Compositional process

[dcoscina]

Hi David,

Big fan here. I have always been really impressed with your fluid melodic sense. When composing using orchestral samples, do you differ your approach substantially as compared to writing down everything on manuscript? Is it a track-by-track type of thing or do you map out a theme on piano and then apply variations when composing using a sequencer? Or do you only mock-up your finished cue for directors?

Sorry- too many questions I fear. :o

[David Newman]

When I am starting a movie I do generally try to write on manuscript, some sort of melody or motive. But just as often, I dive in and write an entire cue and see how it goes. When I started scoring films, I wrote everything by hand into a score as my handwriting was so bad it was very difiicult for me to sketch. Then I started using computer notation programs and eventually, when mock ups became a necessity, migrated to LOGIC and used it's notation feature as a sketch pad. Writing in LOGIC is much different for me and took some getting used to. however, I can use a string patch, pno or whatever to kind of sketch out my ideas and then take it from there. But just as often, once the movie is going, I do sort of go line by line, orchstrating as I mock it up. so when I am finished the cue is mocked, up and 80% orchestrated. Hope this answers your question.