“Stencil Mag catches up with Inon Zur to find out just how much work goes into composing the soundtrack for huge games such as Fallout 3 and Prince Of Persia!�
When did you realize that you wanted to be a composer? This idea came to me very early during childhood; music just came quite natural from the age of 3. One of my first musical memories was my mother singing to me and I just came up with a harmony and started singing it. I was attracted to classical music in my early years and wanted to listen to records of symphonies, piano concertos and more. I composed my own songs and studied the history of music as well as music theory along with composition and appreciation from a very early age. I found myself composing original music more than just practicing. I also learned guitar and French horn but piano has always been my main instrument. During my teens I realized that music is what I loved to do and I kept on learning more and more, and composing more. My goal was to be a conductor and classical composer. At university I also started to study jazz. I also listened to a lot of pop/rock and acquainted myself with other new styles to increase my musical vocabulary.
So what does a typical day involve for you as a composer? I try to plan my day ahead so I will know what the missions will be and to make the day productive. Sometimes I have new musical ideas at night for an important demo, or a concept I'm developing, which I like to write down first thing in the morning. I'm thinking of ideas all the time but in the morning I'll jump on it. I will divide the rest of my day working on my projects, talking to clients, networking, and communication. I will find a part of the day to listen to music, to expand my ideas and gain inspiration by listening to music in other genres and artists.
What was it like to work with Jack Joseph Puig on the song "I'm Not Calling You A Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)" Florence Welch? Working with Jack was an interesting experience, to become familiar with his concept of production. He brought his unique and specific style of mixing and producing which is what we were looking for with this song. Florence was really happy with the arrangement; they approved the track immediately after we finished the recording.