I put a few questions to Amin Bhatia & Ari Posner, the composers for the Netflix series, "Anne with an E". Here's what they had to say about the series and how they do their work.
Have you been surprised by the response "Anne with an E" has received?
Most of the time we try not to have expectations about the audience response one way or another. It's much better to focus on doing the best job we can to help tell the story of the show with our music. In the case of "Anne with an E", we were quite inspired to do our best work as the cinematography was so stunning and the performances top notch. All this in combination with the fact that Anne of Green Gables is a well-known story around the world, did give us a good feeling that the show would be well received.
If there was to be a Season 2 of the show, would you score it any differently? Was their cues that got edited out you all ¬¬would like to possibly use?
Should there be a season two, one thing we hope to do is create some master themes that the picture editors could work with as they cut the show. This is a very organic way of weaving our ideas into the fabric of the show and it's something we didn't have the chance to do on season one because of the time factor.
There were certainly cues in the first season that got edited out for one reason or another and it's always nice to be able find a home for a cue that never got used. Will this happen on "Anne with an E"? To be continued…
You all have scored a few different genres now. Do you all have a favorite?
Ari – In film I've had the chance to score a few romantic comedies and while they are quite challenging, I do find that I enjoy that kind of writing a lot.
Amin - I am a fan of sci-fi and fantasy. Yes I am a Trekkie. But in all honesty a good story with good characters is what gets me going. When I fall in love with the characters the ideas just start flyin’.
When you all are scoring each episode of “Anne with an E” do you start at the beginning of the episode and score chronologically or do you jump around?
We both tend to jump around based on the themes and variations that naturally occur. In the spotting session, we might decide a certain scene that comes later in the show will have score that is derived and developed from an earlier theme. If this is the case, it often makes a lot of sense to start with the more complicated version and then work backwards and figure out a way to simplify it. Also, sometimes you don't want to jump into the hardest cue on the first day of writing. I mean sometimes maybe you do…but often it's better to start on a few easier cues to get warmed up and into the flow for the harder stuff.
What was the most difficult episode of “Anne with an E” to score? And why?
The pilot was probably the most challenging because of the tremendous time pressure we faced while still finding our feet in the sound of the show. Because we were brought on board quite late in the game, we really had to hit the ground running. Also, the pilot was a double episode so there was literally twice as much show to cover in terms of the minute count. Interestingly though, the final episode of the season was quite challenging in a very different way. It involved a lot of on screen singing of Christmas carols and a great amount of time was needed to audition and record the actors as well as many extras to create authentic sounding kids choirs and carolers.
What kind of equipment, software and instruments do you all rely on for your scoring work? For “Anne with an E” what instruments did you find yourself using frequently?
We both do our writing in Logic and rely on many of the usual software instruments such as Kontakt, the Spectrasonics instruments and both the Waves and UAD plugins for mixing. Project SAM, Spitfire, Vienna and LASS are a few workhorse sound libraries that come to mind for all kinds of things.
But our favorite instruments for this show came from our "Anne Band" consisting of Drew Jurecka on violin/viola/baritone violin, Kirk Starkey on cello, Sara Traficante on both traditional and Celtic flutes, and Joel Schwartz on acoustic and electric guitars as well as mandolin.
Since you started out, what do you think are the biggest changes that the film and television industry has experienced from your point of view as a composer?
It would be hard to imagine there's been any bigger change than in technology. The tools we use, like in so many other fields, have become vastly better and more efficient. The samples sound more real, the computers are faster, the software more intuitive…all these things have dramatically changed the workflow of composing. The unfortunate side effect of course is the downward pressure on both budgets and time. Generally speaking, compared to when we first started, much more is expected in less time and for less money.
From your unique perspective, where do you think the film and television industry is heading in the near future? Are there any new innovations that are in their infancy? In particular, what do you see as the biggest opportunities and obstacles you'll have to face as a composer?
The good news is that with technology the quality of both audio and video is so much better that there are more good shows out there than ever before. There are also new opportunities for other media like gaming, web interactive, virtual reality, etc.
But the challenge is that there are literally not enough hours in the day to enjoy it all let alone compose for it. So it’s an interesting embarrassment of riches we have right now. It’s easier to make good music now but also harder to stand out from the crowd or keep up with all the great stuff out there.
To finish up, what are the most challenging, and the most rewarding parts of your job?
Ari - Being one of the last pieces in the puzzle is both hugely challenging and rewarding at the same time. Sometimes a scene just isn't coming across the way the writer or director hoped it would, so they rely on us to save it. No pressure there! This is usually a pretty difficult spot to be in. But other times, a scene is so perfectly written and performed, that just the right little extra nudge from us can really bring out the emotion and connect with the audience. When that happens, it is incredibly satisfying. I've often said that one of the favorite parts of my job is making people cry. LOL
Amin - The challenge is the hours. The deadlines are much tighter now and we’re turning cues around now in a matter of hours. It can get really insane sometimes. But you know, that’s the job. This is not easy work but when you get it right it’s just so euphoric! I have loved film music all my life and I still can’t believe that it’s actually my day job. I love going to work in the morning! And having great people to write with and write for is a big part of that joy.
Photo credit: Scott Murdoch
Thanks to Amin and Ari for taking the time to answer these questions. They provided a great insight into the series and their work. Thanks for reading, and head down to the comments section below to share your thoughts on the interview.
