Soundtrack

For most musicians, the process of generating a movie score usually begins with a few notes hammered out on a piano or a couple of symphonic ideas scribbled down on a sheet of paper. But as composer Graeme Revell discovered, a production with the diverse cast and immense scale of the SCI FI Channel's presentation of New Amsterdam Entertainment's production of Frank Herbert's Dune required an altogether different approach.

"I had to create a big wall chart showing where each theme was going," he laughs. "It was a monumental challenge just to remember who's motif had to go where and which form it had to take."

This intimidating task was complicated by the fact that, unlike the melodies which accompany many motion pictures and TV shows, the compositions created for Dune serve as a vital part of the production. Over the course of the six-hour miniseries, Revell's expansive score actively functioned as an audio outline, helping viewers to better understand and appreciate New Amsterdam's fresh adaptation of Herbert's sweeping saga.

"The story can be a little confusing for people who aren't absolute fans or firmly devoted to the book," explains the composer. "There's a lot of intrigue and a lot of exposition, especially at the beginning. The music helps to tell you where you are and who's who at the time." Revell, a long-time fan of the novel who in the past has penned scores for such SF films as Pitch Black, Spawn, and The Crow, also viewed the assignment as an occasion to harmonically expand upon the spiritual elements of the tale. "I'm always interested in new sounds and new ideas and trying to come up with variations that still end up telling a story," he says. "Dune was an interesting opportunity to try and take something that's a classic and make something spiritual out of it. That's where my head was aimed at. I wasn't thinking so much in terms of the action, which is reasonably straightforward. I was really focused on the spiritual aspect."

"It's not a simple Star Wars-type story, and I didn't want that type of musical feeling," adds John Harrison, the miniseries' writer and director. "I didn't want to confuse the kind of story that Dune is with that kind of movie. Dune has a science fiction element that involves space travel and so forth, but it really is about the human condition. I didn't want to send any kind of inappropriate signal to the audience with a score that would suggest, 'Oh, this is just another sci-fi space opera.' I wanted a composer that could give me a lot of different colors and a lot of different textures."

Those colors and textures are vital to both enhancing and understanding the oftentimes Byzantine story line. Although he scrupulously avoided following a rigid leitmotif approach, Revell did create general themes for the various Ruling Clans, or Houses, of the planet Arrakis. For example, the accompaniment for the scheming Harkonnens mixes electronic effects with Asian instrumentation, while the cues for the Emperor and his Court loosely mimic a classical minuet. Conversely, the tunes dedicated to the desert Fremen intermingle Arabic harmonies with otherworldly effects, generating an engaging yet enigmatic air. There is also an expressive motif for the tale's main character, Paul Atreides, and his entourage.

"That's pretty much the main theme of the film, and goes right from the beginning through his evolution into the Muad'Dib," notes Revell. "It opens with a big orchestral statement, and then it goes through various mystical evolutions until the end. It's really the major through-line of the film."

Of course, that thematic element isn't the only portion of the score which evolves during the lengthy production. "The way Dune is designed, it's three separate movies based on the major sections of the book: 'Dune,' 'Muad'Dib' and 'The Prophet,'" reveals Harrison. "The first covers Paul, the Duke and Jessica going to Dune. It's very classic, almost Shakespearean in its storytelling, and [Revell] and I decided that would be a great opportunity to use more traditional scoring, but start to seed it with the idea that there is an exotic world beyond the rimwall that surrounds Arrakeen city. Which is where we're going to be in night two, after the Duke is assassinated and Paul and Jessica are left in the desert to die.

"At that point we're introduced to the Fremen, and Paul is given his Fremen name, the Muad'Dib. He begins to learn their ways and to emerge as their leader. So we move into a more Middle Eastern musical style. In night three, 'The Prophet,' Paul is fully ensconced as the Fremen leader and they are beginning the rebellion against the Empire. It's a more active, action-oriented type of episode, and the music reflects that." In order to provide an adequate melodic milieu for the miniseries, Revell composed approximately two hours of original music, which is an unusually large quantity for a single project. At the same time, he also needed to regularly modify his cues, not only to keep the sound interesting and indicate the evolution of the overall story, but also to signify that the compositions collectively evoke all of the varied cultures found on Arrakis.

"We used some Armenian instruments, plus others from across the Middle East," notes Revell, adding that the score was recorded in Prague, where the miniseries was filmed. "We also used a few from the southern republics of what used to be the USSR -- places like Kazakhstan and so on. And we had a singer from Lebanon that did some work. [We] were trying not to be too specifically ethnic, but music is a part of the storytelling of this piece, and we wanted to remind people that we were in a different environment."

Even with this inventive musical palette, Revell expected to face some criticism from viewers who anticipated sounds similar to those heard on David Lynch's ill-fated 1984 big-screen adaptation of the book. That motion picture offered themes generated by the rock band Toto which, like the movie itself, were highly controversial.

"I think [Lynch's Dune] was up against quite a challenge, trying to do such a vast canvas in what really was a fairly short time," says Revell. "It was a flawed work, and the music perhaps played a little too heavily into the electronic pop sensibility. But I never judge these things in too much depth. Decisions are made; sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. Hopefully this one does."

According to the director, Revell need not worry. "I wanted a composer who could give me the same richness and texture that I was getting from the production design and the cinematography and all of the other creative elements," declares Harrison confidently. "Graeme's music seems to have all of that!"

[A version of this story originally appeared on SCI FI's Web site: www.scifi.com/dune.]

Jeff Berkwitz

For any filmmaker, the opportunity to adapt an epic masterpiece like Frank Herbert's Dune would be a once-in-a-career opportunity. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not only was I privileged to work with one of the greatest pieces of literature in speculative fiction, I was able to draw to it a cast of world class artists in front of and behind the camera to create a unique and compelling vision of this magnificent story. Graeme Revell was one of those artists. From the moment I heard his first sketch for the Dune theme, I was transported.to Arrakis. And I'm sure you'll agree that when you listen to this brilliant score, you can "see" Dune. So sit back, crank it up, and fold space for Arrakis. This music will take you there.and then some.

A special thanks is also due to Graeme's music editor, Josh Winget and his assistant, Melissa Ferguson, who worked tirelessly with me day after day, helping me make Graeme's dazzling music fit this picture like second skin.

John Harrison