Musically, "The Terminator" franchise has long been defined by Brad Fiedel‘s work on the first two films directed by James Cameron. But with the upcoming "Terminator Genisys," the Emmy and BAFTA nominated Lorne Balfe is looking to put his imprint on the series. And as you might imagine, it was quite the task.
"The biggest challenge was writing the first note of the score!" Balfe told The Playlist. "As a composer, every project begins with either a blank sequence or a blank manuscript and for the first couple of days you cover and experience every emotion under the sun. Fear being the main one! The hardest part is always the beginning–finding your footing and seeing which sounds are going to carry you through the whole film."
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Today, we’re exclusively unveiling two of Balfe’s cuts from "Terminator Genisys": "Sarah Kicks Ass" from the official soundtrack, and "Griffith Park," which won’t be found on the upcoming release. And the composer shared with us his approach to each piece.
"This was originally written as a suite for Sarah," he said of "Sarah Kicks Ass." "When I wrote it, I had just seen the scene when Sarah first arrives in the money truck. For me, the music had to represent her and the biggest part about Sarah is everything she stands for and everything she has spent her life fighting. She is strong and kicks major ass but she does it all for those she loves."
Meanwhile, "Griffith Park" had to serve as the backdrop to one of the film’s most eye-opening moments. "This was one of the hardest scenes in the film to compose. What is the music that accompanies two Arnolds fighting against each other?! It had to be epic no matter what," Balfe shared. "This is also a very special scene because the beginning recreates Arnold’s arrival in T2 and we wanted the music to do the same and reference that original moment."
Executive produced by Hans Zimmer, the "Terminator Genisys" soundtrack is now available on Amazon and iTunes. The film opens on July 1st. Check out the two tracks below.