Christmas in June, July & August

Just starting FRED CLAUS; I get to spend 3 months of my Summer living & working in Christmas! OK, so much as I am trying to get away from comedies, I must admit I am enjoying this one. Directed by my pal David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) it is warm hearted and very entertaining. It's about Santa's dysfunctional brother Fred (Vince Vaughn).

It's also fun because DD has asked for a big orchestra, and that doesn't happen all that often these days. Mostly directors ask me for a sense of intimacy in the music, and the ensembles are small. So the grand approach is a rare opportunity for me.

"Hunting" Diary

Richard Shepard's new film "The Hunting Party" is at last at the recording stage. It was deemed important to get an eastern european flavour to the piece, and the word was that the orchestra in Софиа was the way to go. So here I am, in this strange yet friendly town, not far from Serbia which is where the film is set.

The players are very good, and certainly bring a slavic flair to the music, which is a combination of orchestra, twangy ethnic sounds, voices, and grooves. We record in an old commy era radio hall, and all directing is through a translator. Sounds like it would be difficult, but it mostly works out pretty well. Sometimes it is simplified by sketching the intended music changes on a piece of paper and passing it around.

Still I miss being able to communicate directly with the players, and the repartee of chatting with an orchestra. It's a little intimidating standing before a host of musicians and not being able to understand what they are saying between each other.

The score is done, and I am very pleased with the results. It's the first full thriller score I have composed in a while, and I like it. I hope I get more thrillers to work on.