We loved L.A. Noire. While the game didn’t win any of the other categories it was up for, it managed to snag the best Original Score award. The judges panel described the game’s music as a “refreshing choice of freeform jazz that captures the era perfectly.”

We got the chance to sit and talk with Andrew Hale and Simon Hale who worked on the Original Score for the hit game L.A. Noire.

M: Congratulations on your award tonight. How do you feel?

AH: Simon and I both come from the recording industry. This is something that we’ve worked in for 25 years and so for us working in games is very exciting, because it’s a whole new medium. The music in games is now unbelievable. The competition tonight was amazing.

M: A lot of gamers talk about the graphics or characters, but music is becoming more and more important in games. Why do you think that is?

SH: I think home cinema systems and sound at home has a big effect. People can have sound at home that kicks the ass of any cinema from twenty years ago. You think wow, you have something that looks amazing and sounds amazing. Whether it’s blu-ray or DVD. It shows that respect is being given to this part of the industry. People in the recording studios, recording the instruments, mixing the soundtracks know that their work will be heard. That’s something really exciting because you have got opportunities to express yourself.

AH: And even if it doesn’t, that’s what the best film music does, it reaches to certain films. In a way that’s important, to stir up emotions.

M: Were there any unique challenges on working on L.A. Noire over a TV series or film?

AH: Yeah. With a film you are always looking for a cutscene. There’s a beginning, there’s an end, there’s a set time. In a game you have to be careful to work with the player.

M: Within L.A. Noire how do you get inspirations for certain scenes? Does the scene make the music or the music make the scene?

SH: I think it’s both. I think that sometimes we have the inspiration by the mood, or a bit of a scene. We get a rough cut if you like. Sometimes we would just have an idea of what we wanted to do.

AH: I have to give credit to Brenden McNamara [L.A. Noire's lead designer], he came a long with instructions like, “I want a symphony” and that’s exactly his instructions. He wouldn’t come over and say “in this scene I want exactly this and you’ve got to do forty five loops”.

M: Do you think the standard of music in games is on par with the film industry?

SH: If you look at tonight I’d say that it already happened.

M: Congratulations on you awards and thank you for your time.

Remember we interviewed a whole load of people. Read more from Portal 2, Minecraft and  Modern Warfare 3′s creators here.

 

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