FILM SCORING MECCA | Hollywood orchestrator Conrad Pope
Welcome to FILM SCORING MECCA – a series tailored and curated by composer Adriano Aponte for FST. Presenting amazing and insightful articles about professionals working at top level in the film music industry. Today we have legendary composer and orchestrator Conrad Pope, an icon in the film music industry.
REFERENCE IN THE FILM MUSIC INDUSTRY
My reputation has been established over many years of doing every kind of work one can imagine in music prep. I was fortunate enough to be able to deliver work that met the requirements of people who commissioned it. Being consistent and being attentive to what needs to be done will generally lead to you being employed.
THE MISSION OF AN ORCHESTRATOR
The mission of an orchestrator is to do for the composer what he needs done and to present his music at its very best.
ORCHSTRATION SKILLS & ITS CRAFT
You have to understand many styles of music, have a craftsman’s knowledge of composition, a conductor’s knowledge of the orchestra, and the imagination to hear in other people’s music its potential.
TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST 20 YEARS
Technology changed the job in every way! It has certainly shortened the turn around of scores, as composers now need to have several layers of approval of their music before it can be cleared for orchestration. It has compressed the time schedules of delivery for orchestrations, necessitating the need for me to be the manager of other orchestras, overseeing their work in digital form, and still assuring that the client will receive a Conrad Pope orchestration.
WRITING FOR THE PERFORMER AND NOT THE INSTRUMENT
Having played different instruments in my youth, I always try to imagine what it was like playing a wind instrument, a brass instrument, and a string instrument when orchestrating, as well as always channelling how each of those instrumental families speak to me. I also try to bear in mind that a great instrumentalist always wants to sound great, so I always endeavour to make the music be as natural for their instrument as I possibly can.
A great instrumentalist always wants to sound great, so I always endeavour to make the music be as natural for their instrument as I possibly can
WORKING FOR FILM, TV & MEDIA
Today there is no difference between working for Film, TV or other media. Once each of these media had restrictions on the size of its ensemble, but now it is just a question of time.
INTERVENING ON A COMPOSER’S SCORE
First I talk to the composer and listen very carefully to what he tells me. Then I sit at my piano, play through the score, try to hear in the music all that he has told me, and try to imagine the most it can be.
BEST AND WORST EXPERIENCE
The best working experience I’ve had has been the very fortunate opportunity for a number of years to work for John Williams. The worst experience has been orchestrating for all others 🙂 But seriously, working for people who never quite knew what it was they wanted to hear. Fortunately those have been very rare.
ANECDOTE TIME
One of my favourite anecdotes is a memory of a session where James Horner was conducting the music to the film The Rocketeer. Standing behind him was one of his daughters, who was waving her arms trying to conduct like her father. At the end of the cue James got off the podium and asked his daughter if she would like to conduct. She said yes. She got up on the podium with a chair, and with James standing behind her she began to conduct the orchestra, but it was actually James leading them from behind. And I thought: what a remarkably moving moment and that a man with such a heart it was no wonder he could bring such emotion to the screen.
HIRING AN ORCHESTRATOR FOR THE FIRST TIME
Know your music, be careful with your dynamics, registers, and be clear to use words where the notes may be ambiguous. Tell the orchestrator if you want things energetic, emotional, magical, etc.
Know your music; be careful with your dynamics and registers
FUTURE GENERATION OF ORCHESTRATORS
Study music with passion and continue to study and learn throughout your life.
KEY FOR SUCCESS
Hard work, practice and always solving problems, not creating them. And help others and perhaps they’ll help you.
Coming up next in the series: FILM SCORING MECCA | Score preparation icon Jill Streater
Authors
Contents
- REFERENCE IN THE FILM MUSIC INDUSTRY
- THE MISSION OF AN ORCHESTRATOR
- ORCHSTRATION SKILLS & ITS CRAFT
- TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST 20 YEARS
- WRITING FOR THE PERFORMER AND NOT THE INSTRUMENT
- WORKING FOR FILM, TV & MEDIA
- INTERVENING ON A COMPOSER’S SCORE
- BEST AND WORST EXPERIENCE
- ANECDOTE TIME
- HIRING AN ORCHESTRATOR FOR THE FIRST TIME
- FUTURE GENERATION OF ORCHESTRATORS
- KEY FOR SUCCESS
- Authors
