Season 1 (but not only) of Marvel Studios moon knight It debuted earlier this spring, featuring a whole new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show chronicled the adventures of Mark Spector / Stephen Grant / Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), and their journey to protect the world from an ancient threat. From start to finish, the series was packed with chic and surprising embellishments that were relatively new to the larger franchise, all of which help craft an emotional story. This was true because of the series’ music, which was composed by the veteran Egyptian composer Hisham Nazih, who is known for his works The blue elephant And the covenant.
to celebrate moon knightseason one last, ComicBook.com He got a chance to chat with Nazih about his work on the series. We talked about crafting the different (and varied) themes for the series’ cast of characters, balancing the series’ different musical genres, and so much more!
Beginnings
ComicBook.com: How did you get caught up in the job?
Hisham Nazih: Yes, it all started with receiving an email from Marvel asking me to send them some of my work and my demo reel. They were specific about what they wanted to listen to, in terms of genre and genres of music. Then after several meetings with them, I found out that they wanted me Moon knight. This is where I learned that this is Mohamed Diab moon knight. I did not know Mohamed Diab, I did not meet him before, and I did not work with him before. So it was a pleasant surprise for me, because I was really happy with the project, first thing, and working with Diab was another pleasure. And then I realized that he first recommended Marvel to me, and then they called me.
story
What specifically did you address? moon knight? How about a project that made you realize you wanted to be a part of it?
Really many things. The story is incredible. It’s great, and I would definitely love the story if I wasn’t Egyptian, and even if it didn’t happen in Egypt, because it’s a beautiful story. And [I love] What an amazing character Mark Spector is. He’s an incredibly rich character, hugely wealthy, through his childhood trauma and everything else. There were a lot of things that piqued my interest in this show that were leading me in all respects, both musically and artistically, in many ways.
search
I was reading that your son was a huge fan of Moon Knight. How was your search process like? Were there any comics you read or researched in the lead up to the show?
No comic books, though I could have asked my son, but I wasn’t allowed to. It’s a funny thing. No, what I did was some research I found online on Moon Knight, Marc Spector, Mr. Knight, Steven Grant, etc. And Khuncho as well. But it didn’t take long for I received the scripts and started reading episodes. By the time I got to the show, by the time I did, the initial trailer for episodes one and two had already been edited. So it didn’t take long. They did not leave me long in the dark. I have been brought to the show very soon.
Personality traits
You mentioned all the different characters on the show. I was wondering if you could talk about your approach to the different character themes.
The first thing I started with, while writing the score, was the main theme of Moon Knight. Because Moon Night, to me, is the sum of everything Mark and Khuncho revolve around. I needed to gather the sum total of the power given to Mark by Khuncho, and all of Mark’s background and sadness, his anger, his childhood trauma, and of course his turmoil. I wanted to bring all of this into one musical theme. I like to call it a theme, because when I watch the episode, the moment Mark puts on the suit, it’s not just the moment of heroism, or the moment of victory or victory or that. There is a weight to it. There is a human weight to it. It comes with a graphic, this suit. It does not come easily. And the relationship between Khuncho and Mark, how complex and multi-layered. I wanted to call it all up in this main thread.
Regarding all the other characters like Arthur Harrow and Layla, of course, they each have a theme. We’ve seen it, before long, because Arthur Harrow isn’t a typical villain – he’s not one of those villains just for doing bad things. No, no, no, no, not bad. He has faith. He pursues what he believes in. He has principle in his head. That doesn’t make it right, no, but it’s someone who has faith. He is more of a cultural person, not just a villain. From then on, I had to base his musical theme or melody for Arthur Harrow.
I was curious about Lily’s topic, because it’s cool, especially the moment she finally becomes a superhero.
Laila was the first Egyptian superhero, the moment it was revealed [costume and her] Wings – the figure of the female deity, the goddess, the female spiritual force in Egyptian beliefs is huge. Lots of female characters. You may be familiar with Maat, you may be familiar with ISIS, and you may be familiar with many of these divine figures. So this was a very special moment in the story, as its subject matter had to be Egyptian in essence.
Also, throughout the entire episodes, whenever we saw a scarab, I would play some or even all of her theme, as if this had always been her destiny, the scarab would follow her and she was trying to find the scarab. They are linked together, until this point in the reveal of Scarlet Scarab, the Egyptian superhero.
Balance
I was curious to know the balance between very Egyptian music and more adventure Indiana Jones Kind of music, because I feel like your score balances the two in a really fun way.
Normally, I don’t care much about where the events take place, or where the story takes place. But in this particular show, the Egyptian aspect of music was a necessity or some importance. The delivery of this Egyptian spirit, and the sense of the Egyptian and Egypt in the outcome was significant.
Yes, it was fun to get these two types of music together, opposing each other, and sometimes going hand in hand. At times they were at odds with each other, at other times they were in agreement with each other. I wanted the Egyptian feel to be in the ranks of the orchestra, the strings, the brass, the wind, and not just with the local Egyptian musical instruments. Of course I used it too, but when I wanted to bring the Egyptian sense to the music. I brought it through all the items, not just the Egyptian ones.
Favorite
What is your favorite moment on the show to create music for?
There are countless. The first moment when I started writing. The first moment I saw in my studio, my screens, the first moment was an unforgettable and explosive moment. And endless moments in the show. It’s a huge show. It is wonderful. Great offers by everyone. So it’s hard to pick just one moment. But the first moment for me, the writing was really special. It’s like starting a new life. Everything was fresh. So it is very difficult. I’m trying to think of something. It’s so hard to pick just one moment on the show and say, “This is my favorite,” because there really is so much.
surprises
What is the most surprising aspect of working on the show in your opinion?
There were some unusual things that happened to me while working on this show. The things that I used to think were easy, I found very hard to do. For example, writing a major heroic theme or a main theme for a superhero, to be known and memorable etc., is not easy. I used to believe, “Oh, well. With all the time, it should be easy.” No, it is not easy, because the easiest thing is to be naive, to flatten, to repeat, to revise. But to come up with something unique on the show, it was the most surprising thing for me.
This show is very dynamic in the way the stories are told. For one moment, you find yourself in a very tragic moment. And suddenly, everything turns into a comical relief. And then we get into a moment of great adventure, and then we go, for a little bit, into a moment of very frightening. Then all of a sudden, we’re back to the very dramatic part. So maintaining the show’s momentum, and maintaining the dynamism of its storytelling style, was challenging and fun as well.
Every time, in every work session, I’d think, “Oh, I’m watching a series of ten minutes or so.” And then I will do [say] “Well, I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I’m going to do this here and this there and this there.” And then when I start, everything looks bad. This stuff is in my head, I think it might work in the way, but in practice or while applying it, it doesn’t. This show dictates his own way of writing music.
So many amazing things to me, and myself, as well as to writing. For example, I didn’t intend to use all these choirs and all these huge choirs and all these sounds. What I had in mind was to use them as minimally as possible, in some points and bits. I ended up using them just about everywhere, because I was just keeping the flow. I would keep the music quiet, and then I would follow the flow.
MCU
Now that you’ve written a superhero theme, is there another Marvel or sci-fi character you’d like to tackle next moon knight?
Oh yes. Most of them, if not all of them. It’s a wonderful world, MCU, isn’t it?
Advice
Do you have any advice for aspiring composers who want to enter this space?
Oh, sure. To all the little fellows, all over the world, be greedy in your dreams. Never stop dreaming. Be greedy. Never stop exercising, never stop trying to outdo yourself. Try to be better and learn more. Don’t be shy to ask. Never stop asking and asking for help, asking for a piece of information too. And go ahead. Your turn will come. Your moment will surely come. So be prepared. He is waiting for you as much as you have been waiting for him. He will come, just be prepared.
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all episodes moon knight They are now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
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