Supe Troop’s Laura Katz interviews composer Heitor Pereira about composing music for film, Animal Farm (which they both worked on), and soup!
Supe Troop (ST): How did you get into film scoring?
Heitor Pereira (HP): By my friend Hans Zimmer telling me, “Put the guitar down for a while and apply your melodies to film music!”
ST: How do you start on the score for a new project?
HP: I start by watching the movie a thousand times and letting the characters and the story suggest themes, ideas, sound design… It’s their music after all!
ST: You play so many instruments, but do you have a favorite?
HP: Definitely the guitar. Anything with strings. I have been using MIDI guitar for many, many years, meaning that a guitar can sound like any instrument of the orchestra or a synthesizer by just becoming the controller of it! So, for most of my scores, the DNA originates from the guitar.
ST: It was great working with you on Animal Farm. Is there one cue or one scene from that project that you really enjoyed creating?
HP: The scene where they build the water wheel was one of my favorites to create!
ST: Are there any differences in how you approach scoring animated films versus live action?
HP: I can be more melodic in animated movies, and more sonically graphic—meaning, sometimes you play what you see, which is basically a no-no in live action. In live action, you don’t want to emphasize the acting, whereas, in animation, you sometimes need to do that in order to amp up the emotion of the character. Animated movies also require a much longer period of work, which is generally good! You get to work with people that share your passions for a little longer.
ST: What is your process for a large orchestral piece? Do you see the full piece or do you start with one instrument?
HP: Generally, I tend to start from just a melody, already with accompaniment in mind. Obviously, every character in the film has their own theme, and, as the movie progresses and the characters share more screen time, these themes need to coexist and by the end of the movie. All of these melodies are pretty much happening at the same time, in one way or another—at least, that’s what I aim for!
ST: Were you familiar with the book the film is based on (or the 1950s animated version) before coming on to the project? If so, did your knowledge of the book inform your approach to the score at all?
HP: Yes, I was familiar with George Orwell’s material. Quite frankly, I got to learn more about the first version of the movie in the months before I started working on our version. I don’t think that my knowledge of the book influenced the way I scored the movie, but definitely my conversations with Andy Serkis determined certain specifics from his perspective that influenced the music that I’ve written.
ST: You’ve worked on so many dream projects that have had great success. Are there any genres or types of projects that you haven’t worked on yet that you’re itching to do?
HP: I have been primarily writing film music for the last (at least) twenty years, but, on the side, I have always written guitar music, instrumental music, songs… There is a lot of it that I haven’t had the opportunity to show, and I think the time has come to put some energy also into all of these other forms of expressing my gratitude toward the music spirits that have been whispering in my ears since I was a kid!
ST: What projects do you have coming up that you are excited about?
HP: In order to keep it exciting, I like to keep it secret—even for myself!
ST: What non-score music are you listening to right now?
HP: Anything played by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, my favorite piano player! Lately, I’ve also been enjoying a lot of Charles Koechlin, some young Brazilian singer-songwriters, and I do love a lot of things that Make Weird Music’s channel introduces—I’m always happily surprised and inspired by it! I’ve also been listening to the Brazilian classical composers that I grew up listening to: Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Mignone, Cláudio Santoro, César Guerra-Peixe, and Camargo Guarnieri. I am crazy for birds and bird songs, too! I’ve also been listening to a lot of sound designers, pedal makers, synth makers on YouTube who play demos when releasing their products—which, to me, are proper music pieces! Music is alive and super well. The music business is another thing. Musicians are creating more than ever, and I am totally alive for that!
ST: What is your favorite kind of soup?
HP: Okay, Soup Majesty! My favorite soup is a bouillabaisse seafood extravaganza, or a great chicken and vegetable soup.
Thanks, Heitor! Animal Farm is currently playing in US theaters. Get your tickets now!
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