Have you ever really thought about the music playing in the background of a movie? Have you ever thought about how they make those sounds? I can honestly say I hadn't until we got to interview both Brett Swain and Bleu. Listening to these two gives you a whole new appreciation for the music behind the scenes. (At the end of the interview, I have included part of their talk with us, so you can see how they do what they do.)
Did you know that Tinkerbell And The Legend Of The Neverbeast was the first movie Bleu has worked on? The story of how he got involved goes a little like this:
The director of the film, Steve Loter, is a huge music nerd. He had been a big fan of my artist career for many years and had been listening to my records a lot while he was working on the film which is how I got involved in the film in the first place. He came up to me after a show and said I have this project I’m working on. I can’t really say too much about it, but I think you might like to be involved in it. You know, people come up to me after shows all the time and stuff like that, but then I walked into this building for my first meeting. I was like I think I might be making some music for a Disney film, and it’s obviously been nothing but an amazing journey since then.
Some of the music isn't anything you've heard before. Here's what Bleu told us about that:
Steve really wanted something unique for this film. I think he really wanted something that was going to be unique altogether in music. He really wanted new sounds. Obviously, there's this huge looming figure in this film, the Neverbeast, and his world of the forest and the cave. He wanted to make sure that this was something that you hadn't experienced before. The big challenge for me was to come up with this unique sound color palette for him and all the other characters in the film.
Brett told us that one of the things they do when discussing the music for the film is to figure out the themes.
We talked about Gruff having a theme. What's different about this film is when we talk about themes normally it’s melodic, right? There's a melody that accompanies each of these characters. In this case, we not only wanted something melodically different for these characters but just something that was sonically different so that the minute you heard that sound versus hearing a melody or a tune you would know that it’s associated with that character.
Bleu would also be fun to go shopping with in the hardware store. He told us:
The big goal was to get great sounds for Gruff in particular. One of the wonderful things we stumbled upon are these planters from the store. As you can see here, all have a hole in the bottom, so the water can drain, which actually makes them perfect for placing on the cymbal stands. It’s actually amazing how perfectly it kinda worked out as you can hear they all have a unique pitch to them. We got dozens of pots of all different sorts. They have a lot of overtones and they're kind of dissonant. We ended up using a lot of these in some of the more eerie scenes for Gruff.
There was such a directive to figure out what he was all about. We knew that we were gonna need something big. Obviously, in this world, he's a big looming character. He's the largest animal in this world. One of the first ideas I came up with was to use these big sets of Toms. We would have big sets even more than these, four or five, and big Toms, and all kinds of things in a huge hallway along with unusual things like trash cans and these big metal vents and stuff like that. We would mic up the hallway at one end and play the toms and percussion instruments at the other end. You would get this big sound. It has a big loud impact to it. That's something that I think is very noticeable in the film.
Ever wonder (aff) how long the music takes to create? Bleu told us:
I worked on the film all told about a year and a half. It was a slow process, because originally I was only hired to work on one song, to produce and write the opening credit song. Then they asked me to work on another song. Then they asked me to work on the score. Then they asked me to do another song and another song and so on and so forth. It wasn’t necessarily every day until about the last eight months.
As soon as I knew that I was going to be working on the score, I started thinking about what that was going to mean and developing the instruments. I did a lot of homework type of work ahead of time to find some of these instruments and figure out how they could be played and how they could be recorded and all those sorts of things before we actually got rolling on it
We did ask him if they looked at him a bit weird in the hardware store and if they asked him to quit playing on their pipes.
No, actually, it was funny. I think most of the guys got a kick out of it. Although if they’d known what was going to end up happening to their trashcans they might’ve had a different take on it.
I was able to take a little video for you guys while I was there too.
This is the best interview yet! I’ve always been fascinated by how people create sound effects and soundtracks. Thanks!
Yes, I like to get the back story on what motivated the creative juices of directors, writers, and song makers. Great interview indeed….
It is really neat seeing the scences of this. I love behind the scenes stuff.
I’m always amazed at what can be used for soundtracks. I can’t believe they used flower pots. That’s so cool!
I have read a few of these interview posts. you must have had a great group of bloggers with you. WIllhave to check the movie out.
What an interesting read! I think it’s so cool that they used items from the hardware store to make their sounds and part of the music. That’s awesome!
This is a great movie, so it’s really nice to keep seeing these behind the scenes peaks at what went into making it. I can’t believe some of the stuff they used for the music. Thanks for sharing!
I am continually amazed by the creativity of the people working in the music industry. Flower pots? That’s so cool!
Looks like such a cute movie. I picked it up for this weekend!
I love this, it makes me want to see the movie even more. My kids can’t wait to see them. It’s nice to know some tidbits about soundtracks and more.
What a fun job! I know my kids would love the task of going to a hardware store and banging on things to figure out what sounds they could use.
music is so important. I once saw footage of sharks using two different types of music – one peaceful and the other menacing and it totally changed the mood of the movie footage
I’ve always loved the music in Disney related anything, but especially the movies. Sometimes all you need is the music to paint the story.
What a fun job! It is so cool to see how all of this stuff comes together!
I am in awe at the sounds they can produce from random things like that! Wow just Wow!
Very cool! I think the score and back ground music can really enhance the movie experience.
I guess I don’t really think about the music in the background! But now that I am – I can see how without the music, movies wouldn’t be nearly as good!
Tinkerbell is a wonderful Movie. I’m sure this one will be just as good.
Really neat . Love hearing about the music.
I can’t wait to see this move and meet Gruff. I’m interested to hear his theme for the first time.
Ilove reading about these kinds of jobs. It makes me feel like I get to have special info.
Great re-cap! as a musician and a music teacher I often talk to my students about movie soundtracks.
Wow, I didn’t realize it could take that long to make the music. I’m sure that makes it extra rewarding then when it hits the soundtrack!
Great interview! This makes me want to see the movie even more.
What a great interview. I love meeting the people behind the scenes.
We are loving the Neverbeast. I think these interviews are so much fun, I enjoy learning about how they make it so magical!
Great interview. I think it’s cool learning about how they made the movie.
We had attended a class before in college that taught us to appreciate the different music backgrounds in the movies. We learned how the music really affects the whole mood of the scenes. This interview is an eye opener for those who are not paying much attention to the music.
Very informative post! I learned so much. I am a big fan of Tinkerbell and Neverbeast. In fact I love Gruff too and I am so happy to have stumbled across this post of yours.
I love Tinkerbell. I can’t wait to hear the soundtrack for this new movie!
What an amazing opportunity. Anything Disney is so much fun, I bet it was a blast!
What a great behind the scenes look! I can’t wait to see this movie it looks so cute!!
What a wonderful experienced with them, I love your post and tinkerbell and the legend of the never beast is very awesome.
Very intriguing ways to make a sound track. It awesome to see how they make and come up with the ideas. Music make such a impact on the movie.
Wonderful interview. Son and I both found it interesting to read.
It’s so neat to hear how a movie comes together. Especially one my kids loved so much!
Thanks for sharing the video! 🙂
What an interesting interview! I never would have guessed that they would use pots.
What a terrific interview. I love hearing about what goes on behind the scenes.
Sounds like they’re going to have a great soundtrack on this one! I haven’t heard much about this movie though, when is it coming to theaters?
what a great interview!!!! i love seeing how they do things behind the scenes.
The kids and I love Tinker Bell and are looking forward to seeing this movie. What an honor to interview these geniuses!
I’m always amazed at what goes into these movies. Great interview and I can’t wait to see the movie. We’re big Tink fans.
This sounds like it was an amazing interview indeed. I love the pot thing they came up with. It reminds me of the pots and pans my kids used to play with. Thanks so much for sharing and can’t wait to see this movie.
This is so cool! After seeing this I’m even more excited to see the movie!
Boy those guys look familiar. like someone I know personally. But I can’t quite place it …
I thought I commented on this previously but it’s possible that I didn’t. I loved the idea behind the movie and how he was inspired by his daughter. That’s so sweet. I can relate too, as my own daughter is much the same 😛
Great interview. We haven’t seen the movie yet but plan on it. Thanks for sharing.
I really can’t wait to see this movie! I’m a huge Tinkerbell fan, thanks for some behind the scenes.
I know that music can really make or break a scene in a movie or animated film. It’s cool to read about the process from those behind the music. It sure takes a long time to get it just right, huh?
Great Interview. I’ve always admired the people behind the scenes of a movie. I would love to see this one with my daughter.
NoT gunna is…. I’m pretty excited to see this movie… Probably more excited that my two year old hehe…. Disney girl for life 😉
I just love those Tinkerbell movies! They’re so cute!
What a great interview! I can’t wait to watch this with my little girl, she loves all things Tinkerbell.
I always think about music in the background of the movie cause I’m so interested in directing. Great interview!
I think my girls are going to kill me if i do not show them this movie haha. They have been dying to see it since the last movie gave the preview.
This is going to be a huge movie! I’ve seen a lot of press for it. I hope to watch it soon!
It’s always fascinating to hear the back story of a successful production. It really shows us that the creative process is not linear.
The music sounds amazing. I love seeing the behind the scenes aspect of it all.
How fascinating! I can’t wait to see the movie!