Echo Composer Dave Porter Explains How He Scores Action Scenes

Echo was released on Disney+ and Hulu this month, and it features a score by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul composer, Dave Porter. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Porter about Echo, which stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, the character who debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Hawkeye. During the chat, Porter explained why he didn't go back and watch Hawkeye before working on Echo, and broke down what it was like working with Marvel Studios for the first time. Porter is no stranger to scoring action scenes, so we asked about his process when it comes to creating music for scenes like Echo's big rink fight.

"Yeah, so particularly for action sequences, for me, I love to work with a picture that's finished or very close to finished because I'm a real stickler for getting the beats in line with the picture cuts," Porter explained. "And so for me, the first thing I did, and that's a great example, that scene you're talking about, is spend the better part of an afternoon probably just watching that scene with a metronome, back and forth, back and forth, trying to find the right tempos and time signatures and changes in tempo and time signatures." 

"That's really going to maximize my opportunities to have the music sync with the action," Porter explained. "And so, that's where I start. And then from there I'm building up, I'm thinking about tone and pace and the things that I think are going to interact best and tell our story the best in that moment and in that action, and that particular action sequence is one where we're flirting a little bit more than the others. I think with it being fun, with her reveling in her strength and her abilities, and so there's a little more wink-wink in that one than some of others." 

Porter also revealed that he prefers to score shows in order rather than jumping around. 

"I try very hard when it's possible to work in order because for me, and that's even true on a film, to be honest," Porter revealed. "I try to have at least a sense of that progression because I think one of the really strong suits of music when it comes to music for film and TV is to be that through line storyteller, that while there's maybe sub-stories here and diversions here, the score is the thing I hope that unites any given project, whether it's a long-form show that lasts 10 years or one like this, that's a limited series that's not meant to go more than a few." 

"And one of the benefits of knowing when the show is going to end, for example, is that you can chart out your course over the course of five episodes in this case and know that in episode five there's no reason to leave anything on the table," he continued. "There's not going to be more, at least in the near future, to think about with that. And so you can really try to spend some time and thinking about it in the macro before you get into the nitty-gritty of each individual scene and you're worrying about those micro-moments." 

You can watch our interview with Porter at the top of the page. Echo is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu and will leave Hulu on April 9th.