Composer Pavel E. Smid is scoring Queen Raquela for Poppoli Pictures. He's also set for the Higher Force, both films by Olaf de Fleur. James Cornsmith met Pavel in his studio:

// Where did you study, what is your background?

Well both my parents are musicians so I started my music education at a very early age. I started playing the piano when I was only two years old and since then I have studied classical/jazz piano as well as classical/jazz composition in many different music schools and universities. The most prominent ones are Berklee College of Music where I did my bachelor’s degree and Boston University where I am currently doing my Ph.D. I have studied with many great music professors and professionals over the years like for example Eric Reasoner who was a music editor for Die Hard 3 and many other Hollywood movies, Thomas J. McGah who is a very well known classical
composer and Laszlo Gardony who is a very well known jazz piano player.

// How do you work with a score for a film? How does it work from start to end?

Well it is a long process, which is very difficult to describe in few words but in short it goes as follows: When I get the final version of a movie I sit down and look at it once from the beginning to the end and memorize the musical ideas I get during the movie. When the movie is finished I think about those ideas and try to visualize how they would work best together with the movie. I then arrange them in my head for different ensembles and finally I write them down on paper. Sometimes I use the piano to play in realtime with a specific scene and compose or try different versions of a musical motive although mostly I just do everything in my head and then I write out the score.

 

 

 

// Do you have a specific method when you sit down and write? How do you like to work?

For me the best way to make a good music is to wait for a great musical motive or idea to hit me and then develop it by using my musical knowledge to arrange and expand it. Most of the time the great motives just come to me but sometimes I have to squeeze them out, which is a frustrating process. Even so I think they are the backbone of a beautiful score and that is why I always try to discover them so they can shine like little diamonds throughout the composition and unify it.

// Where does your interest lie in the future?

To continue to score feature films, play concerts and
create music that people can enjoy.

 

By James Cornsmith for Poppoli Pictures