When the multiplex is all agawk over a sweet little mermaid, leave it to her seeming bestie “Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken” to show she’s no ugly duckling when it comes to showing who’s really all that in the hallways and the seven seas. Leave it to her musical avatar Stephanie Economou to bring hip pop rhythm, sparkling retro synths and grandly symphonic musical worlds thematically together for this delightful animated film about an awkward kid finding her spirit sea animal.
Quickly rising in the Hollywood scoring kingdom from her work with composer Harry Gregson-Williams to becoming the first-ever Grammy winner for Videogame Best Score Soundtrack with “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok,” Economou has shown a range that can travel from the bro comedy of “About My Father” to a “Manhunt” for the Unibomber and capturing the dance moves of “Step Up: High Water.”
Now “Ruby Gillman” truly unleashes an ocean of fun with Economou’s first major feature animation soundtrack, one that taps into her talent for super heroics as shown in the series “Marvel 616” and the unsung Netflix show “Jupiter’s Legacy.” Not that a seeming wallflower passing for human thinks she’s the stuff of Godzilla-sized legend, until a rescue of her prom wanna be dream date unleashes her form to her real estate selling mom’s dismay, the ire of Kraken crazed coot and a way bigger danger she must end up battling. Bringing together sparkling teen pop rhythms, symphonic adventure and any number of humorously eccentric instrumental touches, Economou ends up showing the heroine within in a way that’s as charmingly, Kraken grrll power effective here as she may have done for a more ferocious Viking queen. “Ruby Gillman” makes for a resoundingly fun call for the voice of a composer blazing an instrumentally creative path, particularly when it comes to Kraken power.
Photo by Pamela Springsteen
What brought you to a career in music? And was scoring something that always interested you?
I grew up playing violin in school and county orchestras, which is where I fell in love with classical and contemporary concert music. My high school on Long Island had a four-year theory and composition intensive which is where I started writing songs and chamber pieces. From there, I decided to pursue composition at New England Conservatory. Growing up, film, television, and games were a huge influence for me creatively, so I jumped at the chance to score some short films when the opportunity arose in college. It excited a certain collaborative spirit in me, and I knew that was the path I wanted to follow moving forward.
How instrumental were your experiences in the Sundance and NBC/Universal composer labs?
Highly instrumental. I felt my experience at Sundance was the first time I really stepped out of my comfort zone as a composer. Everyone at the labs (namely Peter Golub and our advisors) curated a nurturing environment where we were encouraged to take risks and fail. That’s a rare position to be in as a young creative, where so often the stakes feel immensely high, and any misstep could be hard to recover from. That freedom to fail enabled me to explore some things musically I never had before (like setting up a mic and vocalizing weird extended techniques, despite not being a singer or having any clue what I was doing). I brought back that creative energy with me, and I think that has definitely shaped my process. The Universal Composers Initiative was an amazing program to be part of because they all care deeply about creating visibility for women and composers of color. They gave us access to music executives and got us in rooms with directors and producers. They’re fully responsible for getting me in that first meeting for “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” so I’m enormously grateful!
Harry Gregson-Williams and Stephanie Economou
You’ve creatively partnered with Harry Gregson-Williams scores as an arranger, recordist, conductor and ultimately an additional composer on such scores as “Mulan,” “The Martian” and “The Equalizer 2.” What was that experience like, and what kind of voice do you think you brought to his work?
Working with Harry was my first job in the industry and proved to be totally invaluable. Being fresh out of graduate school, there were very few things I knew how to do well. Harry totally took a chance on me and invited me into his world. He was (and still is) a marvelous mentor. He had a heightened awareness of how challenging this industry could be for women to navigate and time and again made meaningful efforts to be transparent with his collaborators about my role on his team. He would always throw me up on the podium during scoring sessions (at total random with zero warning) to conduct so the players would get to know me and studio executives would be able to see how I’m able to command a room. In my six years with him, we worked on documentaries, thrillers, action films, games, comedies, and gritty indies. I was constantly challenged and the knowledge I gained from collaborating with him has left an indelible mark on me. So, for me, it’s not so much about what kind of voice I brought to his work. It’s how working with him has shaped my voice today and I think he will always be part of who I am as a composer.
You’d next explore the Marvel Universe with the documentary series “Marvel 616,” which was essentially your first superhero scoring. What was it like playing inside of that Universe?
The first episode I did “Higher, Further, Faster,” took an inside look at the women behind Marvel stories throughout history, so I got to experiment with some of that throwback superhero musical influence in the score. The last episode “Spotlight” (which I co-composed with Jon Monroe) highlighted how these narratives shape people on a micro level. It followed two high school drama classes in Florida as they prepare to put on Marvel plays. We had a lot of fun creating this dynamic score for that episode with vocals, stomping, and clapping. I loved seeing how far-reaching these Marvel stories are and the direct impact they can have on communities and their creators.
The score of yours that put you on my radar was your powerful music for the Netflix superhero show that could have been called “Jupiter’s Legacy.” Could you talk about that experience, especially when it came to the truly fantastic climax where the characters get their powers?
“Jupiter’s Legacy” was a really ambitious show. I got to write a lot of stylistically diverse music, delving into industrial rock, microtonal vocal techniques, gritty electronics, and big symphonic moments. When composing for the series, I always had my eye towards episode seven, which was the big climax where the characters face a set of challenges on a remote island and are eventually granted their powers. Near the end of the episode, they step through a portal and wind up in the moon of Jupiter. It’s this crazy, awe-inspiring scene with very little dialogue and I knew I wanted to try something different with the music. We were in the spotting session and I said, “What if we do a big chorale here?” and they loved that idea. This was also before I had even written a note of music for the series, so with my eye towards that choral moment, I intentionally wove in vocal elements (overtone singing, microtonal chanting in Latin) in every episode so that big climax would feel earned and intentional. I also sourced text from Mark Millar’s original comic and translated it into Latin for the choir lyrics. I think it was a nice full-circle moment for the series and I hope the audience felt the impact of it.
I’m a big fan of the particular “Assassin’s Creed” franchise entry “Valhalla.” Tell us about conjuring a Viking world for it and playing a heroine in your first time scoring an animation project?
“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris” was my first game score, so I was naturally terrified and excited all at once. Having grown up playing games, I know the crucial role music has in world-building and immersion. I’m also a big fan of the main game music by Sarah Schacner, Jesper Kyd, and Einar Selvik, so I felt really honored to be part of such an iconic legacy. For “The Siege of Paris,” I incorporated a lot of rustic and primitive elements, using vielle, kantele, hurdy gurdy, and viola da gamba, but all treated with very modern production. For “Dawn of Ragnarok,” I decided to take a big departure and play in the world of black metal and neo-folk. Because “Ragnarok” was based in Norse mythology, the game developers encouraged me to push the boundaries of how this story could be told sonically. There was something about the distorted guitars, punchy drum kit, growly vocals, and rustic Scandinavian folk elements that sat really well with the visuals. It was such a blast exploring that world and I miss it!
You won the first Grammy for a video game score. What was that accomplishment like, and what do you think pushed “Assassin’s Creed” over some heavy hitting competition?
I still struggle to find the right words to describe how I feel about winning that first Grammy. It’s surreal, truly. I was up against titan composers, so more than anything, I think the impostor syndrome won out over other emotions. Even so, the support I received (from Austin Wintory in particular) gave me validation that I made something that connected with people and that it was well-earned. I do believe that whoever ended up taking that award home was just a small detail. The win that day was that game music was finally getting the global recognition it deserves and that’s a massive deal. We as game composers are part of shaping the culture of media music and our influence is far-reaching and undeniably important. I can’t wait to witness many more composers finally receiving that recognition after decades of crafting brilliant scores.
Tell us about working with the “Ruby Gillman” directing team of Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl.
I cannot exaggerate this enough: working with Kirk, Faryn, and our producer, Kelly Cooney, has been an absolute dream and will certainly be one of the highlights of my career. I initially had a lot of reservations and anxiety about doing an animated film because I’m very much new to working in that medium. There are so many brilliant composers (including Harry) who I think are pure masters of animation music and I was concerned I wouldn’t have a penchant for it. But Kirk, Faryn, and Kelly encouraged me to follow my instincts and do what I felt was right for the story, abandoning whatever notions I had in my head about what “animation music” was. I had set up this mental roadblock for myself which, truthfully, doesn’t even exist, as much animation music is rule breaking. I think they all gave me license to explore how to make this story special through my own lens.
What kind of “teen” instrumentation did you want to bring into Ruby’s “human” school life?
In very early creative conversations, I told Kirk and Faryn that I wanted to prioritize finding a unique sound palette for the score. I was deeply inspired by the mysterious, rich underwater world of the kraken, so I thought about what styles of music evoke the feeling of water. The idea of dream pop/shoegaze came into my head while I was reading the script. There’s something about the washy textures, guitars through effects pedals, reverby vocals, and retro synths that really capture the essence of water to me. It feels effervescent. That kernel of curiosity was the catalyst for discovering the sound of the score, which incorporates elements of cinematic synth and indie pop to set the tone of our life on land and at sea. Speaking to Ruby’s life in Oceanside, I wanted to capture her ordinary teenage existence, which is why her theme at home and school leans more into indie pop. There’s something fun about putting that instrumentation palette up to her everyday life. We found it gave a nod to John Hughes movies.
You have a lot of fun with Jane Fonda’s Grandmamah. What do you think her voice brought to the role, and your approach to the character?
Jane Fonda as the Kraken Queen makes more sense than most things in life. Her portrayal certainly gave me license to push her music into being as royal and majestic as possible. One of the early themes I wrote, in addition to Ruby’s, was what we called the “motherhood” theme, which follows around Agatha and Grandmamah. It’s a theme of ascending thirds, so it has a sense of optimism, but can be framed in different ways. We hear it in a peppier way for Agatha as a highly successful realtor and in a significantly more regal way with horns, brass, choir, and harp for Grandmamah. Myself and the vocal soloist on the score, Ari Mason, collaborated to invent a Kraken language, which is a combination of fabricated vowels mixed with Old Norse (as the first myth of the kraken originated in 1180 in Scandinavia). The choir sings on this language for much of the film. I liked the idea of connecting Agatha, Ruby, and Grandmamah through this musical signature, even if their relationships were splintered and they were leading very separate lives. This allowed me to deploy the motherhood theme (intertwined with Ruby’s theme) in an emotionally gratifying way towards the end of the movie when they all come together working towards a common goal.
Another entertaining character is Will Forte’s crabby, Kraken-crazed and divorce wounded Gordon Lighthouse. What gave you the idea of using an accordion for him?
Gordon’s theme came from me listening to a bunch of sea shanties, which often uses accordion as a main instrument. His theme combines the accordion with saxophones, low woodwinds, strings, snare drum, and whistling. It just felt like the right way to highlight his character and was a lot of fun to write.
The orchestra plays an equally important role in “Ruby Gillman.” What do you think it symphonic presence brings to the soundtrack, especially in the way that it helps incorporate the aforementioned elements?
Even though I prioritized living within the world of dream pop, I knew that I wanted the orchestra to interact with these colors in a nuanced way. When Ruby begins to embrace her powers as a kraken, I use her theme on horns and trombones while still layering in synths and vocals as a complement. Being able to expand and contract within the symphonic world I hope makes for a unique blend of stylistic influences.
As a member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, would you say that your growing success shows that things are getting better for you and your peers?
I very much hope so. There are so many talented and brilliant women-identifying composers who are finally getting the recognition they deserve. I feel that communities like The Alliance continue to be an important network for support and guidance. By putting our heads down and doing the work, we are finding some long overdue visibility and The Alliance is a wonderful outlet for collective empowerment and celebration.
On a sweeter note, you’ve got “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” up next. Tell us about scoring a film that draws on your Greek heritage, as well as working with its star Nia Vardalos.
We just wrapped on it a couple of weeks ago and it was an absolutely joy. Nia specifically wanted to hire a Greek, female composer and I respect her so much for prioritizing that. My main goal for “Greek Wedding” was to tap into my heritage and make the score feel authentic. I sought out Greek musicians (namely Stelios Petrakis who recorded bouzouki, lyra, laouto, and tzouras from his studio in Crete) to bring the score alive. I’m excited to put the soundtrack together and for everyone to enjoy how vibrant the film is this fall.
Photo by Claus Morgenstern
Go to the high school underwater realm of Dreamworks’ Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken in theaters now, with Stephanie Economou’s score available on Back Lot Music HERE
Visit Stephanie Economou’s web site HERE
Special thanks to Sarah Roche at White Bear PR and Nikki Walsh and Qin Yu at Back Lot Music