Composer Daniel Pemberton discusses his multifaceted, percussive score for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s sci-fi adventure, Project Hail Mary. The film, based on the best-selling Andy Weir novel and written by Drew Goddard, follows middle school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace, stranded in outer space on a mission to reignite the sun.

A Collaborative Beginning

Pemberton’s connection to the filmmaking duo began with a previous project. “I did a movie quite a while ago now with them,” he explains. “We met in London and just became friends, and then I ended up doing [that film].” He felt a sense of responsibility taking on Project Hail Mary, stating, “It was very exciting but also daunting…we were all aware that we were flying a flag for original cinema.”

Differentiating the Score

When asked about influences from other space movie scores, Pemberton emphasized a desire for originality. “We really wanted to make it not feel like things you’d heard before,” he said. He highlighted the film’s core theme of connection between two vastly different beings, Dr. Grace and the alien Rocky, as a key element shaping the score. “It’s a lot more personal and certainly smaller than those movies, but there’s this huge canvas and landscape around it.”

Building the Soundscape

Pemberton’s approach was to build the score “from the ground up,” creating every sound from scratch. This involved extensive experimentation and a dedication to organic textures. “Every sound you hear in this film is a result of months and months and months of experimentation,” he revealed. He incorporated unconventional elements like distorted choirs, steel drums, woodblocks, and even body percussion from local schoolchildren.

The Sound of Humanity

To further emphasize the human element, Pemberton recorded a class of schoolchildren providing percussion. “I wanted as much of a human body in this score as possible, so there’s stomping and clapping and body slaps all through a lot of the film,” he explained, particularly noticeable in the “fishing scene.”

An Invented Instrument

Pemberton even invented an instrument for the film, utilizing the sound of squeaky water taps. Inspired by a friend’s old house, he sampled the unique sound. “It’s just a really cool sound because it’s sort of a pure tone, but it has all these imperfections in it,” he described. He often combined this sound with a Cristal Baschet, a unique instrument featuring glass rods and water.

Collaboration and Emotional Resonance

Pemberton stressed the collaborative nature of the filmmaking process, emphasizing the importance of open discussion and pushing boundaries. “We all have strong opinions…we all push hard for what we think is best for the film,” he stated. He also discussed the delicate balance between supporting performances and enhancing emotional impact. “There are bits where the music has to do a lot of heavy lifting and bits where you want to step back.”

A Dub Influence

Interestingly, Pemberton initially considered a dub-inspired score with steel drums and harmonica. While that idea was ultimately abandoned, elements of dub beats and steel drums found their way into the final score. “There’s steel drums on it. There’s dub beats on it. But there’s no harmonica,” he clarified. “I just thought that’d be interesting. No one’s done a very good score with dub. That’s still in the back pocket one day.”