Resident writes film score for ‘Princess Diaries’
Katherine Tolford, Enjoy!
GLENDALE -- John Debney didn’t need a fairy godmother to help him
understand the world of diamond tiaras, glass slippers and taffeta ball
gowns.
The 44-year-old Glendale resident and Burbank native wrote the musical
score to Disney’s new film, “The Princess Diaries.” The film, which was
directed by Garry Marshall, tells the story of Mia (Anne Hathaway), a
teenage girl who discovers she’s the princess of a small European nation.
Mia’s grandmother, played by Julie Andrews, counsels her in the ways of
royalty.
Debney found it easy to relate to the main character’s struggles.
“The movie’s central themes are inviting, be it for a girl or a guy:
Don’t be afraid to reach for your dreams and attain them. The journey she
goes through relates to what I go through in dealing with my boys,” said
Debney, who has three sons.
Minus the royal training and treatment, Debney realized while working
on “Princess” that he’s tried to teach his sons much of what Mia learns
in the film, like the importance of setting a goal and hard work.
“I have an 18-year-old who’s about to go to college. We talk about
what it takes to set a goal and achieve it. The theme is universal. It’s
great for girls, but the film has a great all-around theme for anyone:
having courage to try and reach for the stars,” said Debney, who attended
Incarnation Elementary School while growing up in Glendale.
The movie’s theme is also one that Debney can relate to on a
professional level, having established himself as a versatile film and
television composer. He’s set the musical pace to countless films, and
has worked in a variety of film genres including comedy (“Liar Liar”),
action (“End of Days”), horror (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”), and
family (“Cats & Dogs.”)
Debney’s job as composer typically begins in the film’s
post-production phase. First, he watches the movie, then he writes and
presents potential themes to the filmmakers. They discuss his ideas and
decide where the music will go within the movie.
Then Debney goes back to his studio and creates a mockup of the music.
Once he receives the director’s final approval, he fine tunes the score
and records it with an orchestra. Then the music is dubbed into the
movie.
Debney, who has won several Emmy awards, including one for best score
for “The Young Riders,” said he tried to make his compositions for
“Princess” bring out the romantic, sentimental feel of the movie,
especially for the film’s dramatic waltz and kiss scenes.
“The sound is incredibly romantic and beautiful. It was a dream job
for me. I was asked to write some really pretty music -- classical
contemporary stuff.
“It’s thematic and pretty. Hopefully people will like it, because it
was fun to do,” he said.
THE DEBNEY FILE
NAME: John Debney, film and television music composer; born in
Burbank, grew up in Glendale and attended Incarnation Elementary School.
He lives in Glendale.
AGE: 44.
FAMILY: Wife Lola; sons Josh, 18, Jason, 15, John Jr., 13.
PAST PROJECTS: Television: “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “The
Young Riders.” Movies: “Cats & Dogs,” “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “End
of Days,” “Dick,” “Liar Liar,” “The Relic,” “Cutthroat Island,” “I Know
What You Did Last Summer.”
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: “The two kings of film scoring, John Williams and
Jerry Goldsmith. They were the two big guys during the ‘70’s and still
are to this day.” Classical music: Debussy, Ravel, Mozart.
FAVORITE FILM SCORES: “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Alien,” “Close Encounters
of the Third Kind,” “Planet of the Apes (1968)” and “Chinatown.”
HOW A FILM SCORE ON HIS LIFE WOULD SOUND: “A pretty pastoral piece
with a really pretty melody. It would be full of life and light, not a
lot of darkness. And hopefully you’d hum it when you left the theater.”
FANTASY PROJECTS: “I’d like to work with George Lucas, Martin
Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh. The list is endless for me. I’m not so far
along in my career that I can look back.”
HOBBIES: Sports; having fun with his kids; collecting animation art.