I recently had a chance to interview Brian Tyler, whose list of scoring credits is very impressive for someone that is still fairly a young composer, with his first scores dating back to the mid-to-late 90’s. In recent years, he’s most noted for his Goldsmith tribute score in 2008’s “Rambo”, where he kept classic cues but added his own touch which gave the movie a backing force to be reckoned with. Last year, he worked again with Sylvester Stallone on the score for the ultra-popular testosterone epic, “The Expendables.” This year we’ll have the pleasure of hearing his music in the “Fast & Furious” sequel, titled “Fast Five” and in the alien invasion epic, “Battle: Los Angeles.”
Jonathan Urban: Brian, thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions about your work. Being a major motion picture composer has to be an exciting experience and your body of work is very impressive and continues to get more and more impressive.
Brian, was music a passion of yours at an early age and when and how did you get involved in composing music for television and movies?
Brian Tyler: Music was always a passion of mine. I did not grow up in a household of musicians, but they were music lovers. My dad in particular played music I really took to, and much of it was film music. I started on the drums and then tackled the piano. Later I taught myself guitar and bass and got interested in world instruments. Composing started at a fairly young age and then by my teen years I was very passionate about composing although I had no forum to showcase what I loved to do.
After graduating from UCLA and Harvard I found myself a starving musician in Los Angeles, and I was lucky enough to have a director contact me about one of my songs that I had written with a rock band. He wanted it for the end titles of his movie “Bartender” and I convinced him to let me compose the score to the film. Although that film didn’t end up being released in the theaters, my score ended up being listened to by some people in Hollywood that came calling for me to score more films and led to my long term relationship with my agents.
JU: As a fan of music scores there seems to be some confusion to the novice movie music listener as to the difference between a score and a soundtrack. Is the difference actually technical or is it a matter of two terms that really mean the same thing?
BT: I always thought of the soundtrack as the released compilation of music from a film whereas the score in a film is the actual composed music for the film. So the soundtrack would include the musical score.
JU: Also, why do you think that there are not as many people out there buying score/soundtrack albums as regular albums?
BT: Well, film scores have a smaller audience than categories of pop music because they are more akin to instrumental music. So, naturally they have smaller numbers. But film score aficionados are the most loyal of all music buyers.
JU: Who were your early influences in music composing and are there any current peers that influence you?
BT: I had influences from a lot of different styles during my formative years. I listened to a lot of film composers like John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Vangelis, James Horner, Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle etc. But also I was a fan of songwriters, groups, and artists such as Rush, Thomas Dolby, Depeche Mode, Prince, Tori Amos, Metallica, Tool, Sigur Ros, Bjork, U2, King Crimson, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Police, too many to name. And I love the great jazz artists of the 20th Century as well as contemporary classical composers like John Adams, John Corigliano, and Steve Reich.
There are a lot of peers that I enjoy as well. Hans Zimmer, Elliot Goldenthal, James Newton Howard, Thomas Newman, Harry Gregson-Williams, Michael Giachinno, John Powell, Mark Isham, John Debney, Danny Elfman, Ramin Djwadi, this list is getting really long I will stop now. (Laughing.)
JU: What is your basic process when you get hired to score a film? I know it is very involving, but in a nutshell, please describe your process for composing a score.
BT: I usually read the script and watch early cuts of the film first. Then, I conceive of a concept that will be associated with the score – something identifiable as that film. Then I start composing character themes and/or more abstract themes. Eventually I meet with the director and go over ideas for the cues and spot the film, choosing where and what music should go in the film. After a lot of composing and work I end up with a stack of sheet music and an uncountable amount of backing music tracked at my studio. I eventually end up on the scoring stage conducting the orchestra. Next, we mix the recordings of the live orchestra with the pre-recording music recorded at my studio. This is a laborious process that I am heavily involved in as I just find it so important to the overall impact of the score. The last step is usually compiling and mastering a soundtrack.
JU: Also, how involved are most directors?
BT: That varies from only hearing the music at the very end of the process to micromanager directors that question every note and every bar of music. Most fall somewhere in between.
JU: How do you prepare yourself for scoring an action movie versus a dramatic movie versus a horror movie?
BT: I approach every film individually.
JU: Your score for the movie “Frailty” (in 2001, the Matthew McConaughey psychological thriller directed by Bill Paxton) is a very good score and I understand that it was your first really successful commercial score. The mood and tone of the score are very fitting for this movie about a guy that is rather mysterious and suspicious, particularly to the FBI agent in charge of the case. How did you go about laying out the overall tone and cues for the movie?
BT: Oh thank you! Well yes, the mood was fairly dark, but the concept of the score was a love story between a father and his sons. Of course the story goes into a very harrowing place, and the score does as well. The style of composing was a nod to the great noir scores of the Hitchcock films.
JU: I’ve read the great director William Friedkin was so impressed with your score for “Frailty” that he hired you for his ultimate cat and mouse movie, 2003’s “The Hunted” (with Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro). What was it like working with such a famous director (famous for “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist”)?
BT: That is true. He heard that score and gave me a call. The difference with “The Hunted” was that he wanted something a-thematic and challenging to the listener. The score was built on that foundation. It was amazing working with such a legend. We actually did another film together as well – “Bug.”
JU: You also scored the television mini-series in 2003, “The Children of Dune.” While the mini-series received mixed reviews, your score for it was outstanding and in fact, has been used quite frequently in movie trailers. Most recently it was used in 2009’s reboot of “Star Trek” and 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” It must be very flattering and how do these deals usually transpire?
BT: It is very flattering! I usually don’t know about the deals until it is released. The deal is done with the movie studio that released the original score I composed. It is always a nice surprise though! I was very excited to see my music kick off the Indiana Jones trailer. So cool!
JU: Speaking of Star Trek, you had the opportunity to score two episodes of the last iteration, “Star Trek: Enterprise.” What was it like jumping into such a legendary piece of pop culture?
BT: I am a massive Trekker. All of them. Classic, TNG, DS9, “Voyager,” “Enterprise.” So it was an honor to compose those scores for “Enterprise.” I just wanted to bring that Star Trek sound I knew and loved to the series in a big way.
JU: Between Alexander Courage, Jerry Goldsmith, and James Horner, who is your favorite composer of Star Trek music and what did you try to bring to the series?
BT: That is really tough. Jerry is entrenched in my mind with his great scores but my favorite is “Wrath of Khan.” (Interviewer’s Note: Which is the excellent score by James Horner.)
JU: What did you think of Michael Giacchino’s new score for last years “Star Trek”?
BT: Amazing! Michael is awesome. I was completely envious though. But what composer wouldn’t want to score a Star Trek movie?
JU: You were involved in two Justin Lin films, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” in 2006 and in the very well received “Fast & Furious” last year. How would you compare and contrast the scoring of “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” with last years “Fast & Furious.”
BT: The films were in different world, but we wanted some of it to relate and crossover. Justin is very specific about how he wants characters to be central and that could not be more true than in “Fast Five.” The location is in Brazil and the music will reflect this. It is very exciting composing the score as we speak. It is also a heist movie with a rich family arc built into the story. This will really surprise fans of the series. I can’t wait for it to be released.
JU: JU: 2008’s “Eagle Eye” was D.J. Caruso’s second movie with Shia LeBouf. It was a fast paced thriller finding a young man being watched literally by “big brother” and resulted in a frantic action-packed film. How does a composer pace themselves with an action movie that literally seems non-stop?
BT: I have no idea. Caffeine? It was pretty insane though. I loved scoring “Eagle Eye,” and it was great working with the great Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci, DJ Caruso, and of course my idol, Steven Spielberg.
JU: After a 20 year absence, Sylvester Stallone brought back one of his two iconic characters, John Rambo, in 2008’s “Rambo.” For over 25 years, Jerry Goldsmith’s name was synonymous with the epic scores for “First Blood”, “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III.” What was it like stepping into such a beloved franchise that also had such a well-known score?
BT: Daunting! I wanted to honor the Jerry Goldsmith scores and incorporate those great themes into my overall tapestry which had new themes as well. Rambo is now older and wiser and that evolution needed to be reflected in the score.
JU: There’s clearly a “hero theme” and not per se a “love theme,” but one that is clearly for the character of ‘Sarah.’ How did you come up with these?
BT: Well the themes for “Rambo” took awhile to come up with. Hmm. I think I sat down at the piano and just went for it!
JU: There are several classic Goldsmith cues that meld very nicely with your original work. Was there ever any challenge on working in the Goldsmith cues into your original pieces?
BT: Well I wrote my themes to be compatible with Jerry’s themes. They worked together by design. My biggest challenge was composing next to a giant’s shadow.
JU: And like you have done with several other directors, you scored your second film with Stallone, “The Expendables.” Before I ask you about “The Expendables”, it has to be a good feeling working again with a director you have worked with before. Do you feel that you and the director’s chemistry gets better with each film and that you’re able to compose a score that encompasses the director’s vision even more so?
BT: There are a number of directors that I have worked with a number of times. Bill Paxton, Sylvester Stallone, Jonathan Liebesman, William Friedkin, Justin Lin, George Gallo, Greg Yaitanes, and others. It is always great to grow closer with a creative collaborator.
JU: Okay, “The Expendables”, which was the macho movie of all macho movies. Were you Sly’s first choice to score the movie?
BT: I was indeed. At least I was told that. (Laughing.)
JU: Brian, with “The Expendables” behind you, what other movies can we look forward to that are coming out soon with your music?
BT: “Battle: Los Angeles” is releasing in early March. It is a fantastic film about an alien invasion that is done in a realistic style not unlike “Black Hawk Down.” The score is epic and full of emotion. I conducted a great orchestra and choir for it as well as soaring, ethereal guitars. It is a unique movie directed brilliantly by Jonathan Liebesman, and I hope people feel the same way about the score.
Another film “Columbus Circle” will come out in 2011. I produced the film as well. It is a throwback to the fun noir capers of the 50s, and I was inspired by movies like “Charade” and “North by Northwest.” The score was recorded with pianos, marimbas, and a string octet with vintage mics. I am really proud of this score as well. The film reunited me with “Middle Men” director George Gallo and producers Chris Malick, William Sherak, and Jason Shuman.
JU: Do you have anything else you’d like to say to all of the fans out there?
BT: Keep on listening, and thank you for all your wonderful kind words through the years!
JU: Brian, thank you so much for your time and your answers. You’re music is excellent and there are many fans that go to the movies, not just to see the movie, but to hear the composer’s score. I wish you the best in your career and look forward to all of your new music.
– Jonathan Urban
