STEP UP 3D, my theatrical film debut, hits theaters this Friday, August 6th!

Making the leap from gritty, dark television science fiction to the brightly lit, energetic romance of a Disney hip-hop dance franchise might seem odd to some composers.  But for me, scoring Step Up 3D was a welcome change of pace and an exciting opportunity to explore musical story-telling within the context of a movie dominated by songs.

Like a good martial arts movie, a dance movie is all about the moves.  Returning from Step Up 2: The Streets, director Jon M. Chu has once again delivered inventive and exciting dance numbers, made all the more impressive because the entire film was conceived for 3D and shot with stereoscopic cameras.  Yes, this is one of those rare contemporary films that genuinely earned its “3D” in the title, and the difference in the visual quality literally leaps off the screen.

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Films | 59 Comments »

Dear loyal blog readers & Human Target fans,

For the past few months, I’ve received numerous tweets, posts, emails, handshakes and hugs from fans, family and friends congratulating me on completing my score for Human Target’s first season and on my Emmy nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme.  The enthusiasm from all of you suggests my music resonated as I hoped it would, perhaps having stirred up memories of scores of the past from which I drew influence.  Tipping my proverbial hat to Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams and Alan Silvestri, the composers I grew up listening to, I actually felt like a kid again writing this music.  And yet, while I explored this musical territory with a child-like sense of awe and wonder, my work resulted in the most consistently sophisticated, ambitious and enjoyable music I’ve ever written.  To record these scores once a week, with a full orchestra of the best musicians in the world, elevated the experience even further.

I had looked forward to expanding the musical universe of Human Target, further developing the character themes, and introducing new ones.  However, the series is now under new creative leadership, and as a result I have not been asked to return.  I am as disappointed as you that we will never hear any further variations of my Christopher Chance Theme or my Winston Theme, and I won’t have the opportunity to finally write that Guerrero Theme I’d promised you. 

We are likely to hear a very different musical approach to Human Target  season 2, but I hope and trust the series will remain a fun adventure.  I’m tuning in as a fan with the rest of you, because I want to continue watching these delightful characters for years to come.  They are portrayed by some of the best actors working in any medium and the series has remarkable potential for a long run.

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Human Target | 65 Comments »

It’s that time of year again!  Comic Con is finally upon us.  After the intense Music of Battlestar Galactica concerts at the House of Blues last year, I’m perfectly content just to roam the convention and take it easy this year.  So, if you see a dude walking around with dark hair and a goatee, it’s either me… or maybe Ron Moore.  :)

However, I will be making a few appearances, including two panels and a CD signing.  So, track me down and say hi, especially if you’re a frequent blog follower.

Thursday July 22

“Caprica, Battlestar and Beyond”

12 -1pm
Room 6A

Hosted by actor / author Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Capt. Apollo, So Say We All), this panel features composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar, Eureka, Caprica), producer / writer Michael Taylor (Battlestar, Caprica, Star Trek), science consultant Kevin Grazier (Battlestar, Eureka), and special guests. Richard and the panelists will proide reviews, discussion, and Q&A of Caprica, Battlestar Galactica, and the upcoming BSG movie, including trailers.

This panel will also feature the world premiere live concert music video of “Wander My Friends,” performed by The Battlestar Galactica Orchestra!

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Albums, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, The Cape | 52 Comments »

Hey West Coast!  Brendan McCreary is about to embark on his first West Coast Tour, performing original material from his upcoming debut album.

If you don’t know about Brendan, his songs have been featured in Battlestar Galactica, 90210, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Eureka, Caprica and Human Target.  He is also the lead male singer of the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra, and the voice of “All Along the Watchtower” from that series.

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Concerts / Performances | 13 Comments »

My theme for Human Target has been nominated for Outstanding  Original Main Title Theme Music!  Awesome!  

Its an honor to be on a shortlist with so many wonderful composers.  (See the nominees.)  There was some debate within the Academy earlier this year to eliminate this category altogether, so I’m also pleased that it still exists at all.  There are still great Main Titles being written out there, and I guess Human Target is one of them.  :)

-Bear

Human Target | 51 Comments »

This summer I will conduct the largest and most ambitious “Battlestar Galatica” concert yet. The “Battlestar Galactica Symphony” will premiere in Tenerife, Spain, headlining a concert in Fimucité: The Tenerife International Film Music Festival.

This hour-long work incorporates musical material from the entire series, performed by a full orchestra, choir, taiko ensemble and select members of my own Battlestar Galactica Orchestra.

This unique combination of the symphonic, ethnic, rock and percussive realms will make this concert the most complete and authentic performance of the “Battlestar Galactica” score ever, and it’s all taking place in the idyllic Canary Islands of Spain. Read the rest of this entry »

Battlestar Galactica, Concerts / Performances | 88 Comments »

… and one of you will get to attend the next orchestral session!

IO9.com recently announced a contest for an all-expenses-paid trip to hang out with me during our final SOCOM 4 recording session, at an “ultra-awesome, secret location in Northern California.”  (I wonder where it could be? **cough!**cough!**)

The game is my second (or technically third) entry into the video game world, after my scores for Dark Void and Dark Void Zero.  The most technically ambitious entry in Sony’s groundbreaking hit series, SOCOM 4 will feature a score unlike any other. Read the rest of this entry »

Video Games | 43 Comments »

Tonight’s episode of “Human Target,” Christopher Chance, is the season finale.  It answers many questions that have arisen throughout the series, and asks new ones as well.  The episode is the culmination of my thematic approach to the series.  Characters we see for the first time, such as Katherine and the Old Boss,  already have their own firmly established musical themes.  Combining them with more familiar melodies, such as the Chance, Winston and Baptiste Themes, I wrote one of the most operatic scores of my career.

(Mark Valley, Bear McCreary and Jonathan Steinberg)

“The idea of scoring the show thematically, almost like an opera, was something that happened very early in the process,“ executive producer and writer Jonathan Steinberg recalled.  “For most of the audience, it’s not something that jumps out at them, but it’s a crucial part of the way we set tone, and the way our stories are told.  Using thematic music to that extent is a bit of a lost art, I think; score has become much more atmospheric for the most part in the last 10+ years.  But I think the music for ‘Human Target’ has contributed a tremendous amount to the positive reaction we’ve gotten from our audience.” Read the rest of this entry »

Human Target | 106 Comments »

The shocking truth is finally revealed!  See who is really playing the trumpet solos for “Human Target:”

The final “Human Target” episode and blog entry of Season 1 are coming tomorrow night.  Stay tuned!

-Bear

Human Target | 22 Comments »

SPOILERS BEYOND: This week’s episode of “Human Target,” Victoria, chronicles Chance as he protects a princess from an assassination attempt by her jealous husband.

The episode opens as Chance flies into New York city by helicopter and gets in a limo taking him to the British embassy. Inspired by the grand-scale cinematography, I wrote an opening cue that could have functioned as the epic introduction to a feature film. The title card begins with an exciting version of the Chance Ostinato…

… before kicking into a powerful statement of the Chance Theme:

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Human Target | 27 Comments »

SPOILER WARNING: Tonight’s episode of “Human Target,” Tanarak, chronicles Chance’s adventures on a small mining island in northern Canada.  A doctor named Jessica Shaw (a distant cousin of Kendra Shaw perhaps?) is the target of an assassination attempt because she knows the corporation is storing deadly toxic chemicals in the mines.  Relatively light on the bigger mythology of the series, this episode still offers a glimpse into Chance’s past as he bonds with Shaw.

The episode begins with a unique orchestration of the Chance Theme, this time performed by a solo French horn.  A small percussion and clarinet groove picks up steam as the logo ends, transitioning us directly into the first cue of the show:

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Human Target | 15 Comments »

SPOILERS & SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST AHEAD: Writing music for the “Battlestar Galactica” universe has pushed me to compose in some very unusual styles.  I’ve written sonatas, fugues, arias, passacaglias, oratorios, lounge music, theme and variations, string quartets, jazz, rock, heavy metal, world music and even hip hop.  For tonight’s mid-season finale of “Caprica,” I was asked to write an opera: a challenge I was thrilled to tackle.

End of Line is the most narratively ambitious episode of “Caprica” since the pilot.  Fates are decided, characters die (actually, lots of characters die) and the music needed to be appropriately powerful, poignant and dramatic.  Here, the boundaries between source and score are shattered once again, as score becomes source and vice versa. Read the rest of this entry »

Caprica | 79 Comments »

A few weeks ago, I was honored with an invitation to speak at Google, as part of their @Google Series.  The entire presentation is now available in HD on YouTube, or you can see it right here:

For the presentation, Raya Yarbrough interviewed me about my early musical life, career, creative process, influences and turn ons… well, musical turn ons anyway.

Like most music education seminars, we had a grand piano and full-size Cylon Centurian on stage with us! Read the rest of this entry »

Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Human Target, Other Projects, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Video Games | 42 Comments »

At long last, the new Captain Ahab album, “The End of Irony,“ is finally coming out!

I collaborated with the band on several tracks: the searing rock anthem The Calm Before the Sword as well as vinyl and digital-only exclusives Under Your Bones and Was Love.

Captain Ahab is comprised of Jonathan Snipes, who does everything but dancing, and Jim Merson… who dances.  Snipes and I have actually known each other for years, since we were teenagers and realized that we both loved movie soundtracks.  Over the years, he developed his incredible gift for combining electronics and various musical styles into a sophisticated musical persona: Captain Ahab. Read the rest of this entry »

Albums | 14 Comments »

SPOILERS GALORE: In tonight’s “Human Target,” Corner Man, Chance travels to Brussels to compete in an underground fight club.  Relatively light on mythology and backstory (compared to last week’s densely layered Baptiste), this score focuses on the intriguing Eva Kahn (“Galactica” vet Grace Park) and the brutality of the combat sequences.

Like all episodes of the show, this one opens with a unique orchestration of the Chance Theme.  This time, Malcolm McNab plays a lonely solo statement of the theme over a dissonant, brass and string cluster.  I wanted to create a deliberate disconnect between the heroic fanfare of the tune and the atonal swell in the rest of the orchestra, suggesting our hero is about to be thrust into a dark and decadent underground layer of society:

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Human Target | 23 Comments »

SPOILERS IN THE MACHINE: Tonight’s episode of “Caprica” takes us to the darkest and most surreal corners of New Cap City as well as Daniel’s personality.  As usual with this series, scoring the dramatic moments is only half the job.  I spent an extraordinary amount of time on Ghosts in the Machine creating various source pieces for Joseph’s adventures in the drag club in New Cap City.

I was originally brought in on this episode prior to production.  The script introduced Joseph to a mysterious drag queen named Cerberus who would help him on his quest to find Tamara.  There were multiple dance numbers in an extended set of sequences in this environment.  I worked with an on-set choreographer and with the actor playing Cerberus and crafted several original compositions for them.

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Caprica | 29 Comments »

SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s “Human Target” is what I like to refer to as a “Mythology Episode,” because it expands beyond the adventure of the week to the larger story of Chance’s past.  This narrative arc has been woven throughout the entire series, but generally limited to passing lines of dialog.  Until now, no episode has dedicated more screen time to the broader plot than Baptiste.

In this episode, we learn Chance used to be an assassin for hire when an old associate, Baptiste, attempts to assassinate foreign dignitaries in Washington D.C.  Baptiste is Chance’s equal in every way.  He represents Chance’s first worthy adversary, because he is his equal both physically and mentally.  I knew that Baptiste would require his own theme. Read the rest of this entry »

Human Target | 28 Comments »

IMPERFECT SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of “Caprica,” The Imperfections of Memory, explores a lot of territory.  The most important plot lines from a musical perspective are Amanda’s visions of her brother Darius and Joseph’s continuing quest for his daughter.

The Amanda story line clearly required some use of the Amanda Theme.  The Amanda Theme originated in the pilot, and is a simple ascending minor 7th scale:

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Caprica | 29 Comments »

SPOILERS BEYOND: The most recent episode of “Human Target,” Lockdown, allowed me to expand my compositional technique.  I made a conscious effort to write music with more layers and activity, that made better use of the diverse instruments within the orchestra.  The resultant score was more dynamic, effective and genuinely orchestral.  For Salvage and Reclamation, I pushed this approach considerably further.  In sheer scale and expression, this score blows away any of my previous orchestral compositions and will forever change the way “Human Target” sounds.

In addition to expanding both the size of the orchestra and the way I wrote for the ensemble, I also introduced the first use of ethnic colors to the score.  (This is the polar negative of the BSG score, where orchestral sounds snuck into the mostly ethnic score towards the end of the first season.)  Because the story takes place high up in the Andes in South America, I infused the score with traditional pan flutes, quena, latin percussion and mallet instruments. Read the rest of this entry »

Human Target | 40 Comments »

Contrary to completely unfounded rumors of a cancellation, Trauma returns TOMORROW to NBC, and airs every  Monday at 9/8c, beginning the completion of our first season!

To celebrate our return, I’ve decided to write a blog entry about my favorite cues I’ve written for the series thus far, including audio snippets.

First up, the Trauma Main Title:

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One of a handful of TV theme songs to ever be in a 7/4 meter, this piece of music summarizes the intense energy of the show and introduces the core ensemble at the heart of the score: a rock and roll rhythm section.  In addition to the guitars, bass and drums, there is an added layer of manipulated sound effects, comprising of distorted and cut up ambulance sirens and helicopter rotors.  This isn’t just a theme song gimmick, these sounds are a vital part of the unique signature sound of the Trauma score. Read the rest of this entry »

Trauma | 27 Comments »