Very, very interesting. I knew Mark Morgan was the composer of the Fallout, Fallout 2, and Planescape: Torment, but I didn't know that he also did NetStorm and Giants: Islands At War... all of which (except Fallout 2) games I own and love (and thought had great music)... and some others. Anyway, it's an interesting interview.
Just posting a few chunks, because it has pictures and stuff and is worth reading there.
Quote:G-OST: During our investigation we searched the web for your interviews, but couldn’t find any. In the same time you’re a legendary composer for many people… they believe you have added another dimension to Fallout project - unique post-apocalyptic atmosphere (poor minds). We wonder if you surmised at the very beginning that this soundtrack will arouse such resonance and made it a masterpiece intentionaly? You wanted to rule people minds, right?
Mark: I really didn’t. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I was even aware people had been just listening to those particular games. I was touched and somewhat amazed that they seemed to understand my original intent. The “Fallout” soundtrack, other than having to be ambient, really had no boundaries, so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want to “rule people’ s minds” but maybe manipulate a little.
G-OST: We have the information, that Tim Cain in one of his interviews told, that he likes dark gloomy kind of music and is a big fan of Aphex Twin. Some Fallout compositions are VERY similar to Aphex works… Is there any connection, Mr. Morgan? Or, maybe, you intend to say you don’t know neither Tim nor Aphex:) ?
Mark: When Interplay was thinking of using me for the game, they sent over some music that they liked and wanted me to do something similar as a demo. The CD they sent me had no titles or artists’ names, just a few pieces of unidentified music. I gave Interplay what they wanted and I think they must have used some of my demo in the final game. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the work of Aphex Twin. To me, it was just my interpretation of what Interplay asked for.
G-OST: There’re rumors that you had only a couple of weeks to create music for Planescape: Torment. Is that so? Then we’re curious about Fallout soundtrack A what was the timeframe and when did you start working on the project? Was it the very beginning or later? We know’ you’r e tired and wanna leave this all already, but we have to continue, Mr. Morgan. The same questions for Fallout 2…
Mark: Yes, on all three games I began late in the process... “Planescape” was a quick turnaround as you suggest. I did it in about 2 weeks. I don’t know why, but the game was pretty much completed before they decided who was to do the music. On “Fallout” they had another composer to begin with, but for unknown reasons, Charles Deenen called me to work on it and it too was a fast turnaround. Composing time for “Fallout 2” was also truncated. I believe the game was essentially complete by the time I became involved and they were in a hurry to get it out.
G-OST: In the time working on the project were there any problems or restrictions? It’s a fact that back then games had limited space for music and we’re interested if all the compositions you made for the project been included in final version or something been left out? Have you had any other inspiration sources but the game itself?
Mark: I don’t know about the restrictions as far as file size but I believe most everything I wrote was used. Interplay was very specific about how long each piece of music should be and what music went where. Because of time restraints, there wasn’t really any time for rewrites or additional music. If I understand your second question, my inspiration comes from anything dark, not just the game.
G-OST: In your early projects (Netstorm, for example) was compositions which later been used in other projects, reshaped and rearranged, of course. It seems that Planescape: Torment main theme grown from Netstorm track fragment and Fallout’s “Follower’s Credo” is slightly reworked version of “Thunder” from the same Netstorm game. Why using all this tricks? Is that all because of tight time schedule or there’s another secret is laying underneath, Mr. Morgan?
Mark: I was doing a lot of television at the time, so part of it could have been scheduling since I wasn’t always available. Also, the producers liked certain pieces of my existing music they had been listening to as they were working on the game, so they asked if those could be rearranged or reworked.
Quote:G-OST: Bethesda Softworks currently developing Fallout 3 keeps silence regarding main composer’s name. Atmosphere goes really hot around this. It’s even been rumors that Jeremy Soule is in charge, what caused hard civil commotion, but then he announced that he’s out of game. Most of people, including us (we can be fired saying this) believe that you’re ideal and only person to take over this position. Additionally, investigators found out that your profile at http://www.gsamusic.com contains Fallout 3 reference. It’s your chance to unbosom yourself - is that true or another misinformation created to conceal your life, Mr. Morgan?
Mark: Thanks for the kind words, I would love to do that game, but I have not been asked. I’m hopeful after doing the other two “Fallout” games and other projects over the years, I could take “Fallout 3” to another level musically. As far as the http://www.gsamusic site, it’s obviously a misprint.
G-OST: This profile contains evidence that you and Mark Snow (The X-Files composer) are both in charge of Special Unit 2 main theme. Was he really your accomplice? Have you ever worked in collaboration with some other composer? Is there any composers/performers you wanted or even dreamed to work together? Be sure - this all goes to your profile, Mr. Morgan.
Mark: Mark Snow asked If I wanted to collaborate on a main-title theme for a new show. I had been a fan of Mark’s work on X-Files, so of course I said yes. After the main-title was done, he asked if I wanted to do the underscore for the show. Again I said yes. Since then, we have worked on many shows together. As I said earlier, I worked with Snuffy Walden on lots of shows including the miniseries “The Stand” and recently with composer Sean Callery on a CBS show called “Shark”. As for other composers, I would love to collaborate with Clint Mansell, Paul Haslinger or James Newton Howard. As far as performers, it would be long time dream of mine to play with Peter Gabriel’s band and with David Sylvian. I would also love to write or perform with Lisa Gerrard. I really think she is incredible.
G-OST: Fallout 3 official site met the visitors with concept art and quite energetic symphonic track. It was almost shocking to hear this… ‘cause Fallout always associated with dark ambient and ethnic elements impregnation. How do you imagine Fallout 3 soundtrack? Haven’t you and Tim had an idea to make Fallout 1-2 music more symphonic?
Mark: Like I said earlier, I would take “Fallout 3” to a much more modern place, while honoring a lot of the elements of the earlier games. Maybe heavier, more ethnic, more rhythmic, it could be a hybrid with some orchestral elements. Just nothing traditional. As I recall, Tim and I never discussed anything orchestral. Now that you’ve brought this to my attention, it would be exciting to be involved with the new game.
Quote:Game-OST: Great music is necessary part of any high-quality game for a long time already in game industry. Multimillion budgets, best symphonic orchestras from all over the world… What do you think of the game music industry future? Will there be a place for talented freelancers or symphonic “Hollywood-style” orchestrations will prevail? Are you strong in predictions, Mr. Morgan?
Mark: It seems to me that the game music industry is wide open and has an amazing future. I don’t do well at predictions, but as an observation, I hope there will room for both. It seems there will always be a place for the large orchestral score, but the more experimental scores seems to be the ones I gravitate toward. Having said that, I wish I would have been able to use a large orchestra on Planescape to create more texture and sonic mass.
Hmm, missed this a few months ago. Very interesting... an old Interplay guy (and ex-Troika designer) is in charge of the project. That's a good sign, though the fact that Herve Caen still owns the company sure isn't.
Supposedly they're even moving out of Herve Caen's house soon!
Yes, that's right. One of Troika's top three designers (not Tim Cain, but one of the two under him) is now working at Interplay, making an MMO. Which they've actually hired staff for, and is probably a Fallout game. Which will probably be published as "Black Isle" despite that studio's death in 2003. I can't help but get interested... even though I know most of the Herve Caen story...
How many IBM tech's does it take to change a hard drive??
Well apparently 3 is the number of magical idiot's it takes to replace a friggen HOT SWAPPABLE DRIVE!!
It all started Wednesday when our IBM e-server in the photo lab had a hard drive failure. So we called IBM for a new hard drive and they said our contract stipulates that there tech's must install it.... Insert bullshit here and here.
So they sent us a trio of idiots who couldn't even figure out how to slide out a hard drive from a hot swap bay and slide in the new one.
Ow well, at least it only cost of $400 dollars for the visit from the stupid 3. Insert Sarcasm Here
So it was dumb luck that they wiggled a cable and got the server to boot again... With the older smaller hard drive! WTF! We bought the bigger new one, if your going to charge us an arm and a leg, do some work for Christ sake!
If you want to know what makes the village curious, it's because everyone really loves puzzles and will force you, at knife point, to move a set amount of matches around to form an image or solve a word problem involving candles or rats or whatever. Also, it has a great art style, humor, point-and-click interface, and all that.
You know, it's that game that EGM made fun of in their inaugural issue of "Electronic Non-Gaming Monthly". Which only proves that mainstream videogame journalists are idiots who wouldn't know a truly great game from blood-filled orgy of glossy graphics and porous gameplay.
Why should you get Endless Ocean? Because Endless Ocean is an experience, one that very few videogames out there have ever been able to provide. Yes, you go around poking and petting fish, but that's really just the tip. Endless Ocean invokes a sense of wonder and awe for the sea and provides some truly breathtaking scenes of underwater exploration. I won't spoil anything here, but you will probably say "Wow!" at least once or twice while playing this game. And the music compliments all of this very well.
Trying to understand this bizarre system hurts the brain, even for someone who follows politics...
And that doesn't even get into the fact that there's both a primary and a caucus there, but while the Republicans apportion half of their delegates from the primary and half from the caucus, the Democrats apportion them all from the caucus (which comes first)... but hold a primary too, even though it means nothing...
Oh, and if you vote at a polling place you can vote in either party's caucus without checking off which party you are a member of, but if you vote by mail (Oregon and Washington have vote-by-mail), your vote won't be counted if you don't check off one of the party-affiliation boxes... and a lot of people forget to check them.
And how about Louisiana, where if nobody gets 50% in the vote, instead of the vote winner getting any delegates, the state convention chooses all of the delegates, all of whom probably go to the national convention unaffiliated? Huckabee only got 43%, so his win there might mean nothing... but his (seeming, it's being contested for good reasons) loss in Washington might end up with him getting the delegates, depending on how the convention goes... (26% McCain, 24% Huckabee, 21% Paul, 16% Romney (who quit), 13% Unaffiliated? What a mess... but it's an all-or-nothing state, unless deals are struck like there was in West Virginia (where McCain and Paul's delegates went over to Huckabee to stop Romney from winning; Paul's got a few delegates for the national convention out of the deal)...
Compared to this the electoral college system looks simple and easy! :D
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