Interview: Jesper Kyd (Componist Freedom Fighters)

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Op dinsdag 9 december 2003 00:34 schreef FluxC5 het volgende:

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Volgens mij ben je genept

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Op dinsdag 9 december 2003 15:07 schreef Fuxl het volgende:

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En toen dacht je, laat ik ze vandaag eens lekker niet op Fok! posten!

Of ga je het eerst vertalen/ordenen?

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Can you tell us about how you started in the games industry?
I was the part owner of a game company based in Copenhagen. The company was called Zyrinx and was made up of some of the best demo scene talent in Denmark. We created games such as Subterrania, Red Zone & Scorcher. The demo scene is a place for people to showcase their ability to program, draw or make music. These elements are put together by the programmer and that becomes a demo. You would put a disc in your Amiga computer and the demo would take over your computer for 5-10 minutes. It's like watching a small effects film.

Are you in any way limited when composing music for games?
I don't feel limited when composing for video games. What can become limited is the developers/publishers resistance to try to do something new and fresh. Sometimes game projects require some typical sounding score, but I try to stay away from those types of projects. If someone says that they want the music to sound like John Williams, I would not want to be
part of that project. I mean, they should hire John Williams then. If they don't it is just going to sound like a cheap, generic version of John Williams. I am more interested in making something that sounds good, instead of making something sound almost as good as John Williams.

When listening to the scores of Hitman 2 and Freedom Fighters one can't help but noticing a very 'Slavic' sounding score. Is this merely a coincidence or do you have a particular predilection for this kind of music?
Well, Freedom Fighters is about a Russian invasion of Manhattan, so I worked on implementing Russian elements in the score. Hitman 2 is a mix of music styles. There are Russian, Japanese, Indian, Middle Eastern, suspenseful ambient and heroic music tracks. I don't have a particular preference for "slavic sounding music.

What games do you like to play yourself, if any? If you do: what are some of your favorites, and why?
My current favorites are Call of Duty, Vice City & Freedom Fighters. On consoles I play Soul Caliber II & Burn Out 2. On consoles I like to play arcade action type games. On PC I mostly play mission-based action games with good story lines.

Do you have any say in what kind of sound effects are used in a game?
No, but I do let the developers know if there is something I think works great or could work better.

When looking back on the games you've composed the scores for, what do you think of these games? Any titles you particularly like or dislike, and why?
I love playing Freedom Fighters, the Hitman series and MDK2. These are the types of
games I like to play.

How exactly did you go about composing the music for Freedom Fighters? Did you actually play the game before you started composing or were you requested to convey a certain 'mood'?
I played the game a lot before starting the music. I was not required to come up with a certain mood but asked to come up with suggestions on music style. Freedom Fighters is the first game where I have been given complete creative freedom. I think the score turned out to be a very unique sounding score, and that makes the game atmosphere more unique and helps the game stand out from other games in the same genre.

When composing the music for a game, at what point in the development-process do you start composing the music? Is this done early in the process or later on? For instance, has it ever happened that a particular element of the gameplay was altered to better fit the musical score?
I usually start composing the music once the core gameplay elements are in place. This way I can get a better feeling of the pace of the game. It's important to know where the main focus of the game is. Action, strategy, exploration, stealth etc. For example, if there are lots of exploration elements and minor action elements, the game score will include mostly non-action
exploration type music.

Have you ever turned down a project or a certain title that you were sorry about later on?
No.

What are your three favorite game-soundtracks, and why?
I love the music from Samba De Amigo.

What are your three favorite movie soundtracks, and why?

Who would you name as the composers that influenced you the most?
Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Martin Galway, Rob Hubbard, Tim Follin

Can you think of certain titles where the musical score either completely ruined OR greatly improved the gaming experience?
Well, the GTA3 series make great use licensed music. Also, music games benefit greatly
from a good soundtrack.

What do you like doing more: composing the music for a certain piece of FMV or for a segment in gameplay? Are there any differences and which of these two do you prefer?
I prefer composing for the in-game music. When doing the FMV's the music is often
put in the background to make room for sound effects, voice overs etc. Also, there is
more freedom involved when writing in-game music, since you don't have to pay attention
to each scene so regimentally.

Jesper Kyd
www.jesperkyd.com

Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack available at:
www.music4games.net/freedomfighters.html

[Dit bericht is gewijzigd door Smots op 09-12-2003 16:44]

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Op dinsdag 9 december 2003 17:17 schreef Fuxl het volgende:
Leuk interview. Ik zie ook een paar Fok! vragen voorbij komen

Maar op die ene site, wat is dat voor een rare vraag?:
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Zou win ik die CD natuurlijk nooit

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Op dinsdag 9 december 2003 17:49 schreef Fuxl het volgende:

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Nee hoor

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