Interview with Alone in the Dark Composer Olivier Deriviere

OCMS: Music is now an integral part of any visual story, but in games it is more interactive.  When a creature comes out of the mist, the music alone is enough to make your heart skip a beat.  How do you pull this off effectively?
Deriviere: The way you compose for games, to me, may appear close to film scores but it is not. First of all, you don’t compose the music at the end of a project but at the same time. It’s a really different approach. As the game evolves you have to adapt you score depending on time constraints, memory or even radical changes. This is why you have to be very careful when you decide to start scoring a level. For AITD I tried not to rush the process but I was talking a lot to all the game designers and level designers to make sure they won’t “forget” the music. At the end it is very exhausting but it’s very rewarding when you see the result.

OCMS: How many hours a day did you spend in the studio perfecting the tracks?
Deriviere: I was in my studio every day to write and mix the score and to get it ready for implementation. It was really intense and I had spend weeks without a day off, working 14 hours a day and trying not to avoid eating! I worked like this for almost 6 months…it was crazy but really great since I moved all my gear to Eden Games. I was there, with the team, being a real part of the creative direction.
OCMS: You teamed up with The Mystery of The Bulgarian Voices for this project.  What was it like using amazing talents like these to create such haunting pieces of work?
Deriviere: Working with such a talented choir is one of the best part of this experience. They were very concerned about the music and I was very nervous. But finally they liked the music and agreed to sing it. It was just incredible when I went to Sofia (Bulgaria) to record them. They were so perfect, so professional! I was very amazed each time they sung my music, not because I liked what I had composed but because they took the score to a whole new level I wasn’t expecting. It is great when you can feel the musicians take your music and make it that more special.

OCMS: What is the process for producing such original and hauntingly beautiful music so that it blends perfectly with the game play?
Deriviere: To tell the truth I wasn’t that confident when I proposed the choir idea to David Nadal.  When we started to implement the music to the gameplay I was very nervous. You almost wanted to say you have other ideas before seeing if this one works. But as we started playing the game with the music everyone, including me, was happy. It was a great day when I had implemented the music for the first driving sequence of the game. To succeed in this way, there is no secret; you have to be working as close as possible to the developer to make sure you’re composing the right music!

OCMS: If you could pick any other composer to work with, who would it be?
Deriviere: It’s a tough question. Since you said “any composer” I assume even those from a long time ago. I think it would be Shostakovich….or Roger Waters….or Peter Gabriel…..or Aphex Twin… Sorry, there are more than one!

OCMS: Will you continue working with games or do you have bigger plans?
Deriviere: I think composing for games is already a big plan and I hope I will go on writing for this exciting meidum! However, right now, I’ve been commissioned for composing a Mass and later an Opera. This is very challenging and very scary at the same time! One of my secret plans would be to work for a videogame where music and gameplay would be connected as never before!

I’d like to sincerely thank Olivier for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us.  We’re big fans of all aspects of gaming, and it’s always a thrill to work with those in the gaming industry.  You can find out more about Olivier and his new album from these links:

www.olivierderiviere.com
www.milanrecords.com
www.centraldark.com