Arda Ren is a Turkish composer whose credits include the popular crime dramas Law & Order and
Law & Order: SVU. In addition to writing music on both series across multiple seasons, he's also contributed to films and video games. Here, he shares details on his creative process, the pressure of network deadlines and how AI is affecting the music business.
Hi Arda! Can you tell us a bit about the tools you rely on when composing for a film, TV show or video game?
"Absolutely! The art of composition we use today itself is basically the same as it was back when Bach or Beethoven walked the Earth. We look for ways to use harmony, counterpoint and timbre to convey all aspects of the human experience. However, we have much fancier gadgets now. Most TV, film and game scores these days are composed and rendered completely using a digital audio workstation (DAW) on a computer. We have the ability to create hyper-realistic renditions of large orchestral scores with a mouse and a keyboard. That being said, nothing can replace the human touch when you have the financial backing for a full 80-piece orchestra. In most cases, the decision comes down to budget. Modern composers have to be proficient in orchestrating with both real performances and digital instruments, depending on what the project is calling for.”
How does orchestrating for Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU differ from scoring for indie shorts or video games?
“The biggest difference is deadlines. Both Law & Order and SVU are network TV shows and they are produced weekly. That means we often get seven days or less to compose the entire episode. When you have two shows up in the air, that equates to roughly 90 minutes of TV and 45 minutes of music a week. That’s a crazy-fast turnaround. It’s fun, but it’s always a race against time. You don’t typically feel that kind of pressure in films and games because the production timelines tend to be much longer. I love the rush I feel when I deliver a large score in record time under crazy time constraints, but it is no secret that spending sleepless days in a studio for months on end can get rough on the body.”
What is the first thing you look for when developing the musical palette for a given project?
“The emotional core of the story. Humans respond to emotion more than anything else. Whenever I’m reading a script or watching a rough cut, I’m always taking notes on what I’m supposed to be underlining musically. Human nature is complex, and great stories are the ones that know how to juggle multiple emotions at the same time. Once you know what story you want to tell, everything else just flows naturally. And whenever in doubt, a quick call to the director or the producer never hurts!”
Are there genres that you prefer as a composer?
“I’m a very character-oriented guy when it comes to media. I tend to consume stories through the characters’ eyes. So, I tend to prefer longer mediums and genres because they can take their time to develop their characters in all sorts of complex ways. That being said, if I had to say one genre, then I’d say I’m partial to period dramas. Right now, I’m enjoying the third season of The Gilded Age immensely. Props to the Gregson-Williams Brothers and the entire team on the amazing score!”
Considering the advent of AI within the industry, do you have a sense of how the craft of film scoring might evolve over the next several years?
“That’s the big money question that nobody knows the answer to! AI is getting to the point where it’s better than your average entry-level composer. It’s not inconceivable to think that in a few years, it’ll surpass most - if not all - humans in our understanding of music and how it’s created. In that sense, it is important to remember that we didn’t invent music. Birds have been singing songs long before humans came into the picture. That being said, I’m optimistic about composers’ future. Even if AI were to get better at producing music, it has a lot of hurdles to clear before it can be reliably used in media. Legal regulations and copyright issues might turn out to be harder to circumvent than any sort of capability issue, given how AI models are trained. Chess has survived the onslaught of AI and is more popular than ever. There’s no reason to believe music won’t be the same.”
What else can you tell us about your work. Do you have any interesting projects coming up?
“Thank you for having me! I always love talking about anything music related! We have Mammoth’s second season coming up soon on BBC, so make sure to check that out! Deep Dish Dimples [made] its LA debut at HollyShorts Film Festival. Lastly, we’ve got great things coming in Law & Order and SVU with Seasons 25 and 27 respectively. So, stay tuned!”