New interviews with Sasha Roiz, Esai Morales & Bear McCreary and some general updates

Tons of clips in today's update, so keep scrolling till you see Patton Oswalt. ;)

The second part of the interview The Gaming Liberty did with Bear McCreary has been posted (hit the link for the whole thing). No updates on Blood and Chrome after all. Here are a couple of quotes about Caprica & BSG (note - he is working on an *extended* Caprica soundtrack):

New interviews with Kevin Murphy & Bear McCreary

Hollywood Reporter has a new interview with Kevin Murphy. Among other things, he talks about Caprica and some of the challenges they faced in the second half of the season. The relevant bit:

The Hollywood Reporter: You’ve had some quickly-canceled shows on your resume. What did you learn from them?
Kevin Murphy: In a case like Caprica, I came in halfway into the order. After a week or so, Ron Moore and David Eick promoted me to showrunner and one of the interesting things there was figuring out how to make it grand -- how to make it live up to the [Battlestar Galactica] franchise while being realistic about the fact that the show had ended up costing NBCUniversal a lot more than they had originally expected or budgeted for. Part of that was the nature of the beast. When you’re doing a show set on a spaceship, you can always do a bottle show where you can have a perfectly good episode where everybody stays on the standing sets of the Battlestar Galactica. Because the overall jeopardy is the imminent of the human race, it can be an exciting, suspenseful ride having people standing around on the bridge talking.

On Caprica, it was conceived to be this wide canvas with multiple families, blue skies and outdoor locations. You’re not just seeing the ruins of Caprica, you’re seeing it 24/7 on the show and you have to make it not look like British Columbia. That required a lot of CGI adjustment and changing the skyline of Vancouver. I arrived the moment the cookie jar was empty. I learned more doing that show in eight episodes than I learned on three years with Desperate Housewives. On the CW, you’ve only got so much money, doing all the tricks when you’re trying to save money, so those skills have come handy on this particular show.

Also, for anyone who hasn't heard it on the DVD commentary for "Apotheosis," The Caprica Times has an excellent recap of Murphy's plan for season two and where they were going with those last five minutes of the season finale.

The rest of the THR interview is about Murphy's other shows, including Hellcats, which still hasn't been picked up for a second season. You can read the whole article at THR.com. The Futon Critic has the May upfronts schedule, so those are the dates to watch, not only for Hellcats, but also the pilots (Grimm, 17th Precinct, Hart of Dixie, etc.)

A new episode of Hellcats airs tonight at 9 on the CW.

Square Enix Music Online has a new interview with Bear McCreary, which is mostly about his score for SOCOM 4, but he also gives an update on the Caprica soundtrack.

About those shows... The Cape, Caprica, and Trauma were prematurely cancelled despite having a considerable fanbase. Was this disappointing for you or partly expected, given the highly competitive nature of primetime broadcasting?

Bear McCreary: Of course. It's always disappointing when something you work on — and really invest yourself emotionally in — does not continue. At the same time, in all three of those shows, I was able to explore what I wanted to explore.

Looking at The Cape as a perfect example, of course I'm disappointed that there wasn't another season where I could write big, epic superhero music and record it with an 80-piece orchestra every week. But in looking at that from the other side, from the artistic perspective, I was able to record a full season of a superhero show with an 80-piece orchestra every week! So I'm very proud of the work I've done on those series and it is good to know that it will live on in other media for people to discover as the years go on.

In the case of The Cape and Caprica, I am in the process of working on a soundtrack album release for both of those so that fans can hear all the things that I put in the score that sometimes get lost in the final edit.

Some other updates, in random order:

A new episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, with Tahmoh Penikett, is available on YouTube.

Panou tweets that he has wrapped filming Underworld 4.

Ryan Robbins tweets that he will make an appearance on The Listener this Friday.

Game of Thrones has already been picked up for a second season, after a single aired episode.

Here is the trailer for Amazon Falls, with Zak Santiago and William B. Davis, playing in Vancouver these days:



Spoiler TV has a couple of previews from next week's United States of Tara, with Patton Oswalt:





And the teaser and sneak peek from Sanctuary 3x12, "Hangover," with Ryan Robbins:

New interview with Bear McCreary (Caprica countdown)

Bear McCreary is one of the people involved in Caprica who were interviewed by L.A. Times this past week. You can read the full interview here.

You create your themes based on characters, so when something is not fully formed like "Caprica," do you just go on the script itself?
No, never. I honestly never read the script if I can avoid it because a lot will change from the time it's written to the time it's produced. Sometimes the entire tone of an episode can be reshaped in directing or editing or acting. I don't like to base my ideas off of an alternative reality. With that said, there are times where I need to know in advance certain character arcs. "Caprica" is a great example. I won't give you any spoilers, but there are certain reveals that I know are coming in the back half of the season, so I'm already planting seeds. I'm not going to mention anybody, but after things happen, you can go back to the beginning and see where, musically, I was telling you who these hidden characters are. Stuff like that is really fun.

That's awesome to think about that level of nuance. Let's talk about the two main characters: Eric Stoltz as Daniel Graystone and Esai Morales as Joseph Adama. What, musically, stood out for each of them?

Both of them are featured prominently in the pilot, so my initial original conceptual themes came from the pilot. Daniel is aristocratic and sophisticated and wealthy and very intelligent and highly educated. He's really the kind of character that we never saw on "Battlestar." So I wanted his music and generally the tone of the show itself to be more familiar. I didn't want it to have that kind of tribal raw energy that the "Battlestar" score had. So it's more western; it sounds more like a traditional chamber orchestra. You hear instruments that are not foreign to anyone. English horn and harp and piano. So it has a really calm, meditative yet familiar aspect. One of the things I wanted to say with that is that the world of Daniel Graystone is our world. It's more far-fetched in that it's advanced, but unlike "Battlestar," which is like a submarine, Caprica City is an environment that we are familiar with. So the music should be familiar.

You mentioned the Taurons ... so have you thought about the different musical themes that each culture could create?

Absolutely. And there had been times throughout "Battlestar" where we're dealing with people from different colonies and I wrote particular themes for them. But this is the first time I really tried to craft an identity for, not only Tauron, but Caprica as well. And it's something that I think we're going to explore more. Eric Stoltz is already talking to me about the episode he's directing where we get to see a little more of another colony. He's asking me what the music sounds like and I say, "I don't know. I'm not there yet." But we're gonna get there.

They also embedded a clip from a concert Bear held last year. If you haven't heard the Caprica theme performed live, here it is:

Bear McCreary plans to post updates on Caprica score

Heads up: Bear McCreary posted a new entry on his blog about the scores he's been doing for Caprica, Human Target and the video game Dark Void. He says he will post detailed entries about his work on these projects, as he did while Battlestar was still on the air, so keep an eye on his site for updates.

Human Target premieres on Sunday, January 17 at 8/7c on Fox, Dark Void is out on January 19, and the extended Caprica pilot airs on January 22 at 9/8c on Syfy.

Here is what he says about Caprica:

BSG fans I assume already know about this one. What the rest of you guys might not know is that Caprica is a distinctly unique series, one that can be enjoyed without any knowledge of BSG. My pilot score soundtrack album was released last year to rave reviews (”A rich and satisfying journey; subtle and beautiful.” - IGN 6-22-09). With the series now airing, you can finally hear the somber themes and instrumental colors introduced in the pilot expand into a vibrant and vast musical universe, complete with new character themes, songs, anthems and onscreen piano and vocal performances. Caprica City, as you will discover, is a very musical place and the producers have allowed me to craft that musical identity and share it with all of you.

I started this blog with modest aspirations of updating it once a month or so. Over the course of BSG, I realized that there are actually countless other people out there like me who really enjoy the ins and outs of film scoring, and this blog has obviously grown. As a result, I am planning to post blog entries about all of these new projects with the same intense detail of my BSG entries.

I am confident when you guys hear this music, you’re going to want to know more about it. Expect to see a flood of entries, album and merchandise announcements and other surprises on the blog here in the coming weeks. And be sure to check out the Human Target, Dark Void and Caprica scores next week, because I think you guys will love them.

Source: Bear McCreary's blog

New interview with Bear McCreary, from Examiner

Examiner talked to Bear McCreary recently. The full interview is here, some quotes below:

Regarding your latest release, Caprica, it sounds to me more emotive and character-centric than the Battlestar scores, which are very atmospheric, encapsulating all the action and drama of the environment.

Well, Caprica has a much smaller cast, and that cast can essentially be divided into two families – The Adamas and the Graystones. So I wrote two themes, one for each family, and they serve as the thematic thread that ties the Caprica score together. Battlestar, as you mentioned, tends to be attached to arcs, subplots, and sometimes thematic ideas. There are also themes for every single character on the show, and there are at least 50 of those alone, not that they all get used all the time. So Caprica was a very different approach.

Was it difficult at all to pull back from the expansiveness of Battlestar and hone in on this smaller story?

It was a bit of a relief, honestly. If the producers wanted Caprica to sound bigger, I might have died. The Battlestar score has reached a point where it is so unwieldy and massive, in terms of the amount of instruments in it, the style it encapsulates. It’s difficult to work with this language, and Caprica was like a breath of fresh air. I got a small chamber-sized orchestra together, and I was able to fall back on just writing, technique, and ideas, and the spectacle of the score wasn’t part of it.

Did you approach it more as a classic drama than as a sci-fi epic?

Well, I don’t approach anything as a sci-fi epic. I look at everything from a dramatic standpoint. Battlestar is certainly no exception to that. There are more family-drama storylines happening in Caprica, and Battlestar certainly does have its share of big, sci-fi plots that are not solely character based. But I have to admit that I try to ignore them, from a musical standpoint. What can one do to write science fiction music in the first place? I write narrative music. So, in that regard, it wasn’t any different than doing Battlestar. But I think the biggest difference was the ensemble, which was much more traditional, more contained, and much more classical. And the signature instruments like the ethnic drums, Middle Eastern flutes, and whatnot that are all over Battlestar, only make sporadic appearances throughout Caprica.

Something I found puzzling, given your credentials, was that in the press surrounding Caprica’s development, you weren’t even originally considered to do the score. I read something about the director having conversations and you were eventually suggested. What happened there?

Well, they honestly wanted a very different sound. And the director, Jeffrey Reiner, who had never previously worked on Battlestar, came in to direct Caprica, and wanted to go in a completely different direction. He didn’t want to re-create Battlestar… none of us did. So, I wasn’t an obvious choice, because I WAS the guy who did Battlestar. I had a meeting with Jeff, and we realized immediately that we were both on the same page about how the music should be. In fact, we had an incredible relationship artistically; he and I really got along, so it worked out for the best. But no, I wasn’t the obvious first choice. But like I said, the producers were concerned; they wanted something different, so I had to prove that I could deliver it.

How often do you have to go back to the drawing board and do rewrites for something that doesn’t work for you or the director?

In my entire career working on Battlestar and Caprica, I have only ever done one rewrite. It was in one of the very first episodes of Season 1, and I’ve never done one since. That’s for two reasons: one, the producers and I have worked together for a really long time and we see eye-to-eye. Generally I know what they want, and they trust my instincts. And two, there’s no time for rewrites. I had to write the entire score for Caprica in nine days. So I was just churning out cues as fast as humanly possible. I turned out between five to eight minutes of music for nine days straight, and on the tenth day, I was in front of the orchestra conducting it. So we definitely make revisions, tweaks – Jeff and I worked together on it very closely. But as far as going back and rewriting something from scratch; there was no time for that.

Bear McCreary to hold three concerts at Comic Con

Caprica composer Bear McCreary will hold three concerts at Comic Con.

Details below, from the official release:

Universal Cable Productions presents Bear McCreary and the music from Battlestar Galactica for three nights at the House of Blues in San Diego from July 23-25th – during Comic Con!

The concerts will be hosted by Admiral William 'Husker' Adama himself, Edward James Olmos (on Thursday and Friday) and Grace "Boomer" Park (on Friday and Saturday). The concerts will celebrate the July 28 release of a special 2-CD set, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4. La-La Land Records is releasing the Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 soundtrack through a license agreement with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 will be available in stores nationwide and online on www.lalalandrecords.com and www.amazon.com. The two-CD soundtrack will feature music from seasons 4.0 and 4.5 and the music from "Daybreak," the stunning series finale. Also available from La-La Land Records are McCreary's soundtracks for Battlestar Galactica Seasons 1, 2, and 3, Caprica and Eureka.

UCP Presents Bear McCreary: The Music of Battlestar Galactica will feature special guest hosts and surprise celebrity appearances. Special Battlestar Galactica merchandise will also be available for sale at the concerts. La-La Land Records will be selling copies of the soundtrack for Caprica, and all of the Battlestar Galactica soundtracks, including advance copies of Season 4.

In addition to general admission tickets, a limited number of VIP tickets are available for all three nights. VIP Tickets include special entry and access to the hosted VIP-only balcony seating, bar and Delta Lounge, a meet-and-greet and autograph signing with McCreary and the BSG band, and a VIP gift bag which includes the Caprica Soundtrack CD.

"Bear McCreary's music was an integral part of the re-invention of Battlestar Galactica. Its complexity, depth, and breadth helped elevate the series beyond a simple 'Space Opera.' We couldn't be more excited to see Bear's music embraced by fans and music aficionados as something to be celebrated on its own," said Mark Stern, EVP, Original Programming, SCI FI Channel and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

The emcee the first two nights, Edward James Olmos agrees. "The day has finally come when I will be able to experience live the sights and sounds of Bear and his friends. Wow.... what a privilege!"

"This great series has come to an end, but I'm thrilled that my original score can live on in soundtrack albums and on the concert stage," said McCreary. "I can think of no audience who will appreciate the shows more than the fans at Comic Con, and I am grateful to UCP for this opportunity to bring the music of Battlestar Galactica directly to them."

Season 4 composer McCreary was recently called one of the top 10 composers "that make space adventures epic" by www.io9.com. His work on the television series Battlestar Galactica has been described as offering "some of the most innovative music on TV today," by Variety, and his blog www.bearmccreary.com/blog, which features in-depth inside looks at the process of scoring Battlestar Galactica, was called "one of the best blogs in the business. It's a fascinating look at the process of making music for film and television and the care he takes with aligning the score with the twists and turns of each character's plot lines," by The Hollywood Reporter.

McCreary's feature film credits include Wrong Turn 2 and the Rest Stop films. He also scores the series Eureka and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and will be scoring the upcoming SCI FI series, and Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica and the Capcom video game Dark Void. McCreary was among a handful of select protégés of late film music legend Elmer Bernstein and is a classically trained composer with degrees in Composition and Recording Arts from the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music.

UNIVERSAL CABLE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS:
BEAR MCCREARY
THE MUSIC OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
HOUSE OF BLUES SAN DIEGO
All shows are 21 and older, doors open at 7PM

Thursday, July 23 (hosted by Edward James Olmos):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A0042CB95F42FAC

Friday, July 24 (hosted by Edward James Olmos and Grace Park):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A0042CB9FA03078

Saturday, July 25 (hosted by Grace Park):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A0042CBA0713083

Caprica score to be released in May

Bear McCreary posted an update on his blog to clear up a few things related to release dates of his upcoming soundtrack albums (Battlestar Galactica Season 4, Razor/The Plan, Caprica). He says that the Caprica album will be available in late May:

The album is finished and is currently being mastered. It will hit stores in early June, but will be available early from the label’s website in late May. The sound of this score is much more intimate than Galactica, but I think fans will nevertheless be surprised at how lyrical, passionate and thematic it is. In fact, many of the musical shifts you heard in Daybreak were inspired by the harmonic language I devised for Caprica. [BearMcCreary]

Bear McCreary talks about the Caprica score

Caprica-City.de has a new interview with Bear McCreary. He mostly talks about his work on Galactica, but also mentions Caprica, Terminator and Eureka. He are the relevant bits:

"Caprica" is interesting because it's the first show that I'm completely creating music from the ground up. But even there, I'm not, because I need to acknowledge or not acknowledge "Battlestar". I mean, if I use taiko drums people go "Oh, he's doing 'Battlestar'", and if I don't use taiko drums people go "Oh, he's doing something different than 'Battlestar'". It's kind of the elephant in the room, it's like "Battlestar" exists. And with me scoring "Caprica", I have to acknowledge it. Now the fact is, you're not going to hear a lot of "Battlestar" music, so in many ways "Caprica" is the show that I'm creating from the ground up. But you'll hear some nods [to BSG] for sure.

"Battlestar", you have to remember, musically started out very simple. There were no character themes, in fact I was told not to have character themes. "Caprica" is very different because at this point, the producers know me well and they are more open to ideas. The score to "Caprica" in general is simpler, much more western. It's much more classical. I think I wanted to do something different and ultimately I was faced with this question, what is different than "Battlestar Galactica"?

Well, in "Battlestar Galactica" there is a lot of ethnic music, it's music from every continent, with instruments from throughout human history. It covered a lot of bases. What could I possibly use on "Caprica" that I haven't used on "Battlestar"? That's when it occurred to me, the way to make "Caprica" different is to make it more normal, really. "Caprica" should not sound so weird, more like what we are used to hear in film and TV.

And there's also a benefit to that. "Caprica" takes place before the apocalypse, not afterwards. In many ways, this event in the "Battlestar" miniseries, it kind of hits the reset switch. We've gone from this society to this rag tag fleet. The tribal drums and this ethnic instruments felt very appropriate. "Caprica" is very different, our society is refined and polished and the infrastructure exists. It's totally different. The music is more baroque, almost. It's not actually baroque in style, but it feels more constructed and more western, more symphonic. It felt appropriate.

And then, of course, this also gives me a place to go because should the series live on for multiple seasons, we know how it ends, where the series goes. The neat thing is, it gives me the opportunity to slowly evolve the score so that it becomes more like "Battlestar" the closer we get to the nuclear holocaust it ends with, or presumably ends with.

So I think people will hear that it sounds very different. There are also some musical nods to "Battlestar". I think people will recognize that it's me writing it. But as you can hear from that little snippet, it is a sad tone. It's also very lyrical like the piece that I just played to you. In "Caprica" I'm much more direct than in "Battlestar". The emotions are, at least in the beginning, more direct, a little more obvious, simpler.

Tonally the show is quite similar to "Battlestar". The characters are very dark, very conflicted and so it's the music that's a little different. More traditionally actually. I think people assume that I'm "Mr. Taiko Drum" will be surprised. I mean, I don't find it surprising because when you watch "Battlestar Galactica" carefully, you'll hear that there's a lot of very different orchestral inspired pieces in there. But I think a lot of people that assume that I just do taiko drum battle music are going to be surprised. We'll see.

Bear McCreary plays a portion of the Caprica score

While visiting Hagen, Germany, Bear McCreary played a portion of the Caprica score for the users of the website Caprica-City.de. The video is embedded below.

Bear McCreary is scoring Caprica

Battlestar composer Bear McCreary confirmed the other week that he is recording the score for the Caprica pilot and will stay in charge of the music on Caprica for the entire season.

"The score, like the tone of new series, is quite different from Galactica," he wrote on his blog. "I am introducing a new ensemble, soloists and distinct musical themes, expanding the sonic boundaries of the Battlestar universe, while still keeping the soul of the score connected to my previous work. And don’t worry… Chris Bleth, MB Gordy, Paul Cartwright and the other unique musicians who play on Galactica are on board as well."

McCreary's other recent credits include Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Eureka.