MRH : Was there a particular sound the filmmakers wanted you to follow, or were you given a great deal of freedom to come up with the score's melodic orchestral design?

DM : I was given a lot of freedom and Andrew was really supportive of my choices from the onset. I wrote a lot of demo cues just based on the script about 6 months before Fido began shooting. It was a real luxury since our deadlines are usually so condensed.

MRH : To my ears, the score seems to deliberately evoke some stylistic conventions of the mid- to late-fifties, particularly some melodic sweeps ("Timmy in the Park" recalls Nino Rota's lush romanticism of the era); doses of Americana (as in "The Meadow" cue); and what seem to be nods to Bernard Herrmann ("The Brothers Attack" recalls the composer's 3-note theme from Mysterious Island, while "Zombie Troubles" and "Mr. Henderson Taken" remind me of an eerie 2-note slide Herrmann used in the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone.)

DM : It was definitely the stylistic conventions that I was most interested in rather than the music from specific films. I listened to a lot of 50's soundtracks and watched old television commercials and even old educational movies for schools.

Even before a note of music was written I knew that Timmy and Fido's idyllic world would be based on the Americana of Aaron Copeland; Bill the father is such a nitwit that he deserved the playful and innocent Bassoon of “Leave it to Beaver”; and the horror elements would receive a lot of the dark low brass and woodwind orchestrations reminiscent of Bernard Hermann.

Once writing, I was careful to stay away from contemporary techniques because we really wanted the score to stay true to the period. Also, instrumentation was an important factor in determining the sound of the film; Fido takes place in the late 40's, so I used a similar instrumentation to Citizen Kane (1941) for the Fido orchestra. This, along with the choice of chords, was probably what contributed most to Fido's “sound.”

MRH : In addition to Bernard Herrmann, are there other composers you regard as influential?

DM : The film composers I studied most for this film were Bernard Hermann, Eric Korngold, Nino Rota, Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone. Of course these guys all owe a dept of gratitude to Stravinsky, so I'd have to say Stravinsky as well. As far as most influential in general, I'd have a hard time. I listen to everything from Renaissance choral music to Jazz and Rock. I really love everything.

MRH : One of the toughest careers to pursue in Canada is writing and directing films, and I'm sure film composing is equally tough, given few native films enjoy screen time in theatrical venues. How hard has it been to establish yourself as a film composer, and do you find up-and-coming composers have more opportunities to hone their craft today?

DM : Well, I turned 40 last year so it's been a while. It's been a constant evolution though, and during that time I've had a lot of time to pursue many other musical avenues. I would say that newcomers to the industry have a pretty daunting task. Film composing has never been a job you can find in the classifieds. You've really got to want it, be talented, educated and lucky. I had a roommate in college who asked me to score his first feature, so I guess I was lucky. That being said, there are some exciting new avenues for a composer, such as video games.

MRH : Perhaps a major boon to anyone involved in films has been the documentary genre, itself deeply rooted in our film history. Had you always wanted to score feature films, or were you always intrigued by some of the myriad documentaries produced in Canada?

DM : I think I've always been driven to pursue features because I enjoy the long format and working with plot and character development, but I enjoy the less hectic schedule of documentaries.

Feature films, given the larger budgets, give you the opportunity to work with real players, so that's a real thrill. Writing, orchestrating and conducting the orchestra is both exhausting and exhilarating, so I love that process. When you're doing documentaries, it feels like in comparison everything is going in slow motion; you're working with all your electronics and with the occasional live musician, but it's not nearly as hectic. You also sometimes get to explore a style of music not normally found in a feature.