Robert J. Kral Feature: Page 3


Robert J. Kral Birthday: July 5, 1967 Birthplace: Medindee, South Australia Occupation(s): Music Composer Quotes: A life lived in fear is a life half lived. (Strictly Ballroom- 1992) Favorite Food: Roast lamb dinners, hot fudge sundaes. Favorite Book: The Neverending Story Most influential person in my life: Alison Houghton Kral (my wife!) What is most important: God, family and friends. And skiing whenever possible! Other Online Interviews with Robert J. Kral Northern Sound Source City of Angel BBCi	Part One - Continued 11. Luckee: "The Ferguson Syndrome" was so emotionally moving. Was this episode a big challenge musically? Yes it was! There are a few different styles going on: the Spanish guitar, the atonal creepy stuff (I played the violin myself to get those effects!), etc. Everyone loved the temp score, so I had a big challenge to go up against it. [They were] used to that temp and loved the pilot, so I knew I was handling everyone's delicate baby that they had already reared for many months. But it all came together in so many ways. It would take a very special show to get me to handle a violin again, but this one did it. I also played guitar in the boy's bedroom scene. I felt like a part of my destiny had arrived as I put the music together and performed it. Compositionally, there were interesting challenges. David liked the idea that sometimes we'd have a dark moment in the dialogue on screen, but the music was allowed to play against it. For example, when Tommy talks to Paul about the train dream, and Tommy mentions the Darkness, it's incredibly spooky and eerie, but a synth string line plays major chords. David Greenwalt really liked this type of stuff and it worked great. It's scary, but grand because of the major ("happier") chords playing. Then I sneak in a harp line very slowly, the chords are still major, but the harp is minor. Gradually the harp gets louder over time and the strings die out. The major material gets taken over by the sad, sinister minor stuff. I did a lot of tricks like that, and I've never done them before in this way. David liked to have moments that go against the grain, and this opened up a big new palette for me. 12. MiraclesTV: What was your first reaction when "Miracles" was cancelled? I really was, of course, shocked. There had been some talk of the possibility of course, so in some ways you could see it coming. It is important for all overseas viewers to know why and how it happened. ABC wanted a smash hit opening night. The ratings were good for a new show, but not the stellar results they had hoped for. From some talk I have heard, right away they lost interest. Instead of further promoting this new baby, they neglected it. "Joe Millionaire's" two-part finale aired over two weeks, and ABC (amongst other networks also) changed their programming, not wanting to compete against it. "Miracles" was postponed and not advertised for two weeks. Then the war broke out, and it was postponed another two weeks. In the end, for a total of five weeks it was postponed, but with no advertising and no mention to the public about when it would reappear. Even fans thought it might have been cancelled. Fans of the show didn't even know when it was on. So when it finally came on again, again with no advertising, the rating was extremely low. The following morning it was cancelled. So you can see that, by the way it was handled, it didn't have a chance. It confirmed for me the insanity of the ratings alone being relied upon to tell a network what to air and what to cancel. Here in the States, we all have favorite shows that were cancelled prematurely. The tragedy is that it is not uncommon. 13. Crashnburn: Do you have a favorite story related to your work on "Miracles"? A favorite Richard Hatem or David Greenwalt story perhaps? I remember Richard hearing an idea I had for the main title. He politely, but hilariously, said he'd keep it in mind if he ever does a "cop show." I don't have a lot of stories, I guess, because I only saw them for one meeting per episode, although there were a few extra meetings before I officially got the job. There was a high degree of fun in those meetings which I'd not experienced on other shows. David and Richard were like Beavis and Butthead! Amongst all the creativity and artistry and talent of these two guys put together, there was also a healthy dose of mucking about! It was as if these two had known each other since school -- well, especially college perhaps! The atmosphere over there was great. 14. MiraclesTV: When writing music for an episode of "Miracles" or "Angel," how many times do you typically have to view the episode to compose for it? Well, I don't count, but my guess is hundreds of times. The music is mostly midi, meaning what you hear is mostly me playing the instruments and multi-tracking. This is all off a keyboard of course; I don't REALLY know how to play the tuba. Anyway, because of this, each track is played individually and the layers are built up very slowly, meaning with each pass I am watching it again. I watch these scenes, and sections of these scenes, over and over and over, all day, every day. A former Star Trek composer taught me an interesting technique. Sometimes, I'll watch it first without thinking of the music, just to get to know the scene. This includes watching it backwards, fast forward, etc. It gets your mind to know the scene inside out and at subconscious levels. I'll watch a scene knowing I might not score it for a few days, [but] back there in the dark recesses of my mind, it's being worked on without my conscious awareness. 15. Luckee: Have you ever experienced a sort of musical writer's block? If so, what do you do to get past it? Also, how do you approach composing for an episode time-wise? Do you tend to take your own time or do you work better under pressure, working closer to deadline? Writer's block becomes less of a problem the more I compose in this career. With the sheer amount of work to be done, I've gotten used to HAVING to just churn it out even if it is not that inspiring. It sure can happen though, especially if I'm asked to score a scene that I don't think needs music. Everything in me tells me there shouldn't be music, so what should I write? That is always the trickiest situation. To get past it, you need to try anything possible: listening to other music, older compositions and cues I might have done and trying tricks like the one mentioned previously (watching the scene without thinking of music on purpose), etc. I split the work out equally over the various days before the deadline. If I stick to this schedule, I know I can make it, but if I back off from it, it's just too much of a nightmare. The tightest deadline was for "Darla" on "Angel," 38 minutes in 4 days. You don't want to let a schedule like that slip. There just isn't time to procrastinate, which is something I used to suffer from earlier on. 16. MiraclesTV: Does writing music for a show "ruin" the show for you? For instance, can you go back and watch finished "Miracles" or "Angel" episodes and enjoy them as a viewer later on, or is that hard to do? I always think it's going to ruin it, but it doesn't. Sometimes I have felt unhappy with the score on other productions, I am aware of the mistakes and the shortcomings, and that can make it awkward to watch. "Miracles" has a lot less of this factor. In fact, most of it really came out how I wanted it to, and watching it back again is still a thrill. Some "Angel" episodes are like that also. "Darla" (Season 2, episode 7), for example -- a fine vintage I must say! 17. Voltaire2003: "Miracles" was so beautifully accomplished--unusually creative and imaginative. As an artist working in the television industry, how do you deal with the "fickleness" of the industry itself--the decisions made about which shows will be given a chance to succeed and which will not, and the eventual impact those decision have on what you will be working on? It's a very tough part of the job, or career should I say. Because in many ways it is more than just a job--we really invest in these productions. If the show isn't that interesting or isn't that great, the job of the music composer is still to truly believe in it 100%, to live and breathe those scenes so they can be translated into music. We composers are supporting the scenes, and to do that we have to believe it. In the case of "Miracles," this is compounded by the fact it IS a great show! So a premature cancellation is a real slap in the face. It can be very difficult to deal with, as projects like that come up rarely. There is indeed a lot of great material being produced in Hollywood, but I guess it's mostly by good fortune if you find yourself involved with this. "Miracles" was so rare and special that it made the cancellation a total shock, and yet even fans knew it was "too good to NOT be cancelled." That's the saddest part. Hollywood execs are famous and can almost be relied upon to cancel GOOD television shows. Fans were fearing it right from the first episode. After the fact, all I can say is we all put at least 200% into the show, we all loved it dearly and we all miss it. In the end, it is what it is and we can't bring it back, but we can safely say we gave it our best shot, we gave it our all. When you talk of being beautifully accomplished, I think particularly of the pilot and of a scene in "Mother's Daughter" on the lake of ice. There's nothing else like it around. That's when the travesty of it all sets in. But it was beyond our control. So it's my hope that whatever good comes out of its short-lived production life be nurtured. What I mean is, I hope the relationships formed in the production team that started with "Miracles" might be maintained and grown. They can kill the show, but there's stuff they can't touch. They can't touch the great time we had putting it together, they can't touch the memories of the fun relationship that formed between Richard and David, they can't touch what I learned doing the music for this splendid production. All that stuff will go on and continue... Be sure to check back for Part Two of this feature, in which Rob answers questions about scoring music for The WB's Angel! Next >> << Page 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 >> November 23, 2003. � Copyright 2003-2004 MiraclesTV.com. All Rights Reserved.

Robert J. Kral

Birthday:
July 5, 1967

Birthplace:
Medindee,
South Australia

Occupation(s):
Music Composer

Quotes:
A life lived in fear is a life half lived. (Strictly
Ballroom- 1992)

Favorite Food:
Roast lamb dinners, hot fudge sundaes.

Favorite Book:
The Neverending Story

Most influential
person in my life:
Alison Houghton Kral
(my wife!)

What is most important:
God, family and friends. And skiing whenever possible!

Other Online
Interviews with
Robert J. Kral

Northern Sound
Source

City of Angel

BBCi

Miracles
Part One - Continued

11. Luckee: "The Ferguson Syndrome" was so emotionally moving. Was this episode a big challenge musically?

Yes it was! There are a few different styles going on: the Spanish guitar, the atonal creepy stuff (I played the violin myself to get those effects!), etc. Everyone loved the temp score, so I had a big challenge to go up against it. [They were] used to that temp and loved the pilot, so I knew I was handling everyone's delicate baby that they had already reared for many months.

But it all came together in so many ways. It would take a very special show to get me to handle a violin again, but this one did it. I also played guitar in the boy's bedroom scene. I felt like a part of my destiny had arrived as I put the music together and performed it.

Compositionally, there were interesting challenges. David liked the idea that sometimes we'd have a dark moment in the dialogue on screen, but the music was allowed to play against it. For example, when Tommy talks to Paul about the train dream, and Tommy mentions the Darkness, it's incredibly spooky and eerie, but a synth string line plays major chords. David Greenwalt really liked this type of stuff and it worked great. It's scary, but grand because of the major ("happier") chords playing. Then I sneak in a harp line very slowly, the chords are still major, but the harp is minor. Gradually the harp gets louder over time and the strings die out. The major material gets taken over by the sad, sinister minor stuff.

I did a lot of tricks like that, and I've never done them before in this way. David liked to have moments that go against the grain, and this opened up a big new palette for me.

12. MiraclesTV: What was your first reaction when "Miracles" was cancelled?

I really was, of course, shocked. There had been some talk of the possibility of course, so in some ways you could see it coming. It is important for all overseas viewers to know why and how it happened. ABC wanted a smash hit opening night. The ratings were good for a new show, but not the stellar results they had hoped for. From some talk I have heard, right away they lost interest. Instead of further promoting this new baby, they neglected it. "Joe Millionaire's" two-part finale aired over two weeks, and ABC (amongst other networks also) changed their programming, not wanting to compete against it. "Miracles" was postponed and not advertised for two weeks. Then the war broke out, and it was postponed another two weeks. In the end, for a total of five weeks it was postponed, but with no advertising and no mention to the public about when it would reappear. Even fans thought it might have been cancelled. Fans of the show didn't even know when it was on. So when it finally came on again, again with no advertising, the rating was extremely low. The following morning it was cancelled.

So you can see that, by the way it was handled, it didn't have a chance. It confirmed for me the insanity of the ratings alone being relied upon to tell a network what to air and what to cancel. Here in the States, we all have favorite shows that were cancelled prematurely. The tragedy is that it is not uncommon.

13. Crashnburn: Do you have a favorite story related to your work on "Miracles"? A favorite Richard Hatem or David Greenwalt story perhaps?

I remember Richard hearing an idea I had for the main title. He politely, but hilariously, said he'd keep it in mind if he ever does a "cop show."

I don't have a lot of stories, I guess, because I only saw them for one meeting per episode, although there were a few extra meetings before I officially got the job. There was a high degree of fun in those meetings which I'd not experienced on other shows. David and Richard were like Beavis and Butthead! Amongst all the creativity and artistry and talent of these two guys put together, there was also a healthy dose of mucking about! It was as if these two had known each other since school -- well, especially college perhaps! The atmosphere over there was great.

14. MiraclesTV: When writing music for an episode of "Miracles" or "Angel," how many times do you typically have to view the episode to compose for it?

Well, I don't count, but my guess is hundreds of times. The music is mostly midi, meaning what you hear is mostly me playing the instruments and multi-tracking. This is all off a keyboard of course; I don't REALLY know how to play the tuba. Anyway, because of this, each track is played individually and the layers are built up very slowly, meaning with each pass I am watching it again. I watch these scenes, and sections of these scenes, over and over and over, all day, every day.

A former Star Trek composer taught me an interesting technique. Sometimes, I'll watch it first without thinking of the music, just to get to know the scene. This includes watching it backwards, fast forward, etc. It gets your mind to know the scene inside out and at subconscious levels. I'll watch a scene knowing I might not score it for a few days, [but] back there in the dark recesses of my mind, it's being worked on without my conscious awareness.

15. Luckee: Have you ever experienced a sort of musical writer's block? If so, what do you do to get past it? Also, how do you approach composing for an episode time-wise? Do you tend to take your own time or do you work better under pressure, working closer to deadline?

Writer's block becomes less of a problem the more I compose in this career. With the sheer amount of work to be done, I've gotten used to HAVING to just churn it out even if it is not that inspiring. It sure can happen though, especially if I'm asked to score a scene that I don't think needs music. Everything in me tells me there shouldn't be music, so what should I write? That is always the trickiest situation. To get past it, you need to try anything possible: listening to other music, older compositions and cues I might have done and trying tricks like the one mentioned previously (watching the scene without thinking of music on purpose), etc.

I split the work out equally over the various days before the deadline. If I stick to this schedule, I know I can make it, but if I back off from it, it's just too much of a nightmare. The tightest deadline was for "Darla" on "Angel," 38 minutes in 4 days. You don't want to let a schedule like that slip. There just isn't time to procrastinate, which is something I used to suffer from earlier on.

16. MiraclesTV: Does writing music for a show "ruin" the show for you? For instance, can you go back and watch finished "Miracles" or "Angel" episodes and enjoy them as a viewer later on, or is that hard to do?

I always think it's going to ruin it, but it doesn't. Sometimes I have felt unhappy with the score on other productions, I am aware of the mistakes and the shortcomings, and that can make it awkward to watch. "Miracles" has a lot less of this factor. In fact, most of it really came out how I wanted it to, and watching it back again is still a thrill. Some "Angel" episodes are like that also. "Darla" (Season 2, episode 7), for example -- a fine vintage I must say!

17. Voltaire2003: "Miracles" was so beautifully accomplished--unusually creative and imaginative. As an artist working in the television industry, how do you deal with the "fickleness" of the industry itself--the decisions made about which shows will be given a chance to succeed and which will not, and the eventual impact those decision have on what you will be working on?

It's a very tough part of the job, or career should I say. Because in many ways it is more than just a job--we really invest in these productions. If the show isn't that interesting or isn't that great, the job of the music composer is still to truly believe in it 100%, to live and breathe those scenes so they can be translated into music. We composers are supporting the scenes, and to do that we have to believe it. In the case of "Miracles," this is compounded by the fact it IS a great show! So a premature cancellation is a real slap in the face. It can be very difficult to deal with, as projects like that come up rarely. There is indeed a lot of great material being produced in Hollywood, but I guess it's mostly by good fortune if you find yourself involved with this. "Miracles" was so rare and special that it made the cancellation a total shock, and yet even fans knew it was "too good to NOT be cancelled."

That's the saddest part. Hollywood execs are famous and can almost be relied upon to cancel GOOD television shows. Fans were fearing it right from the first episode.

After the fact, all I can say is we all put at least 200% into the show, we all loved it dearly and we all miss it. In the end, it is what it is and we can't bring it back, but we can safely say we gave it our best shot, we gave it our all. When you talk of being beautifully accomplished, I think particularly of the pilot and of a scene in "Mother's Daughter" on the lake of ice. There's nothing else like it around. That's when the travesty of it all sets in. But it was beyond our control.

So it's my hope that whatever good comes out of its short-lived production life be nurtured. What I mean is, I hope the relationships formed in the production team that started with "Miracles" might be maintained and grown. They can kill the show, but there's stuff they can't touch. They can't touch the great time we had putting it together, they can't touch the memories of the fun relationship that formed between Richard and David, they can't touch what I learned doing the music for this splendid production. All that stuff will go on and continue...

Be sure to check back for Part Two of this feature, in which Rob answers questions about scoring music for The WB's Angel!

Next >>
<< Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 >>