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Kenny Wood remembers whistling the tunes to his favorite 1980’s comics on the playground at recess, but had no idea then that he was embarking on a journey to becoming a film, video game, and television composer. As a composer, Kenny Wood has worked on numerous projects, including The Ellen Degeneres Show and the Academy Award Nominated short film, Oktapodi. He has also worked in the music department for titles such as Scream, Rambo: Last Blood, Charlie’s Angels (2019), Hawaii 5-0, and Swamp Thing.
Recently, Kenny composed for the film Gatlopp: Hell of a Game, a horror comedy about a group of friends who reunite after years apart and must play and win a drinking game before sunrise, or risk the eternal punishment of playing the game forever in hell. For this project, Kenny utilized some interesting tools to make sound that supported the tone of the show, including shot glasses.
We spoke with Kenny about his influence as a composer, his creative process, and his experience working during the Pandemic on Gatlopp: Hell of a Game.
Is there a specific moment or score that inspired you to become a composer?
I can’t really put a finger on a specific moment. Looking back, it feels like it was just a natural progression towards producing music. My earliest major influences were Warner Bros cartoons (Bugs, Daffy, etc) and the scores of some 1980s classics like Willow, Batman, Beetlejuice, Pee Wee. I had no idea then that I would follow a path into music, but growing up, those themes would follow me around everywhere I went. I would hum the tunes while having my own adventures on the playground and at school… almost as if I was scoring my own life! One score that has stuck with me is Danny Elfman’s Batman (1989). To this day, it is still my favorite and one that I always refer back to as a guide post.
Do you think your role as a composer is more technical, creative, or a mix of both?
It is for sure a mix of both, but the role itself is also a collaborative one. It’s two-way communication–listening to what the other creatives are trying to accomplish with story and sound/visuals and then finding a way to give them a sense of what I can do with that before any notes are composed. Having written on over 100 projects, the technical and creative sides for me have melded into one flow where a lot of the technical things are muscle memory and the use of technology, which has made things so simple and fast since my first project over 20 years ago. The creative part is something where sometimes I just need to be ready with a recording device at all times for an idea to strike and other times, I just need to grind it out and make it work. The nice thing about working on a film or game score is that in most cases there is a story and a setting, so I can always check against those to make sure the ideas are working together.
Does your creative process vary from project to project or does it stay the same?
It absolutely varies, which is one of the most attractive things about this type of work–you get to tackle things in completely different ways. Like an architect who designs homes, there are always opportunities to do something different each time, and that’s exciting. As an example, part of the process is doing my own research and listening to music from around the world as I submerge myself into a project. And in that research, I’m also learning how that music is created, what scales or non-western methodologies go into it, and from that, I’ll formulate my own variation of those techniques when I begin the creation. Another one is creating new instrument sounds through recording/manipulation/sampling and that’s ALWAYS an area of curiosity as you never quite know what challenges that will bring… and almost assuredly, effects that no one ever thought of will be found–effects that make the score stand out in a really cool way. Additionally, schedule, resources, and other factors can have a huge effect on the process too because finding clever ways to technically guide the score to completion is very much part of the process (and the fun). Every project no matter how big or small presents these challenges and it may be weird to hear this, but even the planning phase of the process is something I enjoy very much.
How closely did you work with the director while developing the score for Gatlopp: Hell of a Game?
Alberto (Belli) and I are great friends and our first project goes back to 2011 while we were students at USC. I absolutely love working with him because he’s got such a clear direction of how to tell stories. And despite him not being a musician, he can definitely pick up on all the details I throw into my demos and determine what’s working and not working. The feedback he gives is so precise, we manage to find all the magic and nuance pretty quickly. It also helps that he and I have nearly identical lists of what we think are the greatest movies of all time so that’s partly why I think we can complement each other so well. On Gatlopp, things were unusual because it was during 2020, at the height of the pandemic. We had regular zoom calls and check-ins, but it was certainly different for me having to trust in his headphones to hear all the things I wanted to convey. Fortunately, it worked out very well and I think it’s a credit to our decade of working together.
Do you have a favorite instrument you like to include in your scores?
It’s a corny answer, but my favorite instrument is the one I’m currently writing for. When it comes to making music, I am an explorer and I don’t always want to explore the same place on every project. Now there are lots of commonalities and frequently used sounds and ensembles like the orchestra, which I love to use, but I equally love discovering something new and pushing it to its limits in order to help tell a story. The story of Gatlopp centers around a drinking game, complete with shotglasses and beer bottles, so Alberto and I decided those would be great to use in the score: actual shot glasses and beer bottles! They can be heard in almost every cue used in a lot of various ways.
Is there a scene from Gatlopp: Hell of a Game that you found to be especially rewarding to score?
All of them, to be honest. Every scene in this movie is awesome and provided a unique challenge for me. Among those challenges was having the music make sense between the comedy and horror elements as well as using the sound of a full orchestra for a movie that takes place almost entirely inside a small house in Venice, CA. Every single cue dealt with this in some capacity, but it may surprise you that my favorite (slightly above the rest) isn’t the main title or climax. Instead, it was the scene where Cliff (Jon Bass) tells his friends about how he got stood up by his high school prom date only to be interrupted by a blood curdling scream. I won’t spoil what happens next, but this scene covers A LOT of emotional ground and different heart rates.
Do you have any advice for any aspiring composers?
Despite lots of projects and many years at this, I still consider myself pretty fresh in my career and I think that’s what keeps my energy and momentum in the right direction. Don’t ever get complacent, even with some success behind you. The business rewards those who hustle and the moment you think something is easy, you put yourself at risk of putting out something that’s lower quality, which can be a detriment to your career. Another thing is that attaining success or finding the next gig isn’t as simple as just pairing up with talented filmmakers or game devs while in school. When those people find their success, you may be granted some opportunities, but you will not be guaranteed of them, meaning you need to sell yourself to those executives they’re now working with and make the case why you’re the better choice among candidates with possibly more impressive accolades than you. Lastly, you’ve got to fight through all the rejections and discouragement (which will happen) and hang on because sometimes it’s just a matter of outlasting all those who can’t hang for as long.
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Thanks for reading! You can learn more about Kenny on his IMDB and Website.
