From John Williams’ Superman theme to Danny Elfman’s Batman soundtrack, superhero themes have the potential to be among the most emotive and enduring film scores.
So, with the introduction of a brand new anti-hero and superhero team in DC’s latest outing Black Adam, Grammy Award-winning composer Lorne Balfe (Black Widow, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Top Gun: Maverick) had a significant undertaking ahead of him.
We recently sat down with the composer to discuss his approach to scoring the blockbuster, the inspiration behind the two main themes and star Dwayne Johnson’s involvement.
A new origins
Consisting of a mammoth 43 tracks, the Black Adam score is no mean feat. But from what viewpoint did the composer approach the task?
“To me, it’s about creating sonically, an experience for the listener of what they’re going to watch,” Balfe said.
Whilst filming was underway, the composer began writing with aids from visuals and storyboards, but research also played a key role. “Delving into the history of these characters, because the Justice Society pre-dates the Justice League, so there’s a big history to it. So you have to start diving deep.”
Capturing the essence of an anti-hero
How do you approach crafting a powerful theme for DCEU’s brand new anti-hero whilst also capturing the enormous screen presence of Dwayne Johnson? “The original idea I had was to take an essence of who The Rock is,” Balfe explained. “Initially I had thought of the piece as a marching band from American high school football teams, because he used to play football.”
But that original concept evolved to mirror the anti-hero’s’ journey, whilst also incorporating Johnson’s performance. “The main inspiration comes from what you see and when you see The Rock on the screen as Black Adam. There’s a menacing force there, and there’s a dark force too. So all the inspiration you need is there to tell you how it sounds. And it’s what his performance is – it’s dark and bombastic.”
“The theme is slowly building so that the fully finished presentation of it, you hear at the end,” Balfe said. “And it’s the same way that the character is developing throughout the film.”
Assembling the Justice Society
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Another challenge arose in introducing the typically Golden Age DC superhero team the Justice Society with a contemporary theme which also referenced their nostalgic roots.
“We wanted to make sure that the audience felt connected to the tune and that it reminded them of the past, so that you felt that you knew the Society and that you felt that you knew this world before,” Balfe explained. “But we were trying to get that blend of the past, but also being contemporary – that was the goal.”
He added: “We didn’t want to do the usual approach of that classical old school sound, we wanted [the score] to kind of feel contemporary throughout.”
Crafting Kahndaq’s sonic environment
While Black Adam’s comic counterpart has Egyptian roots, director Jaume Collet-Serra shifted the action to the fictional Middle Eastern-based country of Kahndaq. So when crafting the regional soundscape, the composer had a particularly unique approach to incorporating various regions – particularly throughout the percussion.
“The main thing with percussion – every country has their own instruments and their own ways of playing different rhythms,” Balfe revealed. “We actually hired musicians from all different musical backgrounds. So there were Middle Eastern percussionists, but there were also African drummers. Then there were more Balinese-based musical instruments and Celtic instruments.
“Another interesting element was incorporating Indian musicians that were playing Bhangra instruments, and having their rhythms then performed with Latin American instruments. So you have this multi-layered tapestry that you can’t quite put your finger on sonically or geographically.”
Working with Dwayne Johnson
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Almost a decade in the making, Johnson’s passion project has finally come to fruition. With such a dedication to the movie, Balfe noted how unique Johnson’s approach to the filmmaking process was.
“Very rarely does it happen,” recounted Balfe of Johnson’s studio visit. “And this was his first recording session he’d been to. So it was a great honour to have been able to have him come and experience it and also just the fact that he came into the room where all the musicians were, to listen to them perform his theme. It was a lovely kind of completion for him and also thanking the musicians.
“I think there’s very few actors who do [get involved] – Tom Cruise is the same – where they’re not just actors, they’re producers, and they live and breathe the whole making of the film process for the fans.”
Black Adam is out in cinemas now – visit our Film hub for more news, interviews and features.
You can listen to the Black Adam Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer and TIDAL. Fans can also purchase the soundtrack on CD on Amazon.
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