For a franchise that’s all about old school attitude, nothing sings for the aging merc body electric like being pumped up with trip-hop beats, gnarly guitar and raging synths, all backed with strong orchestral muscle. The tune might be different as the Expendables bring on board a new member from France named Guillaume Roussel, but the song remains the tonal same when it comes to musically blowing shit up real good. But then for a guy who’s taking over Brian Tyler’s slot for the 4’th time out, Roussel is certainly no greenhorn on the Euro-to-LA block when it comes to kicking hybrid-action ass. With numerous credits in his native land before contribution additional music to such Team Zimmer scores as “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Roussel made his first splash into the Hollywood star arena with the McG-directed / Luc Besson-produced Paris-set Kevin Costner actioner “3 Days to Kill” in 2014. Roussel then took on the surreal buddy cop adventures of the cult series “Happy” as he pumped up The Cage berserk actioners “Outcast” and “Primal.” On the way more sedate, and gorgeously melodic side, Roussel has provided music for a spin on “Black Beauty” and the French series “Marie Antoinette,” as well as having put a new dark beat into the swordplay of two updated French Three Musketeer movies “D’Artagnan” and “Miladay.”
But no score speaks for the universal language of blowing away bad guys with the attitude of an “Expendables” score, and Roussel totally nails the rhythmic formula with his own bad ass touch for the fourth sequel that sees such heroic and villainous additions as 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa and Ijo Uwais as the old guard of Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Statham are given a creative exit plan should the guns get too heavy. The result is a combo of merc bond of honor solemnity with rapid-fire percussion, metal guitar chords and sampled voice that’s pumps the excitement to eleven while showing the bad ass grooves of a composer rapidly taking names on both sides of the Atlantic, and particularly on a tanker in the middle of the ocean for the “Expend4bles.”
Tell us about your musical beginnings, and what led you to composing?
It’s a long story, but basically my grandfather was a composer and after I started the piano at the age of 5, I rapidly became more interested in creating my own music. On the piano first, but this interest became way bigger when I discovered the existence of synthesizers and sequencers. I did my first album when I was 11 years old (as recorded on a basic tape recorder). I was drawing the artwork and basically just giving it to my parents! I did my second album a year later and I never stopped composing since then.
What kind of action heroes did you grow up on, and which of their scores stood out for you?]
“Batman and Danny Elfman’s music has been such a milestone for me. Michael Kamen’s action scores too. He definitely was one of my favorite action composers in the 90s.
Was Hollywood always a destination you set your sights on?
It always has been indeed. I grew up with mostly American movies. And, as a young composer, I really admired how important the music is, unlike what we are used to in France. Since our movie industry has smaller budget, the movies focus more on the dialogue rather than the production itself. In America, the music has to support a big production set, or scene, when in France you have to be discrete to not overtake the dialogues. That’s why we have so many comedies in France. The dialogue is King. But luckily, we have super talented French directors that really take the production value of a film to the next level and that value music as much as here in the US. The difference between the two countries is really big in that way. On the other hand, directors in France do control their movie completely, which allows them to really craft a movie that is true to their vision. There are rarely compromises with the studio there. In that case, the collaboration with the director can be deeper, and that’s very satisfying. I am lucky enough to work in both continents now, and after all I love both approaches.
What was your time at Remote Control with Hans Zimmer like, and what were the most important things you took away from the experience?
I really loved working with Hans. I still have my studio at Remote Control, but the place is a bit different after 10 years. Before, there were only a few composers and everybody was working with Hans. We were eating lunch everyday together, there was a great synergy. It was a great time. I learned so much and feel so fortunate to have been able to experience working with Hans, and those amazing directors. What I really remember as something unique is how much trust Hans puts in your hands when you work with him and how much fun you can have because the possibilities are huge on big blockbuster. Also, I meet some of the most talented people I have ever met. It was definitely a very fulfilling moment.
What do you think European filmmakers and composers have brought to the action genre, whether their films took place in America or overseas?
As I was saying, the approach is different in Europe. Spain and Italy, France is really different too. But I think they have one thing in common – directors that are eager to control their movie without compromise, and I think that it allows the creative process to go further without any “financial” or “audience-related” consideration. At least not as much as an American studio movie would let those considerations dictate decisions.
Talk about your first experience in the Hollywood Euro-thriller genre with “3 Days to Kill.”
It was a very marking experience for me. It was my first English language feature as main composer, and it was starring Kevin Costner who is my mom’s favorite actor of all time. She had a huge collection of his DVDs at the time, so it meant a lot to me. I got to meet him and it was a special moment for me. Working with Luc Besson and McG was really cool. The music was very sparse and based on sounds. For me that was a style I wanted to develop, so it was really fun!
One of your first big American projects was the surreal buddy cop series “Happy.”
“Happy” was such a ride. Not only the deadlines were insane but the needs of the series were going from doing contemporary music, to synthwave to musicals. It was so crazy. But I love this show. Chris Melony is such a great actor and the characters so well written. As an audience I would love to see a 3rd season. I see a lot of fans still demanding for more episodes five years later.
Another notable telefilm you did was the very serious Sascha Baron Cohen true thriller “The Spy.”
This project was really nice. It was with a French producer that I know very well, who I love working with, and meeting Gideon Raff (the creator of “Homeland”) was a real treat. He allowed me to write very delicate music. His approach was really sophisticated and emotional. I loved it.
You got to play The Cage taking on an equally wild bunch of animals in “Primal.”
Ah yes! You are not a real composer until you have scored a Nicholas Cage movie! He is such an icon; people really love him. It was actually the second Cage movie I was scoring with the same director. The music was fun to write. Super edgy and action packed.
Did you have any trepidations, and how did you seek to make this score your own while not neglecting the musical attitude that Brian Tyler established for the series?
When I got the call I really felt honored. I am a big fan of Brian Tyler. He always have a lot of interesting ideas in his scores, and his theme for “Expendables” really fitted well with the franchise. The producers and Scott the director told me right away they wanted something different. In fact, at first, I wish I could be closer to what Brian did. But they really wanted to make a statement. And they were right, the movie is taking a turn in the franchise, and it makes totally sense to change.
Director Scott Waugh (photo by Melinda Sue Gordon)
Talk about your collaboration with director Scott Waugh
Scott has been such a great partner in this project. He really brings a positive energy to the project. He always likes to bounce ideas, let people speak out, etc. He is super collaborative and it was fun to work with him. We were supposed to work on a movie now and the movie got cancelled because of the strike unfortunately. I can’t wait to work with him again!
There are a lot of fun hip-hop beats and rock guitar stylings to “Expendables.” Did that idea come naturally to reflect their attitudes?
Yes, the rock attitude was really fitting the older characters while the Hip-Hop elements were the new musical substance to bring something different. There is almost like opposite world living together. But that’s why composing this score was a big challenge. I really like to try always try something different.
Given that many action films now use driving hybrid scores, what’s your approach to how you orchestrate them, or when to favor either electronics or the orchestra?
Since my young age, my main passion is sound. I see sounds like colors and to me orchestral colors are not in opposition to electronic colors, they are complementary. I like to combine all of that. I guess one thing that you can’t take away from the orchestra is the energy. There is a natural tension in the orchestra. It’ so fascinating. Just one note played by sixty musicians is so powerful. So, in the score I very often have used the orchestra to add tension, to add the edge during an action scene. The orchestra can really compete with heavy sound design, like in “Expendables 4.” You have to write music that is going to support the movie and go thru a wall of sound like explosions, plus shotguns, plus helicopter sounds, plus car engines, etc etc…
Who’s your favorite merc to play here, and there any characters that you wanted to spotlight?
I love 50 Cent in this one. He is so laid back and have this great attitude that really fits this new generation of Expendables.
When playing action, what do you choose to “hit” musically or just play over?
That’s a great question. It really depends. I think I naturally prefer to play over, because I feel the music can make it look redundant. But sometimes there is no other way to go. The music has to mark it. At the end of the day the director will be deciding if he wants to hit the action or not, but I will try my best to not use this trick too much. I like when the music is bringing something different than what the picture brings. Like, adding another level of emotion.
Conversely, you’ve composed way more bucolic scores for the likes of “Black Beauty.” Tell us about your approach to those scores.
Bucolic scores are more my natural style. I come from a classical background and I always have been fascinated by the impressionist composers. Ravel and Debussy’s work have been defining my relation to music. So, I guess I have a natural figurative drive in my music. Those projects are pleasant to do and working with Ashley Avis is always a treat. We are similar in our artistic approach. We both are really connected to our childhood and its always very interesting to work on a project that is supposed to speak to a cross-generational audience.
Recently you scored a French-made Dumas reboot for “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan.” What’s it like bringing a modern action scoring style to a period-set film without making the music notably anachronistic?
Those 2 movies have been a huge success. Martin Bourboulon the director really succeeded in bringing modernity to a classical masterpiece without you noticing it. It’s very smart. And the music is following this approach. I worked hard on this project, but I am proud of the result. It’s a good combination of synthetisers sounds and the orchestra. It’s quite dark and very dramatic because wanted to stay as far as possible from any Baroque elements that would give the score an “old” sound. Dennis Sands mixed the music, and it was great to work with him, I always have been a fan of his work.
What’s up ahead for you?
A lot is coming! At least in France, since here for now everything is not active because of the strikes. I really hope this situation will get better soon. In France I have 2 TV Series coming. Season 2 For “Marie Antoinette” for Canal+, “Careme,” which is a period Tv series for AppleTV, and 3 features films: “13 Days,13 Nights” from director Martin Bourboulon about a rescue operation in Afghanistan, a new adaptation of Robin Hood from director Ludovic Bernard and the next Cedric Jimenez movie. This is going to be a great year. All those projects are really exciting.
Many LA-based European composers try to straddle both continents. What’s your advice to keeping busy in both of them?
It’s hard to give advice because I only see unexpected events driving my life. But I know one thing, and that’s the way I look at it. What you envision in your career, what you dream about, what you want to have accomplished should not be what makes you happy. It’s great to have dreams and motivation, but the most important is just enjoying doing it. In my case I just enjoy so much composing. It could be for a short movie, for myself, for a big movie… It doesn’t matter. The process of composing is such a joy, and that’s what matters. I think people will recognize you if they see someone being good at doing what they do. And in doing it you are learning. You are always getting better. And then my second advice would be to be very collaborative. Being a film composer requires you to be able to navigate and blend into a team of people as talented as you are in serving one movie or TV series. Ego is never helping. I think it’s a teamwork after all.
See “Expend4bles” in theaters, with Guillaume Roussel’s score on Millennium Media HERE
Visit Guillaume Roussel’s website HERE
Special thanks to Ellen Li and Jordan von Netzer