One of this holiday season's most anticipated film releases is Wicked, the cinematic adaptation of the beloved 2003 Broadway musical. Crowds flocked to theaters over the Thanksgiving weekend, marking a record-breaking period for Hollywood theatrical releases. Jonathan Beard, a lecturer at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, served as one of the supervising orchestrators for the film's music. Alongside his team, he also contributed to the song arrangements. The Original Motion Picture Score of Wicked will be released by Verve Records on Friday, December 6. We had the opportunity to sit down with Beard and discuss his artistic process, how Wicked compares to his other projects, and the challenges of orchestrating for a film with a dedicated fan base.

How to Land a Gig Like Wicked

Jonathan Beard's orchestration partners, Henri Wilkinson and Edward Trybek, follow a general philosophy: "strive to be on each list." When a composer reaches out for recommendations and if they are on multiple lists or have multiple endorsements, it increases their chances of getting hired. In the case of Wicked, they were recommended from multiple sources and set a meeting with the composer, John Powell.During the meeting, John Powell wanted to get to know his orchestration team and have them get to know him as well. He was looking for musical minds he could trust and who had opinions and could make decisions. It was a get-to-know-you talk that also delved into music, which was a lot of fun for these music enthusiasts. The meeting lasted all afternoon, and it was clear that Powell was in charge but valued the input of his team.

The Work on the Film

The job of Beard and his team was to take John Powell's finished demos of the instrumental cues in the underscore and prepare them for a symphony orchestra to execute flawlessly. The underscore is the music that fills the dramatic space between songs. While it is influenced by the songs, Wicked's status as a huge musical property adds a layer of complexity. Steven Schwartz, the composer of the original Broadway musical, was also heavily involved in the film.Film scores have several differences from original Broadway musical scores. With a film, you have a larger orchestra and more tools at your disposal to create grand and epic music. You can also incorporate different types of dramatic storytelling that are not possible on a stage show, which leads to the need for new underscore. For example, in a film, you can have close, personal interactions between characters that add subtleties to the story. In total, there was more than 90 minutes of newly composed score for the film.

Comparing to Other Projects

Jonathan Beard has worked on various composition projects, including documentaries. One major difference is the scale. Working on Wicked involved hundreds of people, while documentaries often have complicated subject matter but on a smaller scale. However, the function of music remains the same - to deepen the emotional connection to the story. Whether it's a quiet documentary or a big film like Wicked, the music is a partner in guiding the audience through an emotional journey.Some people may think film music is manipulative, but Beard believes it's about storytelling and execution. A sensitive and carefully crafted documentary can benefit greatly from the dramatic guide that music provides. And in a project as big as Wicked, masters of the craft like Schwartz and Powell bring the audience along on an epic emotional journey.