We were able to make the music blend more seamlessly into the story
Yuki Kajiura
―― I heard that you wrote a lot of new music for the second season. How many new songs are there?
I wrote about 20 new songs. In the second season, of course, we used some of the songs I wrote for the previous season, but all the new songs were created using the "film scoring" method.
―― Oh, really!
We created the music for the first episode using the "film scoring" method, and I think they really liked it. But when I received the music menu for the second season, all the new songs were "film scoring" songs. I was a little taken aback (laughs). That's because creating music using "film scoring" is not only difficult for us, but the animation staff also have to work considerably ahead of schedule. So I think the staff must have been prepared for that when they created the music menu.
―― How does creating music through "film scoring" change it?
Many people might think that "film scoring" would result in more flashy songs, but I think the advantage is that it allows you to subdue the music. By "film scoring," you can match it to the drama, so you can make the music exciting in exciting scenes and drop it down when it needs to. This ability to drop the music is important. It's easy to make flashy, assertive music, but it's difficult to make music that subdues the drama. Especially in "Fate/Zero," which is mainly a battle of wits, there aren't many flashy scenes that last for a long time.
―― How do you compose music when you're doing "film scoring"?
I always have the video playing while I'm creating music. What I was really grateful for this time was being given video with dialogue. When there's dialogue, I can create music from the dialogue itself. I can even start the music at the moment the dialogue fades out, and there's also the tone of the dialogue to consider. Whether the dialogue is said in a surprised voice or quietly, that changes the song as well. Different voice actors have different vocal ranges and pitches, too. It's great that I can create music while taking all of that into consideration. You could say the dialogue is the lead and the background music is the accompaniment.
―― That's an interesting perspective.
When you watch the video, you can see the tricks of director Aoki (Ei) and the staff. I'd think, "I bet they want me to play a song like this during this part." It might just be my imagination or hunch, but I get the impression that they're either going to build up the excitement or drop it off abruptly. I feel like I'm being cleverly guided by the director (laughs) as I create the music.
―― I'm looking forward to watching the broadcast. What kind of scenes did you mainly write the new song for?
I was able to write new songs for almost every episode. The part where I wrote the most new songs was definitely Kiritsugu's past. The atmosphere of the story changes drastically there. I wrote new songs, including a tropical-sounding song and a sniper-like (laughs) song.
―― According to the original work, the second season will likely involve characters leaving the story in each episode. What are your thoughts on that?
That certainly is the impression I get. However, in "Fate/Zero," the characters make their exits in a cool manner, so the music doesn't really build up the excitement that much. Therefore, the musical style isn't meant to "make you cry," but rather to evoke a sense of "emptiness." We created that atmosphere by skillfully creating pauses and letting the music sink.
―― Were there any unexpected or surprising things that happened while you were composing this time?
There wasn't anything particularly surprising in the main story, but... what was surprising was the opening song. I was in charge of the opening song sung by Kalafina this time, but actually, the first song I made was a really dark one (laughs). To match the story of the second season, I enthusiastically (laughs) created a tragic, fast-paced, scary song. However, it seems the staff wanted to clearly convey "hope for tomorrow" in the opening. So I remade it, and it became the current "to the beginning." The ending song sung by Haruna Luna is also a gentle and warm song. I think the opening and ending songs convey "salvation." Looking back now, I think that was the right choice.
―― I understand that Kajiura-san's work is now complete. How do you feel about composing for this project?
When you're creating music, you don't really have much contact with the animation staff. But, as was the case with "the Garden of sinners" movie series, when you create music by film scoring, you get to communicate quite closely with the staff, which I was happy about. I'm cheering you on from afar!
―― Please tell us about the highlights of the second season, both in terms of what to watch and listen for.
Just like the music in the first season, I think it's best if the music is barely audible. The visuals, dialogue, and music should blend together seamlessly, so much so that you only notice the music playing without realizing it. The second season, in particular, has such a fast-paced drama that once you start watching, you absolutely won't be able to stop, so I hope you enjoy it to the fullest. No matter how much you look forward to it, you can never expect too much!
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Might be the 'suite' described here:
15 minute image suite just based on the novel??