Interview: Jason Graves Talks Tomb Raider

Marius Masalar interviews composer Jason Graves on one of his latest scores, TOMB RAIDER.  The two dive deep into just what went into the unique sound created for Lara Croft's return!

Music:

0:00 - Adventure Found Me

7:18 - First Blood

13:33 - The Scavenger's Den

18:08 - The Scavenger's Camp

21:26 - Reaching Roth

23:09 - Scaling the Ziggurat

36:30 - Infiltrating the Bunker

44:06 - The Tomb Raider

Conversation:

0:00 - Intro

0:45 - The new studio

1:40 - Jason's first encounter with Tomb Raider

3:00 - Musical goals for the new Lara

5:35 - What makes Lara iconic, why we care about her, and what her new iteration is like

10:32 - Building "The Instrument"; the voice of the island

16:18 - Matt's other sculpting work

17:25 - Creative freedom and collaboration

19:37 - Traditional thematic elements; Lara's piano theme

22:27 - Exotic percussion, recording live

26:00 - Tomb Raider and Uncharted: inspiration?

27:53 - A thematic coincidence and inspiration from within

29:05 - Tomb Raider's audio implementation story

35:50 - Jason samples his own orchestra

39:28 - Hints about future titles, and scheduling multiple projects

40:57 - The single best piece of advice Jason has ever received as a composer

43:56 - Conclusion and contact info

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Dead Space 2 (Game Soundtrack) by Jason Graves - Review

The Art of Darkness
Review by Marius Masalar

Depending on your preferences for horror, EA and Visceral Games’ 2008 sci-fi title DEAD SPACE will have struck you as either ideally terrifying or blatantly gruesome. I don’t think the developers would mind either interpretation. The game’s critical acclaim was easy encouragement for a sequel, so it’s little surprise that 4 years later we’re ready to jump back into the creepy world of protagonist Isaac’s nightmarish career.

Where the first DEAD SPACE made use of its surprise factor to bludgeon its audience with frequent “boo” moments and a constant state of high tension, the sequel plucks some pages from the Amnesia and BioShock books of fear and delivers a far more sophisticated and evenly paced experience that ends up being more rewarding as a result. The music reflects this paradigm shift, and if you’re a fan of JASON GRAVES’ innovative and evil approach to scoring the first title, you’ll be in for some more surprises with his sequel score.

Read the full review 

SoundCast Interview with Jason Graves (Dead Space 2)

Interview: Jason Graves (Dead Space 2)

Recorded January 25, 2011

Published February 11, 2011

Marius talks with composer Jason Graves about his compelling work on the highly anticipated game, DEAD SPACE 2.

Episode Highlights

00:00 — Introduction

01:40 — Celebrating the Release of the game, the London premiere

03:40 — How the Lacrimosa concert piece ended up in the game

06:25 — How Jason got involved with the Dead Space franchise

10:15 — Music implementation in Dead Space

12:10 — Preparing for the sequel

14:24 — Things to improve

15:07 — The string quartet vs. orchestra in Dead Space 2

18:43 — Dead Space 2's themes

21:20 — Portraying the Church of Unitology

24:29 — Differing instrumentation between Dead Space and Dead Space 2

26:04 — The recording sessions

28:25 — Preparing the abstract musical material

30:53 — How creatively fulfilling were the Dead Space scores?

33:17 — Upcoming projects

34:50 — Fear of typecasting?

37:57 — Conclusion

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 — "Welcome to the Sprawl" (Dead Space 2)

09:34 — "Much Ado About Necromorphs" (Dead Space 2)

11:48 — "Welcome to the Sprawl" (Dead Space 2)

18:10 — "Lacrimosa" (Dead Space 2)

22:40 — "It Had To Be Unitology" (Dead Space 2)

39:00 — "Much Ado About Necromorphs" (Dead Space 2)

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Composer Jason Graves Scores Dead Space 2

BAFTA AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER JASON GRAVES
SCORES PSYCHODRAMATIC ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR DEAD SPACE 2

Thematic Horror Video Game Soundtrack Evokes Intense
Personal Drama of Isaac Clarke's Dark and Emotional Journey

Los Angeles, CA - November 17, 2010 - Classically trained BAFTA-winning composer Jason Graves returns to create a psychodramatic orchestral score for Dead Space 2, the highly anticipated next installment in the blockbuster action horror videogame franchise. Reflecting hero Isaac Clarke's dementia and nightmarish personal journey, Graves' original music score for Dead Space 2 features the intricately woven thematic movement "Lacrimosa," a concerto for string quartet that runs throughout the game. The game's intense and varied soundtrack also immerses players in this thrilling action horror experience with haunting Unitology choral compositions, visceral action music and spine-tingling string arrangements performed by A-List musicians at Skywalker Sound.

"The score really runs the gamut as you play through the game. There are much bigger and scarier pieces along with quieter, more personal moments to counterbalance them.  I wrote for string quartet to portray Isaac's vulnerable side.  It's quite the emotional arc, but of course still done in a very 'Dead Space' way."
- Jason Graves, Composer

Jason Graves previously composed the innovative, unique soundtrack for the original Dead Space, which has been called "the scariest game ever made." Jason's groundbreaking score was hailed by critics as a "truly original soundtrack" and "the best score of the year." It was recognized with a myriad of worldwide nominations and won two BAFTA awards - one for Original Score and one for Use of Audio. For the latter, the Academy stated, "It's the music soundtrack that boasts horror and tension."

"It has been a real pleasure working with Jason on Dead Space 2. The range of his composition is impressive, and his attention to detail never fails to amaze me.  His creativity, energy, and unique vision for the music has been key to establishing the atmosphere of Dead Space 2."
- Andrew Boyd, Audio Director

More information on the composer can be found at www.jasongraves.com.
For more information on Dead Space 2, visit the official website at www.deadspacegame.com.


Download our 2009 interview with Jason Graves or

Listen to it on the SoundCast

Gametime 2009 - Interview with Jason Graves (Section 8)

Gametime 2009 - Jason Graves

Interview: Jason Graves (Section 8)

Recorded September 2, 2009

Published September 5, 2009

Episode Highlights

00:16 - Opening - Jason Graves introduction

01:49 - The Dead Space effect

05:00 - Unique Gameplay of Section 8

09:08 - The variety and balance of music in Section 8

13:37 - Aliens and Starship Troopers

16:15 - The Crowded FPS Space

20:52 - Alpha Protocol

25:38 - Dead Space: Extraction for the Wii

27:47 - Silent Hunter 5

33:10 - Section 8 Soundtrack release?

34:25 - Closing

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:04 Clavius System, New Madrid - Section 8 (Jason Graves)

02:25 Severed Limbs Are Hazardous Waste - Dead Space (Jason Graves)

08:18 8th Armorded Infantry, 1st Recon - Section 8 (Jason Graves)

11:52 The A.R.M. of Orion - Section 8 (Jason Graves)

19:55 Your Weapon is Choice - Alpha Protocol (Jason Graves)

24:29 Can't We Discuss This Like Gentlemen - Alpha Protocol (Jason Graves)

28:00 Main Theme - Silent Hunter 4 (Jason Graves)

33:07 Welcome Aboard The U.S.I.S. Texas - Section 8 (Jason Graves)

Download the interview here

Check out the full HIGH SCORE! feature here

Variety Spotlights Composers: Garry Schyman, Wataru Hokoyama, Inon Zur and Jason Graves

Once again Variety.com gives some love to the world of video game music. This time Jon Burlingame puts the spotlight on three names that have worked on recent, big name projects like: Bioshock, Afrika, Fallout 3 and Dead Space.

In the brief article, Steve Schnur (Worldwide exec of music/marketing for Electronic Arts) says, "I hear the term 'videogame composer' a lot. I reject that. Great composers are great composers and, musically speaking, the technology should not lead the way. We try to recognize true talent, whether young talent or established talent."

You can read the full article here

Dead Head Fred Score Available on iTunes

For those of you who are fans of one of the more popular Sony PSP titles, DEAD HEAD FRED, or of the work of composers ROD ABERNETHY AND JASON GRAVES (aka Red Note Audio), the official soundtrack has recently been released on iTunes (hopefully a CD release will follow).

Here is the full, official 411:

DEAD HEAD FRED™ ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES®

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSERS ROD ABERNETHY AND JASON GRAVES RELEASED AS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD BY LAKESHORE RECORDS

Los Angeles, CA – September 18, 2007

Rednote Audio (www.rednoteaudio.com) and Lakeshore Records (www.lakeshore-records.com) today announced the original soundtrack to the PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) third person action game Dead Head Fred™, developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. and published by D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), is now available at the Apple iTunes® music store.

The Dead Head Fred Original Soundtrack includes nearly 40 minutes of music encapsulating the unique, often sublime atmosphere of the game’s ‘twisted noir’ setting. Written and produced by veteran video game composers Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves, the game’s eclectic score blends cinematic orchestrations with a dark panorama of jazz, southwestern guitar, ambient, rock fusion and other seemingly disparate music styles into a cohesive and alluring listening experience.

“When we went to Rednote Audio we already knew a lot about Dead Head Fred and Hope Falls but we didn’t know what Fred’s world sounded like,” said Adam Cogan, Game Designer, Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. “Luckily, Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves at Rednote Audio did. They far exceeded our expectations and managed to create scores that are every bit as original and distinctive as Fred is.”

Created specifically for the PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) system, Dead Head Fred draws players into an original 1940’s inspired alternative universe where players experience an innovative and refreshing twist on action gameplay as cranium-impaired hero Fred Neuman, collecting, upgrading and strategically switching his head with the heads of enemies to battle through a story of revenge and redemption.

Mark Reis, Senior Sound Designer at Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., added “Working with Rod and Jason is always a joy and their contribution to Dead Head Fred added flavor and depth that complemented the sound design and voice acting. The edgy soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the twisted noir world of Dead Head Fred.”

For more information on Dead Head Fred, visit the official game web site at www.deadheadfred.net.

About Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves

Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves of Rednote Audio create award-winning music for video games, film and television. Their video game credits include BlackSite: Area 51, Transformers, Star Trek: Legacy, Blazing Angels, King Arthur, Zathura, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, Rise of the Kasai and The Hobbit (“Soundtrack of the Year” – 2004 Game Audio Network Guild Awards). Rod Abernethy’s work in video games began by collaborating with veteran film composer Elmer Bernstein on the video game Wild Wild West, The Steel Assassin. Since 1998, Rod has created scores for over forty video games. Early in his career, he recorded and collaborated with many well-known producers including legendary Paul Rothchild (The Doors, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt) and David Lord (Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, The Pretenders). Working in many major studios in the U.S. and U.K., Rod has recorded for Warner Bros., Elektra, Atlantic, and MCA Records. Jason Graves has studied with film composers Elmer Bernstein and Christopher Young, as well as Hollywood orchestrators.