Recording - December 2010 - 36

Theme Music for TV—A Production Report
Sam the Man Sam, who is officially my hero, liked it and immediately started giving me notes. I cannot express how valuable and helpful it is to have someone on the creative end providing this kind of feedback. Sam’s attentive approach and thoughtful notes were a composer’s dream, providing a clarity and insight into the show that was like having a genie over my shoulder. His first notes were to give it some more drive, so I replaced the kick and snare that I had in there with more of a rock kick and snare and took it out of the subby “hip-hop” realm. I also added a 16th-note hi-hat, something that was later taken out due to the feeling that it was a little too disco. Sam also suggested a harder ending with a bigger build leading up to the feeling of someone running towards and then falling off a giant precipice. So, I added some big-ass [technical term—Ed.] toms at the end and brought Leah back in for some Elfman-esque vocal magic. Sam liked it and after a few mix adjustments felt it was time to start passing it on to the other producers. The lesson—top quality at top speed Now, keep in mind that all of this is very “hurry up and wait.” When a request comes in for a different mix or a longer version or whatever, it is expected that it will be delivered ASAP... meaning within the following hour or so! And this is often just to satisfy someone else’s curiosity and not necessarily for use. So, you’ll send it in and then maybe you won’t hear anything for a few days until the next request comes in, never really knowing what the reaction was to the previous revisions. Having said that, any requested version turned in should be a full-quality mix, ready for broadcast, and not a demo. You never know which version is going to blow people over, so do each thing at top quality. Over the next few weeks there was more back and forth, little mix adjustments, timing adjustments, instrument adjustments, etc... The pilot—and the 11th hour Pilot episodes generally do not have an opening credit sequence but instead go directly into the show. Haven was no exception. The show premiered on July 9th with the intro credit sequence yet to be ironed out. They had some graphics and as far as I know were still considering a few different pieces of music, including mine, so it was really getting down to the wire. At one point, I think the Monday after the premiere, I got a call requesting a version with more violin—again, something that was expected to be delivered ASAP. It was also, besides Leah’s vocals and banjo, the one thing that I didn’t play myself, so not the easiest of requests. I think the call came around 6 PM California time, about 9 PM for me. I immediately brought up Bruce’s improv track, hoping I could find something that I could use. I dissected, rebuilt, cut up and created a counterpoint line. Bingo! Within the hour I had more violin. Thank goodness for that improv track! A few nervous but hopeful days go by with no word from the team. Then, two days before the second episode (the
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RECORDING DECEMBER 2010

first with the intro sequence and music) I learn that the composer for the show had sent in a few pieces to be considered for the opening sequence. Yikes! Serious competition. Hope sinks, nervousness rises. Thursday the 13th comes, which also happens to be my birthday—it is the day before air date of episode 2 (first with the intro sequence). I spend the whole day hoping for word from the West Coast, basically pacing up and down my living room figuring that all is probably lost. Finally, some friends and I, including Leah, decide to go out and celebrate my birthday, and a battle well fought despite still not knowing the decision. Getting off the subway on West 4th I get a call from Adam instructing me to check my email. Good news has arrived—a one-sentence email saying “Happy Birthday, you’re in, congrats”. Beaming, I walk into Mario Batali’s OTTO for a wellearned cheese plate with truffle honey.

The technical and the musical Most of the tracks on this piece have an alter ego. The show takes place in a small Maine town whose citizens all have special abilities that, after many years of being dormant, are now awakening. Each track in the music represents that in some way. Most have an opposite or a kind of a mirror image and most have been treated with the show’s setting and story in mind. The percussion consists of a stereo conga track that is panned to the right. That track was also copied, reversed, panned opposite left and backed up an eighth note so the reverse track precedes the non-reversed track, giving it a sense of something emerging.

Recording - December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2010