Chris P. Bacon scores Space Chimps
Posted on January 31, 2008 by Dan Goldwasser
Earlier this month, composer Chris P. Bacon recorded his score to the upcoming animated feature, Space Chimps. Created by the team at Vanguard Animation and directed by Kirk De Micco (writer of Racing Stripes) the sci-fi adventure film features the vocal talents of Patrick Warburton, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels and Cheryl Hines.

Space Chimps records at the Sony Scoring Stage
The film marks the first theatrical feature for composer Bacon, who has worked with James Newton Howard as his technical score advisor for a number of years. The score, which runs over an hour long, has a big orchestral sound, provided by an 83-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony conducted by Mike Nowak at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, CA. There were some electronic pre-records used in the score, and guitarist George Doering lent his talents to the music as well.

Mike Nowak conducts Space Chimps

Concertmaster Endre Grenat makes a notation

Trumpet players Jon Lewis, Malcolm McNabb and Rick Baptist

Guitarist George Doering prepares an amp

The woodwind section

The Hollywood Studio Symphony performs on Space Chimps
The orchestration was supervised by Pete Anthony, a frequent collaborator of Howard’s scores, and the score was mixed by Joel Iwataki (Rambo, The Great Debaters). Bacon was assisted in the control room by Robert Litton and supervising editor Curt Sobel. Pre-records were handled by Matt Novack and ProTools recordist Larry Mah was handling the digital recording.

Scoring assistant Robert Litton and composer Chris P. Bacon

Scoring mixer Joel Iwataki and stage recordist Adam Michalak

Orchestra contractor Peter Rotter and supervising music editor Curt Sobel

Matt Novack and Larry Mah
Space Chimps will also feature music by Blue Man Group, and will be released by 20th Century Fox on July 18, 2008.
You've only seen 11 images - click here for 19 more scoring session images for this project!