Wondering how easy or difficult making music for video games is concerning Heroes: The Bible Trivia Game?
That’s what we’re going to explore in this article.
But first, let’s get to know the following:
- People behind the music production
- Difference between composing and arranging
- Inspiration behind the anthem music “The Great Battle”
- Relationship between the in-game sounds and the anthem music
The Cast Behind the Music Production for Heroes
1) Production
- Williams Costa, Jr. – executive producer; conductor of the FILMharmonic Orchestra
- Clayton Nunes – associate producer; composer and arranger of the anthem music
- Peter Pycha – associate producer; manager of the FILMharmonic Orchestra
2) Music
- Laura Morena – singer
- FILMharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic) – orchestra
- Jeremy Medkiff – guitarist
- Matt Pierce – electric bass guitarist
- Garth Justice – percussionist
- Background vocals
3) Engineering
- Oldrich Slezak and Cenda Kotzmann – orchestra engineers
- Joey Turner – background vocal engineer
- Isaac Breslau – vocal soloist engineer
- Dave Goodermuth – audio mixing engineer
- Andy Baldwin – master engineer
Composing and Arranging: What’s the Difference?
Composing is the first step in music production.
Based on Clayton’s definition, it means coming up with an idea for music in the form of melody and harmony. It may be for solo or group performance, vocal or instrumental.
After composing, arranging comes into play.
He defines it as setting up the format by which you want to execute your music.
For instance, a choral arrangement contains staves for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Similarly, an orchestra arrangement includes all desired stringed, wind, and percussion instruments.
There, you put in the notes, rests, dynamics, articulations, and other elements necessary to interpret the piece as you desire.
The Anthem Music
The text
There’s a battle going on for my heart
The Source of light against the fallen star
Schemes and strategies to form a plot
To disprove the truth about God’s love
Through the ages, heroes fought this fight
Defeating darkness with the greater light
Today is time for us to rise and shine
To be heroes in the world with our lives
Chorus:
And I wanna be a hero
Shining for the glory of the Lord
’Cause I can go from sinner to winner
When my faith is grounded in His Word
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Though the villain seemed to win on that day
When the Hero on the cross was slain
He died to prove that love was always right
His sacrifice has won the war; no more lies
(Repeat Chorus)
Bridge:
Even when I lose my strength
There is power in His name
(Repeat Chorus)
What inspired it?
The answer is in the title of the song itself, “The Great Battle,” which is echoed in the first line, “There’s a battle going on…”
Yes, it’s the battle between good and evil that we are facing in these last days.
With this, the song reminds us of Jesus, our ultimate Hero, Who died on the cross for our sins. Through His redeeming love, God has forgiven and given us the power to overcome evil.
As such, we are winners whose faith is grounded in His Word. We become light to the world and win souls for Christ. This is why the song mentions that we are heroes “shining for the glory of the Lord.”
Background Music and Sound Effects in Relation to the Anthem
Playing Heroes, you will hear that musical passage with strings and xylophone every time you answer a question. This promotes mental focus.
There’s also military-like music when you go to game settings and options. You can imagine soldiers getting ready with their weapons in assembly.
There’s also a sparkling star-like sound effect when you get the correct answer. But when your answer is wrong, a bus horn-like sound is heard.
These musical passages and sound effects align with the mood of the anthem music. The tension created by the bass drums, violins, violas, and trumpets reflects the battle-inspired yet majestic character of the theme song.
True enough, as Clayton emphasizes, a game’s theme music and sounds need to connect. This consistency justifies the unique branding of the game.
How Was the Music Production Process Itself?
Pre-production
It all started with music creation.
Clayton arranged the music on paper, which he presented to Sam Neves, the creative director of the game. Sam liked it.
After which, the producers coordinated with a contractor to hire orchestra players from Prague.
These musicians were not any typical musicians. They came from at least 4 most prominent symphony orchestras in the city.
These players received the scores for personal rehearsals. Soon, schedules were set until they all met in Prague and Nashville for the recording.
Recording
Recording started with the basic tracks. These included guitars, drums, and keyboards.
Following that was the recording of the background vocals, the orchestra, and the vocal soloist.
According to Williams, it was a thrilling experience for the orchestra to play the piece together the first time. Yet, the members gave it its deserved justice.
Well, they were all professionals. They knew what they were doing.
You can imagine them collaborating well on various ideas to come up with the best interpretation possible.
But for Laura Morena, singing was a bit challenging. She was almost 9 months pregnant at the time of recording.
“I have albums and all. But… [this] was the most challenging recording of my life,” she said.
She was having difficulty breathing due to tight airflow. Speaking was already tough but singing was particularly challenging.
But thanks to Clayton and the rest of the technical team for their help! They would give her pointers, corrections, and feedback for improvement.
“I always think that having people to assist you when you’re recording is so important,” Laura said.
With this help, she finished recording reasonably fast. In just 4 hours, she was able to record the song in 2 languages, English and Portuguese.
Post-production
As in any production, the post-production of Heroes music was even more tedious.
Imagine evaluating each recording to choose the best takes to consider for mixing and mastering.
Then, you have to edit the errors from the most obvious down to the smallest details. And you need to balance out the parts.
But good thing, as Williams said, audio editing softwares made their work a lot easier. Also, the metronome beats used during recording helped in synchronizing everything in the same rhythm and tempo.
With all this, the engineers did an excellent job, according to Laura.
What Lessons Can You Take Home From This?
1) Start everything with prayer and ask God for guidance.
“Everything started with prayer,” Clayton mentioned concerning the pre-production stage.
For this, he humbly added, “I cannot take credit for anything. I would never have achieved anything without inspiration from above.”
Indeed, no matter how good we are, we won’t succeed in what we do without God’s guidance. So, it’s important to begin every work with a prayer, asking for His wisdom.
2) Seek God’s will for your life.
Williams advised dreaming and never giving up, especially while you’re still young.
You still have a lot to do with life. As Laura put it, don’t wait for the big break. Do whatever you have to do.
But as you do, seek God’s will for your life. His plan is more important than your dreams, Clayton emphasized.
3) Develop your talent for God’s glory.
Every person has a God-given talent. Develop it through training and practice, Clayton and Williams advised.
But instead of doing it for yourself, do it to serve and glorify God. Through your talent, be a channel of His blessings to other people, Laura added.
Can We Hear From You?
Enjoyed this article? What can you say about the music production of Heroes?
We’re excited to hear from you!
To learn more, watch these full interview videos with Clayton, Williams, and Laura themselves:
