A film is far more than the sum of its parts. When images and sound combine, the results echo in eternity. We had the absolute thrill speaking with composer Jared Michael Fry about his score to David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast. This film is their third time working together and the duo hit this one way out of the part.
To provide an authentic, culturally specific foundation for the score, Fry brought in the award-winning Alaskan Inuit group Pamyua, whose vocalizations, Yup’ik-language singing, chanting, humming and drumming were recorded remotely. He merged these elements with ethereal vocals from the London-based choral ensemble London Voices.
“With the music, I was looking for that deeper connection. In many ways, the music leans into James Belmont’s (Brad Pitt) emotional struggle. It felt like a spiritual journey as he encounters something beyond himself and his own beliefs. In addition, as war veterans, James and his service dog, Odin, were both living with recurring PTSD.”
The story is exceptionally moving by itself. But add to that Fry’s clever combination of classical compositions and the native energy from Pamyua (Yup’ik-Inuit musical group from Anchorage in Alaska), and the rest is plucked heartstrings and waterworks. We had a quick chat with Ayer about his direction last week, and it was great to carry on the conversation with Jared about the score.
Enjoy this chat with Jared on this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience!
LAKESHORE RECORDS RELEASES HEART OF THE BEAST —
MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
AVAILABLE DIGITALLY & IN ATMOS ON SEPTEMBER 25
