SoundCast Interview: Richard Jacques (Little Big Planet 2: The Muppets)

Interview:  Richard Jacques

Marius Masalar speaks with composer Richard Jacques about some of his most recent projects including LITTLE BIG PLANET 2: THE MUPPETS. He talks about the enduring legacy of The Muppets and the challenges such a legacy places on the music for a composer.


Episode Highlights

00:25 Introduction
00:50 Blood Stone Aftermath
01:15 Forza Motorsport 4, Music for Racing Games
03:50 Working on LittleBigPlanet 2
05:30 The Musical Creative Process for LBP, Style Blending
07:52 Licensed Music vs. Original Score in LBP
09:35 Collaborating with the Other Composers
10:03 The Muppets DLC; The Appeal of the Muppets
11:25 The Musical Identity of The Muppets
13:50 Recording a Live Ensemble for Interactive Music
18:10 What's the most Authentically Richard Jacques Sound?
20:08 LittleBigPlanet on Playstation Vita; Working on the Vita
22:35 The PS Vita in the Mobile Gaming Landscape
25:15 Why Are There No LBP Music Releases?! Learning to Monetize Game Audio
28:04 What's on the Horizon for 2012? Personal Album

Music Selections

00:00 Big Boss Bossa Nova
13:09 Pigs in Space
30:13 Big Boss Bossa Nova

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007 Bloodstone (Promo Game Score) by Richard Jacques - Review

A Man of Action (Scoring)
Review by Marius Masalar

RICHARD JACQUES is a man of action. You know him best from his work on award-winning games like Headhunter and Mass Effect, and if you were a fan of those titles, then his latest work on JAMES BOND 007: BLOOD STONE may just be the score you’ve been waiting for from him since it combines the best of both worlds and then some. As he describes it, it was the kind of project every composer wants to get, but in many ways it seems clear that he was the most appropriate man for the job given his style, experience, and connections to the developers, Bizarre Creations. The question, then, is whether or not he made the best of it.

Read the full review  (plus 3 full, streaming, tracks!)

Soundcast Interview: Richard Jacques (007 Blood Stone)

Interview: Richard Jacques

Recorded November 1, 2010
Published November 12, 2010

Composer Richard Jacques speaks about his latest project, 007 BLOOD STONE.

Episode Highlights

00:20 - Introduction
01:30 - How did you pitch a live orchestra for Headhunter?
03:52 - Dealing with budget restrictions
04:55 - Samples vs. live instruments
06:50 - How samples have affected younger composers' styles and the importance of education?
09:15 - What was it like working on a team for Mass Effect?
10:38 - Working on Alice in Wonderland, the sound and style?
11:29 - How do you bring a fresh voice to a franchise with such a rich history of interpretations??
13:21 - How did you get involved with the Blood Stone project??
15:45 - Did you use any familiar themes??
16:50 - The Bond "style" and making Blood Stone a classic Bond score?
18:27 - What elements are you most proud of? What will the fans enjoy?
20:04 - What is it about scoring for games that attracts you?
21:40 - How does the progress of technology affect your work process?
23:06 - Middleware technology, audio implementation
23:31 - Years of experience and sharing with the industry community
25:56 - What are your views on the trend of having film composers score games?
25:53 - Unifying the stature of game and film music; not distinct styles; more creative freedom
27:55 - Predictions for the future of game audio and its technology

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 - "Ready for Action" (Headhunter) by Richard Jacques
01:03 - "Greywolf" (Headhunter) by Richard Jacques
10:23 - "The Citadel" (Mass Effect) by Richard Jacques/Jack Wall/Sam Hulick
17:55 - "The Package" (James Bond 007: Blood Stone) by Richard Jacques?
29:28 - "Athens Harbour Chase" (James Bond 007: Blood Stone) by Richard Jacques

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007 Blood Stone Scored by Richard Jacques

Well the next JAMES BOND film may be on ice, but thankfully we have the video game world to take up the slack.  007 BLOOD STONE is set to release on November 2 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and Nintendo DS.  It will feature the voice talents of James Bond, himself - Daniel Craig.

Veteran game composer RICHARD JACQUES (Mass Effect, Headhunter, Starship Troopers) steps into the composing-wingtips of John Barry and David Arnold - bringing fans their next musical dose of 007.  The score was most appropriately recorded at Abbey Road Studios and the soundtrack features over 2 hours and 20 minutes of music!

Check out the official game site for, what appears to be, a taste of Jacques upcoming score and look for more upcoming coverage for 007 BLOOD STONE here at Tracksounds in the upcoming weeks!

Visit Amazon.com and Order 007 BLOOD STONE

Conflict: Denied Ops - Score by Richard Jacques

More video-game musical goodness to look forward to in 2008! You, RICHARD JACQUES fans, rejoice. Below is the official press release.

MEDIA RELEASE
CONFLICT: DENIED OPS TO FEATURE
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK COMPOSED BYRICHARD JACQUES

Veteran Composer Provides Interactive Hollywood Score Treatment for Latest Instalment in Conflict Video Game Series

London, United Kingdom – January 22nd, 2008 – Renowned for his Hollywood caliber orchestral writing, multiple award-winning composer Richard Jacques (Headhunter, Mass Effect) has scored an original music soundtrack for CONFLICT: DENIED OPS, a new two-player co-op first person shooter from Pivotal Games and the fifth game in the best-selling CONFLICT series. CONFLICT: DENIED OPS will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in February 2008.

To complement the non-stop action and cinematic moments throughout the game, Jacques composed an energetic military score that employs traditional ethnic instruments and vocals for the settings across Africa, South America and Russia. The music is fully interactive, reacting to the player’s movements, and enhances the immersive experience of the fast-paced gameplay.

“Richard Jacques’ work on Conflict: Denied Ops has been inspirational,” said Stuart Poole, Senior Producer at Pivotal Games. “He rose to the challenge of producing dynamic music for multiple regions and has given Conflict: Denied Ops its own distinct sound whilst giving each region in the game its own unique feel. The music deeply enhances the gaming experience by making the player feel very much part of the action.”

Richard Jacques is classically trained with an extensive repertoire in contemporary music genres and the recipient of numerous industry awards including Best Music from GameSpot and GameSpy. Continually in demand by the world’s leading game studios, he is internationally recognized as one of the A-list composers working in video games and rated as “One of the truly distinctive game music composers in the industry today” (PLAY Magazine, US).

For more information on Richard Jacques please visit: www.richardjacques.com.
For more information on CONFLICT: DENIED OPS, please visit: www.conflict.com.

Mass Effect Soundtrack is Sumthing Else

On November 20, 2007, SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS will be releasing the original soundtrack to the highly anticipated game MASS EFFECT. The score is composed by veteran game composer Jack Wall, Sam Hulic, Richard Jacques and David Kates. You can pre-order the MASS EFFECT soundtrack today.


Below is the official press release:

MEDIA RELEASE
SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE MASS EFFECT ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BLOCKBUSTER XBOX 360® VIDEO GAME

THE EPIC SOUNDTRACK TO THIS YEAR’S HOTTEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME
New York - November 16th, 2007 - Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with BioWare and Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Mass Effect Original Soundtrack. Featuring over an hour of original music from the game, the soundtrack CD will be released on November 20 to US retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works label http://www.sumthing.com/. Sumthing Else Music Works is the industry leader in licensing and distributing video game soundtracks.Inspired by classic sci-fi movies such as ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Dune,’ the Mass Effect soundtrack was composed by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick with additional music by Richard Jacques and David Kates. The score blends 80’s electronic music with modern orchestral scoring to enhance the dramatic storyline and beautiful visuals set in an epic futuristic universe.

"From the earliest stages of its conception, Mass Effect was meant to be an original artwork about the future, inspired by the great science fiction experiences of the past," said Casey Hudson, Project Director for Mass Effect. "This synthesis of originality and familiarity called for a truly unique soundtrack, with ambitious goals and unprecedented challenges."
From the creators of the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire comes an epic space saga exclusively for the Xbox 360 that spans the entire galaxy. Combining a rich and engaging narrative with intense sci-fi tactical combat, Mass Effect features an immersive and cinematic gameplay experience rarely seen before in video games. For more information on Mass Effect, visit http://www.masseffect.com/.

About BioWare

BioWare Corp. is an electronic entertainment company which develops computer, console, handheld and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's best-selling titles including the award-winning Baldur's Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, as well as the 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™. Original BioWare-created IPs include the 2005 RPG of the Year, Jade Empire™, with next-generation titles Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age™ currently in development. Mass Effect will ship to retailers globally in November, 2007. The game has received more than 50 awards, including the 2007 Game Critics Awards for “Best Console Game” and “Best RPG” at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. With studios in Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas, BioWare is also hard at work on a new title for the Nintendo DS™ based on Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as several unannounced projects including a massively multiplayer online game. For more information on BioWare, visit http://www.bioware.com/.