We’ve reached the end . . . of season 4. To commemorate the occasion, Daniel Hart (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story) joins The Film Scorer! Daniel is fresh off of scoring season 2 of Interview with the Vampire, which itself had its season finale only a couple of weeks ago. As such, Daniel and I spend a lot of the interview discussing his scores for both seasons of the show (and some hints about what’s to come in the newly-announced season 3). We then break out from there, discussing Philip Glass, the prospects of writing a recorder concerto, and plenty more.
One interesting aspect of Daniel’s experience with the show is how much it’s changed over the two seasons he’s worked on it. In the beginning, he didn’t realize the level of built-in fanbase and their passion (which he calls “the most passionate fanbase” of any film or show he’s worked on). As time has gone on, he’s become a part of the experience and regularly discusses the show and its score to build it even more.
For those more interested in the in-the-weeds aspects of scoring, Daniel shares plenty of insight. With respect to Interview, his score is impacted as much by the action and characters on screen as it is by things like the timbre of voices, the movement of the camera, and the level of light in a shot. Ultimately, he relays a quote that’s stuck with him: “The movie [or show] tells us everything we need to know about what music to write; all the clues are there.”
Daniel’s score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms, and the series is available on AMC. You can find out more about Daniel on his website.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About Interview with the Vampire
“The interview continues in season two. In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) recounts his life story to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). Picking up from the bloody events in New Orleans in 1940 when Louis and teen fledgling Claudia (Delainey Hayles) conspired to kill the Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), Louis tells of his adventures in Europe, a quest to discover Old World Vampires and the Theatre Des Vampires in Paris, with Claudia. It is in Paris that Louis first meets the Vampire Armand (Assad Zaman). Their courtship and love affair will prove to have devastating consequences both in the past and in the future, and Molloy will probe to get to the truths buried within the memories.
About the score, Daniel says: “I’m not sure it’s possible to fit more music into a television show than we did in season 2 of Interview with the Vampire. And we made our way from medieval Latin chants to 18th century Western Classical chamber music, through the sweeping strings of the Romantic Era, past Stravinsky, Gershwin, and Ellington, a pseudo-Broadway showtune, and a healthy dose of Modern Minimalism. I even broke out the contrabass Paetzold recorder for a few key moments of creepy overblown stuttering, for Armand. I love these characters, and finding the right music to accompany them on their respective journeys this year has been the most satisfying challenge of my work life. And now it’s time to take a nap.” – courtesy of Milan Records.