Image: Carlos Rafael Rivera
We not too long ago had the pleasure of discussing the rating of Netflix’s hit crime drama, Dept Q, with two-time Emmy award-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera.
Dept Q. is a criminal offense drama sequence created by Scott Frank, who additionally co-directed the sequence alongside Elisa Amoruso.
Matthew Goode stars as Carl Morck, a gifted however damaged detective who has simply returned to work after recovering from being shot, which led to the dying of one other officer and the paralysing of his finest pal. He’s assigned to steer a brand-new division that focuses on chilly instances.
Earlier than engaged on Dept. Q, Carlos Rafael Rivera labored on the mini-western drama Godless, the viral drama The Queen’s Gambit, the Mexican household movie Chupa, and the crime drama Griselda.
Jacob: How did you first become involved with Dept Q?
Carlos: Scott [Frank] despatched me an electronic mail detailing the subsequent venture he’s engaged on, and I used to be like “oh, my gosh, that’s so thrilling!” Scott has a whole lot of power, and the noir stuff and the darkish topic issues being handled at a human stage– and what I imply by human stage is type of like the enjoyment, and the levity he finds within the tales is one thing that I discover very enticing.
He finally ends up doing a whole lot of issues the place the subject material is so darkish, however then you definately’ll have these one-liners that the characters will say which are humorous, and you end up laughing in a really darkish state of affairs. I feel solely folks like Scott can pull that off, you realize, as a result of it actually is a human expertise. We’re not all somber, and we’re not all darkish, and we’re not all matted, or all joyful and all pleased. No, it’s like from one second to the subsequent, you go from complete crap, crying to large laughter to — or not!– or simply boring or no matter it’s. Scott appears to encapsulate the human expertise in a method that I discover actually awe-inspiring, as a result of he’s actually nice at that, and so attending to work with him was a fantastic alternative.
Jacob: I might argue as effectively that it’s very a lot British humour, taking one thing darkish after which making a joke out of it.
Carlos: Sure! And that’s the factor, I feel he nailed that half. That’s what made studying the screenplay so good, as a result of he’s wonderful. He’s one of many nice screenwriters.
Jacob: How would you describe your rating for Dept. Q?
Carlos: Nicely, I do know Scott wished a muscular rating. That’s a key phrase, I feel, that he saved saying. Prefer it was, I might love a muscular rating and an aggressive rating. And he despatched me a playlist of bands just like the Dropkick Murphys and different bands that had been very, you realize, had that Scottish or Celtic rock bands.
So the primary title was born out of that concept. The principle title has been type of an invite to the occasion, that’s its job. So, the very first thing I wrote was the primary title for this one, and based mostly it on the music Scott despatched me. Ultimately, I got here up with an thought of a melodic descending line that mirrored Carl Morck, and our important character’s free fall. This can be a man in free fall, and his life is an utter catastrophe. Nonetheless, once we encounter him, his life is getting progressively worse, I might say. It’s a really one-to-one concept that issues are usually not figuring out.
So the music descends, and I got here up with this descending line, after which Scott Frank had written these chords, as he was once my guitar scholar. He had these chords that I put the melodic line towards, however then I added some aggressive parts by incorporating rock parts. It’s humorous, as a result of I despatched it to him, and he stated he actually preferred it, and I am going “Oh you do? Are you positive?” after which he goes ” No, no, I actually do!” after which I am going, “Nicely you type of wrote it as a result of these are your chords!” That stunned him, however that’s what grew to become the rating, then the remainder of the rating got here as soon as I began seeing the image, and the darkness of the story. The story relies on the Scandinavian style by Jussi Adler-Olsen. However once more, as talked about earlier, Scott finds levity within the darkness.
I feel adapting it to Scotland in that method felt very acceptable, within the sense that transferring it from a complete darkish factor to darkness with these moments of human interplay, and human emotionality, or connection. To attain that, it felt prefer it wanted to deal with each of his requests and likewise the characters. All the time character first, like Carl’s aggression is introduced within the soundtrack, and named after him, after all. In order that kick’s in once we see Carl’s new workplace, and when he goes down into the workplace, and we hear the music with an acoustic guitar bass, however there’s additionally a choir, and it’s emotional as a result of we’re seeing Carl at his most susceptible, and that music pays off ultimately.
Image: Matthew Goode as Carl Morck in Dept Q – Netflix
Jacob: The sequence positively does give off a Scandinavian vibe. I can see that now, the parallels between a number of the Scandinavian crime dramas on Netflix and Dept Q. It’s fascinating listening to you speak about the way in which the music suits the characters and never the situation, as a result of with it being set in Scotland, it could have been very simple to dive into conventional Scottish themes. It felt a sensible choice to go for extra of a character-driven rating over one to match the situation.
Carl: Agreed. I feel that’s the form of job the composer is to attain what you don’t see. If the set is there and the actors are talking in that, with the accent and the costumes, there’s a lot work that’s being accomplished that we’re seeing already, and even listening to. Typically music doesn’t essentially must underscore that, as we’re already seeing it. So let’s speak about what you’re not seeing, what the characters intend, or the temper we’re meant to really feel.
There are some uilleann pipes, however they aren’t particularly Scottish bagpipes. It’s the uilleann pipes which are simply used for shade, so sometimes you do hear that. There’s a whole lot of electrical guitar on this story, as a result of once more, it has to do with the aggression that Scott wished. However I’m an enormous fan of not essentially underscoring what you see. I like underscoring what you don’t. And hopefully issues that can result in have a way of foreboding, like one thing’s taking place, and whereas I’m not seeing something occur, possibly one thing is occurring. That’s the objective for me.
Jacob: What’s the tone of the music all through the sequence? Specifically scenes, particularly with the press convention, there’s a component of panic, just like the character is feeling anxious.
Carlos: Sure, there’s a whole lot of voice and vocals. We labored with the Budapest Artwork Orchestra and their choir. His connection to music with Miklos, with whom I collaborated on nearly all the pieces I’ve accomplished. Nearly each venture I’ve labored on, we’ve collaborated with them. This time we had a choir, and there’s a whole lot of vocals on this story. There’s a repeated “whooo” that happens all through, together with the ascending guitars and stress, particularly in scenes just like the press convention, which results in a full-blown panic assault when he walks out, and the automobiles virtually hit him on the street.
The music is considerably odd in its meter, and all the pieces is considerably reflective. That’s an precise instance of underscoring what you see, however you additionally must really feel it, extra than simply the visuals. That was a whole lot of enjoyable to do.
One other scene that I take into consideration, the place the rating was fascinating to attempt to deal with, was that there are a whole lot of scenes that occur in a small chamber, in a small room. And it’s shot and framed with black bars on the edges. Anytime we see that, and it’s not obvious, however if you happen to search for it, it’s there.
After we’re in that chamber the place the sufferer is positioned, there are black bars, just like the 2 squares we’ve on our Zoom name proper now. The remainder of the shot is full, each different scene, however once we’re in there, these black bars are there. So it’s very constrained. In that constrained area, writing intimate music doesn’t assist. I feel what helped us as an viewers keep related was the concept of writing music that broke the frames. So if you happen to hear the monitor on the market, it’s referred to as the chamber, you realize, within the soundtrack.
It sounds prefer it’s from outer area. In the event you take heed to it by itself, it has these voices and swirling, so that you virtually suppose it’s sci-fi. And the concept was to do one thing that felt so large that it could truly break that tightness and claustrophobic sense that we had been visually seeing to maintain us engaged for the lengthy time frame that we’ve to cope with being in there all through the episodes.
Jacob: It’s like with Final Breath, that’s one of many longest items of the soundtrack, and I felt that it completely encapsulates what you had been saying concerning the sci-fi really feel.
Carlos: Sure! Really, I feel that’s an amalgamation of all of the issues we’ve been listening to all through the 9 episodes. All of them play out in a technique or one other, whether or not it’s one thing to do with the brother, one thing to do with the music that you just’ll even hear beneath Carl Morck’s panic assault. All of these items are type of constructing as much as this second that results in the tip. However Merrit Lingard within the hyperbaric chamber was a kind of issues, and the character of Akram has a little bit of a theme, he and Rose actually, particularly after they’re doing their investigative stuff. The tip of episode one contains a cue referred to as “The Fairy” within the soundtrack. And that actually truly is form of a three-parter.
It’s a montage. And that’s one of many nice issues I get to do with Scott, is he does a whole lot of these and has moments the place the music is simply telling the story together with the visuals. There’s no dialogue, you realize. I feel the tip of episode one is my favourite bit, the place you hear whenever you, as an viewers, perceive that there are two timelines we’ve been coping with. As a result of up till then, you’re good, and also you’re like, okay, there’s one thing necessary to do with Meritt. Why are we watching her, and why are we? And whenever you see that second come collectively, that was my favourite half to attain. As a result of, effectively, to begin with, the music begins with a really refined piano model of the primary title; Bum, bum, bum, bum. Nevertheless, you’re listening to it very slowly as we get issues began. Then, sooner or later, Hardy says, ‘Hey, why don’t you simply inform me a bit of bit extra about this division?’
Then we hear this different melody, proper, that’s form of the group coming collectively and doing this. After which, after William hits his sister within the boat, comes the third half, which is once we start to know. And we’re listening to what I might check with as Meritt’s theme, you realize, which is that this, you take heed to it as once we see her strolling in direction of the court docket originally. We hear that theme, which is that this ascending music. And that form of alternative to get to do this is one thing that’s, for me, a dream come true. Like that’s the type of scoring that I dwell for since you’re tremendous storytelling.
Image: Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim in Dept Q – Netflix
So long as Scott approves, I couldn’t be happier. You realize, it’s not like I simply do it. I do it, after which he has to approve it. Nevertheless, that back-and-forth collaboration creates a sure high quality that I try for. And I’m proudest, I feel, of that bit, the way it carries over totally different themes. And once more, sorry to reply your query about Final Breath. It’s much more so as a result of now we’re listening to all these different themes that we hadn’t encountered by the tip of episode one, main us into that finale.
Jacob: Was there something new that you just found or realized whereas composing the rating?
Carlos: No… I’m simply kidding! I feel there are a few issues I feel, truthfully, getting to do that very aggressive rating. Proper. So that decision, the order, the mandate is that. Nevertheless, once I noticed the workplace scene, I used to be despatched a for much longer model of Carl’s new workplace scene than what seems within the story we see. It’s possibly two minutes longer, one minute lengthy. However when he goes downstairs for the primary time, effectively, we see Division Q.
However I had a four-minute model. It follows him in every single place, you realize, till he activates the tap, and it’s leaky, after which he goes and finds the chair, and sits on it. However what you see is, you realize, loads shorter. I wrote music for that.
It was in that second that I noticed that, to begin with, it couldn’t be simply sound design, which Wylie Stateman would have made a fantastic job of it, as a result of you’ve got all these sounds and also you’re right here, you’re within the drudgery, you’re beneath the bowels of the constructing. So there are such a lot of alternatives for sound design to take over, and he did such good work.
In the event you watch the present, hear for sound design. Simply take note of what’s taking place downstairs. It’s identical to you hear pipes cracking and water plumbing. You’re listening to folks above in steps and, you realize, all these bizarre, lovely sounds that make up earlier than dialogue’s taking place.
Nevertheless, I feel the problem for me was to seek out one thing that really represented Carl with out being tacky. And it’s that emotionality that may’t be sappy. And that’s the toughest factor to stroll round. You realize, right here’s one thing tacky, sucky, or melodramatic, and also you’re like tiptoeing proper round it. You need to be on the sting as a result of you must interact the viewers.
Image: Matthew Goode as Carl Morck (left) and Jamie Sives as James Hardy (proper) – Netflix
So, I wrote a bit that was acoustic guitar-based, which ended up turning into way more consultant of Carl’s susceptible aspect somewhat than the aggressive aspect he presents to the world. That, for me, was having the ability to discover that, and Scott approving being an enormous second as a result of it allowed us to go in several instructions with characters that weren’t simply aggressive or tone or temper setting, which was a whole lot of what this story required. It required much more temper than melodic work.
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