The SoundCast

Episode #23 - SoundCast Episode 23: Score of the Worlds with guest: Austin Wintory Recorded March 30, 2011 Published April 1, 2011 Composer Austin Wintory joins the SoundCast crew and talks about his latest projects: MAJID and JOURNEY. Richard Buxton also joins the cast for the first time. They all discuss their favorite Alien invasion film scores, including their thoughts on the most recent entry into this sub-genre, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES by Brian Tyler. Episode Highlights 00:00 — The Aliens Have Arrived! 01:25 — Introductions 10:00 — What we've been listening to 21:55 — Austin Wintory: Majid 31:04 — Austin Wintory: Journey 45:57 — Score of the Worlds - Our Favorite Alien Invasion Film Scores 76:30 — Conclusion Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 10:08 — "Aquarius" (Corpernicus' Star) by Abel Korzeniowski 12:56 — "Main Titles" (Black Beauty) by Danny Elfman 13:59 — "Alice's Theme" (Alice in Wonderland) by Danny Elfman 14:37 — "Rampage" (Crysis 2) by Hans Zimmer, Borislav Slavov, Tilman Sillescu 16:38 — "Mars Needs Moms" (Mars Neesds Moms) by John Powell 17:46 — "Main Title" (Monster Mutt) by Chris Walden 21:24 — "Main Title" (Majid) by Austin Wintory 28:33 — "Larbi" (Majid) by Austin Wintory 35:54 — "TGC Journey Theme" (Journey) by Austin Wintory 46:08 — "Main Title and Mountain Visions" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams 48:29 — "End Titles" (Independence Day) by David Arnold 51:26 — "Main Titles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard 53:53 — "Resolution & End Title" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams 57:22 — "Klendathu Drop" (Starship Troopers) by Basil Poledouris 58:44 — "Final Battle" (Skyline" by Matthew Margeson 60:27 — "Battle Los Angeles Hymn" (Battle: Los Angeles) by Brian Tyler 65:10 — "The Drone" (Battle: Los Angeles) by Brian Tyler 77:54 — "Basil By Way of Tommy..." Arranged by Austin Wintory Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Joris de Man (Killzone 3) Recorded February 08, 2011 Published March 19, 2011 Marius Masalar chats with composer Joris de Man about what it has been like working on the Killzone series, especially his latest effort of Killzone 3. Episode Highlights 0:00 — Introduction 1:05 — Personal background, musical history, and education 5:00 — Getting involved with the first Killzone, early creative development, challenging expectations 8:00 — Unexpected protagonists in the series, thematic references, twisted heroism of the Helghast 12:07 — Working on sound design and music at once on Killzone 1 13:12 — Writing for Killzone 2's interactive music system 15:55 — Raising the bar from Killzone 1 to 2 18:23 — Working with an orchestra, Prague vs. London 20:55 — The whirlwind experience of scoring Killzone 3, ups and downs 23:32 — The violin-led menu theme for Killzone 3 and evolving musical directions and plot directions 28:55 — Working with familiar themes, more sophisticated development, new themes, etc. 32:04 — The process of putting together a cinematic cue from Killzone 3 37:00 — Developer's trust 39:00 — Considering a concert suite of Killzone music, game music concerts good and bad 42:40 — Wide soundtrack release for Killzone 3 43:58 — Upcoming projects 44:58 — Conclusion Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 0:00 — "Birth of War — Dies Irae" (Killzone 3) 18:05 — "Dropship Flight" (Killzone 1) 22:35 — "Main Menu — And Ever We Fight On" (Killzone 3) 26:15 — "The 2nd Helghast March — Helghan Forever" (Killzone 2) 45:53 — "Main Menu — And Ever We Fight On" (Killzone 3) Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Episode #22 - 83rd Oscars - Post Mortem Recorded February 28, 2011 Published March 1, 2011 The crew jumps online talk about the 83rd Academy Awards show. What they liked, didn't like, their reaction to the winner of Best Original Score, and some ideas on how the show could be improved. Episode Highlights 0:00 — Opening of the 22nd Academy Awards 0:23 — Intros 01:35 — News: Mars Needs Moms, Rango, Captain America 10:04 — More from Opening of the 22nd Academy Awards 11:23 —What we liked about the Oscars 16:10 — What we didn't like about the Oscars 23:44 — Winners Reactions 30:37 — Twittering the Oscars 36:40 — Best Score winner reactions 46:40 — How the Oscars could be improved 54:48 — Conclusion Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 — "Hooray For Hollywood" (Hooray For Hollywood) - Ray Davies 10:04 — "Hollywood Newsreel A" (Hooray For Hollywood) - Ray Davies 22:15 — "I Love You" (The Last Sin Eater) Mark McKenzie 35:57 — "Hand Covers Bruise" (The Social Network) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 40:20 — "Opening Titles Part 1" (The King's Speech) Alexander Desplat 43:53 — "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (The Social Network) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 43:53 — "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (The Social Network) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 54:42 — "Hooray For Hollywood" (Hooray For Hollywood) - Ray Davies Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Episode #21 - Invasion of the Score Snatchers Recorded February 17, 2011 Published February 18, 2011 Chris, Marius and Tom talk about the current Hollywood trend of new composers coming from other music genres and score A-List films. Episode Highlights 00:40 — Intros 03:15 — What we've been listening to (Killzone 3, Sanctum, Secret of Kells, Summer Wars) 18:10 — Tide of the Super Heroe Movies 24:11 — Invasion of the Score Snatchers! 15:07 — The string quartet vs. orchestra in Dead Space 2 18:43 — Dead Space 2's themes 21:20 — Portraying the Church of Unitology 24:29 — Differing instrumentation between Dead Space and Dead Space 2 26:04 — The recording sessions 28:25 — Preparing the abstract musical material 30:53 — How creatively fulfilling were the Dead Space scores? 33:17 — Upcoming projects 34:50 — Fear of typecasting? 37:57 — Conclusion Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer clip 1 03:30 — "Main Menu - And Ever We Fight On" (Killzone 3) by Joris de Man 05:00 — "Espiritu Esa Ala" (Sanctum) by David Hirschfelder 08:35 — "Kasou Toshi Oz" (Summer Wars) Akihiko Matsumoto 10:00 — "The Chi'Rho Page" (Secret of Kells) by Bruno Coulais 11:03 — "Potus 111" (Eagle Eye) by Brian Tyler 21:31 — "Spider-Man Theme" (Spider-Man TV 1967) by 23:53 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer Clip 2 30:07 — "Intriguing Possibilities" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 37:47 — "End of Line" (Tron Legacy) Daft Punk 48:56 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer Clip 3 Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Ep. #20 - John Barry and Oscar Predictions Recorded February 3, 2011 Published February 4, 2011 Marius, Helen and Chris pay homage to composer John Barry and make their predictions for the Oscar for Best Original Score. Episode Highlights 00:45 - Introduction 02:45 - Reaction to Episode #19 04:45 - What is The SoundCast Vault? 12:30 - Remembering John Barry 25:42 - Golden Globe Reactions 32:40 - Reviewing our Oscar Predictions for 2010 35:19 - Disqualified Scores 44:00 - Oscar 2011 Predictions Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "The Buffalo Hunt" (Dances with Wolves) by John Barry 11:45 - "Somewhere in Time" (Somewhere in Time) by John Barry 15:28 - "Main Title (I Had A Farm In Africa)" (Out of Africa) by John Barry 19:00 - "Farewell And End Title" (Dances with Wolves) by John Barry 25:19 - "Into Miami-Alpine Drive" (Goldfinger) by John Barry 26:50 - "Hand Covers Bruise" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 28:29 - "On We March" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 30:47 - "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 34:30 - "Married Life" (Up) by Michael Giacchino 36:19 - "Your Headstrong Ways" (True Grit) by Carter Burwell 36:45 - "The New Season" (Black Swan) by Clint Mansell 44:15 - "In Motion" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 44:27 - "Liberation" (127 Hours) by A.R. Rahman 44:35 - "Opening Title Pt1" (The Kings Speech) by Alexandre Desplat 44:47 - "Dream is Collapsing" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 45:11 - "Test Drive" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell 57:55 - "If I Rise" (127 Hours) by A.R. Rahman Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Ep. #19 - 2010: Year in Preview Recorded January 13, 2011 Published January 14, 2011 Peering into the future, Christopher, Marius and Tom discuss what soundtracks to look out for in the coming year! Episode Highlights 00:34 - Introduction 04:00 - Top 3 Most Anticipated Film Scores for 2011 18:00 - Top 3 "Beware of the Over-hype" scores of 2011 29:53 - Top 3 Most Anticipated Video Game Scores for 2011 37:30 - Top 3 Potential Suprisde Scores of 2011 43:44 - Tweets - "What are you most looking forward to in 2011?" 45:20 - Predicting the Future of Soundtracks in 2011 Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 04:50 - "At Wit's End" (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) by Hans Zimmer 11:11 - "Irina's Theme" (Indian Jones and the Kingdom/Crytal Skull) by John Williams 11:38 - "Life is Incredible Again" (The Incredibles) by Michael Giacchino 13:06 - "First Crop Circles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard 13:33 - "Michelle's House" (Stop Loss) by John Powell 14:50 - "Code Blue" (Ice Age 3) by John Powell 15:47 - "Griets Theme" (Girl with the Pearl Earring) by Alexandre Desplat 16:34 - "Drag Me to Hell" (Drag Me to Hell) by Christopher Young 18:42 - "Autobots" (Transformers) by Steve Jablonsky 19:24 - "The Sands of Time" (Prince of Persia) by Harry Gregson-Williams 20:51 - "Only The Beginning of the Adventure" (Narnia: Lion, Witch, Wardrobe) by Harry Gregson-williams 21:55 - "A Familiar Taste" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 23:49 - "Sacred Pentangle" (The Last Legion) by Patrick Doyle 28:58 - "Another World" (Further) by The Chemical Brothers 29:53 - "Jinnouchi Ke No Danketsu" (Summer Wars) by Akihito Matsumoto 34:40 - "March" (Knights of the Old Republic) by Mark Griskey 35:30 - "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution Trailer) by Michael McCann 42:40 - "Two Figures by a Fountain" (Atonement) by Dario Marianelli 52:29 - "Anvil of Crom" (Conan: The Barbarian) by Basil Poledouris 53:16 - "Main Title & Mountian Visions" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Episode 18: 2010 - Year in Review Recorded January 6, 2011 Published January 7, 2011 The SoundCast crew shares their soundtrack picks for 2010 in three categories: Surprise of the Year, Disappointment of the Year, and Favorite Score of the Year. Episode Highlights 00:48 - Introduction 04:20 - Surprise Scores of 2010 16:22 - Disappointments of 2010 29:51 - Favorites of 2010 Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "Mount Olympus" (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Christophe Beck 09:55 - "Theme from Human Target" (Human Target) by Bear McCreary 10:30 - "The Son of Flynn" (Tron Legacy) by Daft Punk 11:10 - "End Credits" (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Christophe Beck 14:40 - "Final Confrontation" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo 23:48 - "Frankfurt" (The A-Team) by Alan Silvestri 24:34 - "Dream is Collapsing" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 28:51 - "Dragon Age Origins" (Dragon Age Origins) by Inon zur 34:30 - "Half Remembered Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 36:37 - "Hidden In The Closet" (Doctor Who: Special Series) by Murray Gold 37:14 - "Romantic Flight" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell 38:29 - "Half Remembered Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 38:49 - "Dragon Training" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell 41:01 - "Final Confrontation" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo 41:36 - "Hyrkanian Raiders Attack" (Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer) by Knut Avenstroup Haugen 43:11 - "Overture" (Tron Legacy) by Daft Punk Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Richard Jacques Recorded November 1, 2010 Published November 12, 2010 Composer Richard Jacques speaks about his latest project, 007 BLOOD STONE. Episode Highlights 00:20 - Introduction 01:30 - How did you pitch a live orchestra for Headhunter? 03:52 - Dealing with budget restrictions 04:55 - Samples vs. live instruments 06:50 - How samples have affected younger composers' styles and the importance of education? 09:15 - What was it like working on a team for Mass Effect? 10:38 - Working on Alice in Wonderland, the sound and style? 11:29 - How do you bring a fresh voice to a franchise with such a rich history of interpretations?? 13:21 - How did you get involved with the Blood Stone project?? 15:45 - Did you use any familiar themes?? 16:50 - The Bond "style" and making Blood Stone a classic Bond score? 18:27 - What elements are you most proud of? What will the fans enjoy? 20:04 - What is it about scoring for games that attracts you? 21:40 - How does the progress of technology affect your work process? 23:06 - Middleware technology, audio implementation 23:31 - Years of experience and sharing with the industry community 25:56 - What are your views on the trend of having film composers score games? 25:53 - Unifying the stature of game and film music; not distinct styles; more creative freedom 27:55 - Predictions for the future of game audio and its technology Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "Ready for Action" (Headhunter) by Richard Jacques 01:03 - "Greywolf" (Headhunter) by Richard Jacques 10:23 - "The Citadel" (Mass Effect) by Richard Jacques/Jack Wall/Sam Hulick 17:55 - "The Package" (James Bond 007: Blood Stone) by Richard Jacques? 29:28 - "Athens Harbour Chase" (James Bond 007: Blood Stone) by Richard Jacques Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Mark Griskey Recorded October 4, 2010 Published November 8, 2010 Composer Mark Griskey talks about returning to score THE FORCE UNLEASHED, how the music for the franchise has evolved since the first game, and what it was like working on this project at the same time as STAR WAR: THE OLD REPUBLIC. Episode Highlights 00:44 - Introduction 02:59 - What was it like coming back to this franchise? 06:09 - The time-crunch challenge 08:15 - Twitter Question #1 - What familiar music themes do you employ? 12:08 - How do you handle fan expectations for Star Wars music? 15:51 - Twitter Question #2 - How do you tell the story through your music? 18:55 - How did you feel at the completion of The Force Unleashed 2 compared to the first? 24:05 - Working on TFU and Star Wars: The Old Republic at the same time. 16:08 - Twitter Question #3 - Adapting to Game scoring 17:17 - Biggest creative challenge? 18:10 - Dealing with franchise pressures 19:09 - Looking forward to more game projects? Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "Main Title and the Test Chamber" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey 07:40 - "Escape from Kamino" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey 08:38 - "Discovering Dagobah and the Cave" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey 14:30 - "Assault on Kamino" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey 23:11 - "The Hanging City" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey 29:42 - "The Reunion of Juno and Starkiller" (The Force Unleashed 2) by Mark Griskey Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Ramin Djawadi Recorded September 27, 2010 Published September 28, 2010 RAMIN DJAWADI shares about his first foray into the genre of video game music. He talks about the unique challenges of penning the score for the modern-era-reboot of the famed MEDAL OF HONOR video game franchise. Episode Highlights 00:30 - Introduction 01:59 - How did you come on to this project? 03:30 - Living up to the Medal of Honor lineage 05:00 - Modern Warfare 2 and Hans Zimmer 06:10 - How is working in video game music different? 08:30 - Twitter Question #1 - Music related to Clash/ Titans? 09:55 - Using vocals in Medal of Honor 14:49 - Twitter Question #2 - Samples VS Live Orchestra? 16:08 - Twitter Question #3 - Adapting to Game scoring 17:17 - Biggest creative challenge? 18:10 - Dealing with franchise pressures 19:09 - Looking forward to more game projects? Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "WFO" (Medal of Honor) by Ramin Djawadi 07:30 - "Hunter Killer" (Medal of Honor) by Ramin Djawadi 08:32 - "There is a God in You" (Clash of the Titans) by R. Djawadi 10:05 - "Falling Away" (Medal of Honor) by Ramin Djawadi 13:22 - "Heroes Aboard" (Medal of Honor) by Ramin Djawadi 21:27 - "Thirty Seconds Out" (Medal of Honor) by Ramin Djawadi Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Doug Adams Recorded September 1, 2010 Published September 1, 2010 DOUG ADAMS, author of the upcoming book THE MUSIC OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS FILMS, talks about this unique and comprehensive project which put him shoulder-to-shoulder with one of his composer-idols, HOWARD SHORE. He shares about the joys and challenges of working on a project of this scale, his research process, and just who will want to get their hands on this book and compact disc! (Don't miss our little ploy to get some information on THE HOBBIT at the very end!) Episode Highlights 00:26 - Introduction 02:30 - How did you come on to this project? 09:45 - The evolution of the project 13:00 - Who is this book intended for? 15:30 - What was the most difficult part of this project? 19:30 - How did you select the music for the Rarities CD? 25:30 - How are you feeling as this book is finally about to release? 29:04 - What's happening with Howard Shore and THE HOBBIT? Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "The Road Goes Ever On Part 2" (LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring - Complete) by Howard Shore 08:53 - "The Three Hunters" (LOTR: The Two Towers - Complete) by Howard Shore 17:30 - "The Last March of the Ents" (LOTR: The Two Towers - Complete) by Howard Shore 24:34 - "The Plains of Rohan" (LOTR: The Two Towers - Complete) by Howard Shore 30:15 - "Return of the King" (LOTR: The Return of the King) by Howard Shore Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Sean Williams Recorded August 6, 2010 Published August 12, 2010 SEAN WILLIAMS, author of the novelization of STAR WARS THE FORCE UNLEASHED, the recently released, STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – FATAL ALLIANCE, shares about his recent works, his passion for film music and what he listens to when writing. He also shares about some of his all-time favorite soundtracks, why the year, 1981, is such an important year and how he faced the difficult choice between writing and composing music. Episode Highlights 00:26 - Introduction 02:30 - Living and Working in Adelaide, Australia 03:49 - Writing in the Star Wars universe 14:00 - What do you listen to while writing? 14:00 - Inception reception 16:37 - Your favorite Film Scores 22:30 - Choosing between Writing and Composing 26:49 - 1981: The Pinnacle of Sci-fi and Music 31:32 - Thoughts on Film and Game Music Today Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "The Sarlacc Unleashed" (The Force Unleashed) Mark Griskey 10:22 - "March" (Knights of the Old Republic) by Mark Griskey 15:14 - "The Passage of Time" (Battlestar Galactica) by Bear McCreary 17:00 - "Main Theme" (Alien) by Jerry Goldsmith 20:51 - "The Grace of Undomniel" (LOTR: Return of the King) by Howard Shore 30:00 - "Main Titles " (Blade Runner) by Vangelist 39:24 - "Main Theme" (The Force Unleashed) Jesse Harlin Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Episode 17: Flash Over Substance Recorded August 3, 2010 Published August 6, 2010 Flash Over Substance: the crew gets back into compilations, Inception, Tron: Legacy, Predators, and the trend of big, Hollywood films focusing on flashy visuals at possibly the expense of everything else...including the music. Episode Highlights 00:30 - Intro and Google Voice invasion 01:44 - Expecting the Expendables 04:00 - Compilation continuation 10:30 - Torchwood Talk + eMusic 14:00 - Inception reception 25:20 - Tron: Pre-Legacy 34:33 - Predator: The Return of Helen San 41:59 - Pillars and Schmuks 43:59 - Flash Over Substance Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 10:35 - "What's Occuring" (Torchwood: Children of Men) Ben Foster 15:56 - "Half-Remembered Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 32:56 - "Predator Attack" 34:33 - "Hanzo's Last Stand" (Predators) by John Debney 42:38 - "Preluce to a Schmuk" (Dinner for Schmucks) by Theodore Shapiro 45:30 - " " (Prince of Persia) Harry Gregson-Williams 46:12 - "Earthbenders" (The Last Airbender) James Newton Howard 47:31 - "Prologue: Book II..." (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) by John Williams 49:30 - "Autobots" (Transformers) by Steve Jablonsky 54:40 - "There's a God in You" (Clash of the Titans) by Ramin Djawadi 55:38 - "Bioluminescence of the Night" (Avatar) James Horner Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Episode 16: The Last Inception Recorded July 26, 2010 Published July 28, 2010 The SoundCast crew talks a little The Last Airbender, Inception, and about the love/hate relationship with Film music compilations. Episode Highlights 00:30 - Intro and Google Voice invasion 06:28 - The Last Airbender discussion 21:35 - Inception discussion 38:26 - Film music compilations Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 05:48 - "The Avatar Has Returned" (The Last Airbender) by James Newton Howard 21:10 - "Dream within a Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer 33:06 - "I Never Woke Up in Hand Cuffs Before" (Sherlock Holmes) by Hans Zimmer 37:55 - "Pearl & Dean Theme" (Asteroid) by Pete Moore 59:52 - "Cat Burglers" (Dinner for Schmucks) by Theodore Shapiro Download the episode here Subscribe and more info here

Interview: Kevin Riepl Recorded June 26, 2010 Published July 6, 2010 Composer KEVIN RIEPL shares about his latest project, CRACKDOWN 2, which is the highly anticipated sequel to the surprise 2007 hit, CRACKDOWN. He also shares about this year's E3, the status of DAMAGE VAULT, and other upcoming projects: HUNTED: THE DEMON FORGE and ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES! Episode Highlights 00:24 - Welcome and intro 02:50 - Thoughts on this years E3 09:50 - Expectations for Hunted: The Demon's Forge 13:58 - Working on Crackdown 2 20:53 - Licensed music in Crackdown 2 28:20 - Dude, Aliens: Colonial Marines? 32:30 - What's up with Damage Vault Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast) 00:00 - "Fly Through" (Crackdown 2) by Kevin Riepl 13:30 - "Boss Beacon" (Crackdown 2) by Kevin Riepl 20:30 - "Dawn Stinger" (Crackdown 2) by Kevin Riepl 32:24 - "Hollows" by Damage Vault 38:55 - "Freak Lair" (Crackdown 2) by Kevin Riepl DOWNLOAD Listen to the SoundCast interview here or Read the interview here