Michael Coleman, of SoundWorks Collection, has taken us behind the scenes of both the music and sound design for many big films, but most recently he took a look at the production of the score for Star Trek: Into Darkness. While that film has received its fair share of fans and detractors, the score itself is particularly interesting as it develops new themes and builds off the previous material. Check out the fantastic BTS video with Music Conductor and Orchestrator Tim Simonec below.


Here's a little bit about Tim from the SoundWorks site that I thought was really amazing:

All was moving along well until March of 1984. After experiencing debilitating numbness in his hands and a painful, stiff neck, Tim was diagnosed with a tumor on his cervical spinal cord. The operation to remove the tumor resulted in Tim becoming a quadriplegic. He was told he would never walk again. After thousands of prayers, the support and love of the woman who became his wife, and great determination, Tim learned to walk again. In medical terms, he is that rare phenomenon, a walking quadriplegic. He also regained partial use of his hands and is able to conduct orchestras.

Tim's days at the keyboard were over but he knew he could compose, hopefully with the newest technology...the Apple computer! In 1986, he returned to pursue his passion and career in film music, which he continues to this day.

It's pretty inspiring to know how much he's gone through and see him working at such a high level. It's also interesting that he mentioned even though J.J. Abrams plays a role in the creation of the score, he still has to be a collaborator and trust that those he has hired will do what's best for the film. In the end it's really up to the sound people in the editing room to find the best fit for the score, so there is yet another layer of collaboration that must happen even after the music has been recorded.

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