CraveOnline: Were you able to write the music like that, starting when all 10 episodes were shot? Or did you have episodes come in as they were being done?
Jeff Russo: The way we did it was I wrote probably 40% of all the themes, maybe a little bit more, maybe 60% of all the themes before we ever shot the picture for the first episode. I was basing everything on the script and discussions I had with Noah. Then as the episodes started to come in and I realized I needed to write more themes as characters were introduced, and different circumstances were introduced, I started writing more.
In that way, I tried to treat it like a movie. I got most of the themes written at the beginning, and then as we progressed across the season, I would either choose to adjust them, re-orchestrate them, change keys and stuff to allow for it to follow the progression of the characters. And then as more characters were introduced, I needed to write more and more. So I was able to treat it like a movie in some way, but it was episodic television. We didn’t shoot it all before finishing, so I couldn’t actually treat it completely that way.
Do you have an estimate about how many distinct themes there were in the 10 episodes of “Fargo?”
In all 10 episodes, I started with 14. Maybe 20 themes that were pretty distinct of one another.
Were those themes for specific characters, specific locations or specific incidents?
Some characters have multiple themes depending on their situation. Some situations have multiple themes depending on which characters are involved in that situation. It sort of was all over the map. I didn’t treat it like each character needed a theme. There were certain characters that needed a theme. Malvo needed a theme, that sort of bouncing baseline and the accompanying sleigh bells for them.
Then of course the sleigh bells and the timpani switched places about halfway through the show. Lester needed a theme. There needed to be an emotional theme related to the death of Vern which was a more emotional side of Molly. There needed to be a death theme. Stavros needed to have some sort of theme related to him and his family. Certainly the list goes on, but there wasn’t one specific way of doing it. I didn’t choose to say, “Okay, here’s a list of characters. I need a theme for every character.” I sort of wrote it as I went.
Do you have any other scoring work coming up?
I do a show called “Power” for Starz network. Right now I’m taking a little bit of a break. The last 12 months have been pretty busy. Right before I started “Fargo” I was doing a show called “Hostages” for CBS and that dovetailed right into “Fargo” and “Power.” I’m taking a bit of a break.
“Power” stars a musician. Does 50 Cent give you any input into what he wants the score to sound like?
I actually didn’t have any contact with 50 Cent. I was talking mostly with the showrunner, Courtney Kemp, and she relayed all of the information to me. I knew that because 50 was involved that music was a really important part of the show, but in terms of the score, the score plays a much more understated role in that show than, say, in “Fargo.” Songs, on the other hand, play a much more prevalent role. We use a lot of urban and hip-hop songs that go along with the club which is one of the main locations.
What TV shows do you think have the most distinct, or your favorite music?
It’s interesting because I really feel TV is changing in terms of the way music is. There are so many shows, music plays an important role in the way the show feels, but music isn’t an important thing. But there are these shows that have a much bigger place for music. “Fargo” is one of those shows. There’s many stretches of picture with no dialogue which really allowed me to play music and have it be like oh, wow, there’s a big piece of music. That’s all that’s there for a minute and a half, music and what you’re seeing.
That’s kind of a rare thing in TV. I feel like more and more that’s happening. “House of Cards” is a really spectacular score I think. Jeff Beal does a really great job with that one, and “Homeland” is probably one of my favorite scores on TV right now. Sean Callery does a really great job of balancing the quiet with the vibe that he’s created.
For me, it was certainly Michael Giacchino’s work on “Lost” and Christophe Beck’s work on “Buffy” that ushered in a phase of really powerful TV music.
Certainly Michael’s score for “Lost” was a game changer for TV. I think had it not been for something like that, I may never have been able to do a big orchestra for a television show. He sort of forced his hand with that show, as did J.J. It was a big deal, really beautiful score and really meaningful to the show.
That was, I think, perhaps where the turning point happened where music became something that was a lot more important than it had been for television before. Whereas with film, obviously music is a very important part of films. So now, a lot of these television shows feel more like indie movies.
If they do a second season of “Fargo,” do you have the option to come back?
I hate to put the cart before the horse but I’m hoping that if there’s a second season, I will be asked to return.
