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The structural thinking I use in the concert hall is unnecessary to most film projects, and most film composers make better use of the enormous range of pop and other materials and techniques required of them than I probably would, faced with the same challenge.

I work very hard on getting the songs as direct and examined as I can before I go in the studio.

To do more of a concert thing, it takes so much preparation. You don't just show up and wing it. You're putting countless hours in the studio, not just to write and produce stuff, but to come up with edits and special things for the show.

I used to like to set different film clips to classical music, not even my own songs, but make little movies.

When you're working on film music, you're only working on 20, 30-minute sections at a time.

There's an awful lot of resources that can be drawn upon in an improvised music concert.

I got successful awfully quick, and I wanted it... But I do think there is responsibility to move the musical theater form forward. I think you always have to be aware of the work that came before and build on that.

For me, the work begins with a rough cut of the film. I can't do much with the script. I've tried to write music to a script prior to seeing the film, but I've found it turns out to be a waste of time.