Netflix - Arrested Development S5 : Let's talk with David Schwartz

By Mulder, Los Angeles, 24 may 2018

Q: Hi David please can you tell us some words about your musical backgrounds ?

David Schwartz : I started out playing in bands when I was 12, first as a guitarist and later moved to bass. It was a better fit. I took some early lessons at the Mannes School of Music, and also attended the Berklee School of Music, where I studied under Bill, John, and Gary Burton. I think I learned the most, though, from playing with great musicians in every different genre of music imaginable. The very first show I composed for was Norther Exposure. Since we used every different style of music in Northern, my varied experience as a player was of great value.

Q: You have worked on different series such as The Good Place, Deadwood, Arrested Development, Two of Us, Running Wilde, and Lady Dynamite. How do you choose your projects ?

David Schwartz : If the story telling is good, then I am confident I can write an effective score. It’s often hard at the beginning of a project to know how the show will come out, so there’s a certain amount of faith, and you hope it works out.

Q : Recently you have worked on the fifth season of Arrested Development. What can you tell us about the process of creating this great score ?

David Schwartz : Any show will hopefully create it’s own musical identity. I love collaboration and you could not get a better collaborator than Mitchell Hurwitz, the show’s creator. Probably the best known sound for AD is the Tahitian Uke. Finding it was a bit of serendipity. My wife and I went to Bora Bora for our anniversary. On our first night there I heard a Tahitian uke, and spent the next four days chasing one down. I had the great studio guitarist George Doering play it on one of the first cues. Mitchell Hurwitz loved it, and it became an integral part of the score.

Q : What was the most difficult challenge that you have met on this new season ?

David Schwartz : Coming back to AD, I always want to best what I did in the previous seasons, while still keeping the unique flavor of the music. This season features a lot more longer cues and themes, which made it more fun!

Q : What can you tell us about the process of scoring an episode of Arrested Development?

David Schwartz : It starts out with me spotting the show with Mitch and music editor Jason Tregoe Newman. We discuss each scene and what kind of music it needs. Then I go back to my studio and start writing. If possible, I like to start and the beginning and go through to the end. I also like to compose and Arrested Development style swing tune for each episode. Even though it’s a lot of work, it helps me get in the mood for writing the rest of the score. Lately, more of the swing tunes have been written in minor keys, you can make what you want of that.

Q : The main title is an ever-evolving cue. How did you find that new sound and its evolution ?

David Schwartz : See above for the origin of the Tahitian Ukelele. I think that the Arrested theme encompasses almost every style of music I’ve ever written! Every time I showed it to Mitch, he would say, “yeah that’s really great, what else can we add?” The final addition was the whistling performed by my great friend James McVay. In season four, we added a different instrument for every character/episode. Season five, we are back to the classic MT.

Q: Why do you think that Netflix has decided to bring back this serie ?

David Schwartz : Ted Sarandos, besides being brilliant, is a true fan of the show. I think all our fans are extraordinarily loyal, and there seems to be a lot of excitement about the new season.

Q : What kind of instruments do you play and which one is your favorite?

David Schwartz : I am a bass player, both upright and electric. I write at the piano, and I can play guitar, mandolin, percussion, and other instruments to varying degrees. However, I prefer to hire great musicians, as they can add another level to the piece.

Q : Where is your favorite place to record cores?

David Schwartz : I have a great studio at home. I love it when I get to record an orchestra, my last orchestral score was recorded at The Bridge in Burbank, CA. It’s a great scoring stage! I also have a great fondness for the Sony scoring stage in Culver City.

Q : How involved are you with the directors, when you collaborated with them on their films?

David Schwartz : When doing films the director is the most important relationship. In television, it is usually the show-runner/producer that I have the primary musical relationship with.

Q : what must be for you a great score ?

David Schwartz : If the picture is great, then it is much easier to create a great score. The reverse is also true, and then you must rise to the challenge and find something that’s great in the picture to be inspired by.

Q: Which are your favorite French directors and would you like to work with them ?

David Schwartz : Of course Truffaut and Godard. I just saw and loved Agnès Varda’s new film Faces Places. I would be thrilled to work in France with a French director! France has always been my favorite country to visit.

Q: Are there some directors will you dream to work with?

David Schwartz : Anyone who is making great films I would be happy to work with.

Q : what are your current projects ?

David Schwartz : Arrested Development, The Good Place, and a currently untitled film starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz that is coming out soon. We also finished the last season of Lady Dynamite last year.

Arrested Development
Emmy award-winning and Golden Globe nominated comedy series, Arrested Development, returns to Netflix for a fifth season. The first half, consisting of eight episodes, premieres on Tuesday, May 29th and the remaining eight episodes will launch at a later date. In the aftermath of Cinco de Quatro, the Bluth family are all facing one question, that no one quite has the answer to; where is Lucille Two? As this Netflix (semi) original series, the Bluths are back together, and finally getting the award they think they deserve - for family of the year. A development which will help Lindsay as she begins her campaign for Congress, to become ‘part of the problem’. But whatever happens, Michael will always come back to save the family. Probably.

Arrested Development
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter
Narrated by Ron Howard
Composers : David Schwartz
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Executive producers : Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, David Nevins, Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely, Troy Miller
Producers : Victor Hsu, Barbie Feldman Adler, Brad Copeland, John Amodeo, John Foy, Joe and Anthony Russo
Production companies : Imagine Television, The Hurwitz Company, 20th Century Fox Television
Distributor 20th Television, Netflix (2013–present)
Original network : Fox (2003–2006), Netflix (2013–present)

Photos: copyright Netflix