British composer makes first visit to state to score ‘Twisters’
Benjamin Wallfisch has helped make music for a killer clown, a futuristic mystery and terrifying aliens.
But the British composer and conductor had never been to Oklahoma until he took on the task of scoring the supercells for the new Sooner State storm saga “Twisters.”
“It was an amazing trip . ... It’s such a beautiful state,” Wallfisch said. “It was just wonderful to be in the environment, to just really absorb the tone and the feel of how the communities are, how the people are and the warmth of it all.”
A Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy nominee, Wallfisch has worked on more than 80 movies, from the sci-fi sequel “Blade Runner 2049” and the horror hit “It” to the superhero movie “Shazam!” and the new space creature feature “Alien: Romulus.”
With the long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster “Twister,” the London native faced the challenge of composing music for one of Earth’s most destructive, enigmatic and captivating natural phenomena.
“The balance between fear and wonder, that’s a really big part of the score,” he said. “We never lose the sense of the kind of dark beauty and wonderment of these events. So, even when we’re experiencing the terrifying, destructive power and scale of them ... there’s an awe that’s captured as well.”
Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Lee Isaac Chung, “Twisters” follows a new generation of storm chasers, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, emerging heartthrob Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos, as they track powerful tornadoes across Oklahoma.
Filmed across the Sooner State in 2023, the movie has earned almost $350 million at the worldwide box office since it opened in theaters July 19.
Recently released own or rent on digital platforms, “Twisters” was unleashed back in the viral 4DX immersive format at Regal Cinemas for one week starting Aug. 30. In the OKC area, the Regal Warren Moore offers 4DX and is showing both “Twisters” and its stormy predecessor “Twister.”
And the standalone sequel’s score, which was recorded with a 90-piece orchestra and live choir, plays a major role in immersing moviegoers in “Twisters.” In a recent phone interview, Wallfisch chatted with The Oklahoman about his approach to composing music for the cinematic cyclones:
Q: How did your set visit to Oklahoma help you as a composer?
“I was only there for a couple of days. We were on set downtown (Oklahoma City). They were shooting some interior sequences in the barn set (at Prairie Surf Studios). The main thing was really just to observe what Isaac was doing and get a sense of just how the team was working together and some of the nuances of acting.
Mostly, it was just a huge honor to be to be there and see everything unfold in real time. Also, I’m super lucky to spend some time with Glen Powell and get a sense of his whole approach . ... We had a wonderful conversation on one of the breaks.
Q: Did you have any experiences with stormy weather during your visit?
Actually, no . ... but it was amazing just to kind of get a sense of what goes into a tornado forming, into these extraordinary events. Obviously, they’re terribly devastating to communities, the after-effects of these storms.
But on the flip side, a lot of the story is about the fascination these storm chasers have with the just the sheer scale and majesty and beauty of it. But at the same time, everyone has this huge emphasis on community and helping people who are badly affected.
Q: What’s involved when you’re working on a sequel, especially a legacy sequel like this one coming along many years later?
I think it all plays a part. I try to always start from the position of ‘what’s the story the filmmaker’s trying to tell?,’ and then the tone and the subtext of the characters and their interactions.
Of course, I revisited and listened closely to the incredible Mark Mancina score from the first movie. But it’s a very different film in many ways, even though it has so many of the same core elements. It’s got a quite different tone, besides just being a new story. So, we wanted to do something very bespoke for this film.
Q: This movie’s soundtrack leans heavily on country and Americana music, so how does that effect what you’re doing in terms of the score?
Well, it was wonderful to have that chance to kind of interweave with those incredible songs. And I think a lot of it was was almost just letting that element of the music breathe, and not attempt to do the same in the score.
In the first half of the movie, (we’re) capturing a sense of place. I really wanted to evoke Americana music in the instrumentation and some of the harmonic choices. And I was super lucky to work with incredible musicians to capture that . ... So, I’m referencing country music traditions and instrumentation more . ...
Throughout, I do use guitar, but in an increasingly more modern way as the film goes on: It starts much more traditional Americana and country in the first 30, 40 minutes of the movie. But then, as things progress in the story and things get a little darker and the stakes get higher, the tone as well.
Q: Did you leave Oklahoma thinking you’d want to try storm chasing like some of the cast?
(Laughs) I think I’d have to give that some thought. Seeing it in the cinema is enough for me at the moment. But who knows for the future?