Out of all the interviews I’ve done over the years here on Haunt Jaunts, I’ve never interviewed anyone like Johannes Ringen. Directors, yes. Stars of shows, definitely. But a composer? Nope. That’s a first.
Johannes Ringen is a Norwegian-born, LA-trained composer who has worked in the American film industry on blockbusters like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Fate of the Furious, and Furious 7 of the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as Netflix’s dystopian thriller What Happened to Monday. Other credits include Hawaii 5-0, as well as international titles like The Girl from Oslo, Vikingane, and Witch Hunt. The most recent film he composed music for was Netflix’s Troll, a fantasy-action film by Norwegian director Roar Uthaug.
Sadly, I was pressed for time and unable to schedule either a phone or Zoom chat with him. However, Johannes generously agreed to answer some written questions about his composing process, his favorite scene to compose for Troll, and what kind of troll he’d rather meet. Let’s check out his answers to these questions as well as a couple of others.
HAUNT JAUNTS: Hi, Johannes! Thanks so much for agreeing to answer some questions about your work on Netflix’s Troll. I’ll start with…What is your musical approach to high-adrenaline blockbusters? Does your preparation process differ from when you compose lighthearted fare, like comedies, or is it the same regardless of genre?
JOHANNES RINGEN: My pleasure! High-adrenaline blockbusters are all about urgency, dissonance, and fast tempo, which usually means the music is quite complex. This, in combination with time pressure, means there is less time for preparation. Comedies, on the other hand, are often more complex from a storytelling perspective since a piece of music can potentially ruin the humour. Unfortunately, the “why” is not always obvious, so I find it’s important to prepare in a way that I have a couple of different solutions at hand.
HJ: You’ve composed a lot of music for a variety of movies and TV shows. Are there any projects in particular that you’re most proud of/like the best?
JR: I try to be proud of them all, but I have to say Troll. I do believe that I get better at what I do for every project, so for me, it’s usually the last one.
HJ: What was your favorite scene to compose for Troll?
The opening of the movie was my favourite. I’m very satisfied to have a Nordic traditional instrument (Nyckelharpa) carry the melody loudly and proudly. I used the instrument throughout the film, and hopefully it gives the movie a bit of Nordic flavour.
HJ’S RESPONSE: That’s the drawback of written interviews. I don’t get to respond to answers like the above to say emphatically, “Yes, it did! Mission accomplished! Bravo!”
HJ: Was there a scene in Troll that was trickier to compose for or didn’t come as easily?
JR: Again, I have to say the opening of the movie. The opening is always important because it sets up the atmosphere of the movie, so I spent some time getting it right.
HJ: Which kind of troll would you rather meet: mountain/forest or cave? None is also an option too.
JR: That’s an easy one; the Mountain King, of course!
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Have you seen Troll? Either the Netflix film or one in real life. Your choice.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I had to look up the Nyckelharpa. I didn’t know what it was! It sure is a complex instrument. Makes me want to see Troll!
It was new to me too. Pretty cool thing he shared. Learned something! lol