Publicity: Inside Film Music
Inside Film Music
http://www.insidefilmmusic.com/id33.html
Interview with Deborah Lurie
Q:You have had a colorful background from the rock arena to the orchestral Hollywood. This is not an uncommon transition but how do you keep from these two worlds from colliding?
A: The two worlds really compliment each other actually. The commonality for me is in the players. I use the same musicians, primarily the string section for my rock arrangements as I do for a film score. I find it great to see them in these separate environments. I like that these two worlds differ in that the rock side of things is less stressful so it allows for me to unwind and have a little fun, though films are my primary focus.
Q: To back up a little, which genre did you begin with?
A: Actually, I started in theater. In addition to a fair amount of acting, I worked as a piano accompanist for quite a few shows, and that led to writing original music for theater productions. It wasn't until I went through my undergraduate at USC that I studied film music, scoring as many student films as I could and getting to know film students. It wasn't until a few years after college that I really started working in rock.
Q: If you had to pick one area of music composition, what would that be?
A: I enjoy working in all genres but I guess my favorite genre would be drama. I feel most at home or in my element when I am scoring a dramatic film.
Q: I hear the obvious influences from Danny Elfman, John Ottman and Christopher Young in your work but if I listen to your solo work that is not tied to a collaboration or a project that calls for a mirrored approach, I hear a delicate and melodic sound from you that is truly unique. What are your sources of inspiration and who else has played a role in helping you develop your technique and style?
A: I sang in many choirs throughout my life and so I found a lotof my inspiration through choral music. You might hear this from the voicing of my string arrangements and my harmonies. So a lot of the choices that I make is reminiscent to choral music. Starting in theater I also wrote music for Shakespearian plays and became very passionate about music of the renaissance and med-evil times. I have an eclectic background of influences though. I loved musical theater when I was growing up as well as a lot of folk music. Also one of my composition teachers at USC was a choral composer named Morten Lauridsen who was very influential to me. Some classical composers I love are Ravel, Bach, Shostakovich, and Barber. I also love the music of Edgar Meyer.
Q: Were there any film composers that caught your attention?
A: I never really listened to many film scores that much so my knowledge of the repertoire is limited but I definitely admire the music of Danny Elfman and Thomas Newman. I love the Alan Menken Disney musicals too. It is funny because I have been told in the past that I have a similar style to particular film composers but I honestly am usually not particularly familiar with their work so I can't say that they were influences.
Q: When you are producing a demo for a filmmaker and even given the growth in technology, what ideas do you find most challenging to express without actually recording the music live?
A: Well, I am not a guitarist or not a good one anyway and when you have strumminginstruments such as the guitar, it is difficult to express those ideas in synth mock-ups. I either need to improve my guitar playing or start shopping for a more sophisticated guitar synth! The other things are like what Thomas Newman has done in his improvisatory layering of ethnic instruments, a technique that has become very popular in modern film music. With traditional orchestral music, it is a lot easier to use synthesizers to give a director an idea what they will hear in its completed state. It's rather tough to give them a preview of the modern collages of sounds that will be created live in the studio with the help of brilliant musicians like George Doering. Some of the most amazing textures you'll hear in film music today are created, in a large part, by the players themselves who are letting their imaginations run wild. It takes a skilled composer to create the environment to turn those ideas into great film music, but it's most definitely a collaborative effort with these insanely talented studio musicians.
Q: You have worked on some well known projects such as Spiderman 3, which was primarily scored by Christopher Young. What has been your role on this film imparticular and how did this come about for you?
A: I was called in at the tail end of the project because they wanted to incorporate some of Danny Elfman's themes for particular characters that he had developed in the first two movies. It was actually exciting for me to get that call from Sony Pictures and having them say to me that 'we hear you are the person we should use', It was one of the moments in my career that stands out to me like a dream come true.
Q: You have two works that stand out as unique projects to me. The first one being Imaginary Heros, which was co-composed with John Ottman. This music plays an emotionally descriptive role. Tell us how you approached this dysfunctional story and what was the driving force to these themes?
A: First of all, I have worked with John Ottman for years in different compacities and with this film imparticular, John (Ottman) wrote the main theme, which became the nucleus of the score. The theme was based on this waltz which plays both a seemingly tranquil and a sarcastic or ironic role. You would really have to see the film to know how great this worked, and John's insight as a filmmaker as well as a composer is really obvious to me in the composition of this main theme. John sent me a recording of the theme, and I basically worked off of this idea. It is interesting because I am not sure I would have had the courage to create this whimsical waltz based around this kid committing suicide. Nevertheless, I think it worked well and I just ran with it making the music very much my own (omit).
Q: The other score that caught my attention was the little known film, Mozart and the Whale. What was your experience working on this film given the nature of the story and its intimate portrayal?
A: This was a very sweet movie that I enjoyed working on a great deal. It is a film that I think you should see. My experience was a very unique one because I never worked with the director through the entire film. I instead worked with the film editor Lisa Churgin and the film producers and music supervisor. The filmmakers were changing the tone of the film a little bit from a more serious drama to a quirky love story. I was able to let loose a little and have fun with this score although I don't think this sound was what was intended from the directors point of view.
Q: Let's talk a little bit about your wonderfully beautiful and heartfelt score for An Unfinished Life.
A: Wow, thank you. I got this opportunity from working on several smaller scale works for Mirimax Pictures in previous years. I was asked to experiment with a couple musical ideas for this film late in the game. The movie had been done for a long time prior to me coming on board. Before I knew it, I had written most of the score. It was all done over a three week period and it is amazing that this slow tranquil music could be done under such pressure. I wouldn't want a director to read this and think that it can be expected of me all the time because it's no picnic!
Q: Were you familiar with Christopher Young's score prior to writing your interpretation of the story?
A: I was familiar with a few pieces of it here and there. I think Chris Young's work was beautiful and I don't think my music was drastically different in tone. The direction I was given from Lasse Halstrom was "write from your heart", so that is what I did.
Q: What is coming next for you in your career?
A: I wish I knew. I just finished Spiderman 3 and another film this morning actually. My Summer will be busy too. My goal is to continue working with new filmmakers in hopes of opening the doors to more creative opportunities. My primary focus is to have my music attached to films that make it to the theater. I will also continue to do rock arrangements which is like therapy for me. They chill me out. (laughing)