Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us on the Captilight Team Highlight Series. Today we'll be speaking with Mark Choi, he music composer behind Path of Kami.
This interview is conducted by Steven Seidman, a Narrative Designer at Captilight.
Steven: Mark, I’m so happy you were able to make it.
Mark: No problem, fire away.
Steven: We’ll start with the simple who are you?
Mark: I’m a classically trained pianist, freelance game composer, resident composer at a UK/Japan theatre company that specializes in adapting anime to stage, a licensed composer with EMI, arranger, and orchestrator of VGM and technology consultant by day!
Steven: Wow! Okay. How did you get involved with Captilight?
Mark: I met my friend Jeff virtually through our mutual gaming and anime interests. Jeff introduced me to Captilights’s project and the rest is history (Mark smiles).
Steven: What excites you about Path of Kami?
Mark: It merges everything that I’m passionate about in life and that is quite unusual to find. I’ve already mentioned narrative adventures and RPGs; I’m also a massive lover of Japan, as well as art styles adopted by powerhouses like Studio Ghibli such as cel-shading. So… This really is the perfect combination for me.
Steven: That’s awesome! How do you go about your thought process working on a new title?
Mark: I love to sit at the piano, hit record on my phone and do some “free playing” while thinking about the game and all the elements that are already in place. I will think about type/genre of music that is most fitting and the harmony/sound that would be most appropriate, before focusing in on anything more particular later down the line like character or level themes.
Steven: Tell us then where do you draw your inspiration from on Path of Kami?
Mark: My team and the assets they create. Ultimately, I’m very visually driven, which of course is vital in the context of a video game! I do spend time enjoying and processing the environments, concept art, narrative elements, and everything else that contributes to ideas and melodies forming in my head.
Steven: So, let's finish this with… (Looks at notes) What inspires you to make games?
Mark: To tell meaningful stories and move the player with memorable experiences. Also to enhance the gameplay with amazing music that they’ll want to listen to even outside of the game!
<End Interview>
Thanks for joining us today! Look forward to seeing you next week. Sincerely, The Captilight Team