News

Chance Thomas composes a collection of masterpieces for “Lord of the Rings”

by Louis Bedigian

 

Legendary composer Chance Thomas has lent his talents to Vivendi-Universal’s entire Lord of the Rings lineup.  We chat with Chance about his creations, a man that should now be called “The Lord of the Music.”

 

There’s no denying how important music is in all forms of entertainment.  It grabs you and pulls you into the story of a great movie.  It has the power to influence your emotions, and change the way you think about video games.  Music also has the power to enlighten us.  At times when our vision is blurry, sometimes a song is all that’s needed to make the situation become clear.

 

I have always loved and appreciated music, but very few game or movie soundtracks can compare to the music featured in The Lord of the Rings.  Both the games and the movies based on Tolkien’s literature have amazing, unique compositions that add an unbelievable amount of depth to the experience.

 

Chance Thomas, the man behind the musical theme cycle for Vivendi-Universal's Lord of the Rings game compositions, is an extraordinary talent. Chance composed the music for the Academy Award-winning short film, The ChubbChubbs!  His work could also be heard in movie theatres through the Warcraft III theatrical trailer (Chance helped Blizzard Entertainment make the transition from MIDI sequence to live orchestra). He was also asked to compose music for Unreal II, and last, but certainly not least, Chance provided early music direction and music editing services for The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and EA's The Two Towers respectively, helping to bring these games to life with a superb soundtrack.

 

GameZone Online jumped at the chance to interview Chance and find out about his life’s amazing work.  This interview is extremely in-depth, including great detail about video game composition.  It includes information on the upcoming Lord of the Rings games, and Chance also confirms that more Tolkien-inspired games are on the way.

 

 

Chance Thomas is seen here conducting another masterpiece.

 

 

How does it feel to be the composer of an Academy Award-winning short film?

 

Chance Thomas: I’ve experienced a handful of HUGE thrills during my life – peering over the edge of Half Dome’s sheer vertical rise 9000 feet in the air, bungee jumping from the bat dive position (hanging upside down and backwards, then letting go…), skin diving in a school of Manta Rays in the clear waters of Grand Cayman…  Composing the score and producing the music for an Academy Award winner definitely ranks right up there.

For any of our readers who weren't fortunate enough to see The ChubbChubbs! last summer, could you tell us a little bit about it?

 

CT: The ChubbChubbs is a delightful sci-fi spoof about a soft hearted, klutzy janitor who dreams of Karaoke stardom, with a great bait and switch plot built around the imminent attack of the fearsome ChubbChubbs.  It’s great parody too, with references throughout to such classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds, ET, Star Wars, Alien, Lost in Space, etc.  The ChubbChubbs was a Columbia Pictures release, produced by Sony Pictures’ Imageworks.  It is currently available as a stand alone DVD, and as part of the Men in Black 2 DVD set.

Where did you draw inspiration for its musical score?

 

CT: I drew my inspiration for the ChubbChubbs score from an incredibly diverse set of influences, among them:  Carl Stalling’s work on the old Warner Brothers cartoons, Randy Newman’s scores for Toy Story and Toy Story 2, John Williams work in Star Wars, and even my own score from Quest for Glory V.  The QFGV score had captured the attention of Imageworks’ President Ken Ralston in the first place, so I figured I ought to weave some of that feel into the Chubbs score where I could.  Turned out to work really well for building anticipation in one scene.

Is there a significant difference between composing music for an animated short as opposed to a game or a full-length motion picture?
 

CT: Let’s talk about some of the similarities between scoring The ChubbChubbs and scoring a feature length film.  Both benefit from a memorable theme that leads the audience to a crescendo at appropriate points in the film.  Both benefit from ancillary themes that serve to highlight characters and their unique contribution to the story.  Both often benefit from songs.  I used all of these elements in the ChubbChubbs score to good effect. 

 

The biggest difference would simply be the scope of the project.  I had one week to write and orchestrate the score, and one additional week to record and mix the orchestra and integrate the score with the picture.  A feature length film score would generally be too massive for such a compressed timeline. 


What kind of environment are you most comfortable composing music in?

 

CT: I love where I live and where I work.  I live next to Yosemite National Park, and it’s a constant source of inspiration for me.  My studio is located next to a river with a small waterfall and random piles of giant granite rocks.  This is a wonderful environment for composing music and I take full advantage of it.    

How many instruments do you play?

 

CT: Define play…  J   I grew up having lessons on several instruments – violin, cello, bass, piano, drums, voice – but eventually focused on the piano.  It worked out good for me, since I do all my writing and orchestrating from the keyboard.

What life experiences – what emotions – have inspired you to write music?

 

CT: Good question!  I love the spiritual side of human nature and have spent most of my adult life cultivating it.  For me, music is inspired by a spark of divinity within the human spirit.  We tap into some theme, some gem of inspiration, and then use our craft, hard work, and experience to create the best possible setting for it.  You could reasonably compare it to making a diamond ring.  The craftsman takes the diamond, which he did not create, then cuts it, polishes it, and creates a setting to showcase it.

 

I have likewise found that deeply moving events in my life have led to outpourings of creativity.  Falling in love with my wife, adopting our children, losing a loved one; these have all opened deep wells of emotion from which music has sprang.

 

Great literature also stirs my imagination and gets the inspiration flowing.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a classic example.  I’ve been studying that text and writing music that was inspired by it for 5 years now.  And there’s more yet to come!

 

Finally, great art can be a catalyst for inspiration.  The artwork for Robota: Reign of Machines by Doug Chiang was like that for me – beautiful, evocative, highly stylized – just sensational art.  The music came so naturally after spending some time with his work.

 

 

Chance listens intently during a recording session for The Lord of the Rings

 


Do you have to be in a special mindset to compose music, or are you able to just pick up an instrument and start writing?

 

CT: I prefer to write music when I can take some time to pray, go outside next to the river or climb up on the granite boulders, and imagine the music in my mind.  I think the best music I’ve ever written has come about in that way.  But there is another saying that, “Nothing inspires like a deadline,” and I’ve been there too – tight delivery schedule, demanding client, tons of assets to create – and you just do what you have to do.

Have you ever been involved with the sound effects or sound editing aspect of a game or movie?

 

CT: Oh yes.  HUGEsound has produced the sound effects for several projects.  I am currently doing sound design and music for a game under development by SierraTel Entertainment.  It’s a great experience, as sound design adds a whole new dimension to my work.

What's the longest amount of time you've spent composing music without taking a break?

 

CT: Hmm….  My current projects are pretty much non-stop from one to the next.  I’m not sure what the longest amount of time is I’ve composed without taking a break.

What sort of game material was provided for you while composing music for the Lord of the Rings games? (Pictures, sketches, animated sequences, game descriptions, etc.)

 

CT: I began by thoroughly researching the text of Tolkien’s literature.  As I mentioned above, I’ve been a student of the Tolkien works for 5 years.  Beyond that I’ve seen game prototypes, movies, screen shots, sketches, game designs, spread sheets, you name it.


Will you be doing the music for Return of the King?

 

CT: I cannot comment on that specifically at this time.  However, what I can say is that the music I’ve written for The Lord of the Rings will be used in all of Vivendi-Universal’s Tolkien games.  These include Middle-earth Online, War of the Ring, Treason of Isengard, and others soon to be announced.  

 

It’s really an uncommon approach to scoring games, as these themes have been created in advance to be used in all LOTR games simultaneously and perpetually, to tie all of the games together with a series of common musical threads and templates specific to each race.  The templates have been thoroughly researched and are based on the actual text of Tolkien's literature.  These themes will be quoted, varied, and used verbatim in a variety of ways across all of VUG’s LOTR games to bring greater authenticity and continuity to the entire series.  It elevates the importance of music in gaming, and this is one of the goals that those of us in GANG, AIAS, and NARAS have all been working towards for many years.

 

Wait until you hear the singers from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the Black Speech of Mordor!   It will make your hair stand on end and send shivers down your spine!  It is soooooo creepy!  And they are simply magnificent singing Eomer's war cry from the battle of the Pelennor Fields.  You'll hear a Celtic fiddle player rip through a classical-Celtic section in the Overture of Man that may inspire an entire generation of kids to play the violin.  He’s unbelievable.  Plus we’ve got Psaltry, Dulcimer, Viola di Gamba, Mandolin, the entire Utah Film Orchestra, etc., etc. etc….  It really kicks, and I honestly think it will set an important benchmark for the next generation of music in games. 

 

 

Another song has been finished, but our journey through Middle-earth has only just begun.

 


Is there anything you can tell us about The Hobbit, Middle-earth Online or War of the Ring?

 

CT: It’s been such a thrill to serve as Tolkien Music Director over all these projects and work with such talented teams.  In addition to my contributions as Music Director, each game has a composer or team of composers chosen specifically for that game.  They are all talented, dedicated to quality, highly creative, and technically sharp.  Each score will orbit around the common musical center established by the Tolkien Music Style Guide, which I wrote two years ago.  Yet each will develop and retain its own voice, its own character within the Tolkien universe, similar to the various planets in our solar system having properties unique to themselves while orbiting around a common sun.

What other projects are you working on?
 

CT: Lots of fun projects to keep me out of trouble.  I mentioned all the games in the Tolkien series above already.  Plus music and sound for Aridean Gates, the massively multiplayer game from SierraTel Entertainment.  And I still do work for long time clients left over from my days in the advertising business, and the occasional artist production.  IN fact, I’m working on a commercial music package this week for a furniture retailer.  The diversity keeps me on my toes. 


Are there any other movie-based games you'd like to write music for?
 

CT: Lord of the Rings is sort of my dream-come-true project. 

 

 

Thank you Chance for a stellar interview.

 

 

For more info on the Lord of the Rings recording sessions, visit: http://www.hugesound.com/HUGEnews.htm

 

Full bio with game credits list is available at:

http://www.hugesound.com/Chance%20Thomas.htm

Downloadable excerpts from The ChubbChubbs' score:
http://www.hugesound.com/AUDIOdemos.htm