GameOST – Interview with SimAnimals compose Winifred Phillips

Let’s get to the SimAnimals soundtrack. It’s very good orchestrated symphonic music. Orchestration is very difficult art. Often this kind of work is done by special guys called “orchestrators”. Did you do orchestration in SimAnimals by yourself or there were any orchestrators?

I did the orchestration myself. I’ve always done all of my own orchestration, and I’m very glad you enjoyed it! SimAnimals really required an uncompromisingly symphonic approach.

What was concept of soundtrack and what material did you receive when you start the work?

The development team at Electronic Arts had a vision for the music of SimAnimals that always included a symphonic style – they talked quite a bit about Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf at the beginning of the project. While the score I created for SimAnimals shares very little in common with Prokofiev’s work, I recognized the developer’s passion for a lush, orchestral score, and I kept that in mind while I was creating the music. All throughout the music creation process, the team at EA provided gameplay videos and concept art, as well as documents outlining the musical requirements of the game. One thing I really appreciated was their faith in my creative decisions. Once I began creating the music, they gave me a lot of room to create a unique sound for SimAnimals. Electronic Arts allowed me to define a musical style for the franchise. I found the experience very fulfilling.

How much time were you given to create this soundtrack?

I worked on SimAnimals from June to September of 2008.

More questions after the jump!