LOS ANGELES _ There's nothing unusual about an orchestra performing on Warner Bros. Studios' famous Eastwood Scoring Stage, its dramatic music in sync with the images showing on the 75-foot screen. But this month, that familiar Hollywood scene was scoring a video game.
Inon Zur was recording his original soundtrack to "Men of Valor," a Vietnam War-set action-adventure created by developer 2015 and published by Vivendi Universal Games.
The top titles in interactive entertainment now require a top composer, orchestra and recording studio, executive producer Stephen Wickes says.
"It's finally a realization in our segment of the entertainment industry that music is critical for creating mood and atmosphere, just as it is in movies and television," he says. "We historically have not done that."
Wickes says this cinematic approach to scoring is evidence of the blurring line between traditional entertainment and video games when it comes to using the most talented and skilled creative professionals.
Consumers also are beginning to insist on it, he says. "Their expectation is that for $50, their game-play experience should immerse them for between 10 and 30 hours," Wickes says. "When you compare that to movies or video, consumers are getting quite a bang for their buck."
Achieving this level of quality initially costs money, but it increases the potential profits, Wickes says. "We find that the payoff for the right product is really tenfold," he says.
That payoff comes in two ways, he says: The obvious one is increased sales, but bringing in a skilled professional also reduces overall costs. Wickes says the process of juggling multiple edits and tracks went very quickly as did the progression from rough cuts to final, meaning it all required less time and money.
"Working with a quality composer, all that is kept at a minimum," Wickes says. "Inon was a superstar in getting exactly what was wanted. If he weren't as good as he is, this would have taken a lot longer."
The creative process also was enriched by Wickes and Zur's ability to work together. The composer went through all of Wickes' scripts, read background information about the Vietnam War, reviewed the storyboards and then went through the game with Wickes to determine cue points and discuss dynamics and types of sounds.
Even so, the actual scoring session on the Clint Eastwood Stage caught Wickes a little off guard. "Watching Inon at work, leading that orchestra and having the game projected on a huge 75-foot screen in the background was a very emotional experience for me and everyone else involved in the game."
"Men of Valor" will ship to stores in North America in October.
Zur's television credits include ABC Family's "Digimon" and Fox Family's "State of Grace," while his work for movies includes 20th Century Fox's "Casper: A Spirited Beginning."
His video game credits include "SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs," "Shadow Ops: Red Mercury" and "Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal."