Jabari Alii is a composer and the mind behind Cinematic Score, a music and sound design company based in Oakland, CA.
“For me, inspiration has always been this ever-elusive superpower. When I could harness it, there was no stopping me.
But it was sporadic, I had no control. I was like a mutant before I got to Professor Xavier’s mansion.”
“As artists, we have the power to transport our audiences to other worlds, and we are often required to command this power at will. Deadlines don’t give a shit about your writer’s block.
Over time, I realized that this superpower arose from tapping into the very thing I was trying to produce: emotion.
I like to think of myself as an actor, only instead of words, I use notes. And in every scene there is an emotion. There’s a character I need to become. I find inspiration in stories that move me.
The wayward spirit, the lost love, the selfless sacrifice, the underdog.
If it makes me feel something, it inspires me.
The transformation of Vader, the sacrifice of John Creasy.
The vengeance of Edmond Dantes.
The struggle of Jean Val Jean.
I find even more inspiration from the stories of people around me. At this year’s GDC, I learned that Chance Thomas passed on the offer to score Star Wars Battlefront, and instead recommended his friend Gordy Haab for the job. That moved me.
Arthur Boorman, the disabled paratrooper veteran was told he would never walk again, but overcame all odds with hope and hard work. That moved me.
Mabou Loiseau plays 8 instruments, sings, speaks 8 languages and is only 10 years old.
For me inspiration comes from bearing myself to the world around me. And turning that raw emotion into notes, so you can feel it too.”