Composer Lucas Vidal: "It's a golden moment for the music and film industry in Spain"

Spanish composer Lucas Vidal kicked off his music career by becoming the youngest Berklee College of Music student ever to compose and record the score to a feature film with a full orchestra, going on to score for blockbuster films including Fast & Furious 6 and movie trailer and TV promo music for everything from The Hunger Games to Succession. He explains how a combination of passion and pizza got him where he is today.

How did you come to be the youngest Berklee College of Music student ever to compose and record score to a feature film with a full orchestra?

I was 19 or 20 and I was obsessed with recordings and composing, so I would stop students that were walking by from other schools like the New England Conservatory or the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and I would ask them to play for my recordings. 

They would ask me if I had the money, and I would tell them, ‘No, but I have a recommendation letter and pizza’. So the pizza element was a key element during my recordings because they all loved them! 

There was a producer that heard about my work and decided to hire me, so it was a big surprise for me. I started with five players for my first recording, then I decided to record with 10, then 20, then 30, then 50, 60, then 80, then 100 players. 

I remember that for my graduation project I ended up at the Boston Symphony Hall with 160 players. It was insane! I even invited the mayor of Boston, and he came! It was a big event.

Was there a certain genre of film you wanted to ideally score when you started out?

I was more interested in adventure scores, and it's funny because when I started in my professional career I started with horror films, and I never quite liked that genre! But to me, the most important thing is to be prepared, so that when you get a call, you are flexible and you can deliver. 

I don’t want to be in my comfort zone – I want to explore lots of genres and sounds. Music is very important in storytelling, as through it, you tell a story that is not in the script, but one that is in the story. 

My job is to ensure the music goes straight to your heart without going through your brain.

In 2015, you co-founded CHROMA (with Steve Dzialowski and Chris Ramsdell) which has created film trailer and TV promo music for high profile projects as diverse as Succession, The Hunger Games, Black Widow, The Morning Show, Toy Story 4, Game Of Thrones, Thor: Ragnarok and Wonder Woman. How does film and TV trailer work differ from regular film composing?

Trailer music is different because there’s a different structure that you have to build up to so that they can cut your piece into those trailers. It's quite technical and the production is very important, so it’s important to understand how to mix it and how to produce it well. 

The Hunger Games was fun – it was a big production. But to be honest, I treat every project the same and bring the same level of quality and production to everything. It’s all about storytelling and about understanding what is best for the narration and for the characters.

You’re based in Madrid – what is the Spanish film and TV industry like at the moment?

I'm doing different TV shows and movies for Netflix, Amazon and Movistar at the moment. I'm doing a Picasso ballet with a full orchestra and flamenco players and two Spanish-based musicals, as well as more movies here and in the US next year. 

I’m still doing American projects, although the Spanish market now is crazy. It's insane! There's so many productions in Spain and Latin America, but especially in Spain. 

Netflix is opening 10 stages here in Madrid and it’s going to be the biggest hub after Pinewood – and they are building that just for Spanish projects, so imagine how many projects that are happening in Spanish now. It's a golden moment for the music and film industry in Spain.

Steinberg’s Cubase is integral to your workflow and has been your DAW of choice for many years. How does it fit into the way you work?

Previous to Cubase, I was working on a different DAW. When I switched to Cubase I saw heaven and I was saying, ‘Thank you, god!’ It was the best day of my life, ever! [laughs] 

It was a game-changer, and not only technically, but in terms of creativity: I work so fast, and with the shortcuts I have a template where I have my orchestra divided into woodwinds, brass, strings, effects, choir, pianos, and then everything is very well rooted so when I export my 5.1 or 7.1 mix – boom! I do it right on Cubase. I even record straight to Cubase, which helps a lot with my workflow.

I have a couple of assistants, and we all work remotely. I'm at my place working and they are at a different studio in Madrid, and it's the same as being in the same room. It's crazy how fast our workflow is, and part of it is because of Cubase. 

Every time there's a problem, there's also a solution, and I just love it. I like to work fast and to produce fast, and with Cubase that is possible. And with Cubase 12 the export queue means that you can bounce multiple options at the same time, which is great. 

So you can do one bounce with a full orchestra, and another bounce with a piano and another with only vocals – but you do those bounces at the same time. It's crazy how much time you save with this new tool.

Check out CHROMA's music trailer work here.