Alexandra Patsavas on the music of Twilight

Music has always been an essential factor for Twilight, with the author Stephenie Meyer having been inspired to write the series while listening to some. Thus its no wonder that getting the right music for the films is also crucial. On hand for the job is Alexandra Patsavas, who has provided the perfect music for popular soaps in Hollywood such as the hit Gossip Girl.

Alexandra talked to Spin Magazine on how she picks the music for Twilight and some of the bands she is listening to. Here is an excerpt of her interview:

How you go about something like New Moon, which features original songs from so many artists who don’t often appear in projects this high-profile?
The work starts as soon as the script is finished and distributed. Chris Weitz, the director, had a very specific point of view about how he wanted the music to feel. There’s a lot of separation and longing and loss in the movie; the bands and lyrics and sound and arrangements had to reflect that. Some folks, like Lykke Li, the Killers, Grizzly Bear, OK Go, and Anya Marina all came into the cutting room and sat with Chris to watch the movie and talk about their contributions. Other tracks were submitted with the movie in mind. I think it’s very difficult to succeed without any context.

A lot of people were surprised by Thom Yorke’s inclusion. How did that come about?
A Radiohead song ["15 Step"] played over the end titles of Twilight, so we had a relationship. I believe this is the first soundtrack he’s been on in a long time, so that’s exciting. A lot of bands were interested in submitting great material, which helps a lot.

It does seem like music that the characters would actually listen to, which is certainly not always the case in soundtrack tie-ins.
I think the music has to be inspired by the characters’ lives, but it’s not always just used as source material—it’s used to score as well. Chris used the Bon Iver/St. Vincent track ["Rosyln"] and Thom Yorke track ["Hearing Damage"] in spots that would have traditionally been scored. I grew up in Chicago in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so those John Hughes movies were important to me. He created a world but also cleverly introduced mainstream kids to non-mainstream kids.

To read more of her interview, click on the link above.

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