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Marvel, "Power Rangers" Maestro Brian Tyler Has Unlocked Secret To Superhero Themes

SCORE Team
Mar 7, 2017
3 min read

LOS ANGELES — It’s easy for the average moviegoer to think of superhero film scores as interchangeable in many ways, but composer Brian Tyler doesn’t see them that way.

“There’s kind of this certain vibe to superhero melodies,” he admits, noting they often share some feeling of triumph in their music. “I was really scared at first when I had multiple movies.”

Tyler cut his teeth with the Fast & Furious series — a Good vs. Bad action movie with a lot of similarities to superhero films. But has since developed a knack for Marvel films like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

He’s also taken on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and most recently Saban’s Power Rangers.

“Hero themes are more varied than I think people realize,” he told the crew of SCORE: A Film Music Documentary, in an extended, never-before-seen interview available in the book SCORE: The Interviews on Amazon.

“Iron Man,” Tyler said, “is really this guy Tony Stark, who is snarky, charming, clever, billionaire playboy with a mechanical suit. He’s really a guy that’s invented something.”

“His theme had to almost have that feel. He’s very human.”

Contrast that with his score for Thor — a very different kind of hero, and one Tyler tried to reflect in his theme.

“He’s a demigod that kind of can do whatever he wants,” Tyler told the SCORE team. “He’s royalty.”

It made sense that Tyler would be brought in by Marvel to take on a larger role in shaping the music of the Avengers.

“You want continuity,” he revealed in the interview. “It was important for me to incorporate Alan Silvestri’s Avengers music in there, as well.”

“I think it gives a continuity — using your own Iron Man 3 theme in those movies as well,” he said. “You want that musical DNA to continue on.”

The never-before-seen interview with Tyler is one of dozens featured in the new book SCORE: The Interviews, available in paperback and on Kindle — a treasure trove of rare interviews and insight with dozens of composers and directors will accompany the June release of SCORE: A Film Music Documentary.

The 352-page paperback book is packed with insider stories and never-before-heard in-depth interviews with dozens of maestros of the modern age, including Hans Zimmer, James Cameron, Quincy Jones, Rachel Portman, and one of the last long-form interviews conducted with Hollywood icon Garry Marshall.

Readers will step into the soundproof studios of film's top composers with the SCORE team to experience composers' journeys, struggles, secrets and how they find their groove.

The book is available on Amazon.

Composers Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Inception), Quincy Jones (The Color Purple, The Pawnbroker, In Cold Blood), Randy Newman (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., The Natural), Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Seven), Trent Reznor (The Social Network, Gone Girl, Nine Inch Nails), Tom Holkenborg (Mad Max: Fury Road, Batman v. Superman) and more. Plus, hear rare insight from director James Cameron and the legacy of James Horner, along with one of the final interviews conducted with legendary director Garry Marshall.

Modern maestros reveal their creative secrets.

Composer David Arnold: Bond, the British sound and using music from dreams.
Director James Cameron: How score shapes a film and working with James Horner.
Composer Quincy Jones: Music s evolution and emotive power on us.
Composer Randy Newman: Great film music in history and scoring for animated films.
Composer Rachel Portman: Using music to your advantage and female film composers.
Composer Howard Shore: The great epic film score and connecting all the dots.
Composer Hans Zimmer: The joy (and vulnerability) of musical experimentation.
Director Garry Marshall: How to use music to fill, fix and enhance film.
Composer Bear McCreary: Creating an efficient, tight-knit film composing team.

Goosebumps and exploring music's cutting edge.

Composers Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: Production value and the film score as an album.
Composer Brian Tyler: Growth, excitement and striving for perfection.
Composer Mychael Danna: Musical styles across different nationalities.
Composer Tom Holkenborg: Intensity and goosebumps.
Composer Harry Gregson-Williams: Traditional score meets technology.
Composer Steve Jablonsky: Reinventing electronic sounds.
Composer John Debney: Inspirations from childhood to the scoring stage.
Composer Trevor Rabin: Wrestling with the clock and working with producers.
Composer Patrick Doyle: Life and passion reflecting through music.