Big Break

RAMIN DJAWADI, the composer for the Fox hit, Prison Break, talks about his rise through the ranks of the film and TV music worlds

Ramin Djawadi has successfully made the transition from playing guitar in Germany to film scoring with Hans Zimmer, most recently earning an Emmy nomination last year for his work on the Fox hit series, Prison Break. He also was the man behind the music of the animated feature film, Open Season, and is currently working on the score for Fly Me To The Moon, the very first 3-D IMAX animated feature. Playback recently sat down with Ramin to talk about his career and his influences.

How did you make the move from Germany to work in the United States with Hans Zimmer?

The contact to Hans really came out of nowhere, completely unintentional, while I was back in Germany visiting my family. Once that connection was made, I packed my bags in Boston and moved to Los Angeles. There, Klaus Badelt took me under his wing, and I worked as an assistant for him on many projects. He then gave me the opportunity to arrange and write music on his movies more and more. That led to several collaborations with Hans until I started getting more of my own projects.

What was your first scoring project?

I joined Remote Control Productions in the spring of 2000, but I didn't get to score right away. I think the very first cue that I got to write was actually on a Steven Segal action movie called Exit Wounds. I also started to do more and more arrangements and additional music for Klaus Badelt's movies like Time Machine and K-19. My first own score was a small independent feature called Beat the Drum in the fall of 2002, though the score was just released in January 2007.

What software programs and hardware do you favor and use in your studio?

I sequence in Logic, and there are several PCs running Gigastudio. I have started to use the EXS sampler more and more besides having every softsynth and plug-in on the computer that is out there. All sound sources then get summed up on another machine in Pro Tools. I also always have a guitar and a microphone plugged into a mixer, so that I can record some live tracks without any big setup hassle.

Have you learned any "tricks of the trade" or any cool techniques for improving productivity while composing in your studio?

With constant deadlines, I try to have my studio set up as efficiently as possible. Most sounds are loaded at all times, and I use Channel Strips in Logic a lot. That way I can instantly recall certain instruments or sounds that I frequently use on one project. Recording straight into Pro Tools helps a lot, too, because you just hand the session to the music editor. It's really worth it to stay well organized from the beginning of a project.

How do you decide when to start using other specialists (i.e. music editor, engineer, copyists, etc.)?

Once you have a project of your own, you are faced with these decisions. Certainly, the budget or the time frame of the project dictates how big that team will be. Sometimes there is just no budget for an orchestra, so the score stays all samples. It can still be beneficial to have the score mixed by an engineer, though. With Prison Break, there is no time for a mix by an engineer because I only get three to four days for 40 minutes of score. So the music mix comes straight out of my room. A music editor is essential here because he will be on the dub stage dealing with potential fixes, while I'm already working on the next episode.

Can you pinpoint any particular job that marked a significant leap forward in your career?

Pirates of the Caribbean. That was the first movie where I really got to sit in a room with Hans and write cues with him. As it's probably already known by now, that movie was scored in about 30 days under huge pressure. It was a great collaboration between composers at Remote Control, and I was very happy to be part of that. From then on I started getting more of my own projects.

Do you have any tips or advice to give to composers who are just starting to build their careers?

I believe in the formula that has been quoted many times: Work as hard as you can, and also stay at it. It's like any other job. If you work at something hard and long enough, chances are much higher that good things will happen. Many times the first job doesn't have to be composing right away. I think people just like to see a good attitude.

Would you recommend joining a "camp" of up-and-coming composers under a well-known composer such as Hans?

Absolutely. The proof lies in excellent and well established composers like Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell, and I see it happening for a new round of composers. I know starting out like that is painfully hard, but you get thrown into the "real" world instantly. There is no better experience than that. — Mike Todd


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