MCB Interviews Lucas Vidal

Written by John Presley. Posted in Latest Articles

At only 27 years old, Lucas Vidal has quickly moved from Berklee to some of the world's most respected soundstages. He's already composing scores for Cold Light of Day (Bruce Willis, Segourney Weaver) and The Raven, directed by James McTeigue.

"At Berklee I was studying all the great classical composers while others were going out, but now I know I did the right thing," says Vidal. "I am still learning everyday and have so much left to learn. I just recorded at Abbey Road where the musicians were simply amazing, but I have to say that my experiences in Los Angeles were mind blowing."

Having a strong classical background has helped Vidal to understand orchestration, melodies, and counterpoint. After Berklee, he continued his studies with Richard Danielpour in New York and Bruce Broughton in LA.

Vidal is able to pass off many responsibilities to his business partner Steve Dzialowski. The two met at Berklee and formed Music & Motion Productions. Vidal and Dzialowski have learned to delegate tasks as the company grows. The music begins with pencil and paper and is further developed by the orchestration team (Bruce Fowler, Rick Giovinazzo, Brad Dechter, Dave Metzger and others) using Digital Performer. "I really like to start on paper, otherwise you are limited to your library," adds Vidal. "Our mockup team can do magical things."

"I conduct all my music, most of the time, to punches and streamers instead of clicks," says Vidal. "I think it makes the music more 'musical' ". Streamers and punches are visual cues that help conductors and musicians synchronize their music and anticipate cues.

This summer Vidal is collaborating with a rock band for an upcoming score. "That's what I love about film music," says Vidal, "each project is different and you just learn so much from it.

Tips from Lucas Vidal:

    • As a film composer, you need to be versatile. Each project is different. You need to make the director happy and serve the picture. Being able to switch from style to style is very important.
    • I think that the great classical composers have so much to teach, from Bach to the contemporaries. I try to study as much as possible and I really want to give myself time to keep studying in the future.
    • It is important to understand that we're selling art, not a product, and that making great music is our goal.

    Clips:

    Recording Session at Warner Bros. Soundstage

    Recording Session at Fox Studios Soundstage

    Mientras Duermes - Recording Session at Abbey Road