 Kristopher Carter came to work for Shirley Walker and since then hasn't stopped, continually working on various film and television projects; residing in California he currently continues scoring various projects with his friends at Dynamic Music Partners.
How did you get involved with "Batman: The Animated Series"?
The opportunity to meet Shirley was arranged graciously by her son, Ian, who was a college classmate of mine. When I graduated, she offered me a chance to come to Los Angeles and work in an unofficial apprenticeship: fielding calls to her office, sending faxes, making coffee, and troubleshooting technical problems in her studio. From this vantage point, I was able to observe the composing and orchestrating work going on for "Batman." Eventually I was allowed to begin doing some orchestration, and finally some writing on the show as well.
Do you have any memorable moments from your time on the show?
The opportunity to work with an orchestra of some of the world's finest musicians on a regular basis was without a doubt my most indelible memory of the show.
What did you think of the show?
I was already a huge fan of the show even before I had the opportunity to join the team. It was the top choice in its time slot to watch on the TV of my college dorm common room, and was pretty much essential viewing among my friends. We all liked the dark complexity of the stories, the depth of the characters, and of course (we were music majors, after all), the incredible music!
What was the average scoring session like and how much creative control did you have (since Walker was listed as the Music Supervisor most times)?
As Supervising Composer, Shirley had to ensure the score to every episode was of the highest quality. While she allowed us to be creative and experiment in the initial sketching stages, she would ensure that in our enthusiasm we didn't commit any egregious errors with respect to either supporting the story or straying too far from the musical style established for the show.
Why didn't you end up scoring more episodes from the initial run, despite continuing on with all the other super hero animated series?
The series had already been in production for two years before I even graduated from college! Once I arrived in Hollywood, Shirley needed to become acquainted with my skill set and observe my ability to fit into her team process. When she had the confidence that I would be able to handle the job, things did move rather quickly as the production order was nearing completion. It was a huge privilege to continue on her team for the subsequent shows.
For those unfamiliar with who you are, would you give us a little background on yourself?
I grew up in San Angelo, a small city in West Texas. I began playing the piano at an early age, and in junior high I began studying other instruments as well: violin, trumpet, guitar, and the double bass. Around the same time my piano teacher encouraged me to try composing little pieces, and I became fascinated with the study of instrumentation and orchestration. I went to college at the University of North Texas, where I shared a music stand in the orchestra's double bass section with Shirley's son, Ian. After I earned my degree in classical composition, I came to Los Angeles and I've been here ever since.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you have?
Michael, Lolita and I are continuing to work on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" for Warner Bros., and "Ben 10: Alien Force" for Cartoon Network. Late this year I'll begin my third collaboration with director Gregg Bishop ("The Other Side" and "Dance of the Dead"), an independent action/comedy feature film called "Neighborhood Watch".
And lastly, if there are any comments you would like to make about your work on "Batman: The Animated Series", or anything else, please feel free.
Shirley was an individual rarely seen in Hollywood that was so willing to open doors for young composers and help them get established in the industry. "Batman" was the first major credit for so many people that worked on the show, and we are all tremendously indebted to her for that. Also, I couldn't be more happy to collaborate with Michael and Lolita on the series and movies that we work on together. They constantly inspire me and challenge me to explore new ways to approach film composition and I deeply appreciate that.
PUBLISHED: February 19, 2009 |
