blockbusters...those were my first orchestrating jobs back in 2003. I got dropped at the deep end.

On the third Pirates movie, my assignment was to orchestrate for all non-orchestral and non-Western instruments (cymbalom, dulcimer, koto, tons of Chinese flutes and winds, Irish fiddle, drums of the world). That was such an amazing exposure to world music...and tough, too. I observed closely how Hans Zimmer integrated these elements into a Westernized, action-adventure score. I am deeply grateful to Bruce Fowler, who plugs me in on all Remote Control orchestrating assignments. Working on the Transformers films was amazing—I loved how Steve Jablonsky shaped the theme of The Fallen and other memorable melodies with crystal-clean arc, focused emotion, and balance between the orchestral and electronic elements. I credit Steve as my greatest influence in writing powerhouse themes and in shaping a longer dramatic arc through orchestration and development.

Tom Hoover: Now, I’ve often seen composers start at an early age, but to find out that you were writing music at the age of 12 is rather astounding! I assume you always had an inner sense that music was to be your calling?

Penka Kouneva: I loved music and connected with it at an early age. My mother was a music theory teacher, and my dad was a scientist. They dragged me to a lot of symphony concerts. I took piano lessons as a kid. Of course, first-grade piano method books were very boring for me, so I started improvising. I took ear-training classes since first grade and found writing notes on music paper fascinating. I still have some written-out “piano compositions” from age 8 titled “Fish” and “Bunny in the Field.”

I was growing up in a communist country, but my parents were not a part of the establishment, and I often felt a lonely outsider. We were poor. Music gave me a sense of identity, and the piano became my friend. I was always a thinker and introverted but socially awkward. Thus, music became my place of safety and my outlet for creativity. At age 12 I wrote 30 short pieces—incidental music for a children’s theater show that a friend of my mom’s was producing. I and two friends (flutist and percussionist) played Saturday matinees on this show for a year. I had such great fun. I was a seventh grader and made $15 per show—my first money as a composer-pianist. That was it: I began to identify myself as a composer and just kept doing it.

Tom Hoover: I feel that there are times in each creative individual’s life when a daunting decision to chase their dreams is placed before them. Please tell us about the faith you had in your decision to transition to America from post-communist Bulgaria to pursue your musical aspirations.

Penka Kouneva: Oh, I’ve wanted to immigrate since my teen years. The Berlin Wall fell down in 1989, and in 1990 I was finishing the Music Conservatory. A piano piece of mine won the Ellen Zwilich Award in the U.S., and then I applied for a master’s degree in composition at Duke. I was accepted with a full Mary Duke Biddle graduate fellowship and came to the U.S. in 1990, just when communism collapsed and chaos and massive corruption took over the Eastern Bloc countries. When I boarded the plane to North Carolina in 1990, I knew that was it; there was no going back. I was thoroughly committed to making the best out of my new life in the U.S. I had a student’s visa for three semesters and $130 in my pocket. My mentor at Duke, composer Stephen Jaffe, was very supportive, encouraging, and created an environment for me to thrive and blossom.

Tom Hoover: How accessible were American films and soundtracks in Bulgaria while you were growing up, and which of these movies and/or scores influenced you the most?

Penka Kouneva: I viscerally remember watching Raiders of the Lost Ark—I was sitting on the edge of the chair, nails into the wood, during the entire first act. I also remember loving The Towering Inferno. Another memorable film was a Russian-French epic war film called Teheran 43: Spy Ring, featuring Charles Aznavour’s song over a WWII documentary montage. We did not have TV at home because my parents did not want us to grow up with propaganda. At friends’ homes I did watch a fair amount of Soviet documentaries about WWII. My favorite place was the Sofia Cinémathèque, which I sometimes attended daily. It was showing pretty much all American serious (drama) movies from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s (but nothing too camp and not many genre films). In 1988 I saw Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. It was an earth-shaking experience, a gigantic creative illumination for me. Both the film and Michael Kamen’s score struck me like a lightning. I’ve always loved fantasy, science fiction, satire, and futuristic dystopian narratives, but Brazil was that singular experience that made it all come together—a critique of a totalitarian society, a critique of technology gone wrong, of humans without individuality, of oppressive government, of environmental degradation. I credit Michael Kamen with being that early “lightning”: a most formative influence that inspired me to become a film composer. Still to this day, my favorite genre is sci-fi dystopian films (Soylent Green, THX, V for Vendetta, Equilibrium, Fahrenheit 451, et cetera).

As far as soundtracks, I got my hands on the All That Jazz LP (another formative early-adolescence experience) and Peter Gabriel’s score Passion for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. The fusion of world music with electronica and grooves that were at once sincere and accessible was a formative inspiration for me and deeply affected me as a composer. Even in preparation for scoring The Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands videogame, I revisited my favorite Passion and Passion Sources CDs.

Tom Hoover: How pleased are you with the variety of composing opportunities you’ve worked on thus far, and how important is project diversity for you as you look ahead to future assignments?

Penka Kouneva: I am immensely grateful for my career and feel very blessed. I love all my projects and especially cherish the people with whom I work regularly. By far, the most gratifying aspect of being a film composer-orchestrator is that each assignment is different—I stretch, discover, learn, and grow. The search for the score’s heart, style, and sonic imprint identifying a film is enormously inspiring.

I absolutely love collaborating. Over the years I’ve built a team of fantastic professionals who work alongside me in delivering these massive jobs. On the videogames Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I collaborated with composer-producer Chris Lord, a master of grooves with an amazing imagination for sound plus an insatiable quest for new electronic and organic textures. Both of us worked 14- to 15-hour days for four months on The Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

Tom Hoover: What was your experience like scoring the Syfy movie Ice Spiders, and were there any unexpected challenges that came about from working on a television feature like this?

Penka Kouneva: All of my TV films were great experiences—Chupacabra, Ice Spiders, Nuclear Hurricane. I had to write 70 minutes of action-suspense-horror music in three to four weeks. On Chupacabra I remember working 18-hour days for four straight weeks and then recording the pivotal cues with a teeny, tiny orchestra...like 11 strings, horns, trombones, and tuba. Naturally, live brass is needed on a monster movie. The director wanted a traditional orchestral action-horror-monster score a la Alien with a bit of electronics, and I had a blast with that. Ice Spiders was crazier because the music was mostly action, with heavy electronic grooves and textures. I had just orchestrated on the first Transformers videogame and was ready for the hybrid orchestra and groove-based score. The timeline was absolutely insane (three weeks for a 70-minute score), and I enlisted the help of composer Vivek Maddala with some of the heavy action cues.

Tom Hoover: What is your strategy in achieving the proper tone of music when you’re scoring non-fiction shows such as Dog Fights and Modern Marvels? Is there a type of invisible line that you try not to cross?

Penka Kouneva: Since 2005 I’ve used my down time to compose for this great TV production music company. I just call them with “What do you need now?” and they go, “Here are a bunch of MP3s as a model—action music a la Zimmer that is up tempo, features snare drums, and will go under fighting airplanes.” It’s composing not to picture but entirely based on style, feel, tempo, and instrumentation parameters. For Modern Marvels the marching order was “technology, suspense, science”—modern orchestrations, with groove, sometimes with dark undertones. I also have written tons of libraries for Forensic Files—sad piano, ominous brass swells, throbbing tension pulses, chilly high strings, somber driving mood, emotional human drama, and so on. I love these assignments. Each cue is specific, focused—one theme, one emotion—which I find extremely liberating and fun. It’s a great way of honing one’s chops in various genres and mastering the musical “emotional signifiers.”

Tom Hoover: Out of all the hard work that goes into completing a score, what aspect of a music production do you feel is most overlooked by soundtrack enthusiasts?

Penka Kouneva: Hmm... I trust everyone knows what a recording engineer does, or a session guitarist. But “orchestrator”...the word itself conjures up images of “orchestrating a heist” (I love this one!) or “orchestrating a military coup.” But orchestrators have been around for hundreds of years. It’s a vocation that provides core support for busy composers and makes them shining stars.

Tom Hoover: Having come so far and accomplished so much, what do you have your sights set on next as you look toward your future paths?

Penka Kouneva: I am homing in on videogames as I continue being a cinematic composer. I’ve always loved fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, action. Working with videogame clients has been a fantastic collaborative process. They are generous with their guidance, feedback, and praise. In turn, I walk the extra 10 miles. I find game music to challenge me technologically and structurally (being interactive and being formally rigorous), and I thrive on being challenged. I will pursue getting studio pictures and TV shows, too.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, design WELL

Tom Hoover: Please give us a brief overview about your interest in film music.

Joe Sikoryak: I’ve been a fan of film music as long as I can remember. Warner Bros. cartoons, animated film titles, and TV themes in particular embodied the kinesthetic blend of sight and sound that really excited me as an artist and listener. A few movies, especially those by Ray Harryhausen, Orson Welles, and Alfred Hitchcock, used music as a storytelling device and heightened my appreciation. They all worked with Bernard Herrmann, so it’s no surprise Bennie’s my favorite composer.

For years I was an isolated fan of film underscores, with limited access and means to acquire soundtracks on LP. But I loved ’em when I could get ’em—before home-video movie music was the best way to re-experience a great movie experience. I certainly tape-recorded a lot of soundtracks off of the family TV and even smuggled a tiny reel-to-reel recorder into the theater on occasion, because soundtrack albums were few and far between.

Tom Hoover: How did you first become involved with Film Score Monthly, and what were some of the steps you took to build such a viable partnership?

Joe Sikoryak: I found a copy of FSM buried at the bottom of the magazine rack in the (late and lamented) Tower Records in San Francisco. It was astonishing to me that such a publication existed, even in its crude, fanzine incarnation. In an editorial, publisher Lukas Kendall joked that the content was his primary concern and that “he didn’t need no slick design.” As a professional publication designer, I naturally disagreed and volunteered to give the magazine a makeover for a free subscription. We’ve been working together for over 15 years, 75 magazine issues, and 225+ CD packages.

Tom Hoover: Before Film Score Monthly became involved in publishing limited-edition CDs, they were first known for their print magazines that you helped produce, with responsibilities ranging among design, production, and editorial duties. As a film-music fan yourself, how neat was it to be tied into the industry in this manner?

Joe Sikoryak: Putting my favorite media together in one job was a dream come true. Suddenly, I had an outlet to express years of pent-up academic study (I was a film major) and decades of acquired trivia. Plus, it led to professional visits to most of the major film studios in Hollywood. I still have my first parking pass for the Twentieth Century Fox lot from 1999—I had arrived!

Tom Hoover: How much time do you normally have to dedicate for each CD design project, and is it challenging to locate the rare images that you often use as part of your layouts?

Joe Sikoryak: Between all of my clients, I generally have 6 to 10 projects in the works at any given time. A typical soundtrack release can be a simple process, maybe four weeks from doing research at the studios (and elsewhere) requesting artwork, creating a concept, and completing the layouts and proofing for print. But half of my projects are not typical, either because of the obscurity of the film, the size of the project, or other special requirements. Superman: The Music covered the four Christopher Reeve films in detail (plus a cartoon series) in a 160-page hardcover booklet with 8 discs—I probably reviewed over 2,500 images from the studio archives, collectors, and fan sites and processed 250 for possible use—and the project was active “on my desk” for over a year.

Tom Hoover: Can you tell us about how the art design requirements differ from one company to the next? Also, how unique a niche would you say this type of work is?

Joe Sikoryak: It is fascinating to compare the products from each record label—everyone has their own predilections, even within such a specific niche. Lukas Kendall at Film Score Monthly takes a complete, archivist approach, striving to release every note of music from a given soundtrack, and provides the last word on the music’s history. Intrada’s Doug Fake is a longtime record collector and a trained composer, so his passions reflect growing up with classic LPs. He’s more interested in iconic poster art and producing a satisfying musical listening experience (which doesn’t necessarily mean complete). Taylor White at Percepto Records pursues eclectic titles, mostly from horror, fantasy, and comedy, seeking out cult items that might otherwise be forgotten.

At one point I calculated that I had personally designed about 7 percent of the soundtrack CD packages released in the U.S. in a given year. Clearly, soundtracks are a pretty small slice of the music business.

Tom Hoover: Out of the many soundtracks you’ve worked on, which stand out as your absolute favorites as far as how the design work turned out?

Joe Sikoryak: Much of my work involves editing and re-presenting the work of others. More than two-thirds of my projects involve no original art at all, but re-cropped, retouched, and otherwise re-jiggered illustrations and photos from the studio vaults. That said, it’s all in the presentation, and I take pride in “staying out of the way” of what worked the first time. I avoid anachronistic effects (like modern Photoshop filters) that will take people out of the nostalgia that they feel for a classic soundtrack. I strive to use typography, color schemes, and graphic elements that feel appropriate to the period of the score.

My favorite projects remain the scores that I loved to listen to and feel grateful for being able to package in a manner that does them justice. FSM’s series of four CDs from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. are probably my absolute favorites, because I started noticing (and tape recording!) music from that show at the age of 7. My parents would never have believed that all of that time in front of the TV would eventually pay off.

Tom Hoover: From your perspective, how big of a value-add is it for a soundtrack collector to have a CD released with a comprehensive booklet about the film and score?

Joe Sikoryak: As a longtime record collector, I always appreciated more pictures and notes with my music. Before home video, soundtracks were the only portable souvenir of a favorite film. Today that’s not the case, but who’s to say which films deserve the deluxe treatment? Everyone who has a favorite score probably appreciates having that music lovingly enshrined. And besides, these new releases motivate the studios to dust off old assets and preserve them for future generations—something that might not have happened if the film-score labels hadn’t started the process.

Tom Hoover: Theatrical movie posters are far removed from the epic, artistic imagery that once graced the cinema halls of yesteryear. More to that, what is your opinion on the general creative direction that many of the Hollywood studios currently employ with their movie posters, soundtrack covers, websites, et cetera? Do you get a sense of a “template” type of look and feel with some of this branding?

Joe Sikoryak: Old Hollywood wore their artistic aspirations on their sleeves—the original studio heads wanted their project to have a respectability, so they spent money on presentation and promoted their films more artistically. Today, most movies smack of mere commodity, to go in and out of theaters quickly and profitably. So posters sell the stars, the brand (if it’s a franchise film), or the concept, but they use photography for quick, unambiguous communication. I miss the lush illustration of the past, but occasionally someone will do something clever with contemporary graphics. But then it will be copied ad infinitum.

Tom Hoover: In your opinion, which film composers working today would have thrived during the era of the ’50s and ’60s based on their style?

Joe Sikoryak: It’s harder to pick styles out among composers today when there is so much pressure to make the music sound like the temp track, or dial it down to inaudibility, or substitute sound design for music because it’s “more realistic.” But I’ll name a few names.

James Horner is a supreme dramatist, maybe the closest we have to a classic composer still working today—he could take over for Miklos Rozsa. Michael Giacchino admires and pays homage to the past, and he’s shown that he can crank out quality work in quantity on his TV assignments—maybe he could be the new Elmer Bernstein. And John Powell graduated from the bombastic Media Ventures school of scoring with his own unique, lighter, swinging sensibility—he might be at home in a Henry Mancini movie.

Tom Hoover: When you’re working on the art design of a particular soundtrack, do you find yourself listening to the score at the same time, too? If so, does that lend additional inspiration to your work?

Joe Sikoryak: I never get to hear the music before I’m done with the package—the masters are usually in progress at the same time! In fact, I’m often reading fans’ reactions on the message board before I get my own copy—but you can bet I’m listening to other scores by the same composer in the meantime.

Tom Hoover: As we close, please tell us about the future directions that you and your company, designWELL, look to be headed in. Does creativity remain paramount?

Joe Sikoryak: I expect that I’ll complete my 500th soundtrack package in the next year, and while I’m happy to keep designing CD packages as long as they’re in demand, I expect to grow my business in other directions. Motion graphics—pictures synced to music—like film titles, music videos, and so forth is where I’m headed. I learned to love soundtracks watching movies, and that’s where I’d like to end up.