Indeed, Theodore Shapiro — the American composer renowned for his captivating music in Ben Stiller’s acclaimed series “Severance” — is quite aware of the recent Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Amy Poehler and Bowen Yang referencing his popular theme song. He expressed his gratitude for the series’ popularity, describing it as “wonderful.”
“John Williams has always been one of my greatest inspirations,” he remarked during a discussion at the Film Fest Ghent’s World Soundtrack Awards, where he is nominated for Television Composer of the Year for his contributions to the Apple TV series. “His themes are iconic and have permeated our culture. It’s surreal to think that something I created could end up on ‘SNL’ or ‘The Tonight Show’. I’ve felt like I’m living in a dream that could end at any moment. I dedicated nearly two and a half years to Season 2, so seeing that hard work resonate positively with audiences has been an exhilarating experience.”
When asked if the rising acclaim for his music adds pressure as he works on Season 3 of “Severance,” Shapiro humorously replied, “Thank goodness the main title theme will remain unchanged.” He acknowledged the pressure, stating, “I do feel compelled to keep the music engaging and evolving while staying true to its roots. That balancing act will be quite the challenge.”
On his collaborative efforts with Stiller, Shapiro noted that their pre-season discussions focused primarily on specific narrative directions rather than broader concepts.
“For the second season, we had extensive talks about the fourth episode set in the forest,” he explained. “We also delved into Ms. Cobel’s character. Ben doesn’t typically examine things too conceptually; he possesses an incredible instinct for music. Our approach involved experimenting and discovering sounds that would effectively capture the new thematic territory of the story.”
Joining Shapiro at the roundtable were fellow WSA nominees Martin Phipps, nominated for “Black Doves”; Camille, who received nominations for Best Original Song for “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” and for Composer of the Year for the same film; and Robin Carolan, nominated for Discovery of the Year for “Nosferatu.”
Carolan is also forward-thinking, as he works on his next project with Robert Eggers, titled “Werwulf.” While he couldn’t divulge too much about the in-production film, he praised Eggers’ meticulous attention to detail, noting that being on his film sets is incredibly inspiring for his work as a composer.
“Everything on his sets is historically accurate,” he remarked. “There was a day on the set of ‘Nosferatu’ when they were shooting a scene, and creative ideas just started flowing. Rob’s obsession with authenticity creates an immersive environment, making it easy to lose oneself in that space, which fuels my compositional process.”
However, this commitment to authenticity brings challenges, particularly in terms of music, as all instruments in Eggers’ films need to reflect the corresponding historical period. While this was less of a hurdle for “Nosferatu,” set in the 1830s, it proved more complex for “The Northman,” which took place in the 10th century. “A thousand years ago, the musical landscape was vastly different, and there’s still much debate over it. With ‘Nosferatu,’ I could dive right in with less research involved.”
