I take it youve had a busy day already!
Yeah, we have.
We finished a little bit early in this session, which is unusually.
But its a good sign.
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Right.
Because you dont have long until the film comes out, do you?
No, we havent.
Its kind of an accelerated schedule.
But were getting it done.
So at what point do you come aboard a movie of this scale?
Im no used to them while its shooting.
I come in once all the actors have been paid and gone home.
He showed me the movie, which hasnt changed much hes quick at getting the right cut together.
He knows what he wants its always handy working for a guy who knows what he wants.
Youd be surprised because some directors dont seem to know!
[Laughs] But no, Ridley has a good, clear vision of what he wants.
Do you know about the film?
Ive started reading the book, so yeah, I know the gist of it.
Its really centered around Mark Watney, Matt Damons character.
So my first port of call was to write some thematic material attached to him.
It progresses and evolves through his journey through the movie.
You know, hes abandoned on Mars to begin with, and its very bleak.
But his characters full of optimism, quite humorous.
The movies very much about him facing challenges.
So he has to grow food.
But how can he do that on a planet with no atmosphere?
To do it he needs to make water from the materials he has there.
All these obstacles he has in his way, he has to go all out to find solutions for.
So musically Im tracking that.
He has his ups and downs.
There are moments where he fails, but hes a guy who doesnt get pushed back too easily.
So its the personality of the characters that inspires you.
And as a composer, one gets stuck.
Its not like writing concert music, where it can exist without any other subtext.
Especially when the actings as strong as it is, and the script is really strong.
The storys really good.
And geographically, we have something to hang onto as well its set on Mars for the most part.
Freezing cold, barren, lonely for him.
I had to translate those adjectives into musical nuances.
That was my challenge was to convert that and play it for Ridley.
He obviously has a vision for the film, and the music has to enhance that vision.
Whats your working relationship like with him?
Really good, actually.
Hell bring you in and let you cut to the left or to the right.
But really, he points you in the right direction, while also allowing you some creative freedom.
Hes so experienced that he knows the way to go.
But my relationship with Ridley continued.
So when youre sketching ideas out, what do you turn to?
Yeah, thats a really good description of what I do.
Very much like a painting: ones throwing paint at a canvas and seeing whats appropriate, what sticks.
I make a run at be inclusive with Ridley about that.
Thats something I learned very early on from my mentor, Hans Zimmer.
Thats why with Ridley its a true collaboration.
Also with his editors, they have a lot of ideas musically, as well.
Pietro Scalia, hes a film editor and very experienced with music, the use of music in film.
So I had a strong team to get involved with.
Obviously, I havent heard it yet so Im going in blind.
Its not like Zimmer, no.
In some respects, its quite epic.
Its huge, its Mars to Earth and back again.
Not that sort of electronic.
But theres a lot of sound design within the music.
You see this planet in all this glory.
It makes you feel the majesty of what youre seeing.
Once youve heard that, you then realized that were surrounding you with a large orchestra as well.
The musics quiet spacious, too there arent lots of little notes, if that makes any sense.
Its quite open, like the environment.
Is there much room for serendipity?
Welll, lucky him!
[Laughs] Hed have probably been shown the door otherwise.
One does trigger the risk of leaving things too late.
You know, perhaps whole scenes are dropped from the final cut.
We dont know they exist, but the director shoots them anyhow.
Sometimes you see them as a process of getting to where you better get to.
But I start very simply at the piano in my studio, and start with melody and harmony.
Theres certainly some give and take until one finds the language.
Well, I can tell you specifically on this film, that its a hugely important film for Fox.
It has a large budget, with one of the most important directors in the world.
So from my perspective, it couldnt be more important.
Theres a lot of anxiety, and a lot expected.
But thats all the fun of the chase.
It means a lot of sleepless nights.
It means giving yourself over to a project with the exception of everything.
Thats not for all people.
Then perhaps theyll start again and start again on the next episode.
I dont know, I havent had too much experience on that.
But certainly as a film composer, its full on.
Once ones on board, its massively full on until the jobs done.
For me, coming back to Abbey Road is a great thrill.
Its pretty thrilling for me.
Theyre awesome musicians, so its really pleasurable to come back.
But I dont have quite so much history with them as I do these guys here.
So its great fun, although its 20 years since I got a one-way ticket to LA.
That was forCrimson Tide,wasnt it?
It was just after that, yeah.
I actually helped Hans [Zimmer] with that score when he was over here at Abbey Road.
So that was with Ridleys brother.
Little did I know Id actually do a score for Tony or Ridley, or anybody at that point.
It was just a dream.
How important was that grounding, because you started off as an assistant?
Yeah, it was really important.
Im often asked, how do you get started as a film composer?
My answers always the same, because its based on my own experience.
He was coming at things from a band he was in The Buggles, wasnt he?
Whereas I was a chorister at Cambridge.
I came at things from a completely different direction.
That was very healthy, actually, because there was a lot I could learn from him.
It would have been out of my experience.
I maybe got to write a couple of cues or whatever.
The fuhrer, the emperor, casts a large shadow!
But looking back, that paved the way for me to have the confidence to go for it.
Hes just starting out as a composer.
Maybe he could help.
It was a perfect fit just for that film.
What happens when a director doesnt know what they want?
When they dont have a specific vision?
Its a bloody nightmare when they dont.
But these things can have so many heads, with producers and Hollywood studios involved.
There are a lot of people who will have varying opinions over the way things should be.
Harry Gregson-Williams, thank you very much.
