I have the immense pleasure today of welcoming a very special guest, composer David Michael Frank, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. David has composed the score for many motion pictures over the years such as CODE OF SILENCE, A DIFFERENT STORY [my review of the film can be found here] HARD TO KILL, SUBURBAN COMMANDO, POISON IVY, SNAPSHOTS, OUT FOR JUSTICE, THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB, ABOVE THE LAW, and I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA, for just a few examples. David has also contributed to the soundtracks of other pictures including FORREST GUMP, THE MASK, and METEOR MAN. In this interview David will be discussing when he first discovered his love of music, his work on A DIFFERENT STORY, film and television scoring, and winning the Chandler International Film Festival for SNAPSHOTS in 2019.
Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS David!
Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a musician?
David: I started piano lessons when I was about 8 or 9 years old. At the same time, I enrolled in a children’s acting workshop. At age 12, I decided I didn’t have enough time to pursue both of these avenues. So, I quit acting to concentrate on music.
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Athan: Where did you study music?
David: I studied piano 6 years with a private teacher. Then, my last 3 years of high school, I studied at the preparatory department of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, which was located in my home town of Baltimore. I next spent a summer in Paris studying piano, and then 4 years at Northwestern University, where I received a Bachelor of Music degree.
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Athan: Your score for A DIFFERENT STORY complemented the visuals in an appealing and relaxed manner, enhancing the picture’s thoughtful tone. Being your first score, how did it feel to see your music in the completed movie?
David: It was quite exciting to see the final product. I was so intensely wrapped up in this film that I was quite unable to wrap my head around the fact that the film was not a hit. I thought the film would be my calling card, my career would instantly take off, and I would be able to continue scoring features. However, it took me an entire year to get my next scoring assignment, and it was for a TV series.
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Athan: A DIFFERENT STORY was directed by Paul Aaron, who also directed the motion pictures A FORCE OF ONE, DEADLY FORCE, MAXIE, and MORGAN STEWART’S COMING HOME. What was the experience of working with Mr Aaron in A DIFFERENT STORY?
David: Paul was quite talented and easy to work with. However, I made the mistake of taking him too literally at his word. When discussing the sound of the score, I would ask him something along the lines of, “Do you hear strings?” And, he would say he didn’t. The same thing happened with woodwinds and brass. So, I felt very trapped in the instrumentation. If I had experience working with directors, I would have realized Paul meant that he didn’t hear a large orchestra. The film was rather intimate. A small string section would have sounded lovely. And some poignant woodwinds, like flute, clarinet, or English horn, would have worked wonderfully against a small string ensemble. Perhaps a solo cello would have worked. But, taking him too literally at his word, I used electronic representations of these instruments instead of the real thing, along with a real piano and other keyboard sounds. Four years later, I scored another film for Paul, MAID IN AMERICA. This time I was able to really achieve my goals and was also able to utilize a nice-sized orchestra. It’s one of my favorite scores.
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Athan: You have composed the scores of many motion pictures as mentioned previously, but also, a multitude of television work. Some of the television shows which have featured your music are The Bad News Bears, Foul Play, Mork & Mindy, The Magical World of Disney, Columbo, Jack & Jill, and BrainSurge. In looking back at your oeuvre, was there a score or music piece which proved demanding initially, but, on the other hand, most satisfying personally for the end result?
David: Every score is demanding initially because I find it difficult to come up with a hook on how I’ll score the film. Once I’ve figured that out, the main stumbling block is gone. I guess my score that was initially demanding, but ended up being most satisfying, is COSMIC VOYAGE. This 35-minute IMAX film is basically a science lesson exploring the relationships of size, from the tiniest particles inside atoms to the entire known universe. The key to me which unlocked the best way to score the film, came from the director’s choice of narrators. Usually, these kinds of IMAX films had your typical booming, narrative voice. However, the director made the incredibly wise decision to go with a warm, folksy, voice. And, who better to exemplify that style than Morgan Freeman! Hearing Morgan narrate the film made me realize that the score needed a similar approach. Instead of the more intricate, electronic-based, sequence driven score that would fit the math and science, I decided to write a beautiful, classical score with a large orchestra. There are sections of the score that I was able to pretend I was either Tchaikovsky, Leonard Bernstein, or Aaron Copland. I think this score is musically my favorite because of how melodic it is.
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Athan: In 2019 you won the Jury Prize for Best Original Score at the Chandler International Film Festival for SNAPSHOTS. What was the experience for you winning the award?
David: I didn’t expect to win this, because I’ve been disappointed every other time I’ve been nominated for something. I wish I had been there personally to collect the award.
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Athan: There are so many great film scores it can be difficult to hone it down to one example. As a film spectator, is there a movie score which is your favorite?
David: My answer comes with a qualifier. Speaking just musically, I think Leonard Bernstein’s score to ON THE WATERFRONT is without equal. Just listen to the suite he recorded containing all of the main themes. Amazingly, it’s the only film score he ever wrote. (Obviously, I’m not including West Side Story, because that’s a musical, and was just transferred from the theater.) As for ON THE WATERFRONT, I need to add a qualifier. The score is way too busy at times. Bernstein probably didn’t realize how delicately one needs to write music under dialogue scenes. There is a scene between Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint on a rooftop. Since it takes place outdoors, there is already a great deal of ambient noise. The music under this scene is so dense, it could only be played at an extremely low volume. It was amazing music, but not right for the moment. But musically, the score is brilliant. The final scene, with Brando leading the workers into the factory, is one of the most powerful moments in all of film, thanks to Brando and Bernstein. Some of my other favorite film scores include TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, SCHINDLER’S LIST, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, CHINATOWN, BASIC INSTINCT, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, and RUDY.
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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?
David: I recently scored a documentary entitled CELEBRATING LAUGHTER: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF COLIN HIGGINS. Colin was an extremely gifted writer and director. He wrote HAROLD AND MAUDE while attending UCLA film school. He followed this up with writing SILVER STREAK. He then wrote and directed FOUL PLAY, 9 TO 5, and BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS. Sadly, he died in 1988 from AIDS at the young age of 47. The documentary includes wonderful interviews with many of the stars of his films, including Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn, Dudley Moore, Charles Durning, and Colin himself. Hopefully, the film will have a theatrical release in the near future, or be available on one of the streaming platforms.
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Thank you so much today for your time David, and for the insight you have provided into the art of music, A DIFFERENT STORY, film and television scoring, and the Chandler International Film Festival. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.
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David Michael Frank links
+David’s website: davidmichaelfrank.com
+David Michael Frank IMDb page
