The Sound Architect speaks to brilliant composer and orchestrator Penka Kouneva. Penka enjoys a reputation among Hollywood composers as a unique talent. Working alongside Steve Jablonsky she composed the score for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video games, and has scored many indie features, indie games and television. Her style called “haunting and passionate” is a blend of her Eastern European heritage, classical training, and film scoring.
Fifteen years ago Penka arrived to Los Angeles with one contact and almost no money. In the following decade she worked as a Lead orchestrator and composer on major franchises grossing worldwide $9 billion: Matrix, Transformers, Pirates, Starcraft II, World of WarCarft, Diablo III, Prince of Persia, Sims.
This past year she became the first woman since Shirley Walker to be the Lead Orchestrator on two studio films with budgets over $100M — Elysium and Ender’s Game, and recently was the lead orchestrator on Dreamworks’ drama feature Need For Speed inspired by the famous EA franchise.
Penka is also known as a Master Mentor who builds teams in score production, opens doors, provides training and life-changing opportunities for young composers.
Her composition awards include: A SUNDANCE Composer Fellowship, two Ovation Awards, The Copland Award, The Visionary Award from The Women Internation Film & TV Showcase, Hollywood Music in Media Award, and others.
As you can guess, we were very excited to speak to Penka about her career, read the full interview below.
How did your journey into music composition begin?
I was 12, attending a music school and playing piano. My mother had a producer friend doing a theater show for children. The producer thought it would be cute to have a child “composer” playing piano on stage and asked me to write incidental music for her theater. I did, it was fun, and composing gave me a sense of identity, plus I got to perform the music with my friends. I was a shy, bookish teen and just kept composing because it made me feel special.
You also orchestrate quite a lot as well, do you think that enhances your composition techniques?
Absolutely. Working with great music written by other composers is a fantastic experience. I am passionate about helping other composers experience the immense power and magic of the orchestra. Orchestrating for others gives me exposure to the work of tremendous composers, deep awareness of how they solve the same fundamental creative and collaborative challenges we all face. I love orchestrating and feel it’s a true privilege to have orchestrated so much on great jobs (this year I was the lead orchestrator on Elysium, Ender’s Game and Need for Speed). For sure, it has inspired my own writing and growth as a composer.
What is your proudest project so far?
“Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands” on which Steve Jablonsky was the main composer and I composed two hours of in-game score. Composing combat loops on the “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” game (2009) was also a fantastic experience and ignited my passion for game scoring. Also “Midnight Movie,” a supernatural slasher film.
What has been your most challenging project so far?
A TV film I scored in 2007 where the director was already working on his next show, in Hawaii, so the communication and feedback were difficult. In principle, the technical challenges are easier to overcome, but the collaborative challenges are tricky, and the political challenges are especially hard (e.g. the audio director wants one thing and the game developer wants the opposite). On said TV movie I was hired by the producer, replacing the director’s composer buddy, and the director was not into working with me. My head was too much into the “musical notes” and I didn’t see the landmines in the collaborative process, until they exploded in my face. On another hand, my game projects so far have been the happiest collaborations and this is one aspect of game composing that has made me so passionate about the medium.
What would be your dream project to work on?
I adore fantasy and sci-fi. A big epic fantasy like “The Matrix,” or a dystopian game, or post-apocalyptic story (“Crysis”), or sci-fi suspense like “Andromeda Strain” would be a dream come true. I also love human interest stories, period dramas, ancient history, suspense, aliens, political dramas.
Is there a piece that you’ve written that will always stay with you?
Yes, I am glad to say that out of almost every project there are a few tracks that still pop up in my demos. As far as being emotionally attached to a piece, probably “White Cloud” which I contributed to the “Play For Japan” benefit compilation in 2011. It was inspired by childhood favorite songs from special moments in my life.
Do you find any major differences between composing for film or games?
Let me talk about the similarities first. Conceptually, dramatically and emotionally great music could elevate any media. The ability to write distinctive themes that capture a character’s essence, to underscore grand concepts, sweeping landscapes or spine-tingling suspense are skills that translate from film scoring to game scoring. My commitment to games is fueled by a sense of exponential musical growth and creative freedom I felt while scoring games. And sheer happiness!! But, technically, scoring games and film are very different. The level of technical rigor in game scoring is huge. I must conceive the game’s music as an interactive experience – layers of arrangement, loops, themes, intros, outros, stingers – these all have to be well thought-out before composing the firstt note.
When a composer scores a film, on another hand, scoring to picture and the ability to “hit” events and moments in time is essential. It’s a skill that one needs to practice scoring to picture. It can’t be mastered by just “composing” without picture.
Do you prefer to write for one or the other?
I felt incredibly happy, energized and inspired when scoring games. This ignited my passion and made me delve deeply into the business and try and learn everything. For the last few years I’ve scored games and these were all fun and rewarding projects. But last summer I also scored an indie feature film – a supernatural ghost story, and that was rewarding and challenging too. My heart is in games though.
What software do you use to compose your music?
Digital Performer, Vienna pro server and tons of sample libraries, old and new. I have a composer project studio. Ideally, I would mock up my music using sample libraries, just to show my collaborators how the score sounds, but eventually the music would be recorded with live musicians. On many iOS games, though, the music is entirely produced in my studio with samples.
What’s your process, where do you start?
I always begin with a theme, or motif, and a sense of “sound” (style). I do work out a theme with pencil on paper, and usually the theme gets re-written and whittled down a lot. Then I begin sequencing, usually drafting a crude sketch of the long-scale form, in scratch piano track. Then I begin sequencing in earnest. Of course the sketch changes, sometimes I tweak the tempo, structure, everything, as the piece takes shape. Finally I flesh out the arrangement and orchestration.
So say I’m aspiring composer for video-games, what should I do first?
Develop one’s unique composing voice, learn tons of genres, create a powerful portfolio of work. Play games! Cultivate relationships, attend game conferences, “show up,” show genuine passion and enthusiasm. Keep in mind that years will pass for a relationship to blossom and lead to a scoring job. Practice collaboration (score anything that you can find – iOS games, short films, ads – anything that is visual media), finesse your people’s skills. We, composers, support the visions and dreams of other creative artists. Therefore, the ability to understand another person’s tastes, critical feedback, preferences is paramount, as is being a team player with a “can-do” attitude. But then, I must circle back to composing chops as they are the most important. Being a media composer is an extremely competitive vocation and ultimately composers with distinctive voice and mastery of their craft have a shot at getting a gig.
Any advice for applications and show reels?
Pick 3 of your strongest cues and put them at the top of your reel. Show distinctive voice and composing mastery (in one style that is your strongest hat) but also at the same time show versatility in other styles too. You want your potential employers to remember your reel. You want your music to elicit an emotional response in your listeners. They may forget the notes and instrumentation, but they should always remember how a certain track made them FEEL. You want your music to demonstrate your ability to compose dramatically, to create a sonic world that their story would inhabit. Understanding of style and the ability to evoke place, time, hero, characters, emotion is essential.
Are there any major Do’s and Don’ts for pitching for a scoring job?
Do’s – submit a custom reel with 5-6 tracks showing an understanding of the clients’ needs and how you are prepared to tackle their needs. Demonstrate passion and commitment to their project in your short cover letter. Update your resume to demonstrate your preparedness for THAT job, not just a general scattered “jack-of-all-trades” resume.
Don’ts – do not submit 35 tracks. No client will ever listen to more than 5, and this is IF they fall in love with the first 2 tracks. Do not write 2-page cover letters. No one will read more than 5 sentences or a paragraph, at the most. In your cover letter (paragraph!) you want to say who you are (past credits, progressive growth in the biz), why getting this job is the most important thing for you right now (passion for the project), and why you would be a good fit and why the clients should consider you. Finally, always be your most authentic, humble self, and don’t ever write anything presumptuous (i.e. “I’m your man”; “I’ll write you the best score and we’ll all make tons of money and retire on the Canaries” – trust me, I’ve received such pitches for jobs from candidates)
Are you working on anything at the moment that you can tell us about?
I am starting a score for a shooter / special forces online game – a project I’m very excited about! I also have an ongoing iOS game, Intense Life, which I began in April and I continue to score it as new locations and stories are being added.
What lies in the future for you now?
My biggest goal is still cultivating relationships and looking for scoring opportunities where my music would be a perfect fit. Those are the happiest, most inspiring collaborations, and the ones that propel us forward. So, planting seeds, networking, pitching … building upon the momentum of 2013. I am also working on a 2nd instrumental album with cinematic music.
Penka continues to write amazing pieces and you can keep up to date her professional activity on her website: Penka Kouneva Official, her Facebook: Penka Kouneva Facebook and on Twitter: Penka Kouneva Twitter.
Interview by Sam Hughes
Date Uploaded: 20/12/13