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 Lolita Ritmanis has worked for such composers as Shirley Walker, Basil Poledouris, and Mark Snow, orchestrating and assisting on many well known film and television projects; residing in California she currently continues scoring various projects with her friends at Dynamic Music Partners.
How did you get involved with "Batman: The Animated Series"? Shirley Walker had been hired by Warner Bros. as the supervising composer for this series. She had a plan to pick a handful of composers to mentor. I had been working in the film music industry for several years as an orchestrator as well as a proofreader at the Disney and Warner Bros. music libraries. The head of the music library at Warner Bros. at the time was Joel Franklin. He, along with music contractor Patti Zimmitti, recommended me to Shirley. After Shirley heard my demo, she gave me a call and asked if I was interested in working on Batman. That is when I met Michael (McCuistion); we were Shirley's first apprentices! Do you have any memorable moments from your time on the show? The memorable moments are countless. The opportunity to compose music for such a highly crafted show was memorable on a daily basis. To work with Hollywood's "A-list" musicians, be mentored by Shirley, work on the craft of helping to tell a story through music, learn about the politics in the business, and forge life-long friendships with my colleagues all fall within the category of "memorable." What did you think of the show? I thought the show had a timeless quality to it. The stories were compelling, artwork amazing and the creative team as a whole cared a great deal about creating something classy, something that truly would withstand the test of time. It was a show that was not only entertaining to the targeted demographic but was also crafted in such a way that it appealed to all age groups. Was there a decision process that alloted the number of episodes you ended up scoring? Shirley was the boss and decided who would compose for which episode. What was an average scoring session like, and how much creative control did you have (since Walker was listed as the Music Supervisor most times)? Every time I sit down to write, I have creative control. No one else can be in control at that moment. To stay working in this business, I believe one has to soak up all the comments, requests and criticisms. The composer's job is to sort out all of the information and still remain true to the star of the show: the story. Music is there to support and subliminally escort the viewer on their journey as they immerse themselves in the plot. That being said, if my vision of what the story needed musically did not gel with what Shirley thought was needed I would make adjustments accordingly. We all tried to use the same vocabulary musically, thus giving the series a certain "sound." Shirley did not want us "copying" what she did, but rather she wanted us to focus on the needs of the particular episode. What was the scoring process like when working with two other composers (for instance, on the episode "Christmas With the Joker")? The process was fairly simple. The music cues were divided up fairly evenly and we each tackled our particular cues. Browsing your IMDB filmography, I see you worked with composer Basil Poledoris a few times as orchestrator. What was it like working with such a talented composer and how did you get the job? Greig McRitchie was Basil's principal orchestrator. The opportunity came through a series of events. Greig had "seen" a few of my scores on another project. He was swamped by the massive amount of work that needed to be done in a short amount of time. He asked me if I would be interested in helping out. We happened to be on the lot the same day, and the old "I was in the right place at the right time" came into play. Basil was working on "Free Willy 2" as well as "Under Siege 2." I don’t remember which one came first. It seemed as though one fell on top of the other schedule-wise. They needed help. I took the graveyard shift, basically sleeping by my fax machine, waiting for sketches from Basil for the next day's session. Greig was past the period in his life where he wanted to pull "all-nighters," yet the work had to get done. I was thrilled to be offered this opportunity. Once I would hear the fax machine click on, I would get to work immediately and fax the completed score pages as I finished them to the music library where the copyists would be waiting. Both Basil and Greig were extremely gracious and appreciative of my work. They brought me into their little music family. I worked on a indy film "Amanda" as well as "Celtic Pride" with Basil's team the following year. Same questions for your work with Mark Snow. A musician/music copyist by the name of Harold Garrett had been Mark's music copyist for years. I worked with Harold on a regular basis at Warner Brothers. Harold recommended me to Mark. Mark had attended Julliard, where he played in the same band with Michael Kamen. I worked for Michael Kamen on several films and Michael had recommended me to Mark as well as Harold. Mark was a blast to work for. He has a great sense of humor (very dry). He has a wonderful melodic sense, as well as a knack for balancing all of the politics involved in the business. I learned a great deal from him. For those unfamiliar with who you are, would you give us a little background on yourself? I was born in Portland, Oregon. I am an American-Latvian. Both of my parents were born in Latvia. The arts, especially music, are an integral part of our culture. I studied piano, guitar and flute as well as played and sang in both jazz and classical ensembles, performed in many concerts, and participated in many competitions. I composed my first song at age 11. After graduating Cleveland High School I moved to Los Angeles to attend the Dick Grove School of Music. That experience changed my life and my career goals. After completing the Composing and Arranging Program, as well as the Film Music Program, I began working in the film music industry. Amidst an array of "gigs" (playing weddings, night clubs, etc.) as well as working as a freelance arranger in LA, my first job at a major studio was working at the Disney music library. Later most of my work would be centered around Warner Brothers—the music library and scoring stage. I worked as an orchestrator on several TV series and eventually major films (for a list please visit our website at www.dynamicmusicpartners.com). Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you have? "Batman: The Brave and the Bold", "Ben 10: Alien Force" and "The Spectacular Spider Man" are the current and upcoming series that DMP is working on. 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. "Batman: The Animated Series" was a phenomenal way to cross over from being primarily known as an orchestrator to being a full time composer. To be given the opportunity to work as a composer is a gift I cherish to this day. Working film composers are a very elite group. I recognize that for every job I earn there are hundreds of composers waiting for a chance to break in to the business. It takes a lot of persistence, love for the craft and (of course) luck! PUBLISHED: February 19, 2009 |