Heaven & Hell: Interview with Veigar Margeirsson

Published on: August 21, 2012May 31, 2014Author: Gergely VilaghyComment: 1

Here is your chance to have a look behind the scenes of Heaven & Hell. The album, part of the Universal Trailer Series, was composed by the talented Icelandic composer, Veigar Margeirsson.

Trailer Music News: Can you tell us more about your new album Heaven & Hell? What was the initial goal of the release and how did you manage to execute it?

Veigar Margeirsson: I had done an album for Universal’s Bruton label called Defining Moments, where I co-wrote all the tracks with fellow composer and guitarist, Brian Brasher. That album has done well, and I was approached by the executive producer of that album, Duncan Schwier, to help lead the new Universal Trailer Series. It was an easy decision.

TMN: Can you share the most memorable moment of creating the album?

VM: The writing part was somewhat lonely, as it normally is, but the sessions in Prague were epic to say the least. Having such a huge ensemble (60 strings, 48 choir, 16 brass) is somewhat of a rare treat these days. I also had a young very talented co-writer on three of the tracks, Gary Liu. Gary has a bright composing future and has a great sense of creating captivating themes. And it’s always nice to make new friends on new projects, and working with James Fitzpatrick of Tadlow Music, and orchestrator/conductor Andrew Skeet was a real treat.

TMN: Additionally I am really excited about the remixes of the album coming out in a few weeks. Some of those turned out incredibly well, an added a nice new unexpected dimension to the tracks. How do you manage to write cues with great builds up and intense climaxes?

VM: That’s hard to say… it’s simply what comes out of me. I guess it’s the exploding volcanic energy of Iceland 🙂 All kidding aside, I try to approach every cue as a little story in itself, with a beginning, middle and an end. Sometimes it happens quickly, but other times it takes days and days to get one theme done. Often the best ideas come randomly so I sketch and record ideas all the time. My iphone is loaded with sketch apps and dropbox linked recording apps, so good ideas don’t evaporate into thin air.

TMN: Heaven & Hell is part of the Universal Trailer Series which is labeled as the “future of trailer music”. What is your vision of the future of trailer music?

VM: Trailer Music is hugely reliant on good production. Trailer music today is generally produced very well, and there are many ambitious creators. One of the challenges for composers is to make it “as loud as possible” tends to push the music over the edge at times – and sometimes tracks are simply too loud. The trick is make them hot and popping, while still keeping the dynamics in tact. Musical sound design is popular right now, but at the end of the day, a good cue is a good cue, and people respond to good melodies.

TMN: What is it like working with one of the giant company of the entertainment industry, Universal?

VM: It was great. Universal UK is well run, and in this case they gave me a lot of creative room, and really listened to what I wanted to do. They relied on my expertise rather than telling me what to do. And in the age of plummeting budgets they were willing to do whatever was needed to create an outstanding product.

TMN: If you could name three movies, past or present that your cues could advertise, what would they be?

VM: I’ve always been very fond of participating on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers campaign. I was one of the three composers on the much used “Requiem for a Tower”” orchestral piece (a remake of the theme from “Requiem for a Dream”). If I think of movies tracks from the new Heaven & Hell album could advertise, I will say: Any of the Harry Potter movies (clearly too late for that), Avatar 2, and any of The Hobbit movies coming up.

TMN: Can you tell us a hint about your next big project?

VM: This seems like an appropriate time to give my new venture a shameless plug 🙂 — I am very excited about a big change in my career as I recently partnered with licensing executive/creative director Brian Brasher in a new company; Pitch Hammer Music. It’s a Los Angeles-based boutique music production company that provides high-end tracks and custom music services to the movie trailer and theatrical marketing industry. We have a cutting edge roster of the most talented and diverse composers and artists in the business. I am playing more of a producing role with some extremely talented writers.