[Applause] Hi everyone I’m Julian from behind the audio comm and today I’m sitting down with Gareth Coker who you probably know for his soundtrack for Ori and the blind forest Gareth thank you very much for being with us oh it’s great to be here in Germany I’m loving it so far and Hopefully we’ll continue okay great yeah on the topic of foreign foreign countries you you lived all over the world it seems how how did that come about partially at least at the beginning because of my father’s job so my father’s job took him to many parts Of the world and started in England then moved to the Netherlands then moved to Baltimore on east coast of the USA then back to Netherlands went back to England but while my family was moving around I was in boarding school so I was always in England okay So 36 weeks of the year I’m in England and then just for the main holidays Christmas Easter and summer that’s when I would go home so in home was always some homeless home is either Holland or Baltimore okay it was somewhere else then after I finished school and university after finish University I Just I realized I wasn’t ready for life as a composer okay and I decided to do something completely different I think it’s good to travel when you were young and you don’t have any commitments and Ty is keeping you in one place so I was like okay let’s teach English in Japan Because it means I can I can live I can get I can get pretty good money to to teach English I don’t need a special qualification to teach English I think because you’re always in the room with a Japanese Japanese teacher oh so they are always sharing the class with them and I Originally was only going to stay for one year but I really enjoyed it I stayed for three I saved a lot of money and that set me up to go to the University of Southern California and that’s when I really started my music career one of the other things I Found while I was in Japan was how much I loved doing music they kind of because I’ve been doing a lot of music for my whole life up until that point and my education of the Royal Academy of Music was which is where I went to university It was a good education very technical but no preparation for real life okay so my time in Japan was my real life preparation because different culture different work environment different job I learned so much about myself but I also learnt how to work with other people and because I knew I was leaving Even if I caused some problems and I wasn’t perfect but the problems won’t follow me to my new career so it was great playing field yeah I mean it was just it was just getting me ready and just the main thing about Japan is the entire culture is everyone works for the Benefit of the group whereas in especially Western countries the individual you’re encouraged to express your individuality and that’s good both are good sometimes I wished my students would be more proud of their achievements the ones I taught in Japan but at the same time when the group is Benefiting that’s very similar to making films it’s very similar to making games so and and then the whole can become can become better and you’re all trying to make the overall product or whatever you are working on better rather than like how can I do the best of my job it’s More how can I do the best of my job and help you to do the best at your job and that’s something I’ve tried to take into my music career hi I’m Julian from behind the audio comm for more audio news subscribe to our channel and check out our website you Video Information
This video, titled ‘Composer Gareth Coker (Ori, Ark, Minecraft) on Living Around the Globe’, was uploaded by Behind the Audio on 2017-10-10 16:36:45. It has garnered 358 views and 15 likes. The duration of the video is 00:04:21 or 261 seconds.
For more audio news visit our website: https://behindtheaudio.com The interview was made possible by and conducted during SoundTrack Cologne 14: https://soundtrackcologne.de A big thank you to our interviewee Gareth Coker: https://gareth-coker.net Check out Ori and the Blind Forest: https://www.orithegame.com/ Listen to our podcast episode with Gareth: https://youtu.be/sVN19JHsPJQ
The interview was conducted by Julian Colbus.
In August 2017, during the fourteenth edition of SoundTrack_Cologne, we sat down with critically acclaimed composer Gareth Coker. His portfolio includes the soundtracks for Ori and the Blind Forest, Ark: Survival Evolved, Minecraft, and the upcoming Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
In this video, Gareth gives us some insight into his personal journey. During his time in boarding school, his family moved from the UK to the Netherlands and the US. After finishing his curriculum at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Gareth realized he wasn’t ready yet to start his career and decided make Japan his new home. “I think it’s good to travel when you’re young and you don’t have any commitments and ties keeping you in one place”, he told us. Teaching English in Japan for three years, he was able to save enough money to go to the University of Southern California afterwards. “That’s when I really started my music career”, he said.
Gareth looks back at his life an Japan as his “real life preparation”: “I learned so much about myself, but I also learned how to work with other people”, he told us. The differences in culture and work ethics seem to have left a lasting impression on him: “The main thing about Japan is: Everyone works for the benefit of the group. Whereas in especially Western countries, you’re encouraged to express your individuality. And that’s good, both are good. […] When the group is benefiting, that’s very similar to making films, that’s very similar to making games, and then the whole can become better, and you’re all trying to make the overall product or whatever you are working on better – rather than “How can I do the best at my job?”, it’s more like: “How can I do the best at my job and help you to do the best at your job?” And that’s something I’ve tried to take into my music career.”
Intro Music by Petteri Sainio (https://soundcloud.com/petterisainiocomposer) Image / video credit: © Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft Studios)
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