When a videogame is released, all you ever see are the graphics and screenshots of the game, because people know that graphics sell. Oftentimes it seems that the sound work of a videogame is overlooked, or not given the attention it deserves. But imagine taking your favorite game, one that really set your heart racing or had you emotionally invested in it, and try playing the game with everything muted – it would be a very dull world perhaps, and without the musical influences of the game you just might not find yourself caring as much. Recently, Killer Betties got to interview Winifred Phillips, one of the top female videogame composers in the industry, who has worked on such games as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Da Vinci Code, and was even rewarded for her contribution to the first God of War game. With the Shrek The Third game – her most recent game composing work - hitting stores today, we talked with Winifred to hear about her work in the gaming industry.

What's your musical background and how did you get into music composing?

I’m a classically-trained musician and vocalist, and music composing was something I’ve always wanted to do. I learned the most about the art and craft of writing music during my ten years as the composer of the “Radio Tales” music-drama series on National Public Radio. The series adapted classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories using wall-to-wall music. “Radio Tales” was my first job as a composer, and my first opportunity to work with award-winning music producer Winnie Waldron. I scored over a hundred dramas, including “War of the Worlds”, “Beowulf” and “The Pit and the Pendulum”, among many others. I’m very proud of the four GRACIE Awards I won for my work on “Radio Tales”. The awards were given by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, so they really mean a lot to me. A few years ago “Radio Tales” ended original production and made a very successful transition to XM Satellite Radio, which now broadcasts the series to more than seven million XM subscribers. Winnie and I formed our own music production company, Generations Productions LLC, and we started creating and producing music for the video game industry.

How did your first videogame composing come about?

I submitted a music demo to Victor Rodriguez. Victor is now the head of music at THQ, but then he was music supervisor with Sony Computer Entertainment America. After he heard my demo he called me to let me know he really liked my work, and wanted to meet with me. We had a great meeting, and he hired me to join the “God of War” music team as a composer and vocalist.

You've had various composing jobs, are all jobs approached the same, or is it dependent on the medium? For example, are the challenges of composing for a videogame different than anything else, and if so is there a reason why?

Video game composition is extremely demanding. A game composer needs to be much more technically savvy than a television or film composer. Video game music is interactive, and as such it is written in a non-linear fashion, often incorporating submixes and interchangeable sections that can be reorganized by the game engine itself in response to the state of gameplay at any given moment. A video game composer must be able to embrace the artistic and technical challenges that are imposed by the interactive nature of the medium. Also, the music in a video game is far more in the foreground of the experience than it is in a television program or a film. For example, in a movie fight scene, every punch is elaborately staged, every camera angle meticulously planned, and the pacing is set in stone. Filmmakers are at liberty to fill the movie’s soundscape with judiciously timed dialogue and lots of sound effects designed to amplify the experience. The music in a film is often pushed into the background, serving as a subtle cushion that supports all of these other audio elements. But in a game, there is no way to control the timing. A game player may take ten seconds to defeat an enemy in a fight sequence, or the player may take several minutes. Music is what keeps the excitement going during a fight. This is doubly true during puzzle solving, platforming and exploration, when music plays a critical role in driving the momentum of the game. Game music, by its very nature, jumps forward and makes a strong impression.

What's a typical day like for you when you are on the job composing for a videogame specifically?

I start the day by studying reference materials that the developer provides. This usually consists of movie files containing gameplay captures, design documents, and sometimes early builds of the game. Once I’m finished getting familiar with the section of the game that I’ll be scoring that day, I sit down and start composing. I’ll usually finish the day pretty late, and sometimes I’ll be able to mix, master and submit the track to the developer that day.

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