Andrew Hulshult: For a lot of boomer shooter followers, he is often called THE man for soundtracks in that style. When his title flashed on the display screen through the opening credit of Iron Lung, I used to be shocked to be taught considered one of my favourite composers was concerned with this challenge. Because the credit rolled on the finish of the movie, the gears began whirring in my head: I actually wish to speak to him about this movie’s soundtrack.
Because it seems, going from strictly online game OSTs to movie was as surprising for Hulshult because it was for me discovering out he composed for Iron Lengthy. And so, after asking round, I used to be in a position to speak to the person himself and be taught extra about his technique of composing for movie versus video video games, the challenges he confronted, and the enjoyable he had whereas on Iron Lung’s set.
On the Set of Iron Lung
Except you are deep into the boomer shooter house, you may not know of Hulshult’s connection to Iron Lung recreation creator David Szymanski. The movie wasn’t their first inventive endeavor collectively — Hulshult composed the soundtrack for the gritty, darkish, retro-style shooter Nightfall, the very recreation that put Szymanski on the map.
Round 2018 or 2019, after Nightfall’s improvement, Hulshult would usually casually inform Szymanski that it could be cool to do a rating for a movie, if the possibility ever arose. Whereas we do not have a film for Nightfall (at the very least, not but), round 2022, Hulshult acquired a name from Szymanski a few completely different challenge.
“He referred to as me and was like, ‘hey, you keep in mind the way you mentioned you needed to work on a movie?’ He is like, ‘so what if I advised you you could possibly and that I believe that you simply’d be good for it?’ And I used to be like, I am considering [it’s a] small factor, ‘I am like… yeah, what do you bought.’ He is like, properly, Markiplier.”
Markiplier is a large presence on YouTube and past. With almost 40 million subscribers on YouTube alone, something together with his title behind it pulls plenty of weight. Even whereas writing this text, he is streaming a horror recreation and pulling a staggering 90,000 viewers. So, for him to be concerned, Hulshult knew it was an enormous deal, and was keen to leap into this challenge, that being Iron Lung.
“It was sick, man, prefer it was a lot enjoyable,” mentioned Hulshult. “That man is a continuing inventive, is at all times on the lookout for one thing to raised the challenge with out going too loopy into it, is at all times open to concepts, is at all times on the lookout for solutions, and it is simply been superior.”
Hulshult later had an opportunity to go to the set of Iron Lung, the place he was in a position to get inspiration and concepts for the music. For a few minute, he felt like an outsider on set, however virtually instantly, he grew comfy with the professionalism and friendliness of the crew.
To not point out, Hulshult was blown away by the dynamic set — a sub rigged right into a machine that would create the sensation of underwater turbulence — and seeing all of it in motion over the course of per week served as unimaginable inspiration for his music.
“It was superior to be requested to come back on the set simply to put in writing demos. And I’ll let you know that about half the demos I wrote beneath that, I by no means touched once more, and so they simply made it into the movie. We simply appreciated them. I used to be simply catching vibes off of Mark’s performing that I used to be like, I genuinely didn’t suppose that I might catch. I used to be connecting with that dude’s performances on a special stage.”
Points from the set made it into Hulshult’s music, as properly. Large vats of synthetic blood, latex, steel, and even Markiplier’s personal voice contributed to the rating. By sampling these sounds, Hulshult labored some darkish magic and created the ominous, brooding sounds we hear within the Iron Lung OST.
I used to be simply catching vibes off of Mark’s performing that I used to be like, I genuinely didn’t suppose that I might I might catch I used to be I used to be connecting with that dude’s performances on a special stage.
“And I might feed in all of these sounds into granular synthesis,” mentioned Hulshult, “and simply mess with them till I discovered one thing that seemed like a observe that I loved, however nonetheless seemed like, you recognize, steel or a sub or Mark’s voice. After which I might simply use it, and it type of turned like just a little little bit of a meme the place I used to be like, I’ll go dwelling and write music with this metallic shitty orchestra for this movie, is what we at all times say.”
Composing for Video Video games vs. Movie
At varied factors throughout our speak, we touched on the variations between composing for online game music versus movie. Hulshult has credit for over a dozen video games, together with the aforementioned Nightfall, but in addition the latest Heretic + Hexen Remaster by Nightdive, and even Doom Everlasting’s The Historical Gods DLC.
“You possibly can’t function this the very same method,” mentioned Hulshult. “You possibly can’t come to it the very same method. It’s a must to come to it and speak concerning the imaginative and prescient, like what this man’s imaginative and prescient is, and perceive it to a degree the place you do not even want him within the room, which I really feel like I acquired to that. And each time that I might have a bit of music, I simply despatched it over to him, and he cherished virtually all of it during, which I used to be like, thank god, it is my first time. This might have gone so sideways.”
Due to Hulshult’s expertise within the trade, he mentions there’s a longtime belief between him and the online game producers he works with. After all, video video games and movie are utterly completely different types of leisure, which was one hurdle he needed to get round.
“…so like movies, it’s much more static, however the the difficulty with movies is that they will change, so you will get cuts, proper? Like one thing can utterly change in per week, and you have to rethink it. And with video games, it isn’t a lot that. It is like, that is the extent, that is how we wish to do stuff. So you’ll be able to type of write what’s in your head entrance to again, virtually multi functional go.”
One distinct side about Iron Lung is that it takes place utterly inside one self-contained submarine, whereas Hulshult is often composing for video video games with sprawling ranges and dynamic themes. This was intimidating, particularly given the truth that music was important in creating the environment for the movie.
“It has been some time since I had like a extremely good problem,” mentioned Hulshult. “Everlasting felt like a extremely good problem, these DLC felt like a extremely good problem, and I believe I used to be prepared for one more large problem and that is what excited me about this.”
I believe I used to be prepared for one more large problem and that is what excited me about this.
Hulshult commends the cinematography and modifying of the movie, making use of such a small house to continuously innovate and thus hold the viewers engaged. Along with the wonderful work by Markiplier as director and his crew, Iron Lung recreation creator David Szymanski served a pivotal function within the course of as properly.
Szymanski not solely developed the gameplay for Iron Lung, he additionally created the music as properly. For analysis, Hulshult went again and listened to Szymanski’s work, which he calls “bizarre, fascinating and actually dreadful.”
There was a selected motif from the theme music of Iron Lung that caught with him, and interested by how Szymanski created a sure whirring sound, Hulshult was shocked to be taught it was sampled by an previous fan.
“And that modified how I perceived all the pieces with the soundtrack,” mentioned Hulshult, “that little tiny interplay with David Szymanski, as a result of I used to be sitting again right here going, ‘I am about to put in writing like music for a film — I gotta go discover all these loopy string libraries and we gotta go discover the best synths that we will, we’ll go spend some cash.
And instantly was like, nope: We will work on sound design, is what we’ll do. We will discover bizarre sounds which can be associated to both the set or the sub, and we’ll write with that.”
The Unprecedented Reception of Iron Lung
Iron Lung’s movie adaptation has been nothing wanting a rousing success. With a smaller funds of $3 million and created by a YouTuber — not a longtime director — Iron Lung’s accrued almost $50 million in income. In a heartfelt, tear-filled video by Markiplier, he displays on the movie’s monumental efficiency. By extension, Hulshult’s been blown away by all of it as properly, calling it the “largest reception” he is ever had together with his music.
“A bunch of individuals did not know that I used to be going to be writing the music for this,” mentioned Hulshult, “and so they’re like tagging me like, ‘oh my God, you wrote for this? ‘ And so they’re within the theater. And I am simply, I actually needed to put in writing again: ‘Please simply watch the film, ship it to me afterwards.'”
“Anytime I might be part of one thing cool with cool individuals and other people wish to speak about it for a couple of years down the street, I am all for it, that’s what it’s for me. If we made a large enough affect to the place you are like, I acquired to speak about this, that is cool. I like that.”
Be sure you try our full video interview in case you’re occupied with the complete dialog with Andrew Hulshult, together with extra particulars on his time on set and his inventive course of for each video video games and movie music! For those who’re occupied with listening to Hulshult’s rating, you could find it on main streaming websites comparable to Spotify.
