1) LORNE, YOU ARE EQUALLY AT HOME SCORING GAMES, MOVIES AND TELEVISION SERIES. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT ARISE FROM EACH ONE OF THE ABOVE MEDIA?
They all have the same challenges. You start off with fear with each project and work around the respective problems and goals. The same can be said with commercials. You have to look at the bigger picture and figure out how to help tell the story. Games and TV will require more minutes of music but, as with a commercial, you are still required to find the musical concept for the project.
2) WHAT WERE SOME VALUABLE LESSONS YOU PICKED UP FROM HANS ZIMMER? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND WORKING FOR AN ESTABLISHED COMPOSER?
I get asked a lot what the best career path is for someone to take. There is no correct answer. If there was, then everyone would choose it. Personally for me, due to dyslexia,going to university to study in a formal program was not the best path for me. I struggled greatly with the academia side of music. I started working in studios and assisting composers whilst I was at University. I started with Guy Michelmore in London and realized how much more there was to being a composer than just writing music. Dealing with clients, working out budgets, time management were some of the things I got to witness without having to be in the hot seat!
3) HOW DID YOU APPROACH YOUR SCORE FOR THE SERIES ‘GENIUS’ ? EINSTEIN LOVED THE VIOLIN, RIGHT?
He loved music. Music was a passion for him. Music was very important to Einstein. It was part of his thought process; he used music to distance himself from the problematic equations that he was trying to solve. The distance would then lead to the solutions. Writing music for a character is always challenging. You have to somehow think above how we know him, and more about what we don’t know of him.
4) WHAT INFLUENCE HAS TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH MUSIC HAVE IN YOUR MUSICAL UPBRINGING? YOU WERE ALSO BROUGHT UP IN A MUSICAL HOUSEHOLD, WAS THAT EQUALLY IMPORTANT?
Having a musical and an amazing family upbringing meant I didn’t have the pressure of having to aim to actual have a normal job. The arts are in my family so there was fortunately no shock when I said I wasn’t going to become a banker! My school’s career advisor said the only job in music I could have was either playing in an orchestra or becoming a teacher. From my home life, I was fortunate to witness firsthand that it was not the case. My father followed his love of music, and having a studio at home, I met musicians that lived and breathed music .
Being Scottish is very important to me. My musical heritage creeps in a lot, I feel. The use of melody and the emotion from traditional folk tunes are always in the back of my mind.
5) WAS SCORING ‘THE BIBLE’ AN INTIMIDATING EXPERIENCE? I MEAN, HOW DOES ONE EVEN BEGIN TO COMPOSE THE THEME FOR THE DEVIL?!
Absolutely. I realized I couldn’t dare write a theme for the devil. I could only write about what he represented and the sheer power that came with him …… or her.
