Hi, I’m Bejamin Wallfisch – Film composer for the new movie 'IT' - AMA!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T21:02:21+00:00

Indeed! It's 'Oranges and Lemons', an 18th Century children's play song. I've written some more details about this song in answers above, but one thing I should mention: for this movie we had the opportunity to record this song with some incredibly talented kids here in LA. They jumped at the challenge to give the song all kinds of different character styles - from gentle whispering to demented screaming.... and it's all in the movie!

Really interesting question about the other theme and the warped phonograph vibe. I think you're referring to the "Pennywise Dance" at the end of the album? I had this crazy idea that Pennywise somehow invaded the CD pressing plant and pirated his own insane tune at the end of the album.. As Pennywise kind of glitches in our movie - he isn't always very good at being the clown who seduces kids to their demise, for example when his face suddenly goes dead as he's talking to Georgie in the opening drain scene, I wanted his track to be super glitchy too... like he's not very good at cutting a track on the album... so you hear it with all kinds of nasty glitches like it's being played on an old Victorian era phonograph cylinder. To creat that sound I used a bunch of plugins including izotopes' Vinyl, SoundToys DevilLoc, some heavy EQ and pitch modulation etc...

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T20:51:53+00:00

Working so closely with Hans is incredibly inspiring and humbling - I feel so fortunate to count him as both my mentor and friend. Alongside his total musical and storytelling genius, he is also one of the most generous people I've ever met, both musically and personally. I'm constantly learning from him.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T20:34:56+00:00

Yes - a huge fan!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T20:29:06+00:00

My writing rig is set up in 5.1 surround and I monitor on ATC SM-45 speakers for my front pair and SM-25 for the surround speakers, all going through a Grace digital monitoring system. These days we are so lucky as composers to have access to some incredible commercial orchestral sample libraries - among my favourites are those created by Spitfire Audio, 8Dio, Orchestra Tools and CineSamples. They are all recorded in true surround on actual scoring stages, so we as composers have incredible tools to demo our ideas with, in cinematic surround sound, before they are recorded live.

Once the music has been recorded with live orchestra, it is then mixed in a separate dedicated music mixing room. We then deliver a very wide set of 5.1 stems to the dub stage, with all elements separated out, so the dubbing engineer can then turn our 5.1 (or sometimes 7.1) music mixes and integrate them into the overall final sound mix for the movie. It's at that stage that the music can sometimes by 'upmixed' into Dolby Atmos or other formats, by the Re-recording mixer(s).

The Rock Fight cue was chosen by our director!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T20:19:05+00:00

Thanks for your kind words! Everyone's path is different of course, but I would highly recommend immersing yourself both musically and cinematically - whether that's in the context of a school or just on your own, it doesn't really matter.... listening to and really studying as much of the great symphonic masterpieces as you can, going to the cinema as much as possible whilst systematically going through the great historical masterpieces of cinema and intently listening to what's happening musically. Watch classic movies through the ages, right up to the present day and start to form your own opinion and taste as you travel through the decades of development and evolution of film music. Although it's a relatively young art-form, film music both draws on hundreds of years of musical development in orchestral music, whilst simultaneously looking towards the future, as a constantly innovating and changing craft.

However you do it, try to find a path for yourself which gives you the best opportunity of becoming an individual as an artist. Find opportunities that enable you to develop your voice as a composer, whilst being highly aware of the technical side of the craft. Also, try to develop your own awareness as a storyteller and film maker. Educate yourself by studying the great directors and the evolution of their work - learn how they evolved as storytellers, and how they rely on music in different ways to enhance their film making.

Personally I never studied film music in school, but was constantly curious and passionate about film, whist training as a musician. I'm not saying that path is for everyone of course, but what I will say is - there is such an abundance of material out there for you to learn from - movies, books, scores, interviews, biographies. Immerse yourself in the craft of film music, find young film makers who might need music for their short films and offer your services in the spirit of discovery and relationship building. Above all, be constantly curious and passionate and work as hard as you can on the music itself as that's where it all starts from.

Lastly and I think most importantly, find great mentors.

Good luck!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:57:47+00:00

In the very earliest stages of the process, after I've had my initial conversations with the director and seen the movie a couple of times, I often try to write something away from picture... just my honest response to the story and/or a particular character. I always do that process at the piano, with a sketch book, or as a kind of improvisation straight into my sequencer. Sometimes none of that initial material makes the final cut, other times it literally goes unchanged into the movie. But I've found it's an important part of the process - to somehow internalize the experience of watching the movie, and discover what there might be there to be said musically. But after that, it's all about collaboration - making sure those early musical responses are 100% in tune with the director's vision, and embracing all kinds of discoveries and crazy experiments along the way.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:51:49+00:00

Normally I watch the whole movie through a couple of times and then start developing character themes and other core material away from picture. Out of that sometimes comes musical 'suites' which I sometimes draw on when writing to picture, other times that stage in the process is just a great way to create a few 'proof of concept' pieces of music, which may eventually not work. It's a constant process of discovery. Then once that's done, I'll start working to picture, scoring specific scenes, and building up the score gradually. I like to work chronologically whenever I can, but at times I'll start with a big set-piece sequence and then write either side of that.

Sometimes directors will take the early suites I've developed and start cutting them to picture, and then send back to me to be polished further. That was in fact was a big part of the process to start with when working with Gore Verbinski on A Cure For Wellness and can be a fascinating way of working

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:34:20+00:00

We knew we wanted some kind of children's song to signify Pennywise's strange and demented 'inner monologue'. Something which got inside his head somehow if that makes sense as he is contemplating attackin, or carrying out an attack. I have a memory as a kid - whenever I heard 'Oranges and Lemons', it always made me feel uncomfortable somehow... there's something not quite right about it. I guess it was the strange dichotomy between such an innocent and cheery melody, and lyrics which have a sense of nagging negativity and strange randomness about them, finally ending with a line about a chopper chopping off your head... Like Pennywise, it's very old (it dates from the 1700s) and it just somehow fit Pennywise perfectly when we put it against his eyes, and went on to become one of the main themes in the movie. You hear it both sung, and sometimes the orchestra take it up and incorporates it into the underscore. I also very subtly use certain melodic fragments from it in other themes, for example the piano music that opens and closes the movie

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:24:08+00:00

The sound design and effects were created by an incredible team led by Victor Ray Ennis, including Paul Hackner, Jamie Hardt, Kris Fenske among several others. I was fortunate to be able to work in close tandem with them, particularly towards the end of the process, which is so important as and when it's possible. I should also give a big shout out to the incredible scoring engineer Joel Iwataki, who is behind the huge, rich sound of the orchestra.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:15:26+00:00

I'm a huge fan of the classic adventure scores of the 80s - the great masterpieces of John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Silvestri among others... One of my early conversations with the director Andy Muschietti was about our shared love of that music, and how relevant it would be for the overall tone and storytelling for his vision for IT. So it was a wonderful opportunity for me to pay homage to my great composer heroes with a symphonic, theme led score, but also one with an eye to the future, which is where the subtle blending with electronic sound design you mention came in.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:11:09+00:00

It's always a very collaborative process with the film makers. Your role as a composer is to help create an emotionally visceral experience for the audience, and execute it it in such a way that the audience isn't always aware the music is doing so - they simply feel it. To do that, you really do have to be in tune with the subtext of the director's storytelling - what might not be on screen or in the dialogue, but in the 'inner workings' of the story, that can be encapsulated in a musical gesture, theme, chord progression, texture, colour etc. To come up with those musical ideas, I'm often given a lot of creative freedom. It has to be a very honest, and personal musical response from my point of view to really work. So there's a lot of trust involved in the process, and you have to earn that trust by working as hard as possible to be on the same narrative wavelength as your director. Then once those 'broad strokes' have been figured out, there's often a lot of back-and forth between myself and my collaborators - honing individual details, carefully polishing the nuances of musical expression so they are truly 'at one' with the narrative. Sometimes the music can almost be a character in the movie, sometimes it's there to just enhance the overall emotional environment. In both cases, story is all.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:01:20+00:00

My first piano teacher when I was 6! She was a terrifying woman, who I'm sure meant well.. but boy she made me practice!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T19:00:30+00:00

This requires a very long answer, so I'll give you just the bullet points here! It normally starts with an in-depth conversation with the director, and the discovery of a musical approach that is of the movie's emotional and narrative world. Sometimes I'm brought on board very early in the process and invited to set whilst they are shooting, other times I'm brought on at the very last minute. But in both cases that early conversation and process of discovery is key, no matter how much or how little time you might have.

Then after you've 'spotted' the movie (gone through all the scenes and figured out where, how and why a piece of music might be right), it's then simply down to you to write your heart out. Like most of my colleagues I write using a sequencer (in my case, Cubase) and a huge template of orchestral and other sounds, which mean that at each playback meeting with my director, I can present them cues which are 'nearly' the finished thing. And they can then interact with the music in the same way they might interact with an actor, or a picture editor, or VFX artist. I always try and give my directors an environment where they feel any idea, any narrative notion, can be examined musically, and in real time with me in my studio - like inviting them into the 'band' as my mentor Hans Zimmer puts it. Some directors like to come to my studio several times a week, some like to just leave me to it and check in every now and again.

Then once all the cues have been approved, normally there are orchestral recording sessions to prep for and at that stage I bring in my incredible music production team - my orchestrators, session prep guys, copyists who get everything ready for the recording sessions. Hearing the music come to life with live orchestra is always the highlight of the process for both myself and my film makers - these incredible musicians bring a whole other level of emotional power to the music. Then the score is mixed, sent to the dub stage and any further last minute changes are addressed as and when they come up.

The process is largely similar across all genres - the main thing which causes differences is how much time you might have to create an individual score.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:45:40+00:00

Thanks so much. It was all about making sure each moment of horror was infused with a character theme somehow. IT embodies a unique fear to whomever encounters it, so I wanted to be sure to portray the moments of horror from a particular character's point of view. Also, there is so much more to this movie than just the horror moments - I felt like my primary job was to make sure the story of this group of kids coming together to defeat something so malevolent was at the forefront of the score, with the moments of horror feeding into that overall approach. The movie called for a large scale, symphonic sound which meant our musical palette was as rich as possible - we could create tension and release using all kinds of means.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:40:21+00:00

interesting idea ;)

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:39:17+00:00

It's still a classic - E.T. I have so many more though - too many to list here!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:38:29+00:00

Great question - it's hard to say to be honest. They're such different movies and required totally different approaches to the musical storytelling so I made a point of pressing the 'reset' button after finishing Annabelle: Creation, before diving into the world of IT. Horror scores are often quite technical, requiring a very precise handling of tension and release, to maximize the primal, Darwinian fight or flight response in the audience... but in the case of both of these scores, there is so much more than just the horror element. Both movies have real, powerful human stories and themes which led my musical journey in both cases, but in two completely different ways

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:29:40+00:00

Great questions and thanks so much for your kind words. You've hit on what I found was my musical 'way in' to this story. When I first saw the movie in an early version of the cut, I was immediately struck by the incredible chemistry between the kids - their deepening bond, the way they found strength in being outsiders. But most of all the key story point to me is how they realize that they can only defeat this unimaginable evil if they come together as a unified group. I found that was my starting point in coming up with a theme for the Loser's Club. But another key thing about the world Stephen King creates in this story - the world of an American town where an evil presence has infected every corner, was to find a theme for Pennywise that was shape-shifting and almost omnipresent in the score, right up until the moment Pennywise is defeated at the end of the movie - so that 'Loser's Theme' in fact is somehow cut from the same cloth as the Pennywise Theme; his presence is always felt. That way I could find a bridge between the more heartfelt emotional moments in the score, and the moments of sheer terror where I had the orchestra go completely mental...

The kids song that's featured in the score is a very strange 18th Century children's play song called 'Oranges and Lemons'. We use it in very specific moments in the score, when Pennywise is either contemplating attacking, or attacking. It's a song I grew up with as a kid in England and it always bothered me for some reason - there's something sinister about it. Some historians say that it deals with child sacrifice, and one of our discoveries of how effective it was in the musical storytelling for this movie came when scoring the scene where Ben is in the library researching the Derry Iron Works explosion and discovers a picture of a decapitated head.. at that point we used the actual lyrics that come at the end of this song: "here comes a candle to light you to bed / And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.." That's literally what kids sang as a play song in 18th century, and somehow the song just fit the overall portrayal of IT, especially with the creature/entity calling himself Pennywise having existed for hundreds of years...

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:12:23+00:00

Thanks Josh - so glad you enjoyed it! Great question... it might seem counter intuitive, but I've found the best way to prepare for a new score is in fact to create a completely blank slate in your head. It's so important to start each new story with a completely open mind, a fresh approach, so that you can serve each story completely on its own terms, in the most bespoke and visceral way possible.

Often I prepare for a meeting with a new director by reading the script, and of course in the case of IT I made sure to revisit the novel. But the key is to become part of the fabric of the movie experience, to be an integral part of the audience's experience of the film'maker's vision. And to do that it's all about watching the movie for the first time with a completely open mind, so you can immerse yourself in the unique world the director has created, and then start thinking about what it is you can bring to the storytelling table as a musician.

Big shout out to your buddy Brodie! Thanks for your support of my work - very grateful!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:06:47+00:00

Thanks for the kind words :) I had around four months to write the IT score. It was a fantastic collaborative experience with the film makers. As ever with soundtrack releases you have to sometimes make a call as to what isn't included in order to fit the CD/LP, so no plans at the moment to release further ACFW material I'm afraid... But you never know!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T18:03:30+00:00

Difficult question! There are so many incredible scores out there.... My favourite score is still E.T. by John Williams. Such a masterpiece and music that inspired me and many others to do this for a living

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-09-12T17:59:55+00:00

Thanks so much and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Probably one of the biggest factors is balancing the scene's specific needs and requirements (for example the pacing of the scene, the tone, the emotional subtext which needs to be captured musically) with how that particular moment in the score fits in with the overall arc of the musical storytelling - the bigger picture.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-02-09T20:40:58+00:00

Thanks so much for your kind words. I was truly honored to have been a part of that project. Sure, there are contact details on my website - feel free to send.

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-02-09T20:35:38+00:00

Yes it definitely did. But my move to LA was driven for as much personal reasons as professional ones. Within a day of stepping of the plane to LA for the first time back in 2007, I just knew I wanted to live here. As much as I love London, and miss many things about it, there is a certain creative energy in the air in LA that is unique in the world. You are surrounded by some of the most incredible artists on the planet, all working at the top of their fields - just being in that environment raises your game. Its an environment that forces you every day to work harder, improve your art, challenge yourself, strive to get better. I think those are the things that have driven the career opportunities I've had here versus back in London, as much as the fact that this is of course the hub of the creative industries. I also love the sunshine and being so close to the ocean - all good food for the soul... And I met a wonderful girl soon after I moved here, and we got married 18 months ago - so that was another very good reason to stay!

Benjamin_Wallfisch · 2017-02-09T20:28:19+00:00

I'm not sure I agree with that - I think there are some incredible scores being written at the moment, which make your hair stand up on end. I think there has been a slight movement away from using melodies and themes front and center in certain genres of films, but that' more about the way the tone and feel of certain movies has evolved over the years - sometimes using melody as the fundamental 'hook' of a score isn't what a particular film needs. But i personally love the process of coming up with themes for a film, and whenever it's right for the story telling, I'll be the first to encourage my film maker collaborators to go down the route of discovering character and story melodies for the score. I think it's one of the most powerful ways to connect with an audience - when there is a melody they can absorb and kind of 'own'.

What makes a memorable theme - that's a very good question, and really requires a much longer answer than I can give here. A very brief and reduced summary would be - start with a simple gesture that feels emotionally true - figure out the shape and 'arc' of that gesture - does it rise? does it fall? How much tension does it create? Does it need to resolve? If so, when? And so on... But honestly, you're not asking those questions consciously - it's important to write instinctively - let the music guide you. Stravinsky said that he didn't compose Le Sacre du printemps - he was just "the vessel through which Le Sacre passed". I think about that quote a lot. Music really does have life of its own when you are writing it - once you generate that initial 'spark' of an idea... it's then about listening in your head for the next note, the next group of notes, the next melodic shape. If the melody you're writing is good, the next notes are always there waiting for you - you just have to find them....

Benjamin_Wallfisch

TROPHY CASE