the last man on the moon – We Are Movie Geeks

Composer Lorne Balfe Discusses MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, The Game Awards And SIX UNDERGROUND

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, released during the summer of 2018, found Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also joined the cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.

The film, which had a worldwide haul of $791,017,452, delivered the franchise’s largest three-day opening back in July with $61.5 million. (Box Office Mojo). The film is available now on Blu-ray, DVD and live-streaming.

The score was composed by Lorne Balfe. In addition to the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, Balfe’s music has been heard these past few years with GEOSTORM, 12 STRONG, PACIFIC RIM UPRISING and Michael Bay’s upcoming film SIX UNDERGROUND. Composer of video games “Call of Duty: Warfare II,” and “FIFA 19”, Balfe was the musical director for The Game Awards in December.

I recently caught up with the Emmy-nominated composer (and father) who has been creating explosive, yet thoughtful musical worlds for audiences and fans of TV, films, video games and award shows.

photo – facebook.com/lornebalfemusic/

WAMG: The last time we spoke was in 2015 for the film TERMINATOR: GENISYS and boy have you been busy.

Lorne Balfe: If I’m not doing movies, I’m having children, so I’m basically busy all the time. (laughs)

WAMG: I watched the Game Awards – how was it to be the show’s musical director? https://youtu.be/SHt3FyE-VIQ

LB: It’s a different part of the brain, that’s for sure, during awards ceremonies. You have to think of the bigger picture. I loved it. I worked with Geoff (Keighley) maybe seven years ago and we spoke about a montage for the show and it ended up being perfect timing. I slowly eased into being the musical director on the show. Instead of just one I ended up doing five pieces of music. We’re building up to next year so we’ll be a bit more comfortable with it.

WAMG: The opening was so awesome and the ratings were staggering. According to Variety, “the 2018 show numbers didn’t just increase, they leapt, up 128% to over 26.2 million global livestreams.” Those are mind-boggling numbers!

LB: I’m going to take credit for that (laughs). It shows you what the future is and how the industry is. I was wracking my brain for weeks trying to figure out how to open the show and I went with people who are at the forefront for composing for video games. They are a new breed, while getting some familiar faces there who had worked on classic games. Thankfully I have Harry Gregson-Williams and Hans Zimmer’s phone numbers and it worked out well. It was a great opening and legitimate and music-wise, for me, it was to thank the gaming community.

WAMG: It was really cool as well as unique to see the music and scores from the games being performed on the show.

LB: It’s always been in the shadow of movies and that’s why I wanted to try the musical set pieces, which is way bigger than what you get at the Oscars. When I’m composing for a film now, I’m always hearing about video games and the music. It’s a total reversal. And you look at the viewer numbers and shows it’s no longer a niche.

WAMG: 26 million viewers streaming a live awards show proves that.

LB: If I had known that at the time I probably would have had an accident (laughs).

WAMG: When you were working on TERMINATOR GENISYS, I asked you, “As you were writing the score did you ever stop and think, I am composing for a TERMINATOR film!” You replied, “No and the weirdest thing is once I started, and it happened so quickly, that if I’d spent any time thinking about that, I probably would have had a heart attack and panicked. I wouldn’t have gotten a single note written.”

https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2015/07/composer-lorne-balfe-talks-score-for-terminator-genisys/

Now I have to ask you the same thing about MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. Did of you have a holy crap moment where you go, I’m composing for a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie as well as collaborating with director Christopher McQuarrie.

LB: Before you start the only real reaction you have to composing for a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film is simply “f**k”. I remember going to watch the first one twice in the cinema and the whole franchise has been part of my movie development. You have to kind of forget about what it is that you’re composing for because if you don’t, it overwhelms you. It’s one of those rare dreams that comes true. There are not that many franchises now days and with Chris, who wrote THE USUAL SUSPECTS, he’s an amazing filmmaker and you’re getting to work with Tom Cruise who is the last of the movie stars.

Global Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ at Palais de Chaillot on July 12, 2018 in Paris, France.

WAMG: How do include Lalo Schifrin’s iconic theme and what was the discussion with Christopher McQuarrie? I love the heavy percussion that you use, not only in this film but as well as 13 HOURS, 12 STRONG, and dark and Ethan Hunt’s theme.

LB: I’m a failed percussionist. (Laughs). I love percussionists and working with musicians. I always think rhythmically when writing far more than melodies or harmonies, it’s just how my brain works.

WAMG: Speaking about your MI score, congratulations on your nomination from the Seattle Film Critics http://seattlefilmcritics.com/2018/12/10/the-favourite-leads-the-2018-seattle-film-critics-society-nominations/

LB: A lot of musicians put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the score. It’s always great for the team and with MISSION we had 30 recording days and sessions and we’re very happy with the nomination.

WAMG: Plus you were awarded an Emmy-nomination for “Outstanding Main Title theme” for GENIUS.

LB: I always try to work on a couple documentaries a year. GENIUS was one of those projects that I loved doing – it was great to delve into the worlds of Picasso and Einstein. It was great to be invited into their worlds and trying to create a soundtrack, a voice for them was nearly impossible. We can’t tell what goes on in their heads, but it’s always a great journey composing for these shows.

WAMG: In March of 2016, I interviewed Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan about the documentary THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON. It was a thrill talking to him and watching the film, and your fantastic score captured what it was to be an astronaut, the space race, and literally the final man to walk on the Moon.

https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/03/apollo-17-commander-capt-gene-cernan-discusses-being-the-last-man-on-the-moon/

LB: To me, I wanted to try to give some respect to him and his colleagues because a lot of their journeys have been forgotten about. There was such a rush for the space race but then they just got put aside. That’s how I always looked at it. The sacrifice that they all made and it’s something none of can imagine doing. When writing for it I treated it as if it was a Western and the astronauts were the new generation of Cowboy discovering new land.

WAMG: Speaking of franchises, you also worked on PACIFIC RIM UPRISING. Ramin Djawadi’s score on the original was terrific but what you did with the music, especially the Jaegers theme, was so great.

LB: It’s always a little difficult with a franchise, and a sequel, but it was so much fun! Fans are pretty loyal and expect to hear some of the same music. PACIFIC RIM UPRISING was a new story and thematically you didn’t need to have them too connected. You can’t go wrong with Robots and Space.

WAMG: With going between different mediums of TV, film and video games over these past few years, has you approach changed to composing?

LB: The only thing that’s changed has been the way I work. It’s much slower now and the hours I spend are more focused. I’m more comfortable now with knowing there are really no rules where before I was worried on what I was trying to say musically. I’m more relaxed now when trying to tell the story and the filmmaking process.

WAMG: As with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, there are vocals in the “Mission” music cue. The choir takes the theme and gives it a unique twist.

LB: It’s also having fun with it I think. We teased the audience throughout the whole film with that main theme and Chris always wanted for the ending sequence to have a loyal version of it. Having the choir sing the “Mission Impossible” theme in Latin was the cherry on the cake. It goes to the “Spinal Tap” school of thinking. If you go ten, you can go to eleven.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4QPkPa4bxs08SvFTpLwt1T

https://lalalandrecords.com/mission-impossible-fallout-2-cd-set/

WAMG: What’s coming up next for you?

LB: I’m working with Michael Bay on his new film SIX UNDERGROUND with Ryan Reynolds. I’m just at the beginning stages of it too.

SIX UNDERGROUND is directed by Michael Bay (Transformers) and will star Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool). The film, produced by Skydance Media and Netflix, is targeted for worldwide release in 2019 on Netflix. The action film is based on an original idea from writers and executive producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, best known for their irreverent work on Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce Six Underground along with Bay.

WAMG: I can’t wait for that! I love Michael Bay films!

LB: I can’t wait! His movies are one of the reasons I got into composing for films. It’s the same with Jerry Bruckheimer. Every time I saw his name at the beginning of a film, you knew you were going to have a blast. I had the privilege of working with Jerry on GEOSTORM and 12 STRONG. And now working with Michael again after 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI, you sit there and see the most visually impressive cinematic action scenes – it’s an honor to write for them.

WAMG: With those themes in 12 STRONG and 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI, it has to be a solemn experience to compose music for this genre.

LB: 13 HOURS was a very personal story for Michael because he wanted to show and respect those who have gone to war. Musically it’s a challenge because you don’t want to go over the top patriotic. You have to create a more internal soundtrack to each soldier’s story. It’s always difficult with a true story – you can’t belittle it.

For more on Lorne Balfe, visit his website: http://lornebalfe.com/

View this post on Instagram

Ryan Reynolds and I just wrapped up a fun one. Last shot.

A post shared by Michael Bay (@michaelbay) on Dec 25, 2018 at 10:22am PST

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON, Capt. Gene Cernan, Dies (1934-2017)

“We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” — Cernan’s closing words on leaving the moon at the end of Apollo 17.

Apollo 17 Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16. (1934-2017)

“Cernan, a Captain in the U.S. Navy, left his mark on the history of exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the moon. He also holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and the last human to leave his footprints on the lunar surface.” – NASA

We interviewed Captain Cernan for the documentary THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON. This is the story of one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. His next flight was Apollo 17, the last time men would go to the moon (Dec. 7, 1972). Riding aboard a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful and impressive rocket that ever successfully flew, he was on man’s last mission to explore earth’s closest neighbor.

The first moon landing had one moonwalk which lasted a little over two hours. He had three moonwalks, averaging around 6 hours each. He drove an electric car on the moon, saw and recovered orange soil on the lunar surface, and stood next to lunar boulders that were larger than a house.

Read our interview here.

Read Jim Batts’ review of THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON here.

R.I.P. and God Speed Gene Cernan.

The family of Apollo Astronaut Capt. Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, announced that he passed away today following ongoing health issues.

“It is with very deep sadness that we share the loss of our beloved husband and father,” said Cernan’s family. “Our family is heartbroken, of course, and we truly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers. Gene, as he was known by so many, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.”

“Even at the age of 82, Gene was passionate about sharing his desire to see the continued human exploration of space and encouraged our nation’s leaders and young people to not let him remain the last man to walk on the Moon,” the family continued.

Humbled by his life experiences, particularly as an Apollo Astronaut, the retired Naval officer recently said, “I was just a young kid in America growing up with a dream. Today what’s most important to me is my desire to inspire the passion in the hearts and minds of future generations of young men and women to see their own impossible dreams become a reality.”

Cernan is survived by his wife, Jan Nanna Cernan, his daughter and son-in-law, Tracy Cernan Woolie and Marion Woolie, step-daughters Kelly Nanna Taff and husband, Michael, and Danielle Nanna Ellis and nine grandchildren.

As we say goodbye, it seems fitting to share the last line in Gene’s book, THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON, as he explains his experience of walking on the Moon to his then five-year-old granddaughter, “Your Popie went to Heaven. He really did.”

Details regarding services will be announced in the coming days.

Apollo 17 Commander Capt. Gene Cernan Discusses Being THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON

Photo: M.Craig

Georges Méliès’ A TRIP TO THE MOON, APOLLO 13, THE RIGHT STUFF, HBO’s “From The Earth To The Moon.” Since the birth of cinema, audiences have been preoccupied with trips to our closest celestial body. Hollywood and NASA merge once again – this time to tell the story of Captain Gene Cernan in the documentary THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON.

This is the story of one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. His next flight was Apollo 17, the last time men would go to the moon. Riding aboard a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful and impressive rocket that ever successfully flew, he was on man’s last mission to explore earth’s closest neighbor. The first moon landing had one moonwalk which lasted a little over two hours. He had three moonwalks, averaging around 6 hours each. He drove an electric car on the moon, saw and recovered orange soil on the lunar surface, and stood next to lunar boulders that were larger than a house.

There is a small, elite club – with only 12 members. These are the men who actually walked on the moon. They were able to stand on the “ground” and with their own eyes, look up and see the earth. He is one of them.

His first flight into space, aboard Gemini 9, gave him experience rendezvousing with target spacecraft. The ‘Angry Alligator’ gave him practice with what he would need to know later on when docking with the lunar landing crafts “Snoopy” and “Challenger” for his Apollo missions.

Facts about Apollo 17

Crew
Eugene A. Cernan, Commander
Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot
Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot

Launch
Dec. 7, 1972; 12:33 a.m. EST
Launch Pad 39A
Saturn-V SA-512

Landing
Dec. 19, 1972
Pacific Ocean
Recovery Ship: USS Ticonderoga

Apollo 17 hosted the first scientist-astronaut to land on moon: Harrison Schmitt.

The new documentary is from filmmaker Mark Craig and includes a powerful, emotional score from composer Lorne Balfe (13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI). Read Jim Batts’ review here.

Recently I spoke with Capt. Cernan about the documentary that gives an overall, detailed look at NASA, the space program and his voyage to the Moon.

WAMG: When were you first approached about the documentary and telling your story?

Capt. Gene Cernan: I wrote a personal book about what it’s like to be in space answering questions such as “Were you scared?” “What did it feel like?”. In the book I wanted to give back something in terms of sharing what I was able to do with everyone. I’ve taken people where I’ve been – the spacewalk, the surface of the moon – so at first I didn’t want to do a documentary. I mean, who really cares about a movie about me? Finally between the producer and director, who both read my book, said, “Gene, the story of your life has got to be available to kids who are 10 to 20 years old.” Then another friend of mine said, “Gene, it’s not about you, it’s about the story.”

I was a young kid from Anytown USA, a kid born during World War II with a dream about flying and becoming a naval aviator. It gave me the opportunity to eventually go to the Moon. It’s the story itself.

WAMG: The film, which contains some great archival footage, is such a personal story. We hear from your friends, colleagues, wife and especially your daughter.

Capt. Gene Cernan: It’s not about me, it’s about this kid who had friends and a family and grandkids and what he did to get to the Moon. What he believed in.

WAMG: You were the last man on the Moon and that in itself carries so much weight. There have only been a handful of you who have walked on the Moon.

Capt. Gene Cernan: We’re losing some of my colleagues at this stage in our lives. I need to leave something that will inspire kids to do the same thing. Something they didn’t think they were good enough to do.

WAMG: How did you prepare for Apollo 17?

Capt. Gene Cernan: I had flown three times. My first flight was Gemini and it only relates to Apollo because it taught us the things we needed to know for going to the Moon. I went to the Moon with Apollo 10 and the lunar landing, we did everything it took to get there and started our descent except for the landing itself.

Neil Armstrong was a good friend of mine and I used to kid him about painting a white line in the sky so we wouldn’t get lost. Every flight is a first flight, I’m not going to tell you it was routine and Apollo 17 was a real challenge. That last 47,000 feet is what really makes the difference.

WAMG: Who came up with the names “Challenger” and “America” for the LM (lunar module) and CSM (command and service module) for Apollo 17?

Capt. Gene Cernan: Being the commander you carry a little weight and my command module pilot was a Naval Aviator (Ronald E. Evans) and the guy I walked the Moon with was non-military, a geologist (Harrison H. Schmitt), and I wanted to go back and pick up a piece of Naval history. “Challenger” is an old historical boat and there’s a lot of history in the Navy. We wanted to recognize the country and our patch reflects that.

We couldn’t do this by ourselves – we had several hundreds of thousands of people with us in that spacecraft, who spent their lives putting the wires and nuts and bolts together and spiritually took that trip with us! We wanted to say thank you. This is where America came from and it’s us who went to the Moon, not somebody else.

WAMG: Tell me about your experiences with NASA icons Chris Kraft and Gene Krantz.

Capt. Gene Cernan: They’re both great. Chris is a very unique person. It’s not enough to say they are both capable. We had Chris Kraft, we had Gene Krantz, as well as Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin, we had the whole team in Mission Control – those are some of the unsung heroes. You go back to Apollo 13 and the guys who recognized and helped solved the problem, were all in Mission Control.

When we started this trip to the Moon the average age was only 26 years old. We got to know those guys really well and we needed to! We worked with them, we trained with them because they were going to help us if we got into trouble and make the decisions that had to be made. Krantz, Kraft, Lunney and Griffin – those were some of the principals I worked with on my flight.

The thing about Kraft – he recognized talent. When he promoted someone into the position of Flight Director, like Krantz, Lunney and Griffin, he empowered them to make decisions and its one of his greatest assets. All the Flight Directors were pretty damn good.

WAMG: Was a bronze plaque left on the Moon with the names of all the space explorers – both American and Russian?

Capt. Gene Cernan: Apollo 15 left a plaque with all the names of the American Astronauts and the Russian Cosmonauts, who up until that time, lost and gave their lives to help us get where we got. Someone asks how long will that be there, and how long will your daughter’s initials be there that I left there and how long will the flag stand on the Moon, my answer to that is forever. There’s nothing on the Moon except cosmic radiation that has to honor what’s there.

WAMG: There are no plans to go back to the Moon anytime soon. What are your thoughts on today’s Space Program?

Capt. Gene Cernan: Think about it. 43 years ago this past December I was walking on the Moon. Here we are today, over four decades later, and we don’t even have a spacecraft that will take us to our own orbiting laboratory at the International Space Station. I don’t think that’s what President Kennedy had in mind back in 1961. It’s disappointing.

Listen to what Cernan has to say on the next Giant Leap to our neighbor, Mars.

Playing now in select cities, THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON is available via iTunes and other streaming services.

For theater screenings: http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/screenings … and On Demand on iTunes: http://apple.co/1SoY3KQ – Google Play: http://bit.ly/1T60gef – Amazon: http://amzn.to/1T60hik – Microsoft Store (Xbox 360): http://bit.ly/1QjUK47 – VUDU: http://bit.ly/1QpSABk – YouTube: http://bit.ly/1XXMucU

For more on the mission, visit NASA’s page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo17.html

Space Documentary Chronicles Gene Cernan’s Mission As THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON

The Apollo program was a time when true space travel happened. The United States wasn’t just going into space and coming back, it was sending men to another celestial body in our universe. The stakes were very high.

Everything had to work – spacesuits could not leak, rocket engines absolutely had to fire, life support systems could not fail. When you’re a quarter of a million miles away from earth, there are no safety nets. No rescue missions were possible.

What started out as a presidential goal in the early 1960’s turned into the most impressive feat of all mankind. We did something no other country ever did or has done since. Not only once, but six times.

Now comes the story of Gene Cernan – one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. His next flight was Apollo 17, the last time men would go to the moon. Riding aboard a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful and impressive rocket that ever successfully flew, he was on man’s last mission to explore earth’s closest neighbor. The first moon landing had one moonwalk which lasted a little over two hours. He had three moonwalks, averaging around 6 hours each. He drove an electric car on the moon, saw and recovered orange soil on the lunar surface, and stood next to lunar boulders that were larger than a house.

There is a small, elite club – with only 12 members. These are the men who actually walked on the moon. They were able to stand on the “ground,” and with their own eyes, look up and see the earth. He is one of them.

Mission patches from Gemini 9 (1966), Apollo 10 (1969) and Apollo 17 (1972).

Newspaper clippings from Dec. 1972.

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON is powered by the same adrenaline, drama and raw emotions experienced by former NASA astronaut and Navy Captain Eugene “Gene” Cernan. When Cernan became the last man to step off of the surface of the moon in December 1972, he left his footprints and his daughter’s initials in the lunar dust. Only now is he ready to share his epic and deeply personal story of fulfillment, love and loss.

The film screened in March 2015 at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Sarah Ksiazek wrote in her review, director Mark Craig’s film “is beautifully done, equal parts Gene Cernan’s life and the space program of which he was a member. The visuals and the powerful score come together in such a perfect way.”

Five years in the making, the documentary unveils a wealth of rare archival footage and takes Cernan back to the launch pad at Cape Kennedy (now NASA Kennedy Space Center), to the Arlington National Cemetery, and to his Texas ranch where he tries to find respite from a past that refuses to let him go.

The film features exclusive interviews with former astronauts, such as Apollo 12 crew-members Alan Bean and Dick Gordon and Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell, as well as NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz and Director of Flight Operations Chris Kraft.

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON will be released in theaters and On Demand February 26, 2016.

Follow on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelastmanonthemoon
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lastmanonmoon

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: