(Soundtrack Magazine interview continued)

Q: When working on a score that includes songs, such as PRINCESS & THE PEA (albeit you wrote those songs) or SOUL ASSASSIN, what's your approach in linking/skirting/accentuating/contrasting the songs with the instrumental score? Obviously SOUL, with its heavy techno rap approach is going to be a far different thing than the surely more gentle songs of PRINCESS, but I wonder how you approach a film that uses songs when it comes to employing your instrumental score.

Williams: The songs in PRINCESS are very different than the typical use of songs in movies. They help the plot unfold while further developing the characters. All of the songs are from the same musical tapestry. They belong to the same whole. Thematic material finds its way throughout the songs and also the underscore. The songs could be thought of as large musical montages. In a film like SOUL ASSASSIN, the songs are used in a more typical way. The filmmaker will say, "You don't need to score this because there will be a song here." I hardly have any input as to what songs they use. Sometimes a song is a great choice. Other times it simple disrupts the musical flow of a score. Some times, as in the case with SOUL ASSASSIN, some of the score is replaced with a song simply to facilitate a soundtrack deal. The soundtrack for SOUL ASSASSIN interestingly enough contains 85% songs and about 15% score, yet in the body of the film, the songs comprise maybe 5% of the total music, not counting the end credit song.

Q: Which project has been the most rewarding for you, either in its final result or in the experience of working on it?

Williams: All of the films I have worked on have had rewarding moments. I look back at each of them as scores that have their own unique story. I would have to say that AMAZON was one of the most rewarding ones. There's something special about a first. AMAZON was my first IMAX score. It was the first opportunity I had to record a big orchestra at SONY. And finally, I had less than 2 weeks from spotting to dubbing to write the score. The film then went on to receive an Academy Award Nomination. AMAZON will always be a bit special.

Q: Are you comfortable in your current niche, or would you like the opportunity to score larger films or more big-budget features? Where would you like to be in another five or ten years?

Williams: I am grateful for the opportunities I have had so far. I do wish to have more opportunities to work on bigger films. That is where my heart and passion are. I hope to meet new directors and have more opportunities to collaborate with them on a larger scale. Those opportunities seem to be getting closer.

Q: What type of film would you especially like to score that you haven't yet been given the opportunity to do?

Williams: I would love to do a big, epic picture. I would also like to do some type of a love story.

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