The last time we spoke to composer Gareth Coker, we had a lot of fun learning about his early days in music, and the exceptional work he did for the pair of Ori games from Moon Studios. This time, nearly four years to the day, we had him on the podcast to talk all about Ark: The Animated Series on Paramount+. An adaptation of the wildly popular game (and its expansions), ARK has to be played, watched and lived to be fully experienced.
Suffice to say, this show takes liberties with its condensed story, yet in so doing retains core elements and gives the devoted gamers lots of what they’ve come to love about the property. While abridged (think of it like a theme park), fans can expect to see things they know so well – with a new spin here and there- but this is also a perfect entry point to those who have never played or even heard of the game.
Coker is, forgive the pun, one of the best in the game. He’s highly proficient at creating lush soundscapes with impacting melodies, yet scoring this series put him into some new territory. The difference between the narrative in the game and the show is that the former is active while the latter is passive. Further, the series is less about the big action sequences carried over directly from the game, and more focused on smaller moments between Helena and the other characters.
There are a lot of quieter elements in the show (specifically in flashbacks) that need special attention and serve as a bridge to the inevitable and crowd-pleasing dino-tastic action. Whether writing a five minute action cue for a scene featuring a fan-favorite boss, or a five second piece to wrap up an episode in a “swell”, the themes Coker developed (from the game or new to this show) had to be tailored to the story beats and varying length of each episode – that took some getting used to.
What is important to note is that Coker keeps a mindset which helps him get through the creative fog when looking for a solution. He simply tells us that “Melody is king.” If something is going to work, it will work whether played on kazoo or by a symphony. But if he’s not feeling it, then it’s probably not going to work. Quite the litmus test, that’s for sure, and Coker’s track record shows that he knows what works.
The show is a character-driven drama – not styled to feature the dinosaur of the week – and as the narrative plays out we start understanding why all of these characters are in the same place as dinosaurs. It doesn’t make sense on paper, but the show makes it all work with the added benefit of Coker’s hours (plural!) of music. Emotion trumps realism every single time, and Coker’s score helps bring everything home.
One unexpected perk about writing music for the show is that Coker finally got to write a true Helena theme. That hadn’t happened until now because she wasn’t the kind of character she is in this series. A master of worldbuilding and melody writing, he got to bring certain elements from the game full circle, or at least create a satisfying arc. Now drop what you’re doing, and enjoy this chat with Gareth Coker!
Check out more of Garth’s work at his official website, or dive into his Bandcamp page and follow him on Instagram and Twitter for updates on his upcoming projects.
