Interview of ‘Hide and Seek’ composer Timothy Stuart Jones

Published

3 years ago

December 14, 2021

Wade Wainio

Film and TV composer Timothy Stuart Jones has previously worked on projects like American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules (2020), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and recently created music for the horror film Hide and Seek. I wanted to ask him about working on that film, as well as his relationship with fellow composer and DEVO frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, among other things.

Ten Questions for Timothy Stuart Jones:

It seems that everyone has to face their worst fear at some point in their lives. What would that be for Noah, and how was that conveyed in the score for Joel David Moore’s Hide and Seek?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Noah has OCD and a big fear of getting dirty. The music I wrote for him, in the beginning, is very ordered and almost classical at times. As he enters his brother Jacob’s world, he is thrust into a foul and unsanitary environment. The music devolves into his worst nightmare. It feels slimy and unclean. I wanted the music to seep into the walls and make the scenes feel immersive and shudder-inducing.

Much of the score to Hide and Seek has a seemingly malevolent tone. What techniques were used to enhance those feelings?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Sharp bowed sounds, dark drones, and unidentifiable processed natural sounds. It’s gritty and has unexpected jumps in volume and intensity. I wanted to use sounds that mirror the environment by making it mean and making your skin crawl a little with how dirty everything is.

The score is tantalizing, and will surely have audiences on their toes. Are you going to be releasing the score/soundtrack to Hide and Seek?

Timothy Stuart Jones: We’ve been in talks about that. I’m hopeful that the score will have a release. It’s a bit of a departure from the scores I’ve done recently. It’s actually closer to a score I did early in my career for a Sony film called The Forsaken. I’m hoping Hide and Seek will get out there.

This is a remake, so I have to ask: Was the score to this movie influenced at all by the original film, directed by Huh Jung?

Timothy Stuart Jones: I actually wasn’t influenced by the original except for the fact that there was a little lullaby theme in the original. Story-wise, I needed to write my own to use in our film as part of the structure. It starts in the beginning and is broken up into pieces that come back together at the end of the film.

Researching your career, it appears that you know composer and DEVO-fonrtman Mark Mothersbaugh. How did you first meet him and what was his role for you?

Timothy Stuart Jones: I met Mark through a mutual friend. I worked with him on Thor Ragnarok and quite a few scores since then. I’m a part of his team, but I work with him on a freelance basis. It’s a blast to work with Mark. With all his years of experience in scoring, he’s like a ninja when it comes to getting these films done. I’ve learned a ton from him.

What are your thoughts on modern horror filmmakers such as Ti West? What do you find sets them apart?

Timothy Stuart Jones: I really like Ti West! I remember watching ‘The Innkeepers’ with my wife at home. Ti set up this hotel and the spooky factor perfectly. To me though, it felt like he was lulling us into this semi-safe place. When the ghosts finally show up in a big way in the basement at the end, we were literally screaming. Haha! Our kids wondered what the hell was going on. It was masterful. I think he pulls the viewer into the film with some genuine realism and then the gloves come off at some point. It’s a lot scarier to have these things happening in a place that seems a bit normal. I loved that film.

The trailer for Hide and Seek is certainly a scary one, and a big part of that is the music. What are your thoughts on trailers and how they impact our perceptions of films/TV series?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Trailers seem like a different art form to me. They are very difficult to do well. There are people out there who are amazing at doing that. To be honest, most of the time the score from the film isn’t used for the trailer. I’d love to take credit, but that would be wrong. I think a good trailer gives you a sliced and diced version of the film/TV show it’s promoting. They are usually made of fast cuts and that often isn’t the job the score is doing in the actual show. They use music either composed specifically for the trailer or edited together to do the job. I’m grateful there are people who are so good at trailers. That leaves me to do what I do.

What are some of your favorite scary films and TV shows?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Since I suspect there might be some fellow gamers out there, can I add a video game to that list? ‘Alien: Isolation’ is absolutely terrifying. I’ve never played a game that creates real anxiety and fear in me like that. It’s genius. You really don’t want to get caught by that alien. It’s bumping around in the air vents in the surround speakers behind you. freaky. There is a TV show on Netflix called ‘Marianne’. Man, that thing is scary. Season 1 had us viewing through our fingers (not kidding). We watched ‘The Babadook’ the other night. 2014 Australian film that was super well done. It’s a bit older, but very scary.

Where will people be able to see Hide and Seek (select theaters, Netflix, Prime, etc.)?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Right now, I believe it’s select theaters and VOD. I’m sure it will have a streaming home, I’m just not sure where that is yet.

What projects are you currently working on?

Timothy Stuart Jones: Just finished a film called ‘Waterman’ about the legendary Duke Kahanamoku. It’s narrated by Jason Momoa and will be hitting theaters in Hawaii, California and Utah in April 2022. It will be streaming on a network after that which I can’t talk about yet. It will be out there though. I’m also starting a film called ‘The Hot Seat’ with director, James Cullen Bressack. He’s a very talented young filmmaker. It stars Mel Gibson. I was a huge Road Warrior fan as a kid. I’m looking forward to working on that.

I’d like to thank Timothy Stuart Jones for answering these questions!

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Interviews

T+E Channel’s My Haunted Hometown: Small Town with Big Secrets

Published

2 months ago

August 31, 2024

Jim Phoenix

My Haunted Hometown interview – Barb Dexter

To start off check out our exclusive interview with Barb Dexter from My Haunted Hometown! Prepare for spine-tingling tales as Barb Dexter unveils her shocking personal ghost encounters on T+E Channel’s gripping paranormal series, “My Haunted Hometown”. Don’t miss exclusive behind-the-scenes insights and emotional revelations that will leave you questioning reality. Premieres Friday, September 6th at 10 PM ET/PT.

Click the trailer for My Haunted Hometown and set your clocks for the premiere 6 Sept!

Want to know more about T+E Channel’s My Haunted Hometown?? Check out the trailer below (and make sure you watch the show as it airs Friday 6 September, 10PM PT/ET only on T+E!

If you ever wondered what it was like to be in a town with a dark history–and live in a forever home that might be forever occupied by spirit energy, then you need to check this episode out!

Why T+E Channel’s My Haunted Hometown hits

My Haunted Hometown - A picture of Barb Dexter who is a woman with blonde hair, kind eyes, and glasses. — photo credit: Andrew Curr

The production value works. The camera. The crew. The sound. The editing. The PR team. These are all great assets–and the best asset of them all? The people in the show.

We have all seen shows where the ghost story is made up. It’s usually some quick cash grab for a celeb (although there were some great truly well done celeb ghost stories, too!) or just some channel/content filler type thing. This is not that….this is what every ghost show should be.

The crew sits down. The people are taken seriously. They are giving a channel to voice their story and by sharing their story, they get to grow and sometimes heal from the telling. We draw strength in knowing we are not alone.

When the episode starts, your emotions range from being afraid for the people to being all warm and fuzzy with knowing that these people are opening themselves up to you and you are not alone.

If you have any paranormal experience, these stories will help you feel a bit more whole.

If you are a believer, this is your show.

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See why we call the T+E Channel the Blumhouse of TV and catch the free preview on T+E Channel from Sept 2 to Nov 3

My Haunted Hometown - an arial view of a small town covered in snow — photo credit: Andrew Curr

The Setting

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Not only does the setting work because of the more remote feel, but it works because of the people. The people in the show make the show. They are relatable. They are down to earth. They are easily your next best friend after moving into the neighborhood.

My Haunted Hometown - A close up of a cat's fuzzy face. — photo credit: Andrew Curr

Also, if you are a fan of cats and dogs–there are a few of the most adorable furry friends ever in this episode.

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After watching the first episode, I can’t wait for the rest! I’m sure to check it out when they drop every Friday in September! Won’t you join me? 🙂

See what all the rave reviews are about (5/5 Cthulhu!) and see why we call the T+E Channel the Blumhouse of TV and catch the free preview on T+E Channel from Sept 2 to Nov 3 – your gateway to the supernatural! Tune in and share the thrills with #MyHauntedHometown and #TEonTV. Are you brave enough to watch? (5 / 5)

Gaming

🎮 Eldritch Automata: Exclusive GenCon 2024 Reveal with Nick Francia!

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Gaming

Interview with Creative Director Michael Highland: Let’s! Revolution! @ PAX

Published

6 months ago

April 19, 2024

Daphne Fauber

Another game I had the chance to play at PAX East was, Let’s! Revolution!, a Minesweeper-inspired roguelite puzzle game by animation (and now game) studio, BUCK. I talk more about the game itself in another post. Here, I wanted to highlight the conversation I had with Michael Highland, the Creative Director for Let’s! Revolution! and his journey through video game development.

How did you become involved in video game development?

I studied digital media design in college; this was before there were many programs dedicated to game development. After graduating, I self-published a mobile game called Hipster City Cycle with friends. Over the next few years, I slowly got more freelance work as a game designer, and eventually landed a full-time role at thatgamecompany working on the follow-up to their 2012 GOTY Journey. I worked my way up there and was eventually the Lead Designer on Sky: Children of the Light. Working at thatgamecompany opened a lot of doors professionally. I eventually wound up at BUCK, where I saw the opportunity to help establish a new game studio within a very vibrant existing creative culture.

What has been the most challenging aspect of the development process?

Each studio has its own unique issues based on the people involved. There are commonalities like the need to fight feature creep and building consensus around ideas early in the process when all you have is an abstract grey box prototype to react to. At BUCK the biggest challenge has been channeling the abundance of creative energy and talent into a shippable product. There’s a ton of enthusiasm for games within the company, and without clear product-centric goals (who is the target audience, what platform are we releasing on, what’s the marketing strategy), projects have the tendency to spiral out of scope. Another challenge has been building credibility with publishers. BUCK has an amazing pedigree for animation and design, maybe the best in the world, but when we initially pitched ideas to publishers, they all said the same thing: looks great, but until you’ve shipped a game, you’re too high-risk. That’s what led to us self-publishing Let’s! Revolution! Now that we have a well-reviewed game out in the wild, I feel confident we’ll have more luck with publishers.

BUCK primarily has its roots in animation, what led the decision to start branching into video game development?

It started with a general excitement about the medium and a desire among the staff to work on a game. Leadership at BUCK is all about providing the staff with exciting creative opportunities, and getting to work on a game, is, for some, a creative dream come true. And putting BUCK content out in the world is a point of pride and a boost to morale. From a business perspective, the fact we can staff out game projects with the top animation and design talent in the world is a huge advantage. We’re already starting to see new opportunities for the service side of the business based on the success of Let’s! Revolution!

The art, unsurprisingly, is delightful. What were some of the priorities during the character design process and how did those influence the final hero designs?

Our Art Director Emily Suvanvej really led the charge on the look of the game. There are obvious influences like Studio Ghibli, Moebius, and Steven Universe. My shared goal with Emily was to make something together that reflected the diversity of the team’s artistic and lived experiences. The artists put so much love into the character designs and animation, it really shows.

Some of the primary game mechanics take inspiration from Minesweeper, what was the process like to create your own interpretation of those classic mechanics?

This article goes into depth on this topic. The TLDR is that we took a very iterative approach, at each stage trying to identify what was working about the prototype and lean into that. The initial game concept came together relatively quickly in part because our goal for this project was just to finish a game. We just focused on what was good and kept building on it. I wouldn’t say the final game is “perfect” – but we wound up with a much bigger and higher quality experience than I expected by not letting perfectionism get in the way of making good better.

Is there anything else you would like to plug or that you think is important for people to know about Let’s! Revolution! or other upcoming projects?

The music and sound design for the game is stellar. We worked with a creative audio company called Antfood and they knocked it out of the park. The audio got an honorable mention from IGF, which I think is extra impressive because most of the other games were audio-centric titles with some unusual hook to the sound design. For the OST, Antfood reworked all of the music from the game into a continuous flow, like a concept album. It’s so good. I love working with them.