As the title gives away, this is one of my rare repeat-guest interviews, this time with Laura Karpman. Coincidentally, the last time Laura and I talked was almost three years to the day. Then, we discussed her scores for The Marvels and for American Fiction, and this time we’re talking about East of Eden, her new short film Cosmic Symphony, and Unsung: A Symphonic Suite for the Superhero Women of Classic Hollywood. Compare those five projects – quite a range, eh?
The plan for the interview was really to focus on East of Eden, but as these often go, we were off on a tangent almost before we began. The cool thing about when that happens is that it’s completely off the cuff – neither of us had intended on talking about Cosmic Symphony, so I don’t have any direct questions prepared and she presumably hadn’t been talking about it too much in other interviews. As a result, everything feels more reactive, with some ensuing anecdotes that hadn’t been talked about before. It’s also interesting hearing how different a composer’s job can be when they’re scoring a project that they also directed – she ends up “unleashed and free” while also having to fight against the hangups of Laura the director.
Of course, we also dig into East of Eden. The primary focus is on how she approached scoring Cathy, viewing her with empathy and not simply as a “monster”. This results in her actively and consciously pushing the viewers’ perspective of Cathy through score – something that music almost always does, but that gets unfairly maligned sometimes as “manipulation” (which we talk about too).
Laura also penned an essay about East of Eden and unsung, which you can read here. The essay isn’t required reading for this interview by any means, but it’s something we reference a couple of times and makes for a very good supplement. Of course, it’s also interesting on its own, particularly as it isn’t something that composers do often.
Laura’s score for East of Eden, and much of her other music is available on all major platforms, while the show is currently airing on Netflix. You can find out more about Laura on her 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!
