Details of Extinction by Sergio Moure (Exclusive Interview)

¡YOU CAN ALSO READ THIS ARTICLE IN ITS ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: SPANISH!

After more than a year of hard work, the project comes to its end, and finally this August, specifically August 14th, the film Extinction (formerly known as Welcome to Harmony) opens in Spain. Those lucky enough to live in the United States, have already been able to enjoy it, as it made its debut July 31st.

From AsturScore we have been covering the process followed by the music of the film, through various articles:

• The assignation of the soundtrack to composer Sergio Moure.

• The end of the composition of the soundtrack.

• Recording the soundtrack by the Orchestra of Cordoba in Spain.

• The special visit we made to the mixing studio, where we met composer Sergio Moure and engineer Jose Vinader.

And now, with this article announcing the release of the soundtrack, we are closing a cycle that began back in December 2013.

The soundtrack will be released by Varèse Sarabande next August 14th, coinciding with the Spanish premiere of the film. The digital edition of the soundtrack will be available first, and it’s expected to have a physical CD release later during the year (date yet unspecified).

Extinction is directed by Miguel Angel Vivas and written by Miguel Angel Vivas and Alberto Marini, based on the bestseller by Juan de Dios Garduño «Y pese a todo».

With a cast including Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan, Quinn McColgan, Clara Lago and Valeria Vereau among others, the film is set in Harmony, a small mountain village in Maine (USA). There, two old friends, Patrick and Jack, and his daughter Lu, survive after the almost complete disappearance of human life from the face of the earth, due to a terrible infection, that has turned most of the inhabitants on the planet into wild creatures without intellect.

In order to succeed, both will be forced to put aside personal grudges that have separated them for many years, if they want to survive to a problem they considered forgotten, but that’s returning to chase them.

In the following link, we can watch the official trailer of the film, and listen to excerpts of its music:

Regarding the digital edition of the soundtrack, this is the track list that is planned to be on it. A total of 25 tracks that lead to a duration of 67 minutes and 15 seconds [BEWARE – POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THE TRACKLIST]

As we already told in our previous articles and now we can confirm from the duration of the digital edition, Extinction’s soundtrack contains a lot of music, more than usual, and consists of symphonic orchestration and a good dose of electronics. According to Sergio Moure, at structural level, the soundtrack is made considering three emotional levels, much like layers, that tell the different underlying levels of the story. It has a rhythmic base, a dramatic layer overlying the previous one, and an emotional layer uniting the whole.

Before going with the interview that Sergio Moure has given us with the occasion of the publication of the soundtrack, we want to thank Sergio Moure and Beth Krakower for their help in preparing this article, and we wish Sergio luck with this movie and with his music, since it represents his first approach to the American market.

May this be the first of many more!!

INTERVIEW WITH SERGIO MOURE

1. After many months waiting, the moment to publish the music for «Extinction» has finally come. How would you summarize the process followed by the music, from its conception to its release in digital format on August 14th?

It was a really intense and exciting process; Miguel Angel Vivas is a director who has a very clear concept of the role that the music has to play in his films. So it was very easy to get along with him. I prepared and sent models and mockups to him, who always helped me with his comments, so everything flowed in the desired direction. Then came all the recording process, which in this case was with the Orchestra of Cordoba in Spain, that I have heard a few months before in the Festival. I found it was an orchestra of great level that carried out (from my point of view), a magnificent performance of the score. The mixing of the soundtrack, like the recording, was made by Jose Vinader, with whom I have worked in over 10 films and from whom I always learn something new.

2. How would you define the soundtrack you’ve composed for Extinction? What is the audience going to find?

The music in this film moves on different emotional levels as the story evolves, apart from those moments of genre film music, you have the adversarial relationship between the two protagonists and the world surrounding the child, that we could say is the center of the story, and that, had to be described, accompanied and set with the music.

3. We assume that in such a long and complex process, many anecdotes occur. Can you tell us one anecdote you think it’s interesting about the soundtrack?

An interesting anecdote was a conference we held on 5 ends to share opinions and thoughts on the soundtrack; producers from various parts of the United States, the Spanish producer, the director and me. It was very enriching, because each part brought different views and approaches to the film and to the music, and with that implication, I think the final result was much better.

4. What do you think of the rise of digital editions versus traditional CD format? Have you thought of editing other works (even minor ones) you have out there «waiting in the drawer» using this option?

I think it’s a natural evolution. In this case, I am lucky that my soundtrack is going to be edited and distributed by Varese Sarabande, because it’s a company of great prestige and recognition. In addition, the soundtrack will also come out in physical format later this year.

Regarding publishing previously unedited soundtracks, I think I am privileged, because they all have been published in physical and digital format by Nuba Records, and I don’t have any works “waiting in the drawer”.