The Making Of… “Fantastic Worlds — Majestic Choral Epics”
Gothic Storm’s newest release sees our composers create awe-inspiring choral epics tinged with majestic wonder. These wonderfully crafted compositions conjure the wonders of a fantastic world, the beauty and mystery of foreign lands and the majesty of beautiful alien creatures. We spoke to composing duo 2Hooks, Andreas Kubler, Andrii Yefymov about how they went about executing this majestic, fantastical album.
Do you have a favourite fantasy TV Show/Film? If so, did anything from this show/film inspire your composition?
2H: The “Lord of the Rings” movies and music are our favorites! In this case we are very inspired by the music of the “Elves of Lothlórien” to give it that fantastic touch.
AK: I’m catching up on the Fantastic Beasts movies right now and love the music! It’s always inspiring watching some great fantasy movies, especially when these are in the mood of a current trailer music production album.
AY: Of course I do have some favourite fantasy films, but I couldn’t say it somehow influenced my composition. I try to stick to abstract pictures.
What musical or production elements did you use to create a sense of fantasy in your piece? And what makes fantasy focused music different from traditional epic trailer music?
2H: In one of our tracks we simply used 2 major and minor sixth chords all the time , and with this you entered a new world of fantasy!
AK: I think there has to be a majestic feel in the composition. Some people say, that fantasy music sounds outdated nowadays so I’ve tried to push my track Heavenly Horizons into a more modern sound, even if there’s a real choir singing in the climax.
AY: For me the most important thing here is to set the right vibe, the right atmosphere… some signature sounds usually help.
Did you have any specific musical inspirations for your piece? Perhaps an OST, musical act or even other trailer music?
2H: We were very inspired by Howard Shore’s music and some 2WEI tracks.
AK: Not really, I just tried to make it very emotional but also modern and not too much cliché. I love to try out new things without loosing the mood of the album.
AY: No, not really… I’d say I try to incorporate influences from all the different things I’ve seen and heard recently and give it my own twist.
With so many fantasy based TV shows and films being released at the minute, is there a particular franchise you could imagine your track working well with?
2H: It could fit into any series/movie with fantastic touches and action. Some good examples would be: — New season of “Sweet Tooth” or “Shadow and Bones”
AK: Heavenly Horizons could work in a lot of fantasy shows and films such as Dungeons & Dragons and Percy Jackson or in games like Final Fantasy or God of War. But I could also imagine it in some more emotional or dramatic campaigns.
AY: As I said, I try not to focus too much on particular campaign, because it can potentially limit my imagination and reduce chances of track to be used elsewhere. What I really try to do is give editors a useful tool that they can use for their own purposes / storytelling. It often happens that a track in the hands of experienced editor could work in an absolutely unexpected (for me) way!
Fantasy based music has been very popular for fans on YouTube/streaming platforms in the past. Is this something you considered whilst composing? And do you have a favourite piece of music in this genre?
AK: Especially for streaming platforms it’s necessary to give your music melodies and hooks, not just big chords. I love the Maleficent soundtrack by James Newton Howard, for me one of the best in the new fantasy genre.
AY: To be honest… no. I don’t think about YouTube and other streaming stuff. I try to focus on industry side of things. To me it’s kinda like two different things — Trailer Music and YT Epic music. Of course, if somebody enjoys listening to my music on streaming services it’s cool!, I’m glad it happens, but in general I consider my work as editor’s tools.
