Market Warriors | 03/25/13 at 11:00 a.m.
Daniel Stein has composed scores for movies, television shows, and
commercials. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Daniel worked with the
WGBH Boston production team to create the right music for MARKET WARRIORS. In
this interview, he explains his process of composing for the series.
What was you inspiration for
the music behind MARKET WARRIORS?
Producers John Kalish and Marsha Bemko had a not-so-uncommon
request that we create a memorable theme. The task was made a little more
challenging, as the theme for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
has become almost as iconic as
the show itself. Since MARKET WARRIORS is a 'cousin' to ROADSHOW, I had a lot
to live up to! I wanted to stay organic, modern, yet timeless. I also wanted to
keep in mind that the show is a competition between the pickers, so energy and
excitement also needed to be a part of the musical identity of the show. For
the pickers, I relied on their personalities, styles, and attitudes to create
music that would become recognizable themes for each individual.
Can you talk us through your
process as it relates to the series?
My composing process always begins with a collaborative
meeting with the producers and/or director. It is very important for me to hear
the producer's vision for the production and how the music will function within
the show. I like to have a consistent music palate and instrumentation to help
give a show an identity. In the case of MARKET WARRIORS, the theme music came
first, then the individual themes for the pickers. Again, it was very important
to have good communication with the series producer to hone the direction that
we wanted each theme to portray. Once a musical direction is decided, I
get to work composing and producing libraries of theme music for each
character. Sometimes I will compose to a visual or to an actual scene, and
other times I will create music cues prior to seeing a visual for the editors
to place into the scenes they are cutting.
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