Saw composer “intrigued” by doing movie concert with live orchestra

❘ Published: 2023-10-09T17:02:08

Lionsgate

Movie soundtracks have proven to be powerhouses off-screen as live orchestra events, with Saw and its infamous “Hello, Zepp” a worthy contender. Composer Charlie Clouser reveals his thoughts.

Over the past few years, movie fans have taken their love to the orchestra stage. Movies like Back to the Future, Harry Potter, and even horror classics like Psycho have had their soundtracks turned into immersive spectacles.

But what about other gruesome yet delightful horror franchises like Saw? Charlie Clouser has been the creative mind behind the franchise from the very beginning. He created ‘Hello, Zepp’ and the score for the latest installment, Saw X.

Clouser is tied to the franchise like a ball and chain. He gives his thoughts on Saw and John Kramer’s soundtrack taking center stage in a live orchestra in an exclusive Dexerto interview.

Would Charlie Clouser ever do a Saw live concert?

For the Saw franchise, Clouser admitted that many of the harrowing and dynamic sounds created for the soundtrack and score were made electronically or on the computer.

Fans have seen popular movie soundtracks come to life in a symphony of violins, drums, and more orchestra instruments. Clouser is intrigued by the idea of Saw being brought to a live orchestra. While it’s not something he’s thought too heavily about, it’s not an impossible mission.

“That’s an intriguing idea. And I love that. There’s that that’s become a trend, you know, with Hans Zimmer touring his repertoire and Danny Elfman, and of course, like the Game of Thrones tours that had gone on,” he said. “And I haven’t really pushed that matter, because so much of the music in the Saw movies is so electronically based, and is like the sound sculptures that I make in the computer out of recordings from my room and from wherever.”

“The idea of making some of that music legible, and listenable in a live performance format is a big, floating, flashing question mark in the air,” the Saw composer added. “But on the flip side, now that we’ve had so many movies, and so many score queues, it certainly would be possible to extract from that library, the selection of themes and music that aren’t just weird electronic sculptures, and that could be rendered in a live format.”

Clouser is happy with the new trend in live orchestra but hasn’t given it much thought for the Saw franchise. To add to it, the backends of making it work throws Clouser into a loop, “it terrifies me a little bit just because of the logistics of it all.”

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