Interview with Local Film Scorer, Paul Talos

Film scoring often has a much larger impact on the way the a movie is perceived than one might think. A great score and soundtrack does wonders for a film and can even forge its way into pop culture. Whereas a poor film scoring can immediately lower the quality of a film, making it feel low budget and tacky.

Check out my interview with Paul Talos below! We talk about the scoring process and music aspirations both in movies and everywhere else.

KC: It appears that your first scoring projects were released in 2020 and since you’ve had a slew of them… what got you into film scoring in the first place and how did you start landing these projects?

PT: I got my first scoring gig purely by chance back in 2017, when a friend of mine asked me to co-compose a score with him for a short student film. I was working as an audio engineer at the time and had been away from making original music for a while, so I took it as a fun way to get back into that world. I ended up really enjoying that experience and was actually pretty surprised at how well the film, and our score, were received. That really got me thinking about actively pursuing more of this kind of work.

Over the next few years, I spent a lot of time building my skills and taking up any scoring projects I could find. Things didn’t really take off until 2019 when I was approached by director Troy Dawes about scoring his upcoming indie slasher film, Just Like You. At the time, this was the biggest, most ambitious project I had worked on and there were more than a few times that I felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew. Growing pains aside though, it was an awesome experience working with Troy, who really encouraged me to take risks and pushed me pretty far out of my comfort zone. By the end of that project, I really felt like I was a much better composer than I was going into it. And it gave me a chance to really show what I could do, which helped me get several other composing gigs after that.

from Paul’s IMDB page

You’ve done several shorts, a couple TV movies, a few trailers, and now the movie, Water for the Root… what’s one of these projects you’re especially proud of and why?

It’s hard to pick just one project, but I’d say Turbo Cola ( Editor’s Note: Siiiick name for a movie ) is one that I’m especially proud of. It was a project that just felt like a good fit from the start. The film takes place on New Year's Eve 1999 so it needed music that felt nostalgic and appropriate to that time. That gave me a chance to explore a 90's-influenced electronic sound, which is a style of music I've always loved but hadn't had much chance to experiment with in any of my other film work. It was definitely an unusual approach to take, but it's always creatively satisfying when a crazy idea turns out to be the right move.

Even better when your collaborators trust you enough to actually let you do it. That's one reason I really enjoyed working with director Luke Covert on this one. It was clear from the start that music was something he had put a lot of thought into. But at the same time, I never felt limited by his ideas. There was a good balance in the creative process, where I felt like I was getting a good amount of direction, while still keeping things open enough that I could try something different here and there.

What is your process in creating these soundtracks?

In the beginning, I spend a lot of time thinking about creating a palette of sounds that make sense for the film I'm working on. I find limitations to be very helpful, so this first phase is all about choosing a few instruments or other tools that are going to be the basis for the sound of the score. Once I feel like I’ve really gotten that part right, I’ll start experimenting with musical ideas and seeing what sticks.

I prefer working by subtraction rather than addition, so a big part of my process is recording everything I do and editing together the best bits. What I like about working this way is it allows me to create the basic building blocks of a score no matter what stage of production the film is in. Whether I’m working with a script or a rough cut, I can get all my ideas together so that once deadlines start approaching, I have plenty of material to work with and I don’t have to worry too much about writer’s block getting in the way.

Tell me about Water the Root and the creative process behind that scoring. It feels like a more ominous version of POWER.

Scoring Water for the Root was really an exercise in minimalism. It's a very dialog-heavy film. In fact, most of the story is told through flashbacks and various conversations between the main characters. So it was a bit tricky finding a balance between creating mood and emphasizing tension while drawing just the right amount of attention to the music.

My initial idea was to stay away from anything too melodic and take a more ambient, textural approach. Since the story takes place in present-day Chicago, I didn't want anything that sounded too otherworldly, so I decided to make these ambient sounds by sampling various acoustic instruments and manipulating them beyond recognition. This process yielded some interesting drone sounds that, while having been made electronically, had a very organic texture about them. And there were certain parts throughout the film where this worked really well, but after working on it for some time, it became pretty clear that I needed to incorporate some recurring character themes that evolve alongside these relationships as the story progresses. Piano seemed like the obvious choice in order to maintain that organic feel and it ended up being the missing piece of the puzzle for this project. Giving each of the three main characters a distinct theme really did a lot to emphasize their growth together, while making the more abstract elements of the score feel much more musically cohesive. 

This film had its challenges and it took a bit longer to really zero in on the right sound, but it just goes to show how different the process can be from one film to another.

*** Paul did not score the trailer below ***

it’s interesting to see the difference in creative decisions here.

What got you into music, as a whole, originally?

I started playing music when I was ten years old after getting my first guitar. It didn't take long for it to go from a hobby to a complete obsession and pretty soon it was all I could think about. I used to spend hours teaching myself how to play my favorite songs and inevitably got the urge to write my own. I always wanted to be in a band when I was growing up, but could never find enough like-minded players, so eventually, I took up recording and production in an attempt to do it all myself. That approach is still very much the basis of how I make music today.

Who are some of your favorite film composers and favorite soundtrack compositions?

I've always enjoyed soundtracks that feel so specific to a particular film that the two become practically inseparable. Blade Runner was probably the first movie that made me feel that way, not just because Vangelis's score was entirely electronic, but because it really felt like the music was made for that movie. I often feel that way about the work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as well. Everything they do just has such a unique identity to it that you can just tell the amount of thought that goes into each and every sound you hear. Their work on The Social Network, Gone Girl, and HBO's Watchmen series are some of my personal favorites and have been incredibly influential in my own work.

Is there anyone that particularly influenced your work? 

Aside from some of the artists I mentioned above, I also love Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein's work on Stranger Things. I got a lot of inspiration from that soundtrack when I was scoring Just Like You, but it's also just such a great example of how to use synths and electronic sounds effectively in a score. They also just have such a way of capturing the sound of the 80s in their music, which works to great effect throughout the series.

How has Philly influenced your work?

I've met some very creative people in Philly who have all influenced my work in different ways. I'm actually a part-time music production instructor at Lil' Drummaboy Recordings on South St. and got a lot of help when I was launching my own music business from the studio's owner, Samori Coles. His insight and advice helped put me on the right track and probably saved me years of trial and error.

I also worked with filmmakers Austin Elston and Emily Gallagher of Fishtown Films on their short film Self Tape a few years ago, which just had a screening at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival this past spring. Austin and Emily are an incredibly talented creative team and I really learned a lot from working with them on this film.

What is your favorite thing about the Philadelphia creative scene, or maybe a favorite experience?

I love having a local music store that sells professional audio gear. BridgeSet Sound on South St. has become my go-to store for instruments and recording equipment, which is something I usually have to buy online. No need to wait for shipping, which is great when I'm on a deadline, and I get to support an awesome local business. They also used to have a monthly Synth Night, which were cool gatherings of electronic music and synthesizer enthusiasts. It was a really great way to bring the community together and meet new people.