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 Twopop 
Rear Admiral (Ambassador)
Joined: Jul 21, 2004
Member#: 7382
Posts: 2673
Location: Oregon
    
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 Posted:
Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:22 pm Post subject: Interview: Christopher Young |
 
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Here is the interview opportunity we have all been waiting for – CHRISTOPHER YOUNG!
DEADLINE for SUBMITTING QUESTIONS: Friday, March 16
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG SCARES UP A SCORE: GHOST RIDER
COLUMBIA PICTURES RELEASE FEBRUARY 16
VARESE SARABANDE HAS SCORE CD
(Los Angeles, CA) Composer Christopher Young has scared up a killer score for "Ghost Rider," the Columbia Pictures released based on the popular Marvel comic character. Starring Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendes and Peter Fonda, this dark Super Hero actioner follows stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze who gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself.
The film opens February 16, the same day Varese Sarabande has the score CD in stores.
Young explains. "What is unique is that unlike Superman, Spiderman or Batman, who are Super Heroes that do their work in the city, here we're talking about a character that rides around on a motorcycle. So the location had to be worked in to the score, and it had to have gothic in it because it's just a very dark storyline." Young used drums, choir, a "gigantic orchestra" and electric guitars played by two members of Nine Inch Nails. In the end, the score ended up more industrial than Western, though acoustic guitars do give a flavor of the latter. "It's an exciting score," he says. "It was unlike anything I've done."
Young's distinctive and imaginative approaches to several unusual projects have made him a highly sought-after commodity on films with unusual subject matter. He wrote an ingenious score incorporating breathing effects for the offbeat film "The Vagrant"; provided a darkly dramatic score to the Christian Slater/Kevin Bacon prison drama "Murder in the First"; and tuned in perfectly to the offbeat sensibility of the Bill Murray comedy "The Man Who Knew Too Little." His long list of works include the scores for "Hellraiser" and its sequel "Hellbound: Hellraiser II"; Norman Jewison's "Hurricane," starring Denzel Washington; plus such hits as "Runaway Jury," "The Shipping News," "The Core" and "The Grudge."
One of the most skilled of a new generation of film composers who are able to move effortlessly between hardcore melodrama and off-the-wall satire and comedy, Young next turns his attention to "Lucky You," a drama with Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore that marks the second time Young has worked with director Curtis Hanson following their previous collaboration on "Wonder Boys." The film opens March 16.
Later in 2007, Young returns to the world of the Super Hero as he scores the much-anticipated "Spider-Man 3," once again starring Tobey Maquire and Kristen Dunst.
Last edited by Twopop on Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:44 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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PeteC
Commander
Joined: Nov 26, 2003
Member#: 3796
Posts: 587
Location: Evanston, IL
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Posted:
Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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Chris,
First, I can't tell you how
much I enjoy your scores. I
want to thank you for all
the wonderful music you have
given us.
Second - Do you think that we
will ever see re-releases of
some of your older scores
like Tower and Flowers in the
Attic, which people talk
about often but few can only
hear on great stations, like
this one (SST)?
Third - Have you ever thought
of using Ondes Martenot in a
musical situation? When I
hear your work, sometimes I
can imagine it being a veh-
icle for your musical vision.
Finally, your view on where
the industry is headed, with
the advent of the digital age?
Again, please accept my heart-
felt appreciation for your
absolutely wonderful work.
Pete
_________________
All in the world recognize the
beautiful as beautiful. Herein
lies ugliness. All recognize the
good as good. Herein lies evil. |
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zirael
Commander
Joined: Feb 05, 2004
Member#: 4924
Posts: 795
Location: North Carolina
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Posted:
Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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How do you feel about scoring superhero films like Ghost Rider and Spiderman 3, and what qualities did you want to convey in your scores for this genre?
In Exorcism of Emily Rose, it seemed to me that you didn't take the conventional approach since the major theme didn't appear until the end of the score. And the Grudge scores had a 2 note motif and didn't have a conventional melodic approach. Could you share your thought processes and a few examples from other scores in which you were trying to do something more unconventional and/or experimental?
Was there a formative experience (e.g. training, a particular film project, or other inspiration) that made you focus on emotional color and thematic development in your scores?
What kind of project or genre of music do you think would be most challenging for you to compose for?
After a painful rejection of your lovely score for An Unfinished Life, has your approach to scoring or the film business changed at all?
What made you decide to go into teaching the next generation of film composers at USC while remaining a busy working professional? What's your favorite aspect of teaching?
Last edited by zirael on Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:10 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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 bpewien
Captain
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Member#: 13275
Posts: 1334
Location: Vienna, Austria
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Posted:
Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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When was the moment you decided that filmscoring is exactly "your thing"?
Did you write concert pieces and do you still compose besides filmscoring? If so, is there a recording available?
Which composer would be one of your greatest role models if not influences?
Does your tight schedule allow you to attend "usual" concerts or opera-performances and which composers are your most appreciated ones?
_________________
If our music survives, which I have no doubt it will,
then it will because it is good - Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004) |
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Luther_III
Commander
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Member#: 10621
Posts: 846
Location: New Orleans
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Posted:
Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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How much does the amount of time you have to work on a score vary from project to project? How much does the time you are given to work affect the final product?
Have you ever watched a film featuring one of your scores and secretly wished you could go back and rewrite one or more of the cues? If so, what kinds of things prompted the discontent, and what kinds of changes would you have made?
_________________
"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.... I get most joy in life out of music."
--Albert Einstein |
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Twopop
Rear Admiral (Ambassador)
Joined: Jul 21, 2004
Member#: 7382
Posts: 2673
Location: Oregon
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:41 am Post subject: |
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DEADLINE for SUBMITTING QUESTIONS: Friday, March 16 |
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LOTRKing
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Feb 21, 2006
Member#: 13511
Posts: 271
Location: Near the EPIC Center
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:44 am Post subject: |
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Do you plan to use Danny Elfman's "Spider-Man Main Titles" theme in your upcoming score of Spider-Man 3? If not, why not?
_________________
"All you have to do is to decide what to do with the time that is given to you..." - Gandalf the Grey
"The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn." - H.G. Wells |
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BhelPuri
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Feb 11, 2004
Member#: 5034
Posts: 296
Location: USA
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Posted:
Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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Could you tell us about your journey from jazz beginnings to getting your break in film scoring.
One would observe that many of your earlier scores have been in the thriller and horror genre. Would you call that a coincidence or were there other factors that influenced you getting many scoring opportunities for that genre?
What kind of brief did you get in deciding the sound for Clive Barker's Hellraiser series. A lot of us would consider Hellraiser to be one of the finest modern day horror scores for it's rich thematic content, orchestral power and emotion. One of the most impressive instance was the resurrection of Sean Chapman's character (Frank)... a creepy scene which was scored like a waltz macabre. Could you comment on an approach like this versus what is too common these days-- an all out effort to scare people with sudden and loud orchestral punctuations. This might get back to the play-through-the-action or hit-it kind of question.
As one of the members on the advisory board of Film Music Society what message would you like to give to film score fans. Could you comment on the recent shift in the AMPAS Academy Award for best score going towards ambient, non-thematic scores.
Could you talk about your scoring experience on Murder in the First? Your score elegantly captured the pain and suffering in a heart-breaking drama. It's a side of your talent that many of us fans are dying to hear more of. |
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Twopop
Rear Admiral (Ambassador)
Joined: Jul 21, 2004
Member#: 7382
Posts: 2673
Location: Oregon
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Posted:
Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:00 am Post subject: |
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Pete, Zir, bpewien, Luther, LK, and BP -
Thank you very much for your excellent questions. I know you're all great fans of Young. We will be forwarding them soon and hope to catch him between projects.
** LOCKED ** |
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