John's Thoughts

Some projects are simply more inspiring than others based upon their timing in your life, and "Point of Origin" was certainly one of those. I like writing all kinds of scores and styles, and my inspiration tends to go in waves based upon what kind of projects I have just been on; I think psychologically I was ready for, well, a psychological score. I tend to respond to stories that delve into the mysteries of a single human psyche, all the way back to Public Access and as recently as Apt Pupil. I think some embedded pathologies of my own seem to emerge! Tom Sigel, who shot The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil, directed Point of Origin as his directorial debut.

The film is based upon the true story of John Orr (Ray Liota), a gifted arson investigator who is faced with a scad of on-going arson fires in southern California. His partner and protoge is Kieth or "Junior" played by John Leguizamo. Who is setting these fires? Often we observe a strange shifty fellow named Aaron, setting fires. Is he the guy? John Orr is also moonlighting as a novelist to adapt his personal experiences into a book. There is something strange going on under the surface of Point of Origin, and we soon learn just what is going on, or do we?

The stunning visual sequences in the film work beyond the slick surface levels, putting us in both the mind of the investigator and the arsonist. These sequences allowed me to do some different textural music for a change, supplemented with some of my "isms" adding some odd poetry to the mix. Musically there are succinct themes for John Orr and Aaron, which weave in and out from one another, accented by the subtle sound of typewriter keys and carriages which were sampled right off the same typewriter John Orr uses in the film.

John's theme is introspective and seductively mysterious. Aaron fancies himself to be a sort of Cool Cat, which is reflected by a jazzy piano motif and strange percussion. As the film goes on, you can hear the ethereal woodwind lines in John's theme begin to intertwine into Aaron's. Why is this? Hmmmmm.