EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: 'Assassin's Creed Unity' Composer Sarah Schachner Talks Scoring New Ubisoft Video Game, Working With Brian Tyler, Upcoming Projects And More!

Assassin's Creed Unity is arguably the most ambitious game from Ubisoft's popular gaming franchise, tackling the French Revolution and a plethora of other themes. It truly looks like a big step for the developers, so we're not surprised that up-and-coming composer Sarah Schachner was hired to take on the music for the project.

Mixing her unique takes on Baroque-Classical elements, her appreciation of modern analog synthesizers, and her talent as a multi-instrumentalist, we can assure you that Schachner is definitely a composer to pay attention to - especially in the gaming world! Luckily for us, the in-demand musician and composer recently answered some of our questions concerning Assassin's Creed Unity, her musical background, writing additional music for Brian Tyler and much more!

How did you get into composing music for film, TV, and video games?

I studied at Berklee College of Music and then immediately moved out to LA like everyone else in the known universe. I managed to get some initial work writing for TV and advertising by assisting a composer (a job I found on Craigslist). A year later, I was doing small freelance composing jobs and it was around that time I met composer, Brian Tyler.

How did you get involved in Assassin's Creed Unity?

Brian gave me the opportunity to do some additional music on his early video games and I continued helping him over the next 4 years. I had already worked on two Ubisoft projects by the time I was in a position to actually demo directly for Unity. I also had the pleasure of meeting Bénédicte Ouimet a year prior at the Game Developers Conference (before I had even worked on Black Flag), who ended up being the music supervisor for Unity.

What was it like working on this project? How much creative freedom did you have with Assassin's Creed Unity?

It was amazing. I absolutely loved working on Far Cry 3 and Black Flag so I was thrilled to be on board with another Ubisoft game. Scoring games is quite different than scoring film not only in how the music functions, but in the fact that the composer has no control over where or how the music is used in-game. With each game taking place in its own historic period, you have to work within the musical language of that era of course, but it's up to you as the composer to come up with a sound that feels unique, while still retaining that Assassin's Creed feel and providing historical authenticity. You discuss broad ideas and the overall musical goals with the developers in the beginning, but there is a fair amount of creative freedom when coming up with the sound.

Whenever you initially start working for a composer at that level, it's always a bit of a wakeup call in terms of your production skills and speed. If your production and execution are lacking, he's just going to have to redo it anyway and then you won't be doing that much longer. Brian is a great drummer and his action music is very percussive and effective. I realized where my production weaknesses were and improved as fast as I could in those areas.

Since you worked on Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and now Unity, how would you compare and contrast your approaches to these soundtracks?

While both games took place in the latter part of the 18th century, the musical language was very different. Black Flag was bombastic, high energy, very rhythmic and in your face. Being a pirate adventure, we were able to have a bit more fun with it than the usual very serious, stealthier tone of Assassin's Creed. Naval combat is pretty different than close combat with 1 or 2 opponents on the ground. Whenever I'm tracking live instruments like violin, viola, or cello, I always try to get in the mindset of the character or setting while I'm playing. Articulations are so important in conveying a mood. For Black Flag, there was a lot of "drunken" loose playing, sliding into notes etc., while the performances for Unity had to be very precise and classical. I focused on European counterpoint harmony of the late 18th century, which was the crossover of the Baroque era into the Classical period. Unity has a smaller chamber sound with a more minimalistic approach to percussion.

Yeah, totally. There were a ton of advancements for the new gen consoles but that's what is so exciting. The most challenging part was composing the systemic combat suites for the new highly interactive software system Adam Tiller designed. In terms of form and function, they were ten times more complicated than any previous game's combat music I've done. Technology changes fast and it's only going to get more and more interactive.

What was the first instrument you learned how to play and what would you say is your favorite instrument to write for, play?

I started piano when I was 5 and began violin a few years later. It's hard to pick a favorite because each one is suited to different types of music and melodies. The viola is great though. That was the most used instrument in Unity. It's so beneficial to be able to play a variety and mix it up when you're feeling uninspired, or stuck playing the same patterns. At the moment, my favorite thing is messing around on this Make Noise System 2 modular synth - although it's not exactly the most practical instrument!

Do you have any projects you're working on now or will be working on in the near future?

I have a sci-fi horror film due out January 2015 called Lazarus. Science experiments, Olivia Wilde, bringing dead things back to life - it's a really fun project and totally different than anything I've done before.

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to get into your industry?

Take every opportunity you can get in the beginning and constantly work to improve your production skills since you will rarely have the chance to afford live sessions/players in the early stages of a career. Always put your full effort into each project even if it seems insignificant at the time and work well with others. Also, assisting other composers is a great way to get your foot in the door and learn how the industry works super-fast. Music school can of course be beneficial, but getting work experience as early as possible is the best way to learn.

Check out more on Sarah and her work over at her official website here! Also, check out her Twitter and Facebook accounts!