5 Questions with Brian Tyler
Recently we had the honor of sitting down with composer Brian Tyler (Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Thor: The Dark World) and discussed his newest musical creation, Truth.
1. Describe your latest soundtrack on Varese.
A: Truth is an exploration of the often fragile and tense relationship between journalism and politics and the humanity of pursuing the truth. The music strives to explore the tones of the newsroom, the politics of war, power, and the personal side of these elements. The main character Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) is an incredibly strong figure following leads that land her in a very difficult situation as a journalist and personally with her mentor Dan Rather (played by Robert Redford). The pursuit of the truth embroils her whole CBS News team in a controversy and the music highlights the socio-political drama that unfolds as it becomes more and more tense.
The music also has an emotional side to it as the tensions of politics blurs with the truly personal relationships that are a part of their journey.
2. Did the director give you any interesting instructions or feedback to help you create the tonal palate?
A: The director James Vanderbilt is a score aficionado and we worked hard to strike a balance between emotion, investigation, and politics in the sound of the music. He was extremely supportive!
3. Which scene did you score first and why?
A: I first scored the scene where Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) receives the secret documents from a deep throat confidant played by Stacy Keach. It felt so conspiratorial and is the turning point that sets the entire story in motion. When I first saw the film, from then on I was hooked!
4. What other soundtracks of yours were released on Varese and what does it mean to you to have your music released by this label?
A: I have loved this label since I was a young film score fan. It is an honor to have this relationship with them now going on for 12 years.
Eagle Eye
Fast and Furious
Annapolis
Constantine
Timeline
Battle: LA
Fast Five
The Hunted
Children of Dune
The Final Destination
The Final Destination 5
Into The Storm
AVP: Requiem
Brake
Standing Up
Darkness Falls
Killing Room
Partition
Paparazzi
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Lazarus Project
Godsend
Dragonball Evolution
Columbus Circle
5. What kind of ensemble did you use to record the score? Did you use any interesting or unusual instrumentation or soloists who deserve a shout-out?
A: The ensemble was orchestral in nature, focusing on piano, strings, harp, trumpet, and horns.
I wanted to make some connection with the essence of journalism. For instance, the sound of journalistic investigation is often the piano ostinato combined with harp since these instruments most closely resemble the act of typing. It has a metric, deliberate sound. And the plaintiff trumpet represents the militaristic and political narrative of the film. The horns have a noble, lion in winter quality for Dan Rather. And the strings tie everyone together emotionally.
