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EXCERPT FROM INTERVIEW WITH "MUSIC FOR FILM EZINE"

How do you feel about the collaborative process of composing music for film?
My friend Jonathan Wolfe always says, "Honor the note". Music for film is a collaborative effort. Sometimes the best notes come from those who know the least about music. "This just doesn't feel sad enough!" or "This just feels too sad!" But it really doesn't matter. Honor the note. See where it leads.

What is your work process when composing for film?
The greatest piece of music can be totally wrong for the scene. Don Ray (my professor and founder of the UCLA Film Scoring Program) once told a story about a CBS Television composer who always wrote wonderful music, but it never fit the scene! Consequently his music was almost never used. I always have the dialogue up when I am writing, and I am forever looking at the picture. The best scores always come from there. Rest in peace, Don.

What is in your studio?
I love my toys. I have a machine room stuffed with ten Pentium Fours all hooked up to my Mac G5 2.5 GHz machine. My G5 is blown out with 8 gigs of RAM and over a Terabyte of hardrive space. I have an air conditioner just for the machine room with a huge hospital filter on it. My computers never even get dusty. It's a sickness. I am seeking help. Pray for me.

How has technology changed the way you do business?
Deadlines and deliveries are part of the business. With FTP sites and broadband connections I can deliver to the stage as the mix is going down. Not to mention oversee an orchestral date in Prague right from my control room!

What has been your favorite project?
I am constantly excited by what I am working on. I absolutely must keep writing or I will change into an alien.