The Annotator

Composer Michael Yezerski shares the story behind the creation of the first piece of music he wrote for the film which was created to simply rediscover the sound of Oakland, California. He also details how his score was uniquely positioned to continually build tension and and delicately transition scenes from dialogue to spoken-word. Finally, Yezerski also describes the two main thematic and tonal threads he created for this uniquely conceived and told story.

Composer Dominic Lewis shares his story behind his original score for season 3 of "The Man in the High Castle."

Dominic Lewis is a British-born composer and has written original scores for Peter Rabbit, Rough Night and Money Monster. He is slated to score Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween and Disney XD’s revitalized “Duck Tales.” He has also contributed music to high-profile projects such as: How to Train Your Dragon, Rango, Kung Fu Panda 2, Captain Phillips, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

One of Lewis’ more recent projects has been for Amazon’s Emmy winning series, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. The series debuted on Amazon’s Prime Video platform in January 2015 and is now in its third season.

The Man in the High Castle is based on Philip K. Dick's award-winning novel. It is executive produced by Ridley Scott and Frank Spotnitz. The series explores what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. 

In this episode, Lewis talks about the origins of the series’ unnerving title theme and how he came to the surprising use of a song from the musical Cabaret in season 2. He also shares about a number of his original themes for the series’ main characters and how they evolved over the course of the first two seasons.  

ANNOTATED TRACKS AND SEGMENTS

02:00- "Edelweiss" (Season 1, Track 1)

03:21- "Attentater" - (Season 1, Track 6)

05:49 - "Unofficial Treaties" (Season 1, Track 9)

07:34 - "Julianna's Letter" (Season 2, Track 2)

11:25 - "Kotimichi" (Season 2, Track 8)

13:38 - "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" (Season 2, Track 15)

OTHER TRACKS

16:08 - "Cherry Blossoms"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack for season 1 was released on January 13, 2015, and season two on December 30, 2016 by Varese Sarabande. They can be found on digitally on Amazon.com , itunes.com, Spotify and Apple Music.  

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can follow Dominic Lewis on Twitter @Domlewismx

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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C Andrew Rohrmann (aka SCNTFC) is a composer and sound designer based in Seattle, Washington. Starting his career writing music for advertising, he shortly moved into other forms of media; from television to film, and from film to video games. His work for TV and film include: "Wildlife Detectives" and "The Call of The Wolfman," while his music for video games include titles such as: Virtual Virtual Reality, Oxenfree, Peggle 2 and Mr. Robot: Exfiltration. One of his more recent video game projects is OLD MAN'S JOURNEY developed by Broken Rules based in Vienna, Austria.

Old Man’s Journey is a soul-searching adventure, tells a story of life, loss, and hope. Entrenched in a beautifully sunkissed and handcrafted world, the player embarks on a heartfelt journey interwoven with lighthearted and pressure-free puzzle solving. A visual narrative about life’s precious moments, broken dreams, and changed plans, you uncover stories of the old man’s life told through beautiful vignettes of his memories. The game was released in May of 2017 and is available for iOS devices, Android, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Steam.

In this episode, serving as both composer and sound designer, SCNTFC talks about how he came to score this project, how he wanted to blur the lines between diegetic and non-diegetic music and sound, why he chose to record himself on instruments he wasn't the most proficient at playing. And how his music not only follows the titular old man, but ends up propelling him forward through the game's story.

ANNOTATED TRACKS AND SEGMENTS

03:03- How SCNTFC was hired for Old Man's Journey

04:34- "Oceanside" - the music of the journey

11:31 "Two Towers, Stonewall, The Bridge"

OTHER TRACKS

00:07 - "Carry Me Far"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack was released on May 17, 2017. It can be found on digitally on Bandcamp, Steam, Amazon.com, itunes.com, Spotify and Apple Music. IAM8Bit has also released the soundtrack on vinyl.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can find more music and more about C Andrew Rohrmann at his official site http://cargocollective.com/scntfc or follow him on Twitter @scntfc

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Darren Fung is one of Canada’s most successful film and TV composers. His diverse credits include a recreation of Canada's beloved Hockey Theme for CTV and TSN and the theme music for CTV’s flagship morning news show Canada AM. He scored the The Great Human Odyssey, a mini-series that explores the roots of human kind for which he received a nomination in the Best Documentary Score from the International Film Critics Association. Most recently Darren Fung scored the new CBC documentary series, EQUUS - STORY OF THE HORSE.

In Equus, Anthropologist-turned-filmmaker Niobe Thompson takes viewers on an epic journey across eleven countries on three continents and back in time to the mysterious beginnings of the horse-human relationship. Over three spectacular hours of cutting-edge science and gripping adventure, Thompson explores the evolution of horsepower, discovers how our ancestors tamed the horse and learns fascinating new insights into the body and mind of this unique animal.

In this episode, Darren Fung talks about working with director Niobe Thompson again and how they worked hard to provide a different musical experience from their previous collaboration on THE GREAT HUMAN ODYSSEY. Fung also reveals how this project changed his opinion on concert organs, what the director labeled as the score’s “propellant”, and how he created an exotic, Kazakstanian feel despite not having those traditional instruments at his disposal.

ANNOTATED TRACKS

03:10- "Horse"

04:33- "Like Specs of Sand"

08:54- "Man Chases Woman"

10:01- "Far Different"

11:40- "A Human Story is a Horse Story"

OTHER TRACKS

01:32 - "Trust"

13:06 - "A World Without Humans"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack was released by Milan Records on September 21, 2018. It can be found on Amazon.com, itunes.com, Spotify and Apple Music.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can follow him on Twitter @stickyrice

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Jason Graves is renowned for his textural concept scores and innovative orchestration in cinematic narrative games such as Tomb Raider, The Order: 1886, Dead Space, and Lone Echo, for which he made his first appearance on The Annotator (Episode 13). One of Graves' most recent projects has been for VR video game, MOSS from Polyarc.

In Moss, players guide a young mouse hero named Quill on an epic journey while also manipulating the field of play as their own character and key ally to Quill. Moss brings together classic components of a great game – characters, combat, and exploration – with the exciting, interactive opportunities of virtual reality. 

In this episode, Jason Graves shares about how both his and Polyarc’s greatest desire was for the player to make a true emotional connection with the game, including through Jason’s original music.  Jason also talks about how he was first introduced to the Malukah, who has performed on three of his game scores, but Moss finally being his opportunity to take full advantage of her mesmerizing talents. 

ANNOTATED TRACKS

02:20- "Dear Reader"

08:07- "Cinder Skies"

13:30- "Legends Old and New"

19:28- "Home to Me"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack was released by Materia Collective on August 3, 2018. It can be found on Bandcamp, Amazon.com, itunes.com, Spotify and Apple Music.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can also hear more music and find out more about Jason Graves at his official site: http://www.jasongraves.com/. You can also follow him on Twitter @jgmusic

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Neal Acree is a BAFTA nominated film, television and video game composer whose work includes the massively popular game franchises World of Warcraft, Overwatch, StarCraft, Diablo, Revelation Online, and television shows like Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Michael Tuller is a film/television composer, synth programmer and multi-instrumentalist. He has worked with artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Enimen, Jane's Addiction, Madonna, and Kid Rock.

ANIMAL WORLD is a Chinese film directed by HAN YAN, adapted from a Japanese manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto about A man, Zheng Kaisi, finds himself deep in debt. He is coerced to board a ship called the DESTINY that hosts a mysterious and risky gambling party. If he wins an apparently simple game, his debt will be canceled. 

In this episode, Neal Acree and Michael Tuller reveal how working together on this project resulted in music they describe as NIN meets Lawrence of Arabia! They also open up about how collaborating on this particularly challenging score found them exploring ideas they never would have had they been writing solo and how the theme from Rocky and a famous Chinese Folk song forced them to change direction. 

ANNOTATED TRACKS

02:15- "I am Crazy"

04:52- "The Chase"

08:13- "Dream"

09:17- "Getting Out"

10:48- "Setting Things Right"

12:55 - "Last Round"

16:31 - "The Loan"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack for ANIMAL WORLD was released on June 22, 2018 by Velvet Machine Records & Genkaku No Oto and can be found on Amazon.com, iTunes, and is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can also hear more music and find out more about Neal Acree at his official site: http://nealacree.com/ or follow him on twitter @neal_acree. You can also follow Michael Tuller on Twitter @AETHRmusic.

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Tom Hodge and Franz Kirmann have had a long standing collaborative relationship. As Piano Interrupted, they have released three albums, Landscapes of the Unfinished, Two by Four and The Unified Field on experimental German label, Denovali Records. More recently, together Tom and Franz composed the score for brand new eight-part BBC / AMC drama McMafia starring James Norton, the first episode of which aired on BBC One on New Year's Day 2018 in the UK, and 26th February on AMC in the US. 

In this episode, the duo discusses how they came to write a more classic piece for the McMafia main titles after having written a number of demos that were more in line with their established pulsing, electronic sound. They share about how their discussions with the director James Watkins helped to shape their final composition and how, in the end, the actual main titles sequence of the series was edited to fit their piece.

ANNOTATED SEGMENTS

01:17- Origins of the main title with "McMafia Main Title theme"

03:12- "Demo 1 - Ekongting Song"

04:12- "Demo 2 - Fifteen Shades of Saraba"

04:56- The final version

06:36- "McMafia Main Title theme"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack for MCMAFIA is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, and is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can also hear more music and find out more about Tom Hodge & Franz Kirmann at their official sites: https://www.tomhodge.com/ and https://www.franzkirmann.com/ or you can follow them on Twitter at @tom_hodge or @franzkirmann.

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Adam Lastiwka is a Canadian-born film and television composer who has scored over five hundred episodes of popular shows airing on networks such as The History Channel, Discovery, Food Network, Syfy and NatGeo. He is best known for his work on the globally-renowned Netflix series ‘Travelers’ from ‘Stargate’ creator Brad Wright, and the Emmy-nominated CBC series ‘Interrupt this Program’.

TRAVELERS is set hundreds of years from now, when the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These "travelers" assume the lives of seemingly random people, while secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future. Armed only with their knowledge of history and an archive of social media profiles, the travelers discover that 21st century lives and relationships are as much a challenge as their high-stakes missions.

In this episode, Adam Lastiwka talks about he tried to extrapolate what music would sound like in the future performed by a homgenized people who, while remaining musical, actually played traditional instruments incorrectly. He also shares some of his inspirations for his score and how he wrote music that would help reveal setting, time, and character.

ANNOTATED SEGMENTS

02:23 - Show concept w/ track "Protocol"

06:08 - "Arrival"

04:26 - "Chronocide"

06:08 - "Arrival"

08:25 - "Phillucinating"

11:08 - "Trevor Does Transdifferentiation"

12:54 - "Close Call"

SOUNDTRACK

The original soundtrack for TRAVELERS is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, and is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can also hear more music and find out more about Adam Lastiwks at his official site: http://www.adamlastiwka.com. 

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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Steven Burke is a composer and sound designer who has worked on video game projects for Nintendo, Microsoft, and Rare Ltd. Some of his music credits include: Yooka-Laylee, How We Soar and Kameo: Elements of Power.  He also created some of the most recognizable game music, listened to by millions of gamers around world - music and sound effects for the dashboards of the Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the Xbox One game consoles.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was unveiled on May 12, 2005 and has since gone on to sell some 84 million units! The Xbox One succeeded the Xbox 360, as the third Xbox console, and was first announced in My 2013. Estimates say that by the March 2018, some 39 million Xbox One units had been sold.

In this episode, Steve Burke shares the story and process behind the music and sound effects he created for the Xbox 360 dashboard. He reveals some of his original musical sketches created to be used during avatar setup and customization. He also talks about returning in 2009 to do the music for the Xbox 360 Kinect update and how, while under an already tight deadline, not even a dangerous coup in the country he was currently residing in could prevent him from finishing the project!

ANNOTATED SEGMENTS

02:11 - Avatar Begins (Xbox 360 Avatars Suite)

03:01 - Early sketches (Xbox 360 Avatars Suite)

04:00 - Working on the main theme (Xbox 360 Avatars Suite)

05:27 - Sting stories (Xbox 360 Avatars Suite)

06:49 - Kinect, Coup, and Keyboard (Xbox 360 Avatars Suite)

14:23 - Sound Effects and the Xbox One (Xbox 360/One Avatars Suite)

SOUNDTRACK

This music is not commercially available.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER

You can also hear more music and find out more about Steve Burke at his official site: http://steveburkemusic.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveburkemusic

ABOUT THE ANNOTATOR

Produced by Christopher Coleman (@ccoleman) and you can Find more episodes at THEANNOTATOR.NET or you can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you find quality podcasts.

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