MCB Interviews Jeff Toyne
Jeff Toyne's growing list of ecletic scores highlight his broad skill set as a composer. "I'm excited by projects that have epic, larger-than-life, over-the top Hollywood sensibilities, just as much as intimate, character-driven stories grounded in real life," says Toyne.
Working between his studios in LA and Vancouver, Toyne tries to keep techonology from ruining his creativity. “It's unfortunately pretty easy to sit down at a computer workstation with the intention of creating a new piece of music only to find myself 20 minutes later turned from a music composer into a computer programmer," says Toyne. "The difference between the 'guys with gear' and the classically trained acoustic musicians is melting away. The difference between the demo and the final is also diminishing. Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan said 'the medium is the message', and I believe that to be true for music composition. For me composition is all about choice, and the choices that I make about the tools I use can influence the final result as much as the more 'musical' choices I make, such as instrumentation or tempo.”
Although Toyne often works with real orchestras, he isn't afraid to incoporate samples into his workflow. “It's not the answer that up-and-comers like to hear, but I basically use them all,” explains Toyne. “I don't claim to have everything commercially available, but definitely something from all the majors. Occasionally with big libraries, more isn't better, it's just more.” Like many composers, he enhances his library of sounds with custom samples as well.
Music and film piracy coupled with decreasing barriers to entry in the composition industry has brought tremendous changes. As Toyne sees it, his peers are experiencing some of the larger issues in our economy - the middle class is disappearing. “When professional art (and intellectual property) is devalued,” says Toyne, “there is high risk of talented artists, unable to make a living, leaving the field to dilettantes and amateurs at the bottom, and celebrities and stars at the top. It isn't all negative, it's hard to predict the next five years, but there are encouraging signs. The one thing that I am sure of is more change - it will be different.”
For more information about Jeff Toyne, visit his website here.
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More from composer Jeff Toyne:
On his first big break:
"My first opportunity to orchestrate for a Hollywood film came when I was assisting Edward Shearmur on the score to "Reign of Fire". While recording in London, orchestrations for a couple of cues came in from LA and Ed was unhappy with them, because they weren't avante-garde enough. He noticed that I had named the folders on my laptop after 20th-century composers, so he said 'Alright, if you are suggesting that you know this style, have a crack at one of these cues'. The great thing about the situation was that orchestrator extraordinaire Bob Elhai took me under his wing and had a look at my cues. He's been a friend and mentor ever since."
Other composers that inspire him:
Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, Gyorgy Ligeti, Luciano Berio, Krzysztof Penderecki, Steve Reich, John Adams, John Corigliano, Michael Torke, Osvaldo Golijov, George Crumb, Olivier Messiaen, Samuel Barber, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Upcoming releases: