LOLITA: My first contact with Shirley Walker was via the phone. I really enjoyed a score that she had composed for and episode of "Cagney & Lacey". I researched her number and called her out of the blue. A few years later I met her on the scoring stage at Warner Brothers.

MICHAEL: I met Shirley through her husband, Don, whom I knew through my work with Mike Lang (a top-call LA session pianist/synthesist). I was working as Mike Lang's personal assistant and Don was working on the complex wiring setup for Mike's vast racks of synthesizers. Don and I struck up a friendship over a period of a couple of years, and one day we were talking about things we did outside of work. I told him about my ambitions and education as a film composer and he told me about his family, including his wife Shirley who was already a well-respected composer in town. He offered to pass my composition demo to Shirley so that I could get her feedback. Several months after that, I received a surprise call from Shirley asking me to work with her on the Batman series, and we met each other shortly after that.

KRIS: I played the double bass in the University of North Texas Orchestra, and my music stand partner was one of Shirley's sons, Ian. I came out to visit him during a break from school and he introduced me to her on the soundstage at Sony Studios while she was conducting a huge scoring session. Talk about being awestruck!

DMP: It was directly as a result of our work on B: TAS that the three of us met. Lolita and Michael met as two of the first composers Shirley was working with at the beginning of her quasi-mentorship program on the series. Later, Kristopher joined the growing group of composers near the end of the first 52 episodes and after that point we three were all being called back regularly to work with Shirley and became friends in the process.

DMP: It was never "a given" or assumed that we would be working with Shirley on any of her projects, including the ongoing episodic work that she was assigning to us. It was very important not to take her generosity for granted, and we considered every assignment individually. It only feels like a long collaboration in retrospect; we were very much "in the moment" when we were working with her on her projects.

DMP: Originally the three of us worked together by default. Shirley kept us working on the same projects. When Shirley stepped away from animation to concentrate on composing for feature films, the three of us decided to keep pursuing work as a team.

DMP: With ever-tightening post production schedules, a lot of scoring in Hollywood is done by teams, even when it isn't necessarily advertised as such. We had already been working together unofficially for several years, and we found the idea of three composers equally sharing the work as a unit very appealing.

DMP: All three of us are mindful of the concept of "giving back" to the music community. On several occasions we have given seminars and participated in panels on film music/music for animation. We do receive requests to meet with young composers, especially students fresh out of college. When our schedule permits we individually meet with up-and-coming composers for a cup of coffee or lunch, basically just sharing whatever insights we might have.

DMP: I don't believe that any of us ever considered "super hero scoring" a career path; we literally happened into this niche of scoring without realizing it! There are many things about the styles of music and story content that make the super hero genre a really wonderful palette for creativity. We are constantly challenging and reinventing ourselves to bring freshness and an original sound to each project.

DMP: Yes; both Michael and Lolita were working in an array of jobs in the film music world at the time we met Shirley. We had accumulated a fair amount of orchestration credits on feature films and television projects. Kris came on to the scene to work for Shirley, driving out from Texas to take a job as her assistant.

DMP: Each project is a bit like a child; we certainly could not choose a favorite. In general terms, any time we have worked on a project where a feeling of mutual respect is in the air the experience has been very rewarding. Collaborating with producers/directors who have hired us because they want our creative stamp on their project is really fulfilling.

DMP: It's just impossible to choose. We can certainly say that each show has brought with it wonderful opportunities and unique challenges for new approaches. We love them all!

DMP: And it's sold out already! We are certainly as excited as the fans to see this music finally released. We support all efforts to get our scores out there, and look forward to more volumes if they are eventually produced. Keep those letters coming to Warner Bros. letting them know how much these scores are wanted!

DMP: When we sit down to spot the episode there may be certain scenes that appeal to one particular composer, but in general we just evenly split up the cues that need to be written. One of us may be following a particular villain, in which case those cues would be assigned to that composer. Our goal is to create a seamless score with a unified vision and voice for each project.

DMP: We feel that scoring today is a much different career than it was in decades past. Music has a much different role in motion pictures and television now that sound design has become such a presence in the totality of a production. So, the music must play the appropriate role in conveying the story within this modern context. Also, the relationship between studios and composers has changed dramatically. There are no more staff composers, and music supervisors are now asked to spend their time on the arduous task of licensing existing songs for use in the picture, so their relationships are mostly with the record industry rather than underscore composers. The needs of the production will be serviced according to the demands of the free market/viewing public, so realistically speaking, there is always a balance between the quality of scoring and the treatment of composers based on these demands.

DMP: The dream lives on to score an epic Hollywood live-action film with a great story, beautiful scenery and a huge budget for an acre of live musicians!

DMP: Absolutely. We really enjoyed the process of scoring "Broke Sky" and "Dangerous Calling" together, and we're looking forward to the next opportunity to do so again.

DMP: Thank you, Justin, and thanks everyone for listening!