BY CHRISTOPHER LEON
Level and Gain has officially LAUNCHED! To celebrate our debut month, we partnered up with Aussie music mag CutCommon, sharing some of its all-time favourite interviews with screen music creators — including this one. You’re welcome.
When composers work together on a film, TV series, or video game, they’re often required to collaborate to create a seamless experience for their audience. However, for composer Nima Fakhrara, this project was not only an experiment in collaboration, but also an experiment in the individuality that can still be achieved within a production team. (Especially when you’re not allowed to listen to each other’s work. Read on to learn why.)
We talk to Nima about his work on PlayStation 4 release Detroit: Become Human, his compositional styles, and his custom instrument building skills.
But first up, here’s what the game is all about:
You’ve worked on TV series, films, documentaries, and video games. What medium provides the most enjoyable scoring experience for you?
Every medium is a bit different and yet similar in many ways. I love writing music to picture in any medium, as I consider myself a storyteller. I like being part of the storytelling team; to be able to entertain an audience and create a thought-provoking idea.
Some of the differences between the music necessary for these mediums are the length, type, and the time allowed for the writing process. All these create challenges that keep things exciting and make my mind active.
You have used a lot of moving textures and effects in your previous scores – for instance, the way your sounds move and evolve over time with the narrative or background. Are these textures built upon the instruments you have made?
I like to create a palette of sounds with each one of my projects. This palette consists of custom-built instruments, analogue, and modular synthesizers as well as sampled instruments. The project dictates what these palettes include. The moving textures are to emulate the characters and story arc, as well as keeping the ear excited and interested.
What is your process for finding a new texture or soundscape? Do you envisage the starting sound as being organic or artificial?
I like to think about the character or story that I am trying to write music for and then the instrument or texture that relates to them. Even if the end result of the sound I am creating will be artificial, I like to at least try and build it organically. By creating something naturally, I am able to put a human touch on that instrument or sound. Building custom instruments gives me the ability to play the ‘artificial’ sound organically by physically manipulating that instrument.
Detroit: Become Human is a game that has been in development for several years. How did you find the experience of scoring for the game? How has it differed from previous game scoring experiences?
I knew about the game from when it was first announced. I was very excited to be able to play the game as a fan; the scoring of the game was not in my mind. I got a call from Mary Lockwood, the music supervisor of the game, about my interest in scoring the project, and of course I said ‘yes’. I came onboard at an early stage of the game and was able to mould the music as the footage was being developed. The music palette was created early, so I was able to build the instruments that I wanted and shape the sound that was necessary for the project.
The bit of difference for this game and its scoring assignment, versus the other video games that I have been lucky to be involved with, is that I scored to picture where the animation was very close to being finalised. Even though most of the music was written in suite form at a very early stage without watching the footage, the music was then adjusted and rewritten to picture.
There are three composers, including yourself, who have worked on this title. Composers often work together to create one unified overarching soundtrack. However, for this game, each composer has their own main character to score. Can you explain the reasons behind this?
Well, the creators wanted to have a unique voice for each character. We were brought onboard because of a specific sound we create and the unique musical voice we each have. During the writing process, we were not allowed to listen to each other’s music, so we don’t get any cross musical inspirations. This process to my surprise created a very original and unique soundtrack to the game that the player will definitely enjoy.
What inspirations did you draw on to create a unique musical experience for your character Connor?
Connor is a very unique character within the story of Detroit: Become Human. He has a mission in hand and wants to achieve it by any means possible. Throughout his journey, questions that create deviancy in his mission create moments where the player has to make a choice on where Connor’s journey will go. The ideas of a singular vision, cold, procedural, pure, and discovery were some of the keywords I was trying to convey throughout the music.
This game has been ambitious with its story, scope, and casting. What was it like working on such a huge project?
As I am a fan of David Cage and his storytelling powers, it was an absolute honour and pleasure to be able to work on such a fantastic project. The production and creative team created an incredible platform and story for us to create something original and unique. The creative team conveyed their thoughts about the music, but allowed us to run with our musical ideas. At least for me, it allowed me to explore the sounds I wanted, and to create something unique and authentic for Connor.
Read next: Philip Sheppard talks us through his character Kara for Detroit: Become Human.
Images supplied.
