FromRogue OnetoJurassic Worldto acclaimed Pixar Oscar-winners likeUp, theres no end to Giacchinos talents.
Seriously, how hard were the tanks to defeat in that game?
[laughs] Well, I gotta be honest with you, I never played it!
Only because Im terrible at video games and they frustrate me.
I loved the artwork and design and loved creating the music but I never played it.
I watched other people play it though.
So it taught me a lot about the practical aspects of writing.
Creatively, I spent a lot of time coming up with themes and ideas for all these different periods.
I didnt want it to be wallpaper music.
I wanted it to feel like the film stuff I remembered from when I was a kid.
Even though it was a videogame we could still have it feel cinematic.
It was much more of an open, creative environment, which was a lot of fun.
Looking back on it, I really appreciate having that experience.
That was the big takeaway.
How have you found time?
Yeah, it has been hella busy these last few years.
But I guess I have a very specific work schedule.
I work 9 to 5.
I always break for lunch, I dont hem and haw.
I dont second-guess myself, I just sit down and write.
Its really from 9 to 5, maybe 6 if Im on a roll.
Not always being stuck in a dark room.
What inspired you to become a composer?
But really it was the music for the films that Ray Harryhausen did.
I was a sucker for those stop-motion animated sequences, monsters and all that.
And of course Bernard Herrmann scored a bunch of Harryhausen movies.
They were just the most incredible scores.
Growing up I also lovedKing Kongby Max Steiner.
They were the basis but I didnt really have an understanding this was a specific job undertaken by somebody.
However they certainly influenced me in a huge, huge way.
That solidified it but the inspiration came from the years prior to that.
Monster movies, Sinbad movies and that stuff.
I love all that.
Youre one of the greatest exponents of theme and melody we have in modern day film scoring.
What attracts you to that particular mode of scoring?
Do you owe that to the films you remember growing up?
To me, you couldnt separate those melodies from those storylines, you know?
It was almost like meditation, if you think about it.
So I loved that, and I loved the fact that each film had their own identity.
A lot of films these days lack a specific identity.
They all feel very similar in construction.
There was a little bit of that going around when I grew up but for the most part…
In short I dont know how to do it any other way.
I certainly wouldnt have any fun doing it the other way.
I do my best to carry that tradition forward.
How satisfying is it for you to dial everything back and work with those more intimate ensembles?
Oh I love doing that.
I love finding a singular sound for a specific movie.
And the stories Im attracted to are the more individualised stories.
Thats why I love working with Pixar.
They always have something different and new.
To write unique soundscapes for them.
And as I mentioned, most of the time these days you dont get that chance.
Ill only take a project if I feel I can give it something unique.
I dont want to get involved in something thats just background noise.
Thats not to say such an approach cant be effective as sometimes its a great idea.
But my tendency is towards the other way.
I need to see to it each project is aligned with my personality.
Well Pixar is one of your most fruitful partnerships and includes the likes ofUpandInside Out.
It must be a great joy to be able to reinvent your sound with every new movie they make?
Yeah, its really amazing.
Im so happy and thankful I get to do it with them.
And theyre just the best because theyre after the same thing, too.
Yes they do make sequels but their pride and joy are those original stories.
I enjoy being a part of projects like that.
Can I just say that yourMarried Lifetrack fromUpleft me a weeping husk of a man, emotionally speaking.
[Laughs] Well they say crying is good for you.
Well I felt very good that day!
Was it like aTrekmind meld when you first met did you click straight away?
Yeah, we did.
The thing thats great about JJ is that the pictures evolve and they keep getting better.
And Im not happy until theyve nailed it.
And he just likes to iterate, to try new things, to continually strive to do things better.
We kept on going back to the drawing board until we nailed it.
You know, we need to confirm were still enjoying what were doing.
Most of us are here because were doing what we did as kids.
Many of us made movies when we were young, and we did it for fun.
So to keep a bit of that feeling is important.
Lostwas a notable career achievement for you.
How did you keep track of all the character themes throughout the show and keep them all in play?
When a new character turned up, when a pre-existing character evolved and so on.
And the show would happen so fast.
Id have three days to write an episode and record it.
It was kind of crazy.
Because they were very busy formulating the next episode.
It was a great opportunity to write for me, to be what I wanted.
Its a show where I like back and think, yeah, thats all me.
Because youve worked extensively in this area, including the likes ofJurassic World.
ForJurassicwe thought, OK at this particular moment, were going to hit that John Williams theme.
But once were out of there, were out of there, and back into our story.
If you go too far into the past, you lose the audience a bit.
You lose sight of the story youre trying to tell.
But thats the key for all of us: telling the story thats on the screen.
Being with the characters that are in front of you, and not with the characters theyre based upon.
Its not an exact science but thats my general rule about those things.
That made me smile from ear to ear.
That was a fun thing.
Kevin Feige and I were talking before 2016 Comic-Con at Marvel.
And we were walking back to my car and he asked, what do you think of the originalSpider-Mantheme?
And I told him I loved it and would love to do a huge orchestral version of it.
So we did it and later in Hall H during the introduction of the theme, everyone went nuts.
We then re-did it again for the movie.
The people that I work with like Kevin love all this stuff.
Because I loved the music for it yet the film ultimately wasnt embraced by a wide audience.
You know, I try not to take it personally.
I loved that movie and the fact it got such a bad reception was disheartening.
Yet I can still watch that movie and be delighted that I got to work on it.
But that does happen and its not fun.
Its much better when you have something likeSpider-ManorApesand everyones like, Yay its great!
I work just as hard on those less well-received films as I do on the other ones.
Itll be spectacular, Im sure.
Ive read that film composers often produce better results when under such pressure would you agree with that?
Yeah, I think so.
When youre boxed in you have to make things work, because you dont have as many options.
If I had had 10 weeks to do it, I might have overthought some of it.
Theres something about just having to get a project done.
My early days in videogames and television really taught me how to do that.
Just to trust in what I was doing and keep moving forward.
Without my experiences on the likes ofLostandAlias, I dont know if I would have survivedRogue One.
It would have been a very different experience for sure.
Track puns, then.
Your scores are famous for them.
Do you have a favourite?
[pauses] I think some of my favourites were on theDawn Of The Planet Of The Apesalbum.
And most of them werent mine, they were my music editors.
This is something my editors and I get into when writing, preparing spotting notes and so on.
Its a tradition that goes right the way back to the beginning ofAlias.
Steve Davis was my music editor on that and still is today.
He started doing puns.
I guess he was just bored.
We just took it from there and never stopped.
FromWar,Planet Of The Escapes that was pretty good.
Theyre expecting a really serious soundtrack experience and it upsets them.
They just dont understand that I take the work seriously, but not necessarily the titles.
So its a competition is it, to see who can come up with the punniest title?
Its always between me and the music editors.
If theres one out there thats kind of lame, we always venture to do better.
And thats what appears on the album.
Once we realised that was out there, we were so ashamed.
[laughs] I feel bad about that.
As far as theRogue Onetrack titles were concerned, theyre relatively sober.
Was that out of deference to the franchise?
Well it made sense to do it that way because of the tradition of those scores.
But we still, on the liner notes, put on our alternate track titles.
So if anyone wanted to change them on iTunes, say, they could do it.
[laughs] That would have been a little weird.
So next year is another big year youve gotJurassic World 2,CocoandThe Incredibles 2all coming up.
How are those coming together, because theyre all very different?
Then after that hopefully a little break, for the first time in a year.
Lastly, would you ever like to score a Jason Statham movie?
[laughs] No, Im fine watching them!
I dont think I would help them if I scored them.
I might make them worse.
But boy, that guy is intense.
He can do a lot of physical activity, for sure.
Did you have a favourite of his?
Oh, what was it a recent one…
Spy?
No, notSpy, although there was some funny stuff in that!
No, it was a serious, intense, get-the-person-back pop in movie.
I couldnt even imagine where to start making an action movie like that.
But like I said, Im happy watching them.
Scoring can go to somebody else.
Michael, its been a delight talking to you.
Michael Giacchino at 50 takes place at the Royal Albert Hall on October 20th.
