✨ ASK PINAR! ✨
Do you have any burning questions* for DC Stargirl's composer, and judge of this year's scoring competition, Pinar Toprak?
If so, ask below and stay tuned for answers from Pinar herself!
*Pinar is not able to answer questions regarding the competition or specific entries.
Comments
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Okay so here's a question for Pinar,
Do you believe that simplicity in instruments and melody is better or that there should be layers upon layers of different melodies sandwiched togather?
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HI Pinar,
WOW! Thanks for your insights into this scene. How would you approach the sections of this cue, do you start with composing a theme, mapping out time signatures, or do you start with percussion / rhythms?
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Hi Pinar.... Apart from being immensely talented, how did you break in to what is without doubt, one of the most competitive fields today?
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Hello Pinar !
I have a very strange but unic idea for the competition.
So, I'm born and live in Transilvania, here the traditional secler folk music is still a big thing.
I wondered if I try to write a little violin line for the drama part in the cue with the secler folk vibe is it going to be alright? It is a totally different world I know but if it fits somehow , I think will be unic.
Thanks for youre time , and have a good one ! :)
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This is maybe a bit more of a fan question more than anything: I've watched a couple of episodes of Stargirl now. I really enjoy the series and I am truly, honestly in awe of the music! Too bad really, because it makes it much more difficult to try and come up with something I'm proud of 😝 What was the brief or, say, the "mood board" for what the music should be?
I've come up with a list for my own composition that - ignoring the more obscure references - includes The Rocketeer, Fanfare for the Common Man and The Iron Giant (all three for pretty obvious reasons, I think), but whatever the brief was, I'd like to try and do something else than that.
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Hi Pinar,
I noticed you use Cubase and was curious what tools you use most when you work. For example, do you use Dorico, Expression Maps, Action Strings or something else that you can recommend to improve your workflow? Thx! 😊
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Hi Pinar, i really enjoy to participate the competition, what a good idea ! For me the more difficult thing is to fit tempo with video. Do you adjust it before composing or after or in the same time ?
Thank you, i wish you lot of success and film music, kind regards.
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So informative - thank you!
Question for Pinar - do you orchestrate in your DAW first, or do you write the score into Sibelius or Finale before exporting it to make the mock up?
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Thank you for this opportunity, Pinar!
Some questions I'd be curious to know your take on:
How do you go about determining the overall sonic quality of a project? Sonic quality as in big/over-the-top/epic/full orchestral tutti versus small/intimate/unusual-sounding sampled instruments, versus synth-driven scores, versus chamber music, versus rock band, etc. Do you base this solely on any temp tracks that a director might put in? Is a director typically asking you for your input as to this sonic quality, giving you free license to do what you want, or do they have something in mind? If you are given free reign, what are you looking for in the images to help you determine this at the start? Does your mind change as you start working on a project?
A similar question with regard to the harmonic palette you are choosing to use......what are you looking for in the images that would give you an indication of whether you should for instance, use jazz-based chords, compared to open sonorities (4ths, 5ths, octaves), compared to tone clusters, compared to minor chords with added ninths (or major 7ths), etc. Does your harmonic language change based on the type of picture (or the scene) you are scoring)?
When you start your ideas for scoring a cue, do you "pick a key" (or a specific pitch for that matter) or do you start noodling and wait til the ideas come, regardless of any key center?
Looking forward to any insight or answers you might have!
Thanks much!
Elijah
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Hi Pinar,
I'm a former student and am thinking about submitting my entry for the contest. I hope that you could help provide advise and mentor, and hope for a chance to get another A grade!, and maybe even a chance to win. I appreciate the opportunity for my former instructor to judge my score and any tips could recommend we be helpful! All the best to you! Your work on Marvel and previous work is very good and inspiring! Thanks in advance, -JimP.
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Hi Pinar!
You started out by primarily doing Sci-Fi/Horror films like Mongolian Death Worm and Wyvern, and then transitioned to more branded projects like Krypton and Captain Marvel; As of now what's been the highlights and lowlights of your career as a composer?
And do you use either lessons or experiences from the horror movies you scored? Or were they projects that enabled you to get work and gain experience scoring to picture? And if there are some stuff from them that have carried over what were the lessons and experiences that have stayed and help you even to score Captain Marvel?
Thank you so much for your time!
Kind regards,
Kent Wheeless
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Hey Pinar,
What is the extent of your involvement on a project? For instance when you write a score for picture, how much involvement do you have in the process of transcribing, directing and conducting the orchestra, and on through the mixing, editing, and mastering, as well as balancing that with the dialogue and sound effects?
And how does your approach differ when working on a video game soundtrack as opposed to a motion picture score?
Finally do virtual instruments and sample libraries ever make it to the final product and what goes into that decision?
Thanks,
1 -
Where can we download or see the original clip and score? I think with Westworld Spitfire made both versions downloadable. Thanks!
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Hi Pinar
In regards to scoring / sync what is the best piece of advice you can give to a complete noob?
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Pinar,
Thank you for this competition and for giving composers like me, who has no experience in writing music to picture, although I'm hoping to change that as I am trying to move in this direction. My question for you is this. When you come across a scene, do you automatically come up with ideas in your head? For example, do you see a scene and starting thinking, "Perhaps a nice horn section would be nice for this", or, "I think a nice synth sound would be good for this scene". Or, do you sit down and play around with different sounds and then ideas revolve around that? For this competition, I used both of these methods.
Thanks,
Joseph
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Hi pinar, so many questions but i really just wanna know what's your favorite brass library and how you go about programming melodies for themes like stargirl and the likes of captain marvel?
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Hello Pinar,
- With so many options to choose from (Library/sounds) do you ever find it difficult commit to a section for a scene?
- Do you use key switches for articulations or multiple tracks?
- Are your projects set to 48kHz or 44.1kHz?
- Do you use Cubase exclusively?
Thanks,
MichaelS
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Hey Pinar!
When you are composing, do you concern yourself much with how it will translate to a real orchestra? Like what is actually playable with each instrument, bowing, fingering, etc? Or do you compose the music without focusing too much on those details, and then let orchestrators take care of making sure everything can be played correctly with the real instruments, that it will sound the way you want it with the real orchestra?
Thank you!
Hitesh Ceon
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"I believe that there is a place for both of those options and everything else in between. It all depends on what the scene requires. Sometimes something as simple as a piano melody or even a solo voice is all you need and sometimes the scene can not only handle but also require a more complex texture and counterpoint.
I do love counterpoint personally... and ideas that seamlessly blend into one another and I love themes that have a clear A and B section but not every project is right for this approach. I believe that in an ideal world, every note should have a purpose.
A lot of composers when we start out (and I was guilty of this myself) tend to overwrite to the point the music loses its focus and intention. I think a great tune is a great tune whether it’s played by a 90 piece orchestra or played by just a piano. In fact, something I do quite often (I have even done this with the suites I wrote for Captain Marvel), In addition to the full mock up I provide that is a lot more “produced,” I also presented the theme with just a piano. I think it’s important for the filmmakers to hear the core, the heart of the thematic idea.
So the short answer is… it depends… :)"
-Pinar Toprak
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"That’s very kind, thank you! This could be a long answer but I can tell you everyone’s path is different. I think if you look at the common thread between people that find some sort of success in their field you will see some commonalities. Resilience, hard work, passion and being good at your craft are crucial but without communication and people skills it doesn’t matter how great you are. Us musicians tend to forget about the business side of things sometimes but the business part is so incredibly important.
I personally did whatever I could do increase my odds of success… Years ago I sent out 500 demo CDs to different projects in production and pre-preproduction and I ended up getting one project out of it. That one became two and then more over time… My overnight success took over 20 years… :)"
-Pinar Toprak
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"I program everything in Cubase and then send the midi file to my orchestrators. I have an elaborate template inside Cubase and I try to be very detailed with the mock ups."
-Pinar Toprak
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"I’m a huge fan of Spitfire Albion libraries and Symphonic Brass."
-Pinar Toprak
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Hi Pinar
Have you ever used a piece of music you have writen maybe 10 years ago that fits in a project you are working on now and work it to fit or do you always start from scratch on a new project?
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Hi, Pinar!
I am amazed how well the music and the pictures are synced in "Us Again", and I wondered: Is the music written to the pictures or the opposite? Maybe a bit of both? The timing and tempo are on point.
It is also very impressive how you are able to blend genres, instruments and moods together without making it to obvious and noticeable. Beautiful!
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"Yes, definitely! I think knowing when to commit to an idea is the hardest and the most important thing. I don’t use key switches, I have separate tracks for each articulation. Although I love changing my workflow from time to time and I’m currently looking into setting up my template a different way with all the articulations set up on Lemur to switch between them… Haven’t totally decided whether I’ll do it or not yet though. :) I work in 48k and Cubase."
-Pinar Toprak
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"I have certainly tried! :) But each time it felt like it wasn’t genuine and I ended up writing something else for the new project. I find it a lot more creatively honest and fitting to create something unique for each project."
-Pinar Toprak
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"The right tempo is so critical. I usually start out by trying to figure out my starting tempo. Sometimes it’s based on whatever the temp was if I feel like the pacing fits well. And then if I need to hit something in particular then I modify as I go. I rarely do an entire tempo map of a cue before actually writing anything I let the scene dictate what it needs and modify things accordingly."
-Pinar Toprak
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"This could be a long answer… :) I’ve been very fortunate to have worked on different genres of films over the years (21 years in LA so far to be exact) and learned a lot of different lessons and experiences from each one regardless of genre. I think persistence, focus, hard work, passion and love for what we do bring us a long way. Of course luck too, but without the other things I’ve mentioned, luck has no power."
-Pinar Toprak
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"I try to be as involved as possible with every project. I used to orchestrate and conduct but I don’t do it that much anymore. I find it a lot more valuable and time efficient to be in the booth during recordings. Although I don’t orchestrate, mix, edit or master myself, I’m now fortunate to have an amazing team that handles all of that and I give them my notes. I sometimes attend dubs, but usually my music editor is there on my behalf. I do look over the scores before recording as detailed as time allows and make my suggestions for the orchestration as well. It all depends on how tight the schedule is. I can be quite particular if I have too much time. :)"
-Pinar Toprak
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Hi Pinar,
- As I’ve also studied jazz/pop (guitar) I’d like to ask you how you combine the jazz knowledge with composing / scoring for film? Which elements of playing/knowing an individual instrument do you use in your daily work in comparison to writing for an orchestra or hybrid score?
- Which instrument(s) did you study during the jazz education?
- Do you sample your own libraries and how do you approach hybrid scoring with more ambient/granular sounds?
Thanks,
Harry
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