Bonfire Conversations

Heilung's Christopher Juul and Maria Franz talk about recording Sagas in an Ice Cave a kilometer underground, making music from bones and Iron Age instruments, why they refuse to use AI or auto-tune, and why music may be our original language.In this episode of Bonfire Conversations, we talk with Heilung, the Danish collective known for music rooted in Iron Age and Viking Age Northern Europe. Heilung means "healing," and that idea runs through everything they make: ancient instruments, human bones, chanting, and modern production.We discuss their new release Sagas, which began as a collaboration with Ninja Theory on Hellblade 2. They recorded across Iceland, including an ice cave a kilometer underground, and the material grew into its own album.Topics covered:- Why Heilung's music feels terrifying and beautiful at once- Recording Sagas in Iceland for Hellblade 2- Working with bones, ritual, and raw vocals- Why Heilung doesn't use AI or auto-tune- Making every sound themselves, from spear hits to screams- Music as humanity's original language- Nature, technology, and reforestation- Music, war, and cultural preservationCHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:13 A game composer's connection to Heilung02:00 How looking inward connects us to other cultures03:40 Why we are drawn to music that frightens us05:10 Peeling the layers and facing your true self08:26 Why the meaning of the lyrics stays open09:23 A global awakening and the migration period12:25 Iceland, ice caves, and playing with nature14:56 The silence of Mývatn15:25 How Heilung records outdoors17:01 Sagas as a Hellblade 2 commission17:48 Live energy and the upcoming live release18:48 When a song gains an identity of its own21:36 Ancient instruments versus modern technology23:05 Automation, AI, and auto-tune26:15 Is making the music healing for the creators?27:10 Minimalism and making every sound themselves30:16 Voice, ritual, and bones from a plague grave32:50 The primal mother voice34:17 Music as our original language36:14 Have we lost our connection to nature?39:15 Reforestation and mental health work40:38 Music through war, and Tehran43:15 The Hymn to Nikkal and preserving culture45:41 Closing thoughtsABOUT HEILUNGHeilung is a Danish collective formed by Kai Uwe Faust, Christopher Juul, and Maria Franz, blending ancient instruments, human bones, and chanting with modern production.ABOUT BONFIRE CONVERSATIONSBonfire Conversations is a long-form interview podcast with 100+ episodes featuring Oscar winners, nominees, and creators across film, games, music, and art.Subscribe for new conversations.www.bonfireconversations.com#Heilung #Sagas #Hellblade2 #BonfireConversations #NordicFolk #Viking #IronAge #SoundDesign #GameMusic

Dave Presto is the Oscar-nominated makeup effects artist behind Crystal Lake, the Peacock series that brought back Friday the 13th with practical gore. His credits also include The Penguin, A Complete Unknown, The Beauty, and A Different Man.In this Bonfire Conversations episode, Dave breaks down how the exploding blood bag kill, the dangling jaw effect, and the real machete scene were pulled off. He also explains how his team built young Jason in just 13 days, how he makes fake blood that flows instead of beads, and why practical effects still beat VFX.In this episode:How Michael Jackson’s Thriller making-of started his careerWhy every prosthetic is thrown away after one dayDesigning young Jason and the mask Jason for Crystal LakeThe Shutterbug camera kill and the Willow effectFake blood, surfactants, and Dick Smith’s formulasPractical effects vs CGI in modern horrorHis dream horror remakes, favorite Jason design, and favorite video gamesChapters0:00 Intro0:49 The movie that made him want to do makeup effects2:49 Thriller’s making-of and learning from library books4:44 How he reads a face before designing a monster7:05 The biggest misconception about prosthetics10:31 Funny on-set story: the Shutterbug camera kill12:33 Keeping blood and gore workable on set13:42 Landing Crystal Lake and the 80s throwback tone17:30 Designing young Jason23:09 The 13-day test and building the mask Jason26:48 Season two and the mask Jason27:54 Researching gore and reference photos31:36 How to make realistic fake blood35:05 The exploding blood bag kill37:58 The real machete scene39:15 The dangling jaw effect42:15 A Different Man and the Oscar nomination43:46 The effect that disturbed him most: Willow46:51 Favorite effects and favorite Jason design49:00 Realistic vs mythical monsters51:07 Dream horror remakes52:21 Why The Thing worked and where modern movies go wrong55:40 Practical effects vs VFX59:02 Working with the VFX team on a tight schedule1:01:56 Halloween costumes1:04:00 Favorite video games1:05:22 Closing thoughtsFollow Dave on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dprestofxSubscribe to Bonfire Conversations for more long-form interviews with filmmakers, artists, and game creators.www.bonfireconversations.com#CrystalLake #DavePresto #PracticalEffects #FridayThe13th #HorrorMakeup #MakeupEffects #BonfireConversations

Petri Alanko, the composer behind *Control Resonant*, *Alan Wake*, *Quantum Break*, *Control*, and *Alan Wake 2*, joins Bonfire Conversations to discuss his 22-year collaboration with Remedy Entertainment and his approach to composing music for video games.In this interview, Petri breaks down the music for *Control Resonant*, including the opening sequence featuring Dylan and the flute, and explains how he approaches the musical identity of a game. We also discuss his creative collaboration with Sam Lake, working with different directors at Remedy, and how music supports atmosphere, storytelling, and gameplay.Petri shares insights into his composing process, how he switches between creative and analytical thinking, the importance of doing more with less, and the horror film scores that influenced his approach to music.**Topics covered:**- Composing the soundtrack for *Control Resonant*- Petri Alanko’s first project with Remedy and the story behind *Alan Wake*- The musical direction of *Control Resonant*- Working with Sam Lake and Mikael Kasurinen- Composing music for interactive game worlds- Creative workflow and overcoming compositional challenges- Horror film music, *The Witch*, and *Hereditary*Subscribe to Bonfire Conversations for more interviews with composers, game developers, filmmakers, and other creative minds about their work and creative process.Bonfire Conversations is available on all the major podcast streaming services.www.bonfireconversations.com#PetriAlanko #ControlResonant #RemedyEntertainment #AlanWake2 #GameMusic**CHAPTERS**00:00 Introduction 01:05 How Petri Alanko Started Working with Remedy 03:00 Composing Music for Alan Wake 07:53 The Music of Control Resonant 12:37 Music, Level Design, and Player Navigation 13:40 Finding the Musical Direction for Control Resonant 22:23 Petri Alanko’s Collaboration with Sam Lake 26:08 Working with Different Directors at Remedy 28:05 Building the Musical Foundations of Control 33:35 Petri’s Creative and Analytical Workflow 36:03 The Failure That Made Him a Better Composer 36:53 Doing More with Less in Music Composition 38:58 The Horror Scores That Influenced Petri Alanko

Ryan Lott (Son Lux) on Scoring Bungie's MARATHON, Everything Everywhere All At Once & Building Custom Instruments | Bonfire ConversationsRyan Lott is the composer, producer and founder of Son Lux - Oscar-nominated for Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the composer behind Bungie's new game Marathon, Marvel's Thunderbolts, and Swiss Army Man. His band Son Lux just released their new album 'Out Into'.In this interview, Ryan breaks down his entire scoring process - from building custom instruments and prepared piano, to using iPhone voice memos as his final score, to treating a game score like a complex puzzle.In this episode we talk about:- How Ryan Lott was hired to score Bungie's Marathon- Scoring Marathon as a puzzle: too much information that can be re-assembled- Why Bungie told him: "Don't let how the music works limit your ideas"- Finding beauty in broken sounds and instruments at war with themselves- Why taste is more important than technique- Prepared piano, custom instruments and why perfect sample libraries kill creativity- Recording with iPhone - voice memo as the sacred bible of a track- When experimentation becomes a gimmick- Embracing mistakes, errancy and fray in the creative process- Inside Son Lux's new album 'Out Into' and scoring while touring- Scoring Everything Everywhere All At Once and his Oscar nomination- His favorite films and film scoresGuest:Ryan Lott / Son LuxAlbum 'Out Into' out nowHost:www.bonfireconversations.comIf you're a film composer, game composer, music producer or Son Lux fan, this is a masterclass in sound design, film scoring, and game audio.00:00 - Intro - How Bungie Found Ryan for Marathon02:31 - When Did You Stop Trying to Be Good and Start Being Yourself?05:49 - Is Taste More Important Than Technique?08:33 - Why Broken Sounds Are More Honest16:10 - Do You Record Sounds With Your Phone?18:23 - Voice Memos as the Bible - Ryan's Workflow19:19 - When Does Experimentation Become a Gimmick?21:47 - The Most Beautiful Mistake You've Ever Made?24:36 - Son Lux New Album 'Out Into'35:21 - How Bungie Approached Ryan for Marathon50:37 - Scoring Marathon Like a Complex Puzzle54:18 - Oscar Nomination for Everything Everywhere All At Once57:24 - Other Art Forms - Dance and Fatherhood58:25 - Top 5 Favorite Films01:02:39 - Top 5 Favorite Film Scores01:09:59 - Are You a Gamer? Scoring Marathon as a Non-Gamer DadSubscribe for more interviews with composers and filmmakers.#RyanLott #SonLux #Marathon #Bungie #BungieMarathon #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce #FilmScoring #GameComposer #FilmComposer #SoundDesign #PreparedPiano #CustomInstruments #Thunderbolts #BonfireConversations

Today on Bonfire Conversations, I'm joined by one of the most influential composers in video game history, Jesper Kyd, the genius behind Hitman, Assassin's Creed (Ezio's Family), Borderlands, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Darksiders 2, Freedom Fighters and the acclaimed Indian film Tumbbad.In this 74-minute deep dive, Jesper opens up like never before about the canceled Wonder Woman game from Monolith (Shadow of Mordor), how he wrote the interior life of Agent 47, the real origin of Assassin's Creed's mysticism, the emotional story behind recording Ezio's Family live, why he will NEVER use AI for art, and what his Top 5 film & game scores are.If you love game music, film scoring, and creative philosophy, this is for you.In this interview we talk about:The canceled Wonder Woman game - what the music really sounded like [Monolith / WB Games]Writing Hitman - How do you score a character who hides his inner life?Assassin's Creed 1 - War, Mysticism & Tragedy of the Third CrusadeThe true meaning of Ezio's Family - Rebirth, Pain and SacrificeWarhammer 40K Darktide - his most experimental scoreHow game music can expand a universe bigger than the mapSuccess, entitlement & why you have to fight for every projectAI in music: Why Jesper doesn't embrace itHis favorite games right now (Subnautica) and film scores (Blade Runner, Vangelis, John Williams)The club track from Hitman: Blood Money that surprised himMy story about listening to his music on top of the real Alamut Castle in Iran is still giving me chills.Guest: Jesper Kydhttps://www.jesperkyd.comHost: Bonfire Conversationswww.bonfireconversations.comPodcast about game music, film music and the people behind it.Subscribe for more interviews with composers, directors and game devs.👍 If this conversation meant something to you, please Like, Comment your favorite Jesper Kyd score, and Subscribe, it helps the algorithm show this to more people who love game music.#JesperKyd #Hitman #AssassinsCreed #EziosFamily #GameMusic #FilmScore #VideoGameMusic #Warhammer40k #Darktide #Borderlands #Tumbbad #WonderWomanGame #Monolith #Vangelis #ComposerInterview #Subnautica #Bioshock #Halo