Interview: Garry Schyman (Bioshock Infinite)

Composer Garry Schyman speaks with Marius Masalar (@mathazzar) about his unusual path to becoming the composer of the award winning music for the Bioshock franchise.  He tracks his process and challenges of writing each of the three game scores:  Bioshock, Bioshock 2, and most recently, Bioshock Infinite.


Music:

0:00 - 22. Doors
20:20 - 6. Step Into My Garden (from the original Bioshock score)
25:29 - 8. Elizabeth
31:48 - 4. Lighter Than Air
37:50 - 16. The Battle for Columbia III
49:56 - 25. AD

Interview:

0:35 - Intro & path to a composing career
3:25 - First video game scoring and the Philips CD-i
5:08 - THQ and Bernard Hermann
7:02 - Hired by Irrational to score Bioshock
8:11 - The early landscape of video games and why it was appealing
12:41 - What makes the Bioshock franchise so compelling to a wide audience?
15:16 - Bioshock's violence and how to sell a modern game
18:14 - Bioshock's evolving musical approaches
23:06 - Not in Kansas anymore…Bioshock Infinite's new musical language
24:14 - Elizabeth's theme and recording as you go
28:10 - Hints of the original Bioshock
30:09 - Small ensembles instead of an orchestral sound
32:46 - Ambiguity in the characters and their music
36:17 - Garry's unusual approach to the combat music
40:07 - What is it that makes a good game score?
40:40 - Interactive music vs. creative integrity
45:20 - Upcoming projects
46:41 - Advice for young composers
48:48 - Conclusion and contact information

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Interview conducted and produced by Marius Masalar. Video editing and effects by Marius Masalar.