Film on Vinyl: Inside the Recording Studio

Science-fiction is one of the hardest genres in cinema to pull off, let alone pull off well. More often than not, sci-fi films end up feeling very generic, with flimsy stories and laughable characters. Every once in awhile though, a filmmaker will come along and bring us a science-fiction opus that completely reinvents the genre. Ridley Scott did it twice with “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” John Carpenter did it with “The Thing,” the Wachowskis did it with “The Matrix” and, in 2009, Neill Blomkamp did it with “District 9.”

This inventive work not only gave us a different spin on the alien film but also introduced the world to one of sci-fi’s most unique and powerful soundtracks. So, to celebrate SpaceLab 9's release of the "District 9" soundtrack, Clinton Shorter was nice enough to allow me to pick his brain and dig a little deeper into the mind of one of Hollywood’s most talented composers.

FoV: At what point did you realize that you wanted to be a musician? Was composing for film, television and commercials always your goal?

CS: I realized I wanted to be a musician through fear, actually. I had to choose an elective in high school, and it was either drama or guitar. Well, I was terrified of speaking in front of groups, so it was guitar by default. I went from an honour roll student to a music-room junkie. I was writing my own tunes from the get-go as I was never interested in playing cover tunes. I hadn’t really thought about writing for film and television; I was mostly interested in revolving instrumental music around my guitar solos, ha ha ha. I never thought about it until years later.

FoV: What is your favorite score for a sci-fi film? Why?

CS: I would have to go with Vangelis’ score for “Blade Runner.” It’s as original as the film.

FoV: Now to get down to the topic at hand: SpaceLab 9 is about to release your score to “District 9” on vinyl, and I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I’m pretty excited. What are your feelings on the upcoming release?

CS: I’m really excited to have more of the score released, and having it on vinyl is extra special. It was my call to release the original 30-minute version and the only reason why it was so short was because I was sick of hearing it after all that time, ha ha ha. I’ve had time to reflect and I’m glad the rest is coming out. I hope the fans of the film are as well.

FoV: Everything about the release looks amazing: double LP, additional eight bonus tracks of previously unreleased original score on top of the original 11 tracks, a double-sided insert, and the list goes on. What is your favorite element of the vinyl release?

CS: The fact that it’s on vinyl, for one, and all the artwork is really cool, plus I get to go turntable shopping.

FoV: How did the idea of re-releasing the soundtrack on vinyl come about? Did the brains behind SpaceLab 9 seek you out or the other way around?

CS: A few months after the original release, I let Sony know that I had another 20 minutes that probably should have been on there, so if something came up down the road, the material was ready. Well, they reached out to me earlier this year to ask what I thought about a double vinyl release. Of course, I was more than excited.

FoV: Are you a fan of vinyl? If so, what is the prize piece in your collection?

CS: I used to have a decent collection of vinyl a few years back but got rid of it all. It was mostly ’50s and ’60s jazz trios. I’m a little worried that I might be opening a can of worms with this album, and a turntable purchase is on the horizon.

FoV: Do you think more soundtracks should be released on vinyl?

CS: I think it’s a great idea, if not just for the artwork. I noticed SpaceLab 9 release a limited edition “Breaking Bad” in blue vinyl, so I love that they’re having fun with it as well.

FoV: What I loved so much about your score is how much it felt like its own character. How did you approach scoring the film?

CS: It was a bit of a weird one as the first act and part of the second was like a documentary. Neill didn’t want this part scored in a way that hit cuts, had themes or danced around dialogue. He wanted it to be like it was a needle drop. As the film became more cinematic, I was able to score more traditionally. This actually helped a lot with my limited budget, as I didn’t need to use orchestra until later in the film.

FoV: How did your process on “District 9” differ from your process on some of your other work, such as “2 Guns” or “Pompeii”?

CS: Those films, although polar opposites from one another, were both approached from a traditional scoring perspective. “2 Guns” had one buddy motif whereas “Pompeii” had a few themes.

FoV: Who are some of your favorite composers?

CS: Thomas Newman is at the top of the list for sure. I haven’t been on top of his career of late, but I couldn’t get enough of his scores back in the day.

FoV: What other projects do you have in the works?

CS: I’m just in the middle of scoring season for of “House of Lies” on Showtime, and it’s a ton of fun.

Make sure to check out the fine folks at SpaceLab 9 and their beautiful vinyl soundtracks. You won't regret it. As always, make sure you’re using the appropriate cartridge. Remember to always spin responsibly.