We were thrilled to have Leo Birenberg, a talented and composer on the rise in television and film, chat with TVmaze. Read on below for a look inside Leo's unique approach to his work for this hilarious series, which stars Jason Sudekis, Tim Meadows, Cheryl Hines and Johnny Pemberton.
Tell us a few of the television projects you have worked on in the past and present.
Right now, Son of Zorn! Earlier this year, I scored a fun new comedy for Seeso called Take My Wife that explores a fictionalized version of the LA stand-up world and produced songs and for the YouTube Red series Sing It! Before that I did a short-lived, but very funny show on Comedy Central called Big Time in Hollywood, FL. It’s been interesting and exciting working across all of those different mediums (network, cable, and streaming) in such a sort span because there is so much great television being made right now and more access to it than ever before.
What previous projects have most inspired your work on Son of Zorn, whether those you worked on yourself, or ones others have done?
Before diving into TV, I had a lot of experience as an additional music composer and score producer on many movies and had the good fortune to work in a lot of genres and styles from sweeping to Disney orchestra to bromance comedy to superhero action music. So I am constantly drawing on that background as I write for Zorn. As far as outside influences, there’s definitely a slight 80s vibe to some of the musical jokes, with Zorn and his world very reminiscent of some animated action-adventure shows from that period. But a lot of the music nods towards the musical language of earlier domestic sitcoms, think I Love Lucy or The Brady Bunch, just presented in a more animated-barbarian-appropriate sort of way.
Do you approach Son of Zorn as more of an animated series score or comedy series, or a little of both?
Definitely a little of both. At it’s core, the story is a human one, exploring the world of divorced parents and what’s like to have a parent/child that isn’t quite like you. So most of the music scores the emotion as if all of the characters were human. But there are moments of heightened reality where Zorn’s role as Defender of Zephyria come to the forefront, and those use music in a much more epic and fantastical way.
What are some of the musical highlights we can expect from this season of Son of Zorn? What kind of sounds can we expect?
There’s certainly a lot of percussion, barbarian chanting, and exotic sounding instruments (I’m a woodwind player), but most of them are incorporated into the music in conventional ways. However, Zorn has a habit of bringing all sorts of items, critters, and even friends from his homeland to be a part of his new life in the OC. Zephyria is a diverse landscape, with all sorts of creatures and peoples that populate its mountains, deserts, forests, and swamps, each of which has their own distinct musical sounds and traditions. So I try to do a lot of world building through music, hinting at these cultures that we never see on screen, but whose presence is felt. Zorn also fancies himself an amateur lute player, which makes for some fun down the line.
Do you have any tips for aspiring TV composers?
Love the taste of coffee. And be enthusiastic. The ability to always smile and never sleep will do wonders for your job opportunities.
List any additional info we should know here about Son of Zorn, or any other upcoming projects.
Tune in on Sunday nights! The show is a whole lot of fun.
Written by rand01 on Oct 10, 2016
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