Highlight is ComingSoon’s interview collection with below-the-line and/or up-and-coming expertise on this planet of tv and movie. Our intention is to shine a highlight on the numerous positions that make the leisure you like attainable relatively than focusing purely on actors and administrators.
ComingSoon’s Jeff Ames had a chance to talk with composer Philip White about his rating for A Madea Homecoming.
His different credit embody The Loud Home Film (2021 HMMA nomination for Finest Authentic Rating for an Animated Movie), Jexi, A Madea Household Funeral, No person’s Idiot, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, and Alex & Me. In tv, Philip has had the pleasure of engaged on Supernatural throughout its historic 15 seasons on the CW. Different main TV credit embody Fraggle Rock, Misplaced in House, Ray Donovan, What/If, Bates Motel, Agent Carter, When We Rise, Revolution, and Dallas.
ComingSoon: What led you to change into a composer?
Philip White: One of many first films I bear in mind—I used to be in all probability 5 or 6—was Disney’s Fantasia. A lot about it stayed with me, however largely how nicely the animation labored with the music. Once I was 16, I watched it once more, and it felt like reconnecting with a long-lost pal. It’s such a piece of genius. That soundtrack (which incorporates excerpts from such seminal items as Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6,” Stravinsky’s “Ceremony of Spring,” Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” amongst others), together with the music of John Williams, have been enormously influential throughout my childhood.
My entry into music started with guitar at age 13. By my senior yr of highschool, I started gravitating in the direction of the piano. I’d provide you with quick tunes and melodies, and shortly realized I loved creating music greater than performing it. In faculty, I enrolled in a dual-degree program with Tufts and the New England Conservatory, the place I earned levels in Drama and Music Composition.
I moved to LA shortly after and joined a theater firm, the place I acted for a number of years. I missed music and felt I might contribute extra as a composer than as an actor. I enrolled in USC’s movie scoring program, and after graduating was advisable to Chris Lennertz, an exquisite composer who would change into an excellent mentor and pal. We’ve collaborated on quite a few initiatives all through the years, together with Supernatural, the James Bond: Quantum of Solace and Starhawk video video games, HOP, Identification Thief, Misplaced in House, Revolution, Agent Carter, The Smurfs: Misplaced Village, and Jexi, to call a couple of.
What was it about A Madea Homecoming that made you need to work on it?
I’ll leap at any likelihood to underscore Madea’s antics! Joel Excessive, Sami Posner, Johnny Caruso, and the remainder of the parents at Tyler Perry Studios are incredible—to say nothing of Mr. Perry himself. It’s all the time such a pleasure to work with that group of individuals. It was additionally an excellent launch to work on a riotous comedy like Homecoming after two years of a pandemic and a fraught political atmosphere.
What was probably the most difficult facet of engaged on A Madea Homecoming and the way did you overcome it?
With Homecoming, there have been a couple of locations the place the timing of the music was in flux, even through the sound combine. It helps to have an skilled music editor like Johnny Caruso on board who could make changes to the rating at this late stage and make it sound prefer it was deliberate that approach all alongside.
Extra typically—and Homecoming was no exception—one of many greatest challenges in any venture is discovering your approach in. I’m going by way of numerous makes an attempt at first, rejecting thought after thought. I remind myself that this isn’t solely regular however vital—the inventive equal of flushing out the sewer traces. Finally, if I preserve improvising, attempting totally different sounds, totally different concepts, or generally simply happening a stroll, I’ll discover one thing. It could or might not find yourself within the closing rating, nevertheless it’s sufficient to maintain me targeted.
When you’ve zeroed in on an thought, the second problem is to make it sound as polished and as true to what you need inside budgetary and time constraints. That’s all the time a little bit of a Tetris recreation, however it may be enjoyable if you happen to’re excited concerning the uncooked materials.
Do you’ve gotten any enjoyable, behind-the-scenes tales concerning the making of A Madea Homecoming?
Whereas this isn’t a lot a behind-the-scenes story per se, there’s one flashback scene that required a drastically totally different strategy than the remainder of the rating. We determined to attain it with a nod to 50s noir, very similar to the scores to North by Northwest and Vertigo. The remainder of the rating sounds nothing like this, so it was nice enjoyable to convey that musical language to a 3-minute scene. I used sweeping, harmonically dense string passages and likewise featured low winds, like alto flute and bass clarinet.
What have been a number of the belongings you realized about A Madea Homecoming that you simply’re excited to use to future endeavors?
One thing I really like about writing for movie is with the ability to pivot to drastically totally different kinds. With Homecoming, I went from a funk-adjacent, R & B ensemble, to Herrmann-esque, noir strings, and again to trendy strings and piano—multi functional movie. I can’t consider one other medium the place a composer will get to do that and have it make sense. Any likelihood to do extra of this musical hopscotching can be a dream.
Do you’ve gotten every other initiatives arising which you could share with us?
Whereas I can’t point out something particular, I’m enthusiastic about two very totally different initiatives arising later within the yr. I’m simply so thrilled concerning the launch of Homecoming. I feel we will all use a superb stomach snigger proper now.
