“Imagine a horror score where the thematic ideas are based on Ennio Morricone’s score for The Mission, and that’s what Slotherhouse is. Clearly the Morricone homages are intended to represent the lush, beautiful jungle home of Alpha the Sloth himself – The Mission was based among the Guaraní people of modern day Bolivia and Paraguay – and Ewing’s approximation of this sound is excellent.”
I traveled to Washington D.C. with a few fellow The Walking Dead creatives, actor and director Michael Cudlitz, and executive producers Scott M. Gimple and Denise Huth, to share our process of creating a show from script to screen. This discussion was part of a greater effort to push for stricter anti-piracy laws in the US.
I’m enjoying the virtual celebration of the EMMF concert this year (thanks to Covid-19). This year’s program will officially be postponed until 2021, but a virtual version can be seen below. I wrote a piece dedicated to 1950’s Hollywood music, a wonderful era of film scores.
https://www.endlessmountain.net/virtual-music-festival
AMC is introducing a few new characters to The Walking Dead in Season ten, including Thora Birch’s Gamma, and behind the scenes they are also bringing on new creatives, one of them being composer Sam Ewing. Ewing has been added as an official co-composer alongside veteran Bear McCreary.
-How would you say Season 10 is different from all the other seasons of The Walking Dead?
I think there is a new emotional component, relationally and otherwise. For example, Carol and Daryl have an interesting season together. Daryl in general is developing his relationships with others. We learn more about Alpha and Beta of the Whisperers. Gamma, a new character played by Thora Birch, has some interesting relational story lines and twists this season. I am personally impressed by what show runner Angela Kang and writers have squeezed out of the 10th season. They are finding new angles to play that are bold surprising, and rewarding for longtime fans. It’s all about the relationships.
“I’m thrilled to share credits with long-standing members of my @SparksShadows team: Sam Ewing now officially co-composes with me on @WalkingDead_AMC, & Jason Akers on @AgentsofSHIELD. They started as interns, worked hard, and learned the craft. Bravo!” - Bear McCreary
How would you describe the score for Season 10 of The Walking Dead?
Raw, rustic and organic, if I had to pick a few words. The palette and voice of the score are a continuation of what Bear and showrunner, Angela Kang, established in season 9. It’s a bit of a throwback to the earlier seasons of TWD where you’d hear violin solos, guitars and small string ensembles. The score is kind of devolving into its organic and acoustic roots, much like the characters of the show have resorted to using windmills, waterwheels and horses.
Before you started working on The Walking Dead were you a fan of the show?
Sam Ewing: I was! I remember when I was in college, I would fire up Season 1 on my laptop in between work-study shifts. I thought it was so fresh to have a gritty zombie apocalypse show shot on 16mm film, with Bernard Herrmann-esque style string ensembles in the score. But I never would have imagined I’d be scoring it alongside Bear 10 years later. I’m very fortunate.
