Comic-Con’s 11th Musical Anatomy of a Superhero Panel

This year’s “Musical Anatomy of a Superhero” Panel at San Diego Comic-Con brought us composers of some of our favorite shows and movies – like The Penguin, Andor, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Arcane. 

The panel was moderated by legendary composer Michael Giacchino, whose newest work, the Fantastic Four movie, premieres this weekend.

Michael had a series of fun questions, asking each of the panelists what movie score inspired them, what their favorite childhood show and toys were. Then each of them would show a clip from their most recent works.  

The highlight of the panel was hearing the first music played to the public for Avatar: Fire and Ash, composed by Simon Franglen.

I’ve been to some really good, even great panels over the years, and this one rates amongst the best. Each of the composers was engaging, fun, and played off each other like they were lifelong friends. And in the case of Mick and Michael Giancchino, father and son.

It was the press room after, where I got to learn more of the technical side of composing films, which is always the most interesting to me.

My table had five individuals, but somehow I became the table captain, welcoming each new guest and asking the first question. 

I started each round asking, “When do you want to join the process of each project? From the script stage? Or do you wish to wait until there are scenes filmed?”

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Brandon Robert, who wrote the music for season two of Andor, began by discussing how early in his career he wanted to be part of the project from the script stage. However, now with more experience, he wants to read the script, get some ideas flowing in his head about where he thinks the project is going, and have some experimental time before seeing what the project has filmed before sinking his teeth fully into the music.

He spends his time working through different ideas, not sending them to the show runner or director, because he doesn’t want to interrupt the filmmakers, allowing them to sit with their vision of the project. Allowing them to work out what they are looking for before being influenced by an outside person or music that is different than the emotions they are looking for the film. He did add, he is open to the idea of being brought on earlier if the director wants to have him help with finding the thematic feel of the project. 

Ultimately, it is during the rough cut of the film that he feels best coming into a project. He did say that this isn’t always what happens. Sometimes, he has been brought in late to a project, working off someone else’s work, because the filmmaker has an exact understanding of the emotions they are looking for in music.

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Next up, we got Alex Seaver, who did the music for Arcane seasons 1 and 2. Alex spoke about needing all the time to work through each new idea he had. Especially with Arcane season 2. He was part of the process from day one of the scripts, going off stretches of the characters to get the feel and tone. After bringing in the likes of Sting in season one, he was challenged by the showrunner to become the Executive Music Producer, organizing all the score and the soundtrack of 24 songs. 

He spoke of the need for all three years to work with each musical artist they brought in and, at the same time, work through the score.

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Mick Giacchino was next to sit at our table. He was much like Alex, wanting to be part of the process from as early as he could. He talked about how he had Penguin’s theme figured out before they started filming, which set the tone for the score for the rest of the series.

He saw Oz as a street rat, wanting to climb the ladder of social standing. So, he incorporated a symphony orchestra with street “trash can” drums, blending them into the main character theme of this unique show. 

He also talked about how Matt Reeves, showrunner and writer/director of The Batman, kept asking for Mick to repeat simple notes, stripping away at the music until they had simple, recurring notes. Although Mick didn’t think it would work, Matt convinced him to go with it, giving the score of The Penguin an eerie, tension-building feel that added to the show beautifully. 

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We ended with Simon Franglen, composer for Avatar 2 through 5, including the upcoming Fire and Ash. Simon spoke about taking over for James Horner after he passed. When James Cameron asked him to take over, Simon was shown all the scripts through Avatar 5, so he knew where the overall story was heading. He hinted at “Easter eggs” hidden in the story and score that will come back around later in the franchise. 

Then he discussed the sound he wanted the orchestra to have. He looked at what the Na’vi would have around them to make their own music. Things like the wood from the trees, the skins for the drums, and how they would work and sound. 

He stretched out a few ideas to give him an idea of how those instruments would look and sound. He gave the art department those simple sketches, and they, in turn, created 3D models to help him see what they could look like. 

Then, the art department made those instruments for real. It’s amazing how, from a simple sketch, they made these alien instruments. So, he put them into the orchestra when they recorded the score. 

Within the layers of the Avatar score, there are actual “real” Na’vi instruments!

With each of these composers, it was fun to learn how they worked differently from each other, even though they all worked in the same arena of art. I am always fascinated by the making of art. Whether it’s film, music, books, or any other form of storytelling. Because each person comes to it from different backgrounds and education. Although they differ in the way they make their version, they all love the art the same way. 

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