Atticus Ross

Atticus Ross has made his name in the music world as a producer, engineer and musician. He scored his first feature-length film, The Book of Eli, with help from his wife and brother. TheCelebrityCafe.com's Justin Key spoke with Atticus about making music for a film, the joy and challenges of working with family, and what it takes it make it in the modern music industry.

Justin Key: The Book of Eli is your first score for a major motion picture. What prompted the move and how would you describe the experience thus far?

Atticus Ross: I'd say the experience is a fantastic one. I've worked with the Hughes Brothers before on three smaller films and television, so I was very comfortable working with them. Before, there were stories of writing for film being hard work, executives breathing down your neck, but I didn't have any of that. They let us do what we wanted and it was me and my wife and my brother working together. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

JK: What's the best and worst thing about working with family?

AR: The best thing is you have this close relationship and there are no barriers on what you can say. But that can also be the worst, because an argument can reach a different height. Personally, I do the best work with people I'm closest with. I know what their tastes are and they are similar to mine. That close personal relationship is what delivers the best work.

JK: How did you start working with your family?

AR: My wife and I were in a band and worked together on and off since we were 19 or 20. It's not just a family thing; we all have certain roles that we fill. My wife is a classically trained piano player and she also orchestrates. My brother, who's ten years younger than me, worked with me in the studio when he was very young. He's a guitar player and does programming as well. To have the working and personal relationship coincide has been very natural.

JK: What was the biggest challenge in movie scoring? Did your work on USA's Touching Evil prepare you for the undertaking or was it completely different?

AR: Touching Evil was great because it was the first time in getting music to picture on a serious level. I started to understand there's something similar to records: the idea and creativity deliver the best work. However, making a record is different because the high purpose of the record is the record. In a film, the music is part of the bigger role. For example, in The Book of Eli, there's a lot of open space to fill with music when following Eli. And then there's Gary Oldman, the bad guy, who's always talking, so there comes the challenge of how to fit the music to the character. I'm very proud of what we did.

JK: You've worked with a fair share of musicians and bands ranging from Nine Inch Nails and Korn to Pink and remixes for Biggie Smalls. How important is collaboration to you in this business?

AR: Well, it is my job. The role of a producer on a record is collaborating with an audience. There are fantastic musicians who work well entirely on their own, but my experience has been that whatever I'm working on is about the people involved. If the personalities connect--that's where good work comes from. Music is ultimately a form of communication, and the music I've worked on has been a result of communication in the studio.

JK: This score has been described as a "unique hybrid score of electronic and hybrid elements." How do you feel about that and what made you go this route with the album?

AR: What we were trying to do was to establish the mood, and then once you have the mood you can switch from a synthetic arena to a more organic one. For example, the film starts atonal with no intentions of sounding like a human place, and then evolves as the film goes on. By the end you're left with just the orchestra with no levels of weirdness around them--a beautiful piece. We really tried to stick to using everything specific to the film. No sample CDs.

JK: You produce, write, and perform. Which do you like best and how do you possibly find a balance?

AR: I find performing incredibly nerve-racking. I used to perform, but stray away from it as much as I can now. My favorite thing is being in the studio. I never take it for granted doing music for a living. I certainly had enough years of struggling until music became a living. I'd love to do another score.

JK: Are you working on any new projects? What can we look forward to in the future?

AR: Well, I am going back to one of the main people I worked with in the recording world for a few months. I would like to do another film.

JK: Outside of music, what's your favorite hobby?

AR: Walking my dog. I have a labrador/pitbull cross, she's a rescue. I'm from London, which is very urban, and now I live in Los Angeles up in a kind of canyon. It's like being in the countryside, so that aspect of getting out is nice.

JK: Outside of music, what occupies the most of your time now?

AR: I'd say I'm doing music pretty much constantly. If I'm not doing that I'm just hanging out with my family. I think there's a misconception. Doing music is great, but it's not, not hard work. Particularly now when the business is smaller and smaller.

JK: Do you find it hard to balance music with your family.

AR: It's a demanding thing. Problems can arise. On the whole, I've gotten a lot better in how I've divided up my time.

JK: What advice would you have for aspiring musicians?

AR: I would just say to keep at it. Try and develop their voice. In my case, I was literally just about to pack it in when things took off. I'd had a few record deals, but had never taken off in a big commercial way. I was starting to consider that music wasn't a good thing for me and right then it started to take off. So keep at it because you never know what will happen.