Interview / Heavy Rain composer Normand Corbeil

Ever wonder what goes into making a game's soundtrack, how they differ from a movie's, or what the best game soundtracks are? We think about all of these questions and more, which is why we put them to Normand Corbeil, the composer behind the stellar soundtrack for PS3 hit, Heavy Rain. Read on for the full interview.



Blogatron: Heavy Rain has an amazing soundtrack. What kind of work goes into creating something like that?

Normand Corbeil: You just have to be involved 100 per cent. It's about emotion with this game so you really have to be moved by the picture, by the story, by people with you. It's really kind of the same way as you work on a movie.

BT: You worked with Quantic Dream on their last game, Fahrenheit. How was this different to the last project? What did you have to change?

NC: On Heavy Rain it was really far bigger than Fahrenheit. I think the story went further, the technology went further. I also had a huge orchestra and 85 musicians to work with. Last time I had about 15 or 20 of them. Also  I wrote Heavy Rain alone so there were a lot of differences. There was a lot more pressure because I think the expectations were really high.

BT: Can you see yourself working with Quantic Dream again on new titles?

NC: I would love to. Nothing concrete right now but you never know.

BT: What's the different between making a soundtrack for games and movies?

NC: I've only ever done Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain for games, but the only thing I can say is that with this game you get 10 different ways to end a scene, so it makes a huge difference to your writing because you never know how it will end. You have to make it a whole score even if each scene is quite different, so that's really a challenge, but you have the chance to express yourself even more than a movie.

BT: Are there any game soundtracks that you admire?

NC: I've always admired the theme to Metal Gear Solid. It's a slow, epic piece that works in the most exciting action scenes or the slowest conversations. Plus I get it stuck in my head all the time. Other than that there have been a few things like Uncharted's soundtrack most recently. I think there are a lot of gifted people working in this industry.