In Score Centrals Special Feature for August, we have prepared a lengthy feature. This month we take a look at the music of composer Bill Brown. Along with this feature are some of his works, we also were able to score an interview with the man himself - Bill Brown. We had been working on this feature for quite a bit of time and it gives us great pleasure to honor the amount of work Bill has done for the industry of gaming, television, and film.

Below is an interview Score Central conducted with Bill Brown recently:

I was drawn to music very early in my life. By age 4 I asked my parents for a real piano because the toys I was playing on just weren’t cutting the mustard, musically, as it were. They bought me an Acrosonic upright that year and I was hooked. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and sit down at the piano to improvise. I remember around age six putting this crazy drum kit together. My stepfather worked with the telephone company in San Diego and brought home these big drums that held cable. I set those up, grabbed everything I could from the kitchen that made noise and started recording “drum loops” (circa 1976 or ’77) on an old tape deck. Then I’d play the “loops” back and write piano riffs to go along with them. I might even have some of those old sessions on cassette somewhere, who knows? The important part was I was having fun. I’ve always enjoyed music that was out of the norm as well for some reason, which has served me well in my career, even though I hear people say my music is very “original sounding and still commercial”, whatever that means.

I attended Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) from 1987 through 1991 and completed their film scoring and songwriting programs. I also dabbled in the music production & engineering department and spent many, many long hours in their recording studios working on songs. I took that passion for writing and recording and worked basically as a working intern in New York for a couple years and finally moved to LA in ’94 when I was offered a sound design position at Digital Sound & Picture. That was a great opportunity to meet people in the industry out here and get acclimated to that LA lifestyle I’ve become so fond of over the years! What they say is true - the vibe is much mellower out here. People actually take time for themselves and enjoy life wherever possible. Maybe it’s the weather, who knows, but it works for me. I started composing for games back in ’97 with “Trespasser” and Tom Clancy’s “Rainbow Six” with Soundelux Media Labs. Now, six years later, I am the director of music here at Soundelux Design Music Group and I’ve had the opportunity to work on a lot of great stuff! I’ve always had an intention to score films and have had some great opportunities to work with major directors already. Most recently, it was a thrill to work with Michael Mann on his film “Ali”.

Definitely inspiration from John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry as I was growing up. Those sounds have been familiar to me for as long as I can remember. As I started studying films, I discovered a world of composers that inspired me in totally new ways. I have really enjoyed watching James Newton Howard’s career and listening to the evolution of his sound. Alan Silvestri is a big influence for me; I enjoy hearing about his life too. I recently heard that he is running a vineyard near his home in Carmel, CA. He has been flying his own plane back and forth between Carmel and LA for business for years from what I understand. I actually got to meet most of the big directors I’ve worked with through Alan’s music editor - who happens to work here at Soundelux as well. I think I’ve always known somewhere inside that I wanted to become a film composer. I started believing I could during high school and knew that was what I would be doing by the time I finished at Berklee.

I met Hans briefly at the premiere for the film “As Good as it Gets” and told him how much I enjoyed the film and his score. That was nice. (I also waved at Jack Nicolson from a few feet away…) I haven’t had a chance to meet TR or HGW yet, but am looking forward to at some point. I have a lot of respect for these guys. They are in the trenches on a daily basis and writing some great music! If you heard HGW’s score for “Spy Game” - you know what I’m talking about. And I still think their collaboration on “Armageddon” was fantastic. And there are all the other scores. I’m a big fan, what can I say? Hans and all of these guys have been an inspiration to all of us in the industry in my opinion.

The difference between the two, for me, is really only in how the music interacts with the narrative. With film, I compose to static or “locked” picture that doesn’t change, with games I compose for a live, dynamic environment for the most part. I’m finding that musically, there are opportunities in both realms to create incredible underscore. In both I have an opportunity to create memorable themes and interesting textures. As producers and developers put more resources into the score there are more opportunities to create music that has an equal impact in both mediums. This is key, where studio films have $1 mil. + budgets for their scores (not to mention song soundtracks) most game budgets are still quite low in comparison. I know of ways to create that filmic sound within game budgets and have been doing it for a while now. The more resources (money and such) dedicated to the music, the better. There is a reason the title sequence for “Signs” (JNH) sounds so incredibly phat - that’s not a sampler or a Casio you’re hearing! What was the question again? J

Thanks for noticing. As a fan of film music I am aware that one of the things that really thrills me when I hear a score is a fresh hook, a memorable texture or theme. There’s magic in that, and that’s probably why it’s not so easy to do. The thematic material in my scores comes from my intuition. I usually hear the music before I play it into the computer or write it down. Sometimes, as I’m writing, something else will begin to surface and so on. It becomes a process of channeling information. I don’t always start with a theme in mind; maybe it is a rhythm or a texture - something that connects me to the project. And usually the theme presents itself when the time is right. Sometimes the theme just hits me, and then it becomes about texture and how the theme works in variation.

I started doing commercials in New York City, so there were many projects there. The first game project I scored was The Lost World: Trespasser for DreamWorks Interactive and the first film I scored was a half-hour festival short called “The War of the Angels” - directed by Jim Sonzero. You can check out the full credit list of my work and something like 220 pieces of my music at my web site.

It absolutely brings added layers and dimension. There is nothing like the sound of a live orchestra, it can create such an immediate connection with the listener. There is something organic, visceral, and human about it that speaks directly to the soul. Synths and samplers are great and have their place. After having worked with several big orchestras, I can tell you point blank, the orchestra adds incredible depth and dimension to my recordings that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I also really enjoy the process of working with orchestras - it brings another level of talent, inspiration and joy to the process.

To be honest, for me it’s usually the most recent piece of music I’ve written. I get so excited about what I’m working on that it becomes my favorite by default!

I met the head producer for MSN here at Soundelux through our many connections to Microsoft from Direct X and Direct Music development to our partnership with Microsoft on X-Box development and core sound design. What a cool opportunity it was to create the new Windows startup and shutdown sounds as well as 12 minutes of brand sounds and tour music for the XP platform. We recorded in Seattle with a live orchestra and it sounds terrific! (Just re-start your computer right now and you’ll see…)

There is always creative communication on several levels, I make sure that I understand as accurately as possible what is needed which takes shape through several levels of exchanging ideas and then we discuss the music as I write, what works and what doesn’t. I am open to any feedback I can get, because that helps me to understand how the music is working for others. There have been those projects I’ve worked on (actually quite a few) where I turned in my first draft of the music and it was spot-on perfect for the producers. Something to keep in mind is that many times, our first instinct is our best.

That was a great experience all around. The team at DreamWorks is a great pleasure to work with and Clive is a great artist and very nice guy as well. Musically, it was wonderful to be able to experiment with live chorus in some traditional and non-traditional ways. I’m looking forward to taking that to the next level soon on some upcoming projects. You can hear some cues from Clive Barker’s Undying that we just added to my site for this interview.

Actually, the first time I heard about Splinter Cell was just before E3 and by then Ubisoft was already well into the scoring process… I hear it’s going well though.

We’re still discussing that one. I’m sure that will happen soon in some form.

I often talk with my friend James Seale (director - Scorcher, and the upcoming film Carnival) about how we want to create films the caliber Robert Zemeckis and Alan Silvestri create together; films that entertain and connect with audiences in resonant and meaningful ways. That is a level of excellence I aspire to every day. There is magic in every moment and in every project if we are open to it.

Now I’m curious as to what Jeremy answered… I’m going to call him right now. Anyway, in my experience, composers are pretty down to earth people, as opposed to pretty people, not that they aren’t pretty, but you know what I mean. Hopefully at some point they understand it’s not about getting all the chicks anyway. What was the question again? ;)

I’m finishing up the music for the next Rainbow Six sequel, “Raven Shield” and am starting another project in a couple weeks that I can’t quite discuss yet, but soon… I’m looking forward to scoring “Carnival” - a feature with my friend James Seale this coming Spring as well. Check out my site’s News page for continual updates.

Thanks Joe. All the best!