Geektown BTS Podcast 38: 'Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War', 'Mass Effect' Composer Jack Wall Interview

On this episode of the Geektown Behind The Scenes Podcast, I'm chatting with Jack Wall, composer on a multitude of video games including Mass Effect, Jade Empire, Call Of Duty: Black Ops, and Myst, along with a number of tv shows and other projects.

In the latest iteration, Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the game (as you may have guessed from the title) takes the player back to the 80s to the high of the tensions between the USA and the USSR. The gripping single-player campaign has you come face-to-face with historical figures and hard truths, as you battle around the globe through iconic locales like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters, and more.

Jack Wall is an ASCAP award-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer best known for his rich, cinematic scores found within popular video game franchises. He also the score for tv series 'Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments', and has provided additional music on shows and films such as 'Reign', 'Emerald City', and 'Hard Target 2'.

In the interview, we discuss finding the sound for Black Ops Cold War, including piecing together the chorus of Russia singers for the menu theme and working with his wife (fellow composer Cindy Shapiro) to write the lyric for the piece. We also chat about the issues that come with trying to record a huge soundtrack to a AAA video game in the middle of a global pandemic, and the legacy of his work on the Mass Effect franchise.

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