For this year’s Comic-Con Special Edition, excited fans filled the room to the brim for an in-person conversation with a group of Hollywood’s most highly sought-after directors, editors, composers, music supervisors, songwriters, and more to discuss their work on some of the most popular projects such as Netflix/Riot Games’ “Arcane,” Paramount+’s “Why Women Kill,” and Disney+’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and “Julie and the Phantoms” on Impact24 PR’s Set Secrets with Film and TV Creatives panel.
The panel was moderated by actor and content creator, Chris Villain, and featured editor Ernesto Matamorors-Cox (Riot Games / Arcane), editor Lawrence Gan (Riot Games / Arcane), music supervisor Jennifer Smith (Why Women Kill), composer Spencer Creaghan (SurrealEstate), and songwriter Tova Livtin of songwriting duo Rockwell Litvin (Julie and the Phantoms, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series).
The panelists started out with reflecting on highlights from their fan-favorite projects. For Arcane, Ernesto and Lawrence discussed the importance of taking inspiration from and honoring the original League of Legends game. “Drawing from the game experience was incredibly important in our process,” Ernesto shared. “Because Arcane and League of Legends have such vast world building, our goal for the team was to make sure everyone involved was invested and learning and collaborating on approaches as we progressed in the work on our project.” Elaborating on the success of his collaborative process with Ernesto and the rest of the Arcane team, Lawrence added, “the biggest advice I can give in four words or less: make things with friends.”
The group then transitioned to expanding on their creative process and how they get in the right creative mindset for their projects. “I make playlists for every single character”, music supervisor Jennifer Smith remarked. “They won’t make the show but it helps with the development of the character.” Composer Spencer Creaghan continued, “When I’m looking at a character breakdown, I always think ‘What does music mean to the character?’”. Creaghan also shared some of the unusual instruments he was able to incorporate into Syfy’s SurrealEstate, including a bathtub.
The panel wrapped up by sharing special moments on sets. “Working with Kenny Ortega is like working with a phenomenal wizard,” Tova Litvin remarked as the crowd reacted with laughter. Tova also shared that she and her songwriting partner, Doug Rockwell, often create easter eggs for shows like Julie and the Phantoms. “I always try to insert easter eggs into the music,” she continued. “For example, in the song “Now or Never”, there’s a lyric that says ‘Clocks move forward but we don’t get older” to foreshadow the premise of Julie and the Phantoms.”
The panelists ended the discussion with quick words of wisdom for audience members interested in working in television and film. Spencer succinctly implored the audience to “be collaborative and listen more.” Jennifer concluded by encouraging the audience to “always be authentic” in their expression and storytelling.
Photo Credit: Art Vega, Impact24 PR
Poster Credit: Impact24 PR
The fully packed audience at Comic-Con Special Edition left with a new appreciation for the work of behind-the-scenes creatives, as well as set secrets and easter eggs, eager to enjoy the rest of the convention.
