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Nima Fakhrara Talks Girl in the Photographs Soundtrack, Throwback Scores and Evoking Emotions.

IMG_2274 (2) (1)*When shooting a horror film, or any film in general, one of the integral parts of setting the mood and atmosphere in particular scenes is getting the right backing scores to highlight the action on screen. The right soundtrack can seriously make or break a movie, something I’m quick to point out when reviewing independent features. You’ve got to have the right music… and you’ve got to have the write talent to create it. One of the brightest and up-and-coming stars in music production business is none other than Nima Fakhrara, the man completely left in charge of scoring Nick Simon’s The Girl in the Photographs, currently out all on VOD platforms.

Having watched The Girl in the Photographs myself, I can honestly say that Nima Fakhrara is one Hell of a composer and I think that he’s someone who has the talent and ingenuity to become an iconic composer up there with the likes of Harry Manfredini or John Carpenter. I know that some of his tracks have evoked emotion from me without a scene to play out along with them. I think you guys will thoroughly enjoy him, too. Check out our interview below where we talk about some of his inspirations and previous works, his processes when creating original tunes and his latest soundtrack to The Girl in the Photographs.

H: I think, when speaking with an artist in any medium, it’s important to understand what inspired that artist’s talent. Who do you credit for sparking your interest in music and sound and where did you hone your skills in this area of production?
N: First off thanks for having me… I started at a very young age in the field of music. I started training in Persian classical music at the age of five. Once I moved to the US my interest in “Western Music” peeked. I didn’t grow up in a musical family at all, but my mom and dad were the ones that encouraged me to play and learn music. I was introduced to orchestral music when I was in Washington DC. Being involved in multiple orchestras as a percussionist and as a composer, it allowed me to view the non-Persian classical music world in a different way.  Once I decided I wanted to pursue music as a career, I moved to Los Angles to continue my studies in music and later on film compositions.

H: Looking over your IMDB real quick, you’ve kind of done it all – assistant to the computer, music mixer, executive music producer, technical score assistant, and, of course, lead composer. You’re obviously pretty knowledgeable in this field. Would you ever consider teaching it?
N: I started as an intern for many highly respected composers and I have moved up chain. Currently I house interns in my studio and sort of walk them through the trenches as needed. I am very thankful to many of my teachers and mentors in my path especially in the film-composing world. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with Christopher Beck for my first job in the industry on a short period of time as an intern, and I consider him as one of my very first mentors/teachers in this world. I was once a student and I believe I have the responsibility to pass my knowledge on.

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H: I also listened to some of your original tracks on SoundCloud. Holy crap, man. I think it’s a fair assertion that you’re far from a one trick pony! Your scores are amazing.  “I Changed” was sad yet soothing; “Last Kill” was very much an 80’s throwback; “God Phoenix” could fit in with any Hollywood film about a journey… I’m awe-struck by your ability to convey moods. Is it ever difficult for you to channel an emotion you may not be feeling at the time for the sake of creation?
N: All the time actually! But fortunately I have been able to train myself to be a slave to whatever media I am working with. I am very disciplined to have set hours for writing. I was a victim of waking up at really strange times at night and having melodies and ideas floating but I have tried to train those spurts, if you will. In respect to the music that I write, it is really more on the media I am working on and how it conveys its emotions. I am a storyteller, and even for me I have my dull story telling moments, it might take me ten seconds to tell the story or perhaps forty minutes, but at the end I will tell it somehow.

H: As this is a horror film website, you previously composed tracks for Lost Lake (2012), Exists (2014) and last year’s big release The Pyramid. In your opinion, how does scoring a horror film differ from scoring a film in any other genre?
N: Scoring horror films can be the same or very different then other genres. Especially in the world of modern filmmaking there is a lot o cross genre projects we see. In respect to horror films we cross to the genre of thriller many times. For me, the way I usually approach any film no matter the genre is to create the correct atmosphere for the project. If I do that correctly, I am able to convey the horror or the angst necessary to be able to manipulate the audience’s emotions as the filmmaker perceived and wanted. The story telling stand point doesn’t change from different genres but with horror, within the music you can play around with the audiences emotions a bit more.

H: I see that you worked on Capcom’s Resident Evil 2: Revelations video game! Are you a video game player and have you previously played any of the other Resident Evil video games?
N: I am a huge gamer and I play video games often. It allows me to step in to a different world for a bit. As far as RE2, I was a very big fan of the franchise and I played all the previous games. It was great fun to be able to be a part of the franchise especially as I am a fan.

H: The video on your website shows you created scores for the game – with some traditional instruments, but also with a lot of non-traditional equipment like rusted metals and water. I assume there’s a lot of experimentation that goes with this. How do you think of using such interesting and original materials to create sound?
N: One of my goals for every project is to create a unique color palate in order for the music to be a part of the project. I like creating and building custom instruments in order to be able to play them organically verses creating those sounds with a computer. It allows the sounds that I hear to be created in a physical form.  I like experimenting a lot with this world. For RE2 I knew we wanted the rust, water and whatever the environment dictated. So for that reason I created the ICE QUEEN. I experimented with the idea of resonations in combination with vibration via dried ice and metal.

H: The Girl in the Photographs is currently in select theaters and on VOD courtesy of Vertical Entertainment. Let’s just get the big question out of the way first, how does it feel knowing you scored the very last Wes Craven movie before his untimely death?
N: It is bitter sweet and of course a great privilege. Being a fan of his work and to be able to work with him was an honor. I thank my good friend Nick Simon for allowing me to compose the music for it.

H: Lakeshore Records released the film’s soundtrack on April 29, 2016 and you worked on all 24 tracks. For people who have yet to see the film, why should they still head over to iTunes and download the album? Does it still manage to convey a strong story in itself?
N: Absolutely! It is very much a throw back to the old ways of horror/thriller films. It has a actual story and it has some amazing kills in it! As far as the music is concerned just like the film, it is a throw back type of score. It has melodies and many different experiments that can be heard. I had the chance to record a string quartet, but not your traditional string quartet. I recorded four Cellos and had them play in their extreme registers playing violin parts. So the angst and discomfort is heard via that.

H: Where do you see yourself headed next in your career? What is the next challenge you’d like to tackle in the field of music composition and production?
N: I have been involved in projects in multiple genres and would love to continue and be able to do that by telling a unique story, but one thing that excites me the most is the app world. I have been working and developing a music app in the past year, which hopefully will be released in the future. In the world of composition I would like to be challenged and continue working with amazing filmmakers.

*Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Nima!

If you’re on the East Coast like I am, then you’re in for a long, rainy Mother’s Day weekend. Why not get the family together for your own viewing of The Girl in the Photographs (it’s on all VOD outlets) and put the soundtrack on repeat for the next few hours as you continue your indoor activities and celebrations. It’s the perfect bonding atmosphere for the horror-centric family!

Also, don’t forget to check out Nima’s work:

Official Site: https://www.nimafilmmusic.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nima-fakhrara
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nima-fakhrara/id399952244
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2739482/

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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