Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/855478
44 CINEMONTAGE / Q3 2017 music library, "which I've been amassing for years, and bring to every project." That and his Pro Tools system (he currently utilizes Pro Tools 12.7) are essentially the key tools in his arsenal. "Most music editors have their own different set of temp music and songs they pull from, based on different experiences and skill sets," he says. "Pulling from what I have in my library, and what I find to be new and fresh and epic for these movies, is really important." Likewise, Spiva says he uses Pro Tools with a variety of plug-ins largely as a creative, rather than technical, weapon. He calls Pro Tools "my ax" when he is consulting with filmmakers and composers, trying to demonstrate concepts to them. "I prefer to literally show them, as opposed to just talking it through sometimes," he elaborates. "When they can see and hear the way that I see the inflection of the scene going, rather than just having me describe it, it helps a great deal." Spiva typically works in the cutting room or in the composer's studio to be in close contact with filmmakers on major projects. Having formerly been an assistant music editor, he typically organizes his files and folders himself. "When I work in a picture cutting room, then go to a mix stage, to the composer's studio, and then back home possibly — all on the same day — mobility becomes key for me," he relates. "I also keep my previous shows easily accessible on larger, secure, portable hard drives when appropriate so that I can often draw upon ideas I had from other projects, no matter my location." The music editor reveals that he uses flash storage for everything, except for longer-term storage, and utilizes various kinds of cloud storage and servers to keep less sensitive material in easy reach at all times. "The less time I spend moving and waiting on material to process, the more locked in I can stay on the beautifully creative parts of my job," he attests. Such creative connections are just about all Spiva cares about when he's working on a major project. As an example, when asked how he figured out the best way to sew music into Fury, David Ayer's 2014 war movie about a doomed tank crew during World War II, he says it was all about the possibilities around the characters. "For that movie, thinking about being on the battlefield inside the confines of a tank…the dynamics of that was a constant," he explains. "You need to be in the mind of the soldier who is actually there. There is grief, absolute fright, 1,000 percent adrenaline — just in terms of trying to survive. You look to experience those emotions as you pick the music and feel it furthering the story. "In that case, we added a men's chorus, some piano notes of sadness and hopefulness, and literally an engine of war beating and beating," continues Spiva. "And some of it was also based on the idea that this crew was facing death; these are their last days. So there was a sweetness, a camaraderie to their brotherhood, and we also tried The Glass Castle. Lionsgate