The legendary graphic novel Watchmen has seen many adaptations, but few stay as close to the source material as the animated series.
Coupled with great visuals is a memorable score. It takes you into the world of the comic and adds an ethereal tone to balance the tone.
The composer on the project is Tim Kelly, who is known for his work across various genres.
I was excited to sit down with Tim to talk about his work on the series and his career.
Let’s dive in.
NO FILM SCHOOL: Tim, you’ve described your work on Watchmen as an opportunity to create something that honors the legacy of the comic while introducing fresh elements. How did you balance respecting the original material with your desire to innovate musically?
Tim Kelly: When director/producer Brandon Vietti and I began discussions about the music concept for this reimagining of Watchmen, I immediately realized this would be a unique opportunity to try something musically original. We agreed I would create a score featuring primarily analog synthesizers, a sound we both loved, to capture the feeling of the 1980s, when the Watchmen story takes place. I remember scores from the 80s by Vangelis and Jan Hammer fondly. Since we looked at this project as a period piece, the sound of these and other electronic-oriented composers seemed like a good fit for honoring the moody and obscure alternative world created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. To give that musical approach a new and relevant sensibility, I emphasized modern music production techniques to enhance the classic sounds while drawing on a wide variety of genres for compositional inspiration.
NFS: The Watchmen world is iconic for its gritty realism. What specific musical elements or techniques did you use to capture the urban decay and darker tones of this world?
TK: Since I’d had a techno passion project already well established, I wanted to infuse some of the techniques for creating dirty, underground warehouse sounds from my techno productions into the sonic fabric of the score while still honoring the sound of 80s synth scores, I feel like this approach worked well to support the “gritty streets of New York” vibe in the world of Watchmen. It also supported the underlying dark themes and violent nature of some of the characters, particularly for Titus Welliver’s edgy, dangerous vocals for Rorschach.
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NFS: You mentioned that synthesizers and electronic music were central to your approach. How did your personal love for synthesizers influence the way you shaped the score for Watchmen? Was there a specific sound or instrument you gravitated toward early in the process?
TK: My love of creating with synthesizers goes back to the beginning of my days in college. While studying orchestration, composition, and arranging, I was simultaneously teaching myself the skills of creating and layering sounds with a reel-to-reel multitrack tape deck and two iconic synths I had recently purchased. Before I began work on the Watchmen Chapter I score, I listened to some of the old tapes and remembered how I had used the synths in those early musical experiments. From the first test piece I created for Brandon to composing/realizing the initial themes and onward through production of the scores, I strove to recreate that experimental approach, using some of the same techniques to create drama with analog synths that I had used back in the day. The process was challenging, rewarding, and sometimes just plain fun. Using those same two synthesizers I’d started with years ago, the sound of the score began to take shape. I dug into the warm, rich analog filters for pads and bass sounds and created creepy, hollow drones on a modular setup. I also relied on a wonderful reproduction of a classic 70s synth, Korg’s reissue of the ARP 2600, early in the process, which I used extensively for melodic passages.
NFS: What role did the score play in amplifying the themes of justice, corruption, and moral ambiguity that are central to Watchmen? Were there specific scenes where the music helped underscore these concepts?
TK: By always supporting the emotional arc of the story, music served, on a global and moment-to-moment basis, to promote the various themes that are explored. I think the darkness of the distorted synthesizer sounds, relentless throughout the score, helps to amplify the theme of corruption, which culminates to lofty heights at the end of Chapter II. There’s also a substantial percentage of the score that draws from the dark, ambient music genre, for example, haunting, sustained synth colors that blur the lines between music and sound design. This aspect of the score complimented and evoked sonic ambiguity in many sequences where moral ambiguity is considered. I think it’s worth mentioning as I delivered nearly finished versions of my cues during the scoring process, Brandon worked closely with Atlas Oceanic as they created their sound design to make sure it didn’t accidentally harmonize with or cancel out any of the sounds in my score. Unlike a traditional orchestral score, where the sonic pallet of the orchestra is clearly different from that of sound design, a synth-heavy score could have the potential for conflicts with sound design that might come up during mixing.
As for specific scenes, there is a sequence in Chapter II where Dr. Manhattan is on Mars, talking about Laurie’s seemingly commonplace, yet miraculous connection to the universe, and how this realization had motivated him to return to earth and use his god-like powers to help save humanity. The uplifting and mysterious nature of the ambient score here helps to elevate this poignant moment. I’m proud of how the music worked with the sequence to support Manhattan’s change of heart, and also support the beautiful artwork from Brandon and the art department.
NFS: Given Watchmen’s already iconic status in popular culture, how did you ensure that your music felt fresh, yet still in keeping with the spirit of the graphic novel and the earlier film adaptations?
TK: The decision to go with an almost exclusively analog synth sound for the score was a departure from the musical approaches in earlier productions of Watchmen. It was clear if handled properly; this music would be a fresh take on Watchmen scoring in our production. As far as keeping in the spirit of the original work, I suppose I just had a feeling that a modern-sounding, classic synth score with an 80s flare would harmonize well, on many levels, with the original story and art. So, with years of music production experience and having made dozens of techno tracks, I had confidence I could use my synths and modern production chops to create a score that would sound contemporary and yet reflect the time, places and moods in the graphic novel.
Tim Kelly CREDIT: Impact 24
NFS: Were there any particular challenges you faced in creating the Watchmen score, especially given the scope of the project and the expectations surrounding it? How did you overcome those obstacles?
TK: Though I was given ample time for the task of creating an original-sounding analog synth score, the challenge I had before me seemed pretty daunting since there is so much lore and community connected to Watchmen. I wanted to do the best work I possibly could on the project, as did the entire team at Warner Bros. Animation, and Studio Mir, who handled the CG animation. We all knew how game-changing the Watchmen comic book series was, so everyone was pouring their hearts into making our version something special. One of my biggest challenges was making myself meet those high standards. I put in long hours conceiving an arc for the various character’s themes and for subplot themes/compositions, which would be able to span across both movies. I spent many, many hours creating synthesizer sounds from scratch, rather than using out-of-the-box sounds, to maintain a higher level quality of sound and better control of the musical relevance to each scene. I’m happy with the result of those efforts.
One element of the score that, in some places, took a prominent role was the source music, or music that has an onscreen source, like a phonograph. There are several scenes and sequences where Brandon wanted the source to either compliment or play against for dramatic effect, what was happening visually. It was a challenge to get just the right tone for these cues, and in some cases, I needed to try several versions before finding something that worked.
NFS: Looking back on the project, are there any moments in the score that you’re particularly proud of or that stand out to you as defining parts of the overall soundscape?
TK: There is a sequence fairly early in the first movie where Dan Dreiberg walks through the city at night from visiting a friend to his home. The scene has very little dialog so the music has a moment to come through. This is the first time we get a good look at how really gritty the world of Watchmen is. I found it satisfying to establish the sound of the score at this moment, utilizing warm distortion and melancholy analog synths to help portray a world that, although gritty and rough, is still Dan’s home.
Another stand-out moment for me, also in the first movie, is the montage after Laurie leaves Jon. We see her feeling dejected and alone as she moves through the city at night. I used a sad, jazz-influenced motif with a subtle pulse to underline her loneliness, punctuated with analog synth stings to recall the grittiness of the city. Katie Sackhoff gave such an emotional performance for Laurie/Silk Spectre II in these films, and I’m proud to have complimented her performances with my score.
NFS: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming composers who might be working on iconic or established franchises like Watchmen? How can they honor the original while still bringing their unique voice to the project?
TK: For me, it felt very important at the beginning of the project to become as familiar with Watchmen as I could. So, before writing a single note and before rewatching previous productions of the franchise, I read the graphic novel over and over. It’s such a rich and layered story, and I’m still discovering things about it that I hadn’t noticed before. So as far as advice, I would say to learn as much as possible about the original work and be open to the collaborative process since collaboration is central to the art of composing for film. Bringing one’s unique voice to a project is important and, within the context of teamwork, should be allowed to happen. I think finding a way to balance your musical voice with honoring the source material, always supporting the story’s emotion and intent as it unfolds, and working well with others toward a common goal is probably the best way to approach such a project.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
