Though most of Greg Wells‘ skilled life has concerned producing or writing for large pop artists (together with Adele, Katy Perry, OneRepublic & Timbaland, Twenty One Pilots and John Legend), he’s devoted extra of his time in recent times to engaged on movies. Two and a half years, particularly (up to now), because the music producer on each elements of “Depraved” — a job he describes as “Herculean” with excellent quantitative in addition to qualitative cause. It follows up his work as producer on the Grammy-winning No. 1 soundtrack for an additional full-on film musical, “The Biggest Showman.” His classical and jazz coaching are coming in helpful as he makes his identify doing soundtracks that contain heavy orchestration in addition to the flexibility to correctly body at the moment’s prime pop divas.

On this Selection Q&A, Wells goes into element about why this undertaking personally packs an emotional punch for him, his friendship of practically 35 years with composer Stephen Schwartz, the back-and-forth processes that took two and a half years only for Half 1 of “Depraved,” and dealing with the main girls. Sure, the stories are true — he did attempt to hip-hop “Fashionable” up just a little bit as one among his first duties engaged on the soundtrack, a hiccup that he describes as really resulting in an exquisite working relationship with Ariana Grande. However the loveliest comradeship that got here out of the musical work, as he describes it, was the one between Grande and Cynthia Erivo, which began with a confluence of vibratos that he describes as practically supernatural, earlier than it turned a friendship outdoors the studio.

You’ve identified Stephen Schwartz for 35 years, or near it. Do you bear in mind your response to first seeing or listening to “Depraved”?

The primary time I noticed “Defying Gravity,” I felt impaled after seeing it, and I really needed to go away the theater. I by no means noticed the second act that night time. So once I knew that Stephen Schwartz wished me to get entangled with this, the very first thing I considered was: I’m gonna get to have a hand in that music. And I’m type of narcissistically attempting to recreate that have that I bear in mind having the primary time I heard it, for the listener.

So wait, you left at intermission, since you have been so moved? Breaking the film into two elements should actually give you the results you want, then, if that’s the way you skilled the stage present for the primary time your self, by alternative

“Defying Gravity” was my conclusion that night time. I turned to my date and I couldn’t even discuss. I didn’t know what had occurred. I’d identified Stephen as a good friend since 1990, however we’d by no means labored collectively, and he didn’t actually inform me a lot about “Depraved,” so I didn’t know that music was coming. And I couldn’t determine why I used to be reacting that manner, both, however I had a lump in my throat the dimensions of Jupiter, and I may barely converse, so I simply turned to my date and stated, “I feel I’ve to go.” And we simply left. That was my first expertise, with that because the ending. So, you’re proper, this does make numerous sense to me, to interrupt it up into two films!

Let’s return to that intensely emotional response you needed to the music afterward. However let’s discuss for a minute about working with the actors and the entire music workforce. Did you are feeling like there was any normal philosophy or concept that guided you thru what turned out to be years of working collectively on this now?

All of us felt huge accountability to make this as genuine and as impactful as we may get it, and I talked about it with them. We and (director) Jon Chu would discuss it so much, (arranger) Stephen Oremus and I’d discuss it always, and I’d discuss it with the 2 leads as properly. And it was an actual uniting presence. There’s energy in a standard enemy — it’s what the wizard does, with the animals because the enemy. And what we have been united by was: the concern of getting it fallacious. (Learn Selection‘s earlier interview with Schwartz and Oremus right here.)

I used to be attempting to not spoil it. I didn’t wish to be the man who destroyed “Depraved” for all of the people who had seen the reside model. But in addition, I used to be realizing that in all probability, until one thing goes very fallacious, a majority of individuals will uncover “Depraved” by the film, as a result of most individuals don’t go see reside musicals. They’re don’t reside someplace the place that occurs, and even when they did, it’s costly they usually in all probability wouldn’t suppose to do this. Most individuals, and I imply capital-M Most Individuals, wouldn’t pay attention to the unique recording. As a result of it’s sort of a boutiquey viewers — a really, very massive, passionate and devoted viewers, however not the identical sort of viewers you get by releasing a gazillion-dollar film worldwide. And so it’s simply always balancing… It’s nearly like when Bob Dylan went electrical — that was an enormous transfer, and if he was actually nervous about his unique followers, he by no means would’ve achieved it. And he misplaced most of his unique followers, as everyone knows. All of it wound up figuring out in the long run for him. However it’s so robust to understand how far to take a factor, anyway. So it was simply this humorous stability of attempting to place as a lot of my sensibilities in as doable whereas additionally paying large homage to what it’s and what it has been.

Do you bear in mind any sort of second the place you realized and felt exultant that the alchemy between Cynthia and Ariana was actually working for actual, and never simply the theoretical, hoped-for factor that got here in casting?

I used to be with them when there was numerous early rehearsal and numerous determining who sings what. We have been doing numerous that stuff in that studio that was constructed for us at ElstreeStudios. Common had constructed a extremely stunning studio for me and the 2 women and the entire music workforce on the movie set at Elstree, the place they have been rehearsing after which subsequently could be filming numerous it, half-an-hour north of London. For 2 months of rehearsing and recording there, I watched them get to know one another higher and instantly plug right into a dynamic that was fantastically empathetic and respectful. They’d by no means met earlier than this undertaking and clearly had by no means labored collectively earlier than. In a short time, this stunning factor emerged, quick, and it acquired to the purpose the place their vibratos synced up.

Now, that’s nearly an impossibility. Two completely completely different singers; the one factor related between the 2 of them is that they’re just about the identical top — they’re each round 5’1”. However very completely different artists with very completely different devices, and a special factor that reveals up once they sing. Now, for weeks we have been rehearsing these items, on good mics in a studio surroundings, earlier than they did it reside on-set. And if it was a duet, they weren’t overdubbing; they have been one another. And I began noticing… It’s an audio time period, however I began noticing generally that the notes have been phasing, which suggests they’re so shut to one another that it stopped sounding like two folks. So many instances, it could sound like one particular person singing.

I used to be working actually late one night time on my own at Elstree, which, by the way in which, it’s the place they shot “The Shining” within the ‘70s. I’m there on my own — it’s me and a safety guard on the entrance gate, and on this huge advanced of buildings, I used to be the one one inside apart from a small cleansing crew that may go all through the night time cleansing completely different rooms…

This already appears like a spooky story.

And I’m trying on the waveforms, and Ariana’s observe was on prime and Cynthia’s was slightly below it in ProTools. And I seen that the form of the vibrato on each, which reveals up as type of like a bumpy factor — it seemed similar on each tracks. And if somebody says a phrase like “timing” with this, that reveals up as a extremely outlined little bit of the sound wave, and also you see it very visually; it’s actually apparent. And that stuff was so tight, it nearly seemed like somebody had edited it to be synced up nearly completely. However it’s actually simply how they sang it reside within the room. And it stored occurring and occurring.

I took a screenshot of this specific couple of bars. I can present you the picture. [See below.]  I despatched it to them each that night time, on Nov. 2, and I wrote, “I needed to take a photograph of this ‘trigger it’s nuts. That is each of you singing on ‘For Good.’ Look how the timing, the dynamics, even the vibrato is sort of identically in sync. Nobody may attempt to do that. I don’t suppose I’ve seen/heard something like this.” They each have been so pleased and couldn’t consider that was occurring. Ari steered I color-code the waveforms to symbolize every character. In the event that they tried to do this, I’m undecided they might do it — I don’t suppose anyone may — however it simply stored occurring on a regular basis.

That was endemic by the entire thing. The chemistry between the 2 of them is my favourite component of something on this film that’s out proper now. On the very least, it’s infectious, however it’s so transferring and genuine and it was occurring in actual life. They have been doing it by the characters, and now they’ve this stunning friendship outdoors of the film, born out of this unbelievable expertise. It was wonderful to play a small position in that, and likewise simply to look at it occur and to listen to it occur.

Do you suppose Ariana or Cynthia ever nervous about their voices being in contrast with the earlier voices who had achieved it?

I honestly don’t ever bear in mind a dialog the place they expressed a priority about that. They’re such followers of what Kristin and Idina did. My recollection is that it was extra like: We wish to respect the work in in essentially the most honest manner doable, and likewise if we’re feeling a second the place we wish to inject our personal factor into it, we’d like to have the ability to attempt that. They usually got that platform to do this. A few of it, Stephen Schwartz liked from the beginning; a few of it was an excessive amount of for him; a few of it he didn’t like at first, after which he got here to like it. Cynthia’s tackle it was like, “I’ve to be me doing this. it’s gotta come from within me.” It’s not technique performing, however she actually, actually does really feel the stuff. And as soon as we noticed the distinction… As a result of she may sing no matter you requested her to sing, and there have been loads of moments the place that occurred. However then if she sang one thing that simply got here by her naturally that … like, the meals tastes completely different at that time. It’s one other feeling altogether.

Are you able to consider a second the place she pushed for one thing completely different and it actually works?

Yeah. On the finish of “I’m Not That Woman,” there’s this stunning little riff I can’t actually sing, however proper earlier than she sings “I’m not that woman,” there’s this little… [He hums the part.] That was taken out as a result of it was deemed to be an excessive amount of. And she or he heard one of many almost-final mixes and her remark was, “That little ad-lib second, can we please put that again in?” And I like it. It’s one among my favourite moments in the entire observe. There’s even an Instagram put up by one other singer that I reposted a number of weeks in the past, anyone highlighting that second as being their favourite second.

And positively the battle cry on the finish of “Gravity.” She didn’t wish to simply mimic what Idina had achieved. She wished to make it her personal factor, and there have been a number of completely different variations of it, after which all of us sort of settled on the one which’s there. I bear in mind watching her sing it — simply unbelievable. She actually, actually, actually has to really feel this in her personal manner, and I feel that that took a second of adjustment, after which it simply all began to make much more sense. I don’t suppose every thing that she wished to vary and do made the ultimate model, however numerous it did.

And what have been your emotions about how a lot you possibly can change what was acquainted to followers from the unique solid album, your self?

The orchestration is totally completely different, in fact, however by way of the really feel of the songs, it was so necessary to me to have the the material of it really feel acquainted and recognizable… There was just one factor, and Stephen Schwartz may be very, very sweetly taking among the warmth for this. Within the press a number of weeks in the past, there began beig articles saying that the music “Fashionable” had been hip-hopped — like, had these funky drums put onto it — and that the music workforce ws actually into it, however that Ari heard it and was like, “No, we’re not doing that.” Now, that’s true! However what’s actually true is it was all my fault. It wasn’t the Stephens’ (Schwartz’s and Oremus’) fault in any respect. And it was a tremendous lesson for me in how a lot I’ve to find out about making films.

I had really produced a model of “Fashionable” with Ariana singing on it for that U.Ok. artist Mika, as a duet, in 2012. (It appeared on Grande’s debut album in addition to Mika’s underneath the identify “Fashionable Tune.”) And that had sort of a cool observe underneath it, so there was already a proof of idea of the music surviving very properly with Ari singing on it that sort of seemed like that. I heard that piano half — that sort of dink-dink-dink — and I’m like, “That’s ‘Arduous Knock Life’ by Jay-Z. We may actually try this.” Now, I had simply come onto to the undertaking, they usually hadn’t filmed something but; I hadn’t met Ari but. Stephen Schwartz had given his blessing to that early model of “Fashionable” and even turned pals with Mike due to it, and so I stated, “Is it OK if I attempt to make it funky right here?” They usually stated, “Certain, if we don’t prefer it, we gained’t ship it in, however go forward and take a look at it.” So I chased it, and musically, I liked the place it lastly wound up. It was one of many first issues I submitted. Stephen Oremus and I performed it for Stephen Schwartz and he stated, “That is nice. I feel we should always ship this in.” So we did. We despatched it in to the film workforce — to Jon and to Ariana.

Crickets. Every week of crickets… two weeks of crickets. And my self-loathing Canadian actually kicked in. I’m like, “Oh no. I’ve already misplaced their confidence! What’s occurring?” And I began listening to like little rumblings about Ari saying one thing in regards to the drums, and I’m like, “Oh, she thinks I’m too previous. It ought to be some 17-year-old with a laptop computer and headphones.” And eventually I stated, “I’m gonna meet her anyway, and we’re gonna be working collectively for a very long time. Can I get on a FaceTime together with her?” No drawback. The subsequent day, she and I have been on a FaceTime and she or he couldn’t have been cooler or lovelier. She is that particular person — precisely the identical as she was the primary time I talked to her (in 2012). So I apologized in regards to the drums, and I stated I used to be nervous that possibly she thought I’m too previous to do a observe like that. She says, “No no no, in no way! Let me clarify. It sounds implausible. The issue is, I’ve been working for at the very least a 12 months with my performing coach, and we’ve actually been stepping into: Who’s Glinda? What makes this character actually tick? What’s the thread depend of Glinda?… I really feel that there’s nothing about Glinda that’s cool. There’s nothing about her that’s slick. There’s nothing about her that’s funky. She would by no means sing on a music that sounds this cool.”

And I stated, “Are you saying that Glinda claps on one and three as an alternative of two and 4?” It’s a musician joke. And she or he cracked up. She stated, “Sure, precisely! That’s it!” After which I stated, “Are you saying she claps forward of the beat on one and three?” “Sure!” After which I stated, “I really feel like such a dummy, You’re giving me such a lesson right here. I’ve spent my complete profession attempting to make issues simply sound nearly as good as doable coming by the audio system. I’ve by no means actually needed to suppose an excessive amount of about, does this match the narrative of the character within the factor?” And as quickly as she stated it, I used to be like, ohhhhh, yep, that is sensible. So then I did a brand new model, whre I didn’t even understand I’d achieved it, however I nonetheless left a tiny little bit of an excessive amount of funkiness within the bass drum sample — which does (now) seem within the final 4 bars of “Fashionable,” however on the time it was earlier than that. And she or he’s like, “It’s a must to take all that out. It’s simply too rhythmic. It’s not her. I don’t wish to play her cool. I additionally don’t wish to be accused of coming in as ‘Pop star Ariana Grande has pop-ified Glinda.’ That’s the very last thing I ever wish to learn.”

That was an enormous, resounding, crushing penny drop — however in one of the simplest ways doable for me. It was this wonderful lesson that she taught me from my very first dialog. And so I’ve simply tried to maintain my eyes and ears and mind open to how any something I do additionally affect what’s gonna occur half-hour or 50 minutes later. And in making data with folks on a a lot smaller workforce, in the event you have been the artist and I used to be the document producer, we’d spend three, 4, 5 months making an album with simply you and me and a recording engineer — if it’s a band, possibly a pair different folks — and that’s it. On the planet I’m often in, I filter all that different stuff out. I don’t let managers or document firm folks come into the room till we’re achieved working for the day as a result of it places all people in an excessively analytical place and hurts performances. However on a film, it’s actually like a medium-sized military with completely different divisions and division heads, and everybody’s attempting to place out a particular hearth, however they’re all speaking to one another and there’s enter coming from all over. Broadway’s like that too— nearly all people offers enter. I requested Stephen Schwartz about this a number of months in the past, and I stated, “So who’s acquired veto energy?” And he stated, “Nicely, I do if it’s my musical. However I hearken to just about all of the concepts. It may come from nearly anyplace.” Once more, extra issues I’m not overly accustomed to that include making films. It’s actually like strolling backward into this.

That’s so fascinating. Out of curiosity, because you recorded a whole model of the soundtrack vocals within the studio as backup earlier than they did it reside, on the ultimate soundtrack album, is it precisely what we hear within the film, vocal-wise, or have been there moments the place it made sense to return to the pre-recording?

I used the very same vocals which might be within the film, and there have been simply a few incidents the place Stephen Schwartz felt that he wished an alternate. I seen once I noticed the ultimate mixture of the film at Warner Bros. earlier than it was launched that there’s one little line that Ari sings in “What Is This Feeling?” that’s completely different within the film than it’s on the soundtrack. It used to not be completely different, however they modified it in editorial, on the dub stage, and I’m certain they despatched it to us to say, “Hey guys, it is best to replace your vocal recordsdata in order that it does this.” And I’m fairly certain our composer felt like he most popular it the way in which that it was. So there’s only a couple little moments like that, small issues which might be just a little bit completely different.

The edits are undoubtedly completely different. For the soundtrack, we needed to suture collectively items that had been separated into a number of sections for the movie. “Gravity,” as an example, stops and begins a number of instances due to what occurs within the film. It might sound insane if we did that on the soundtrack. We had to do this with a number of completely different songs. Additionally, there’s a extremely stunning, Aaron Copland-ish compositional second that Stephen Schwartz wrote for “Defying Gravity,” and I simply adore it. He wished it to be within the film proper round when Glinda places the cape on Elphaba and she or he’s about to essentially turn into the depraved witch. Stephen wrote this positively beautiful half, and Jon felt prefer it was an excessive amount of. He wished one thing that felt extra like what he already had cooking within the temp observe, which was additionally implausible. And so Stephen stated, “Nicely, you recognize, I would like this piece of music to reside, so let’s use this on the soundtrack album.” So there’s like a number of inventive variations like that. However vocally, apart from I feel one or two phrases — and I imply, actually, identical to one or two, undoubtedly not more than like 4 or 5 phrases — it’s precisely what’s within the film.

There’s additionally one second in “What Is This Feeling” that’s completely different on the soundtrack, as a result of Stephen Schwartz had a few issues that he wished to listen to issues a sure manner, and he realized he had extra inventive license on the soundtrack album. However all of us sort of got here to a spot of wanting to offer the followers (a real expertise of the movie music on the soundtrack).

There have been many instances the place the document firm releasing the soundtrack overthinks issues — it occurred on “The Biggest Showman,” the place Atlantic had Kesha re-record “This Is Me,” and I’ve to think about that anyone thought that is gonna give the music extra legs, identical to on “Frozen” Disney thought that having Demi Lovato, who’s such a tremendous singer, sing “Let It Go” would make the music work at radio. However as a result of folks had fallen in love with the film, the one factor followers wished to listen to was the model of the music that was within the film, as a result of that wallop of the impression of listening to the music accompany the visible narrative — there’s simply nothing prefer it. I hate it when the followers really feel like they’ve been tricked or fooled or one thing. Individuals are a lot smarter than they’re giving credit score for.

What most moved you about “Depraved” once you first encountered it, all these years in the past?

Nicely, Stephen’s writing is so stuffed with shock and there’s such vary to it, and people two qualities are often my favourite qualities in any sort of artwork or storytelling. I hate seeing the joke coming. I can’t stand it when you recognize you’re anticipated to giggle. I really like type of being sucker-punched by the shock of it — I like that in music an I like that in storytelling. The sensible factor about Gregory Maguire’s ebook, and the place Stephen Schwartz ran with it, is that this factor operates on completely different ranges. Particularly the primary half of the reside musical and particularly film one, the place it may be interpreted as “this is sort of a household film.” Which really, for me, makes it much more insidious and much more evil, much more depraved, that issues really feel very mild. Regardless that you possibly can inform fairly early on, within the opening (“No One Mourns the Depraved”), that one thing isn’t proper, that this isn’t only a good time.

So I really like the way it features on completely different ranges. I really like the way it’s simply heartbreaking, with the arc of the story, listening to “The Wizard and I” and the way hopeful (Elphaba) is, and that character has simply been actually shit upon her complete life. So I, like so many others, resonate strongly with the underdog issue within the story. And for me, with out query, it’s a cautionary story in regards to the hazard of something that’s completely different or one thing you don’t perceive, to label that as depraved, as unhealthy, as evil. I really like the inclusionary message that’s in “Depraved,” and it was actually necessary to Jon Chu to crank that half up within the movie. You already know, how the wardrobe of the scholars at Shiz College may be very gender-neutral. That’s completely intentional. It feels nice to have one thing like that out on the planet proper now, given the election we simply had.

Did you ever determine why, once you first went to the stage present, it moved you a lot that you simply needed to go away at intermission and are available again one other time to see Act 2?

It took me years to place my finger on it, and even adjoining to it. I feel the rationale that I felt impaled the primary time I noticed “Defying Gravity” was due to an expertise I’d had with a music educator. He was an incredible, sensible thoughts, and I wound up going to his faculty and taking part in in his band and acquired near him, earlier than I noticed he was really wishing to maintain me in a field — that he didn’t need me to do something that’s completely different from his personal profession, that he seen me as a menace. That blew my thoughts once I was a child. And later I’d meet older document producers that I actually admired who have been price gazillions of {dollars}, had these storied careers, and I may by no means perceive that they’d view me or somebody like me as like a possible menace. It simply appeared nuts to me. I’m, like, nonetheless half on the turnip truck! Anyway, clearly not as tragic a narrative as what Elphaba has to cope with, however it actually spoke to me in an enormous manner. It actually did my head in once I realized this as I used to be nonetheless a youngster, and I needed to do an enormous reevaluation of objectives and what it was I used to be aiming for and what I believed was necessary to me and what now wasn’t.

It was a hard-earned epiphany, that one. However all people appears like they don’t belong. I don’t suppose anyone appears like, “Oh, I’m fully part of the pack.”

There’s been numerous dialogue of how topical the story feels, which can affect how darkish it strikes folks, relying on how tuned in they’re to that.

The pursuit of energy and the way the wizard is utilizing darkish magic to silence the animals has all types of political allegory connotations… [SPOILER ALERT FOR PART 2 AHEAD.] Additionally, as I heard Stephen Schwartz level out as soon as once we have been within the London studio two years in the past, he’s like, “Nicely, you recognize, this can be a story a few man attempting to kill his daughter.”

We have been recording the orchestra at AIR Studios in London and, a number of days into the recording periods, Stephen was sitting beside me on the console when somebody made a remark: “Ooh, that sounds fairly spooky.” Once more, Stephen didn’t miss a beat and he stated, “Nicely, it is a horror film.” And he meant it. He wasn’t attempting to be humorous; in his thoughts, this can be a horror film. And I get that. I feel that’s misplaced on numerous people, however that’s OK. That (lighter side) is partly what makes it so tragic. However it additionally does perform fairly efficiently as… not lighter, however only a joyful sort of thrilling leisure. There’s so many ranges to this — like life, proper? It might be so good in life if it was actually as straightforward as fundamentalist faith the place issues are white or issues are black, issues are good or they’re unhealthy. This actually blows that up, particularly the way in which the story ends. With out ruining… I imply, anybody that’s seen the reside musical already is aware of how this ends. It’s removed from a contented ending, however it’s not a very tragic ending. The entire thing is so difficult.

Are you able to discuss being pals with Stephen for many years earlier than you get the decision…

Thirty-five years later! I at all times say to to youthful musicians or singers — or it’s only a life factor usually — you by no means understand how one factor’s gonna result in the subsequent. All these items solely is sensible in hindsight.

I moved to Los Angeles from rural Ontario, Canada, on a Canadian authorities arts grant to review piano with Claire Fisher, this unbelievable musician who did all of the string preparations for Prince and actually introduced bossa nova to America, and one other pianist named Terry Trotter, who performed with Frank Sinatra and Larry Carlton for years. These guys began recommending me for little jobs, and a type of first jobs was being the extra keyboard, kinda synth participant, mainly being the pretend orchestra for this actually stunning cabaret singer from New York named Jane Oliver. Jane had a really devoted fan base, and Stephen Schwartz was amongst that fan base. I met him by Jane, and Stephen grasp and purchase all of us dinner and regale us with wonderful tales — however by no means talked about his personal profession, by no means talked about himself. As soon as I began having some sort of profession years later, he would come by my studio generally and meet among the artists I labored with. By no means in a gazillion years did I ever suppose we might ever work collectively as a result of he was so clearly like within the lane of what he’s doing, which actually on the time was not what I used to be even pointed towards.

We have been having this electronic mail change a few actually proficient new artist I work with named Jake Wesley Rogers — Elton John found him a pair years in the past, put him on his podcast. He’s about to really launch a brand new album, and the music that I’ve on that album I had despatched to Stephen Schwartz. He was commenting on Jake’s music and some different issues, after which the final paragraph of his electronic mail to me in June 2022 was, “Oh, by the way in which, I’m placing collectively a small music workforce for the ‘Depraved’ film that we’ve been engaged on for a number of years, and we’re able to lock in and do it now. Would you want to leap on board?” We acquired on the telephone quickly after that, however I used to be nervous… It’s actually a tremendous factor to have Stephen as a good friend, the place we might rarely discuss work. We might discuss the truth that we by no means talked about work. And one of many first issues I stated to him was, “If we work collectively on this, I’m nervous it’d mess up our relationship.” And he’s like, “I don’t suppose it can. I feel we’ll be OK.”

He’s completely different when he’s working, and it’s really actually fascinating. You already know, that is his child, one among his many inventive infants; in so some ways, if not in each manner, he’s really the artist on this undertaking. Clearly he’s not starring within the movie, however he birthed this factor, and to see him carry it to the essence of the place he’s feeling it’s a fascinating factor. It’s so fascinating to look at him drive the ship from this very passionate, sensible place, a facet of him I by no means acquired to see once we have been hanging out, having dinner.

So two and a half years, mainly, is your work on this, up to now?

Yeah. I began only a couple weeks after that first telephone name; in early July 2022, I used to be on board. Once I acquired employed, the one solid members that had been employed have been Cynthia and Ariana, so there was so much to do. I haven’t labored on that many films. I’ve actually simply been producing data and writing songs. I feel “Depraved” is my fifth or sixth film, however sometimes a bozo like me will get employed on a movie when the movie is sort of completed, so I’ll are available for just like the final half-year of it. This one, I used to be on it six months earlier than they started taking pictures. We needed to assemble all of the tracks in a malleable manner the place we may pivot with tempo and transposition of keys, as a result of we didn’t know who was going to play Fiyero, as an example. And I did, like, pretend devices — like, MIDI tracks for every thing. Faux drums, pretend orchestra, pretend all of this, all from this keyboard proper right here. After which I wound up going to London for 2 months within the fall of 2022, in that studio at Elstree, working hands-on with each girls. Stephen Oremus was with me your complete time. We by no means met earlier than and thank God we labored properly collectively, as a result of it couldn’t have gone higher. He actually gave me numerous area, but in addition simply the correct amount of “Oh, we don’t want that. We actually want this, do extra of this.”

That went on till proper till the highest of December after which they began taking pictures. After which I got here again right here to L.A. and there have been tons of modifications to be made, as soon as the choreographer was up and working. After which Jon would understand, “Nicely, we really need one other 30 seconds of music right here. We’d like really one other minute of music right here. We have to chop this music out. It doesn’t work anymore. We’d like a special strategy for this one musically.” Tons of type of altering the form of the clay. And the pedal simply stayed down, identical to a brick was simply on the gasoline pedal the entire time, by no means let up. And we now have one other film to make now! Musically, it’s the most difficult job I’ve ever labored on. I’m pulling on each iota of my musical coaching.

You have been classically skilled after which went to jazz faculty up in Canada, earlier than you turned a studio musician within the ‘90s, earlier than transferring as much as turn into a songwriter and document producer.

I needed to pull on each little bit of that to make this work. As a result of I used to be actually staring on the display I’m you on proper now, and I’m sight-reading bass clarinet charts at 1:30 within the morning — that, by the way in which, will not be within the regular treble or bass clef — nd having to sort of attempt to transpose it, and generally I used to be not profitable in doing it and I’d make errors. After which in attempting to make the tracks, I set this bar for myself the place I wished the MIDI tracks to not sound like MIDI tracks. I wished them to essentially really feel genuine, and I noticed that no matter I got here up with, that’s what Jon was going to shoot the film to. And I’ve been doing this lengthy sufficient the place I noticed like whether or not folks wish to or not, they’ll get used to listening to the factor that they’ve heard a whole bunch of instances, so I wished to make it possible for regardless of the MIDI factor was was shut sufficient to what I imagined the ultimate consequence may sound like. In some unspecified time in the future I acquired so petrified of turning issues in that didn’t sound completed. I wished to encourage confidence within the performers and within the choreographer and in Jon. My head was in that blender for months and months, after which we had the writers’ strike after which the actor strike, and we weren’t allowed to work on any of it, so I had a little bit of day off to see my household.

As quickly as that was over, we have been having a Zoom assembly with Mike Knobloch, the top of movie at Common, determining schedules of once we’re going to London to document the the London studio musicians who’re gonna play the drums and guitars and bass and keyboards, after which after that we might do the orchestra periods. After which we acquired to Stephen Schwartz, and he places his hand up and says, “Wait, there’s a misunderstanding. Greg is the band. Greg’s gonna play the actual devices. I don’t wish to document that in London. Clearly the orchestra will do in London, however Greg’s the band. Let’s transfer on.” Now, I’ve to imagine that Stephen Schwartz was considering that your complete time! In my profession as a producer, numerous my productions have come from songwriting periods that then wound up turning into the document, the place I’m taking part in all of the devices, so the demo for the music typically appears like a document. And I used to be employed on “Depraved” to play nothing; I used to be employed to only produce and blend. However when he stated that, my workload undoubtedly greater than doubled, it probably quadrupled.

We acquired it achieved by the pores and skin of our enamel. Then it was the orchestra, after which there was numerous mixing the movie. Andy Nelson, the rerecording mixer, set me up in a room at Fox that he helped design, and I used to be in there for a month doing 7.1 mixes from my stereo mixes. Then it was time to combine the soundtrack album in Atmos…

What are you most glad about along with your work on the movie?

There have been two issues that, as a fan of this, I wished to attempt to carry to the desk, and I didn’t understand how a lot I’d or wouldn’t be allowed to do it. It’s an enormous credit score to each Stephen Schwartz and Stephen Oremus, the manager music producers, that they actually gave me a large berth. I imply, the extra I threw at it, the happier they acquired. And I used to be so shocked by that, as a result of I’ve labored with people earlier than who’ve written sort of well-known issues they usually don’t actually need it to sound otherwise than it did initially. However they each actually wished to listen to new variations of it. And there was just one occasion when Stephen Schwartz stated, “You already know, that drum fill there …” He didn’t say, “Take it out.” He stated, “Are you able to simply flip it down a bit?” That was it. All the things else, they let me type of actually assault it they usually gave me tons of implausible route, they usually’re making me look good.

However they actually let me do the 2 issues I wished to do, which was carry out the enamel when applicable, carry out that actual underbelly. I like “The Shining.” I don’t like gore, however I like being psychologically scared. After which I wished to sort of inject the music with a bit extra sort of… say this? Drums are my first instrument, and rhythm is necessary to me. There’s at all times been implausible drumming on each model I’ve ever heard of “Depraved.” However I knew that we weren’t going for a pit orchestra factor. As a result of it’s a film, we have been capable of create no matter soundscape we wished. Whether or not it was like a vaudevillian soft-shoe vibe for Jeff Goldblum and “Sentimental Man,” or whether or not it’s “Fashionable,” the place it simply appears like harpsichords on stage with pyrotechnics or one thing, to a straight-up pop music.

What number of devices did you play? The 2 Stephens stated that there have been about 85 items to the orchestra, at its peak, however counting all of your elements, it could be extra tha 100.

Principally I’m taking part in all of the bass guitar, all of the drums and numerous the keyboards. Stephen Oremus and Dominic Amendum are additionally taking part in keyboards on this. After which I’m taking part in all the electrical guitars and acoustic guitars. The factor I used to be speaking about earlier with sight-reading viola elements and bass clarinet (for MIDI elements), that every one acquired us to some extent the place we had a factor that basically did sound so much like an orchestra. However when JeffAtmajian acquired employed, this sensible orchestral arranger, he took no matter I had helped prepare dinner up and blew it up and did his personal factor with numerous it. After which I’d get MIDI mockups of his preparations despatched to me, and I’d put that into my observe that I used to be engaged on…

The phrase “iterative” has by no means been used extra in my life than within the final two and a half years. I by no means actually used that phrase earlier than, however now it’s nearly the one phrase that I say all day lengthy. Tempos altering on a regular basis, keys altering nearly as typically because the tempos. Tons of enter, as a result of the music workforce would get it to the place we liked it, after which to the place Stephen Schwartz liked it. Which generally was straight away, and generally he was not pleased, or nearly pleased, and we needed to tweak. He at all times knew precisely what he wanted, and people are my favourite sort of folks to work with, who know when the meals doesn’t style good or when it does style proper. Then we’d must play it for Jon Chu too, and he’s directing the film and it’s gotta really feel proper to him. Typically it could land, and generally … who is aware of what’s occurring, and if the combo simply sounded actually completely different than the rehearsal MIDI tracks that I’d achieved, however generally it was like, “This isn’t working for me,” and to have it really feel proper for him, generally it could take a number of revisions or a number of journeys to the drafting board.

The place do issues stand on Half 2, so far as your work on it? Some folks may need imagined you guys did every thing without delay, however from all indications, there’s numerous work to do.

No, the one factor that was achieved suddenly have been my MIDI tracks. It was over two years in the past that that was achieved, and it was all of the songs for each films. However the means of Jeff Atmajian, our orchestra arranger, writing his charts, that has begun now for film 2. The method of me now ditching these MIDI tracks and changing them with reside drums, guitar, bass and keyboards, that has simply began now. We’re staying on this till I feel we’re at AIR with the orchestra in Might or June, after which we’ll be mixing all summer season, after which it comes out in November.

You possibly can’t give any spoilers in regards to the further materials that Stephen has written, however is there something you possibly can say in regards to the recent songs followers are inquisitive about for half 2?

They won’t be disillusioned. Stephen’s one of many nice composers of our time. And he’s written some stuff that, once more… it’s a film, the place it’s completely different. There’s issues that Jon was capable of do is ready to do within the enviornment of it being cinema that you simply simply couldn’t do on stage. It might be too arduous to tug off. So it made sense to have Stephen Schwartz give you some new materials to enhance what’s occurring. There’s some actually stunning stuff that the followers haven’t heard but, and I’m no predictor of the long run, however I feel they’re gonna be fairly pleased. Actually beautiful stuff.

You talked earlier about feeling such as you have been strolling backwards into the filmmaking course of, however two and a half years in, it might probably’t really feel so backward anymore. Even with extra to go, you need to really feel pleased about at the very least being achieved with Half 1.

I’m nonetheless engaged on it. I’m nonetheless engaged on film 1. A number of days in the past I completed an edit of “Defying Gravity” and “Fashionable” for radio. Regardless that it’s been out, although the cat has left the bag, I’m undecided I’ll ever be achieved engaged on it.