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| Image Courtesy of Tom Schraeder |
Frequent Bryan Bertino collaborator Tom Schraeder (TS) is one of the most unique composers currently working in the film industry. His scores blend with soundtracks to create experiences, or an aural palette, as Schraeder shared with The Movie Sleuth (TMS) in a recent interview that covered his entrance into the film industry, favorite films, inspirations, collaborators, and some highlights about Vicious, Bertino’ s latest horror outing that stars Dakota Fanning and drops on Paramount Friday, October 10th.
TMS: I was just viewing The Dark and the Wicked after I realized you were the composer. That was one of my favorite films of its year. I noticed, from that and reading about your work that you blend at a lot of different genres.
TS: Yes, it has a rustic, Southern vibe. The film revolves around grieving, so the songs themselves had to remain rustic and grounded in the emotional dread of mourning.
TMS: How did you get started in the
industry?
TS: After years of pursuing a music career, I had a meaningful conversation with Eddie Vedder in 2009. I’m paraphrasing the advice he gave me, but it was “record as much as you can.” That led to me learning how to engineer/produce my own work and producing a short film with friends. That’s when I really discovered enjoying the musical side of the film process. Years later, I was bartending and started to reclaim music as a hobby. Sonny Mallhi (Producer of The Strangers, The Dark and the Wicked) asked me to write an original song for a film he was directing. Then, he asked me to write five minutes of a score for another project of his, which led to me co-composing his entire feature Hurt. Not long after that, I met Bryan Bertino. We emailed and talked extensively about music, which made sense considering Bryan’s scripts read in a very lyrical way, almost in the vein of Townes Van Zandt or John Prine songs. This led to blending the original songs with the score, which were inspired by his words on the page.
TMS: Your newest project is Vicious. What can you tell us about it?
TS: Dakota Fanning stars as Polly. She receives a box from a stranger and has to give it something she loves, something she hates, and something she needs. It’s Bertino-intense, yet beautiful.
TMS: You worked with other musicians on the score/soundtrack for this?
TS: Early in pre-production, Bryan said that Radiohead’s Kid A andPortishead’s Dummy are the artists and albums Polly would listen to. Bryan made me a playlist to listen to and I thought that we should just reach out to some of these artists. We specifically kept referencing the baritone sax played on the Kid A track National Anthem, which was played by Stan Harrison, who’s played with Radiohead, Bowie, Springsteen, and he ended up playing all the winds on our soundtrack. I reached out to Clive Deamer, the drummer of Portishead and second drummer of Radiohead, and he kindly came on board as our percussionist. Together we turned the score into something unique by playing our instruments in unconventional ways. Bowing/submerging gongs in water, using rubber balls against bass drums, sax screams and growls, preparing pianos, and so on. The list of incredible performers and contributors is endless, but it truly was an all-around dream team of live, heartfelt performances.
TMS: What is your favorite score from a film?
TS: Eyes Wide Shut’s score is deceivingly complex in the ways it plays with tension and release, which results in a very hypnotic audible experience. Anything from Jonny Greenwood or Bernard Hermann rests deep within my music DNA.
TMS: Can you tell us about your process of
creation?
TS: I prefer to read the script first, to best connect with the story. Then I start writing the melodic themes so Bryan has those during filming. Originally, I scored Vicious with a large, 64-piece orchestra in mind, but once we saw the picture, we knew it had to be scaled down as a more contained, intimate score, matching Dakota’s experience, and incredible performance. I like to focus on the sonic palette, which I like to call gathering my “paint.” I love focusing on what the character interacts with. For example, Polly’s character is a smoker who drinks red wine, so for some of the music I used a cigarette pack and lighter as a percussion device, and gathered shrieks from wine glasses, etc. I painted the film with these sounds, stacked on top of the themes, and sent it off to our extraordinary orchestrator Max Mueller to notate and prep for the musicians to perform it live.
TMS: What advice would you give an aspiring composer or someone looking to get into the industry?
TS: I’d pass along the advice that changed my trajectory: “Record as much as you can.” Recordings last forever, but they also show where improvements are needed, or maybe even where we’re improving, but at thevery least recordings will live as an audible journal of our musical journey.I’d say trust your gut. If you’re slightly interested, just say yes, because you never know which “yes” can change your entire life.
TMS: Do you watch a lot of movies?
TS: Yes.
TMS: What is your favorite genre?
TS: Used to be rom-coms and indie dramas, but now it’s horror! At first my anxiety couldn’t handle horror films, so I restarted watching Bryan’s films, with a notebook, which was literally studying beats and plot points. Now, six years later I’m horror obsessed! From the fans, the blogs, the festivals, and of course, the movies, I’m totally hooked.
TMS: What were your intentions with the The Dark and The Wicked score compared to the Vicious score, and how different were they to other horror scores?
TS: For The Dark and the Wicked, I personally didn’t want a traditional horror score. It’s a dramatic film, dealing with grief and mortality. I wanted the audience to feel that inescapable suffocation feeling of mourning. For Vicious, I wanted it to be a dramatic score anchored by recreating anxiety. Bryan and I spoke at great lengths about his desire for a “wall of sound,” of recreating what an anxiety spiral/panic attack felt like. We made music for the head and not the ears, while The Dark and The Wicked we created music for the chest, and not the ears.
TMS: Are you allowed to tell us anything about your next project?
TS: I’m working with a very frequent collaborator, but can’t say too much. It will be a lot of fun.
TMS: What film do you think is the scariest?
TS: I’m probably going to embarrass Bryan with this, but The Strangers. It took multiple viewing sessions to be able to actually make it through, due to how afraid I was. I have heard other filmmakers say it’s changed the idea of modern horror filmmaking, and I couldn’t agree more.
TMS: With respect to Vicious, can you tell us anything that we should
specifically
be listening for?
TS: With over 70 minutes of music, much like an anxiety attack there’s rarely an on-or-off switch, so it’s an apprehensive wall of sound. Listen for the incredible sound design by Chuck Michael and Scott Hecker. It was a masterclass to work alongside them and their team on the mix stage.
“Tom’s music began to inform Vicious before the camera ever rolled, a heartbeat waiting for the images to arrive. Through every stage of the journey, he shaped sound into emotion, giving Polly’s story a voice when words fell silent. His score is not an accompaniment but a pulse-an open wound, a window into her pain, a world she carries within her.” - Bryan Bertino
TMS: I think that is emblematic of the horror genre.
TS: Absolutely! Sounds that wouldn’t come off as traditional instruments or musical by any means, became integral components of the soundtrack. For example I created an instrument by combining an old cigar box guitar, adding a spring reverb, some contact mics, various springs/rulers, and built a wooden box (about the same size as Polly’s used in the movie). I connected it to various pedals, and bowed it with a violin bow. It was such an ugly sound that we jokingly called it The Terror Box.
TMS: Do you fabricate instruments often?
TS: No. Honestly, a toddler could do it better. I just wanted this Terror Box for shrieks, ugly rumbles, and so on. I get excited by the sounds around me. For example, I heard a stranger pulling the paper towels from the roll dispenser, and loved the sound so much I went back to that bathroom with a mic and recorded it. That’s what I love about horror composing, because life becomes my instrument.
TMS: Have you trained your brain to pick up on these sounds? Like radar?
TS: Definitely! Horror has immensely helped me with my anxiety. Now, when I hear those noises that used to trigger a panic attack, I get inspired, even excited. I record the sound, better yet, I collect my paint, add some effects to it and the inspiration strikes.
TMS: Is there anything else you want to tell us?
TS: I want to thank the team. I got to see the film at Fantastic Fest. Watching Dakota perform on this masterful level was the moment I recognized a dream had come true. Seeing a true legend in the film industry like Dakota, work with another master like Bryan, just had me overcome with gratitude. One thing I love about the film industry is how each person puts their entire being and love into making it and without even one of them, the film would be entirely different.
TMS: Tell me about the team.
TS: Such an incredible experience getting to work alongside Bryan, Tad, the most incredible post production team. But then growing closer than ever with my score producer/longtime manager Allison Wright Clark, and esteemed music editor Bruno Roussel. I could be here all day listing each person I worked with, which is rare for a composer, because we usually work in solitude. In this case, I got to work in an office on the Paramount lot throughout post next to the editing team! I was beyond grateful to see how artist-friendly and supportive the entire Paramount Music department was throughout the process. Their trust and commitment towards making this score happen exactly as I envisioned is something I’ll forever hold dear to my heart. It was truly an education. Bryan felt like a bandmate, he was the front man and I was the side man working to bring his vision to life. I fell madly in love with the entire team on this film and couldn’t be more proud of everyone’s work.
Vicious will be available to stream, Friday, October 10th on Paramount +
--Kyle Jonathan