Composer Phill Boucher Talks Differences Between Scoring Film and Games like Heroish, Fortnite

gamerant.com:

Visual mediums like film and television are often scrutinized for their visuals first and foremost. However, audio is just as important, with institutions like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizing broad categories like Best Sound as well as more granular Sound Mixing and individual songs during its Oscars award ceremony. Video games are no different, with every genre from shooters to horror thriving on the immersive atmosphere created by their soundscapes. Heroish composer Phill Boucher has experience across the entertainment spectrum.

Boucher got his start playing trumpet, then took an interest in guitar. He pivoted to entertainment when he realized he probably couldn't make a living with his «mediocre metal band» in high school, going on to study Film Scoring and Music Production & Engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. This led to a job at Remote Control Productions, a film scoring company created by Hans Zimmer, where he racked up a list of credits including multiple Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Game Rant spoke to Boucher about the differences between working on film and television scores versus video games like Heroish, Fortnite, and Civilization 6.

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Though the decision to study film scoring came partially out of a love for movies, Boucher had an interest in writing story-driven songs with his early metal. Working in entertainment also seemed like an alternative to writing for more traditional orchestras, which he thought he would never be able to do because he lacked a «classical background.» Yet Boucher enjoys classical writing and «spent a long time studying and writing to get my chops up,» opening