>BRIAN TYLER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TS: Your educational background is most impressive to say the least.  What was school like for you?
BT: School was an interesting time to be sure. I was always fascinated by subjects outside of music. Namely history, philosophy, literature, and astronomy. Since music was closest to my heart, studying in other fields was a way to balance my life a little bit. 
TS: What was your favorite genre of music growing up?
BT: I would have to say rock music and film scores were my favorite music growing up. I also had a fascination with Stravinsky and Holst. And I got in to hip-hop in the early days as well (around 83). Then jazz or anything that was difficult to play on the drums or piano. All in all, I was confused! 

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TS: Do you have a preference over being a "composer" or "songwriter."
BT: I guess it depends on what I am doing at that moment.
TS: What's the last song you heard that blew you away?
BT: There is a song called "Fares Odeh" by a middle eastern singer Rim Banna that is fantastic. Also,  the rock song "Better" by Plumb is great.
TS: Do you have any out of the ordinary music ideas you want to attempt in the future?
BT: The "Bug" score will be very unusual.

TS: What is your criteria for choosing a film to score?
BT: First and foremost is the quality of the picture and whether or not there is an interesting canvas for me to compose on. I always want to work with people that I genuinely like. Friendship is important to me. The potential of a director is also important to me. 
TS: Are there any directors that you would like an opportunity to work with?
BT: Where do I start? I met with Oliver Stone recently and would love to work with him. I had always wanted to work with William Friedkin and I have been fortunate enough to score 2 of his films. There are many more.
TS: Describe for us your typical process for scoring a film?

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TS: When you aren't working, what instrument do you sit back and have fun with?
BT: Well, I love to sit down and play the drums like a madman.
TS: What's next on the horizon?
BT: Be on the lookout for 3 films: "Bug" directed by William Friedkin starring Ashley Judd, "Fast and Furious 3", and a historical epic set in 1947 India called "Partition."

BT: I watch the film and just take it in. Then I start playing around with thematic ideas. Pretty soon, the main theme comes to me and it almost always ends up being the main theme for the film. It is a bit of a mysterious process really. After coming up with the theme, I just start from the beginning of the movie and write each scene one by one. I often play many instruments during this process. Then I go to a recording hall with an orchestra and conduct the score. After that, I take part in the mixing of the music with my recording engineer.
TS: Is there a theme or score you've written that your are especially fond of?
BT: Some of my favorites are The Greatest Game Ever Played, Children of Dune, Frailty, Annapolis, Timeline, The Final Cut, and my new score "Partition."
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