In addition to being an A-list film and television composer and music producer, Lorne Balfe has scored a number of high-profile video games. Most recently, Balfe collaborated with long-time musical associate Hans Zimmer on the music for Skylanders, and with Jesper Kyd on the epic score for Assassins Creed: Revelations.
Since games have become a multi-billion dollar industry, and major studio game budgets continue to soar, the stigma of games as a somehow inferior creative medium has disappeared. This is certainly the case with game scores, which have begun to attract composers such as Balfe, Zimmer, Gregson-Williams, and many other Hollywood standbys. However, every project has inherent limitations. I talked to Lorne Balfe via email about his scores for Skylanders and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.
Other than time and budget, and the aesthetics of the project, what are the limitations or restrictions in creating a game score?
The only limitations are trying to come up with good tunes! Games scores now are most progressive. Game scores used to be two years behind what film scores were, and now the game creators want to take risks and create something fresh and new. The only restrictions and limitations I find are trying to create something original and fitting for the game. The amount of time we have is always a struggle. It would be wonderful to have years to compose four hours of music, but unfortunately, most times the schedule only allows three months.
Your score for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations contains long, symphonic cues, but the score for Skylanders is like a set of short variations on a theme.
There are a few themes, but our plan was, instead of giving each character his/her own theme (due to the fact there over 40!), I wanted to combine them into elements instead. I felt that using motifs and riffs for these elements would be less distracting to the player than having long melodies. I personally find long themes very distracting in game music, and especially with gameplay music. The music should get the player in the mood but should not distract them. For the cinematics/cut scenes, we can then play the themes and let the viewer sit back and discover more of the story telling.
Did you listen to any of the other Spyro games before writing the Skylanders score?
I on purpose did not listen to any of the other scores for Spyro. I did not want to subconsciously be influenced. Visually, the game looks unique so we wanted to create its own musical world. Also having Miriam Stockley singing the main theme brought it to another dimension. She has a beautiful and unique voice and I was so happy she was able to sing the main theme. As well as using instruments from all over the world, I was able to do try interesting orchestrations. I would sometimes give the strings articulations so that the performance would sound more Indian for example.
Singer Miriam Stockley performs on the Skylanders soundtrack
Many game scores are done completely in-studio, using sample libraries instead of “live” musicians. How much of the score for Skylanders was samples?
We were very fortunate to be able to record in London at Air Studios, with a fantastic orchestra that we normally work with on most of our films. I tend not use commercial libraries. I prefer to try and create original samples. The game or film makers have created an original vision and I think its only fair to give them a music score that doesn’t have sounds in it that might also be in a TV show.
With all the software and hardware tools available to the composer, what is your workflow like?
I use Cubase as my sequencer with Pro Tools running picture. In regards to sounds, I use a program called SAM which was created for Hans (Zimmer). I still use Gigastudio. The workflow is very long hours. There never seems to be enough hours in the day. Games are very like films in regards to the scheduling. Picture changes occur right up to the last minute, so we have a lot of changes to make.
Are you a gamer? A lot of composers seem to feel it’s important to play the games for which they score the music.
I have tried, and somehow seem to have absolutely no coordination to play games! I do not personally think it makes a difference. It is the exact same experience that is achieved in film. The music has to help get the gamer/viewer into that world. Games now have a lot of cinematics, and it is exactly like a film. In Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, some of the scenes were so realistic, it was like watching a film. With gameplay music, when I see the scene, I want to try and create a texture that helps the gamer feel they are in that world and the soundtrack is in their head.
Do you have any personal favorites among the game scores you have composed?
They all have great memories for me and its impossible to say which one is my favorite. That would be like asking as a parent which child you prefer: impossible! You work on a project for a long time. You live and breathe it and it becomes part of you, so it is hard to create a ranking system for it.
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