Robert Kral is originally from South Australia, and has worked his way to the other side of the hemisphere, to LA with his incredible determination and talent in which he has proven to be one of the world’s best and well known musical composers of several TV series and films in which we all are familiar with.
This humble and modest man, hasn’t changed in the slightest since the days we remember back in good old 1980’s at ‘Woodville High School’, South Australia.
Robert Kral is the man behind the music of well known TV series and film works such as, Angel – (1999-2004) TV Series, which is a spin off from the television series ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ in which Kral wrote majority of the tracks, along with the soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never, 18 out of the 25 tracks were composed by Kral. The Inside (2005) for Fox Television, Batman: Gotham Knight (2005), The Lost Room (2006), animated film scores which include, Superman: Doomsday (2007), Scooby Doo: Legend of the Phantosaur (2011) and are just among many of the films and TV series Robert Kral has written.
Other Soundtracks include; The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), Green Lantern: First Flight (2009), Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
Robert has only just finished his newest and soon to be released, film, "Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood"
Robert, tell us, how did a young South Australian boy find his way to LA?
Robert: I’d say by dreaming big, and a lot of very hard work! Ever since I started composing music when I was 15 I knew I wanted to write for film and TV. I knew ultimately this would mean LA but figured I’d try Sydney, feeling LA was out of reach (which it was as far as I could tell).
During University years in Adelaide, one lecturer suggested I get in touch with a TV composer friend of his who was working in LA, which is how I discovered that there were actually courses for training in this area over there, and that going over as a student would be a great way to start. However the cost was also out of reach! Again I thought Sydney might be more reasonable to aim for. However when I met Brian May (composer for the early Mad Max films and many other Australian pics) at the SA Film Corporation he questioned why I was thinking of Sydney, strongly suggesting to just “go big, right off the bat” and get to LA.
He had lectured at USC in LA so knew first hand that it was the best place for a film music student to be.
Several years later saving all the money I could from my job at NWS9 in Adelaide and writing soundtracks for local video companies, then some major success in applying for grants and scholarships I was finally on my way. I must say there were years where I thought it just wasn’t going to happen, but one step at a time and doing everything I could think of to make it, eventually it worked out! I wanted to point out these details in case it’s encouraging to anyone with big goals that seem far away. You never know until you try! Really, REALLY try!
Did you have an idea from the beginning of your music career, that film and TV music was your specific niche?
Robert:
Yes, the moment I began hearing original music in my head I knew I wanted to write for film and TV. I had not gone into High School wanting a music career, though I loved music. I loved film making even more, but again didn’t see I’d really have a career in it. I was more interested in Science but my grades there were, shall we say, not up to par.
But once I began composing, which had mid way through High School, I knew I wanted to compose for film and tv. I wanted to write for emotions, to create that for the film audience, guide them in the story telling. I feel I’m interested in film making first, and music is my way into that art and industry. I was never as interested in composing for concert hall for example as supporting stories in film and television. Some asked me why would I play this supporting role, why not be front and centre and write music for music’s sake, but that’s not my interest, my interest and goal has been to support drama, film, stories and so on.
My goals in learning music and composition from then on where all about how they relate and serve the moving picture.
How did you keep your focus and move forward to where it has brought you today?
Robert:
I was very passionate about this, and still am. That passion is what kept me going, I just couldn’t give up even when the callenges were extremely difficult. The funds required to study in the USA are huge and I had no money at all at the beginning, for example. But I knew I had to stay focused, make a lot of sacrifices and go for it. It’s also about meeting lots of people, helping them make movies, learning the craft, pushing forward on what seemed like impossible tasks to learn the steps I needed to not only take, but master. Orchestration, for full orchestra, for example was something I started at 15, because I knew I had to do it even though it was not part of High School. I met privately with composers and conductors and orchestrators and film makers and whomever I could in my own time, whatever it took to keep moving forward. When you are passionate about it though, this comes naturally, even though the hurdles are difficult and new skills are a big challenge to start learning. I say “start learning” because once you get over the initial hurdles and keep doing it, KEEP doing it, you eventually get on a roll and the amount to learn becomes less, or at least the new skills now make learning smoother after a while.
When writing for TV and/or film, are you given the script and the idea of mood to enable the kind of music, which is required?
Robert:
Not usually! I’ve read a few scripts in all these years but usually the project is at the stage where it needs music when I’m hired. I used to think it would be best to have a script as early as possible, but often the script changes by the time it’s shot and edited, and re-edited. Then re-edited again! The plus side to not coming on board so early is that I have a fresh take on viewing the film or episode. The director might be so close to it that he or she might not be aware of areas that aren’t working as intended. I’m like a “first audience” a lot of the time and can see without having been involved earlier, with fresh eyes.
Music can help immensely in areas of story that may not have come out as intended in the film making for whatever reason. Seeing this fresh helps me to react as the audience we are making this for might, and to tune into what is needed to assist in the production in the best way.
When I’ve come on early it has been great as ideas can formulate with more time, and mature and develop.
So there are positives to both ways, but most of the time production in LA for these things means the composer is hired toward the very end of the process. This can mean tremendously tight deadlines especially in episodic television. For Angel I had less than a week each episode to create new music, compose, orchestrate, record, mix to picture about 30 minutes every single week.
Are you specific in your time frame in which you work, or do you run into your studio when an idea hits?
Robert:
Often it is mentioned, when an idea comes to you, to record it and write it down immediately, as this original idea, when it just flows, is often the best? Does this apply to writing for TV and Film? I agree its best to record it in some way as soon as possible, before the idea is forgotten or morphs into the next version of itself which is usually not as good! Time management and priorities like family are also a part of this picture though. I usually have a set amount f music I need to complete each day when on a project, especially if it is a tv series, and once I complete that daily quota I walk out of the studio and truly leave. Unless something big hits me then I have a computer and keyboard at home to record the idea with. But with huge work loads and deadlines its also important to keep life in check to attend to family time for example also. Anyne persuing a career that is demanding should understand that life is made up of many things, and whilst we might be here for a specific career reason, we are here for other purposes too! To be successful in a career you have to be obsessed with it, but t live you have to be obsessed with it to a degree.
What do you write with? Piano? Programming software?
Robert:
Piano type electronic keyboard, or midi keyboard as it’s known. This is connected to a computer running Pro Tools. There are many great DAWS out there, as they are called, for recording and composing, but I prefer Pro Tools features and it’s the Hollywood recording standard by far. For midi composing, Logic is possibly now the number one choice of composers in LA, but I still prefer Pro Tools since version 9. When choosing software you should consider what others are using as they can help you learn, and you can feel comfortable in other studios this way also.
When you have a piece that is close to completion, how do you know when to stop, what to take out or what to leave in?
Robert:
Great question! In many cases I could continue tweaking forever! But TV and film deadlines are solid and not negotiable! If I have 20 minutes to write in 4 days I’ll compose 5 minutes a day and STOP! It’s the only way to be sure I’m going to meet the deadline although it is flexible as long as I make up for whatever the next day at the latest (as long as the deadline is met!). But apart from that you learn to tell when it is working well. It can be a beginners trap to over-compose, to over-rchestrate, to over-write to the point things are too busy or becme mushy. Economy is important, for clarity and effectiveness. More isn’t always MORE! When Darth Vader dies in Return of the Jedi, a solo harp plays his theme, and John Williams had the entire London Symphony Orchestra at his disposal! Sure us Hollywood composers stack French horns to crazy levels (EG twelve horns playing super loud to hammer in a heroic action theme, when traditionaly you’d maybe have two or at the most four!). Yes we layer BASS drums so that there’s sometimes 6 bass drums on top of each other doubled with low piano and anvil and metal hits and whatever else we can throw at it. We do a lot f that for big action scores but there’s also a lot of econimcal writing and orchestrating that is the most effective for other moments. Going back to the heart of the question though, we learn to stop when it’s working, knowing that going much further we will start to mess it up or take it too far. It becomes a feel and it becomes intuitive, but it’s the result of many years of experience.
When you get stuck on ideas, do you push on, or walk away, then come back to it?
Robert:
Sometimes I need to push on, if it’s a demanding TV schedule with a t of music and close to the deadline. I’ve learned to push through writer’s block which I used to be concerned about more at the beginning of my career t where now it just seems there is always an idea or three for approaching a scene or section of music. It is difficult though if there is a scene where I truly feel there SHOULDN’T be music but a director wants it. This is the toughest situation because you need to fight against what you think is best for the story. Of course it is discussed and we can have disagreements but in the end if the director wants to hear music there we need to try it and truly understand what the director is wanting and feeling. Even more, what the audience should feel within the director’s vision. So yes at these times I’ll walk away for a while to clear my head. It’s best to come back refreshed for things like this if they have become frustrating or caused a block. If I need to meet a quota of minutes of music I’ll skip a scene or two and write for the end of the movie for example then come back. It’s important though to exercise your brain on different things, or change tasks, and occaisionally sleep etc! I lived across from the beach in Adelaide and live close to the beach in LA, and there’s nothing like a few minutes at the ocean to refresh my mind and return with a new approach and new energy!
How important is feedback from others before you hand over or play what you consider the finished piece?
Robert:
As I’m scoring a film or TV episode, I send the director a quicktime of each music cue as it’s finished, or sometimes ideas as they are being worked on if we are trying things out. By the time the episode or film needs to be mixed, the director has heard my music many many times and collaborated with comments and any adjustments desired etc. Because we can now do this via email, we can email back and forth a lot on music as it’s being produced in my studio. So for the director, I am certain that they are thrilled with each cue well before we get to final mix of the movie. I don’t consult with many others, if ever, on how the music is going besides the director. This is because only the director knows what is wanted for his or her vision, stle, mood, etc!
Does your mood on the day have a lot to do with what transpires?
Robert:
It can, but usually not. It can be tough to start a day if I’m not feeling it or if my mood is the opposite of what is needed for a scene. But in many ways a composer is an actor or actress, playing out the scene and parts over and over as the day goes on producing the music. I simply can’t be reliant on my own personal mood to have an affect on other moods needed for the story. If I’m feeling sad but the scene has the character find the love of his life, then my music will be ALL about that joy! It’s tough writing big action chases when you are tired at midnight for example, but on it goes and the reward is hearing the finished result, right there and then, when the director smiles upon hearing it, and learning audience reactions when you know you’ve nailed it!
What other music do you listen to? And who inspires you in the music world?
Robert:
I listen to the radio in my car to hear the latest bands but my music of choice is often film music soundtracks. It’s best to hear those in the theater but I can’t always get to the movies that’s for sure! John Williams was my biggest inspiration for film music though I have to say I like most all film composers I hear. There maybe movies where I feel I would have done it differently (even with Mr Williams in rare cases!) but usually I’m blown away with the amazing things that film composers achieve, I’m in awe and ispired. Sometimes humiliated haha! But really even the material, film wise or band wise, that is mind-blowingly good, even though a part of me might say “oh boy I wish I could do that!” I think a bigger part of me just loves it and appreciates it. It inspires me maybe not to do the exact same, but to go back and do what I do, but better!
How important is collaboration in music?
Robert:
With the director it’s everything. But it’s also a balance between having the freedm t do what I think is best and having time to develop that, as well as the collaboration with the director. I don’t think we work best with someone “over our shoulder”, but it’s also important to be on the same page as a director and work together in achieving what’s desired. More ideas sprout and develop from collaboration! In film though it is best to have ONE director directing the music approach etc, as when several directors and producers etc come into the kitchen the broth can be easily spoiled as they say. Collaboration in bands I think is essential, as each master of each instrument brings expertise and experience to creating the individual knock-out sounds and perfomrances to the whole song. With orchestras though, the collaboration again comes between composer, director and orchestrators if they are extra folks involved too. This then needs to be a perfected piece presented to the instrumental players who then interpret with performance but again under direction of the conductor. So really to answer the question it depends on the music and the goals. On one hand a director and composer need to be isolated to create their vision, but they collaborate with each other (even though the composer writes on his or her own, the marrying of music to film and capturing and hitting special moments is VERY close collaboration with the director). On the other hand a band and song writing artists I feel need to collaborate with the band musicians on bringing out the best version of the song possible.
Trying to think of what would be good for other writers to read and learn from, what would be your advise if there are writers wishing to try their hand at writing for TV and Film?
Robert:
It isn’t easy pursuing a creative type of career, music or song writing or being a recording artist. But what great things are? I encourage you to do your best, try your hardest and keep going until it’s either obvious this isn’t for you, or obvious to you and the world that it is.
Robert will kindly answer any questions for budding composers via his facebook page.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robkral
Amazon: Robert J. Kral on Amazon