Criminal Minds Creating the Show Score

From CBS

MARC FANTINI, STEFFAN FANTINI AND SCOTT GORDON, COMPOSERS OF CRIMINAL MINDS SPEAK ABOUT CREATING THE SHOW'S SCORE

There's an old Spanish proverb that reads "three helping one another will do as much as six men singly." That spirit is alive and well with the five-time ASCAP Award-winning composers of CRIMINAL MINDS. Steffan Fantini, Marc Fantini and Scott Gordon create some of television's most unique music for each episode at their Santa Monica, CA studio.

"When we joined the show six years ago," explains Steffan, "the producers' directive was to bring the haunting elements from The Silence of The Lambs score into a more modern and contemporary arrangement. We came up with a hybrid score that blends dark orchestral, guitar loops and sound design."

Scott adds "music is composed that is literal to specific scene. A spot of blood or an eyelash is all addressed musically to build the drama of a scene for the viewer."

Marc was a child prodigy who played guitar solos on all The New Kids On The Block hits at the age of 12. Steffan plays many instruments but is noted for his keyboard abilities. Scott started out as a musician and became a recording engineer for major artists including Ringo Starr and Alanis Morissette. Together the three began producing and songwriting for performers including Aerosmith, Carol King, The Eagles and Tom Petty. Producing and songwriting eventually led to TV and film scoring. The team's credits include "Training Day," "Army Wives," and the upcoming "Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone."

The three composers take turns leading the creation of each episode's music. However, all three attend spotting sessions to develop their own perspective. "Knowing that our music is the unseen character, we strive to create a unique and original musical identity for each show," says Steffan.

"The payoff for us is that we can play off each other's strengths and weaknesses, says Scott. "The score helps set the tone for a scene. It can heighten the tension, the humor and adventure to new heights for the audience to enjoy," states Marc. "When the visuals and sounds come together it can make for an exciting show. Hopefully the fans agree."