Simon Franglen spent seven years developing a unique approach to sound for Avatar: Fire and Ash.
During that time, he worked on teaching synthesizers to express a fictional language, shaping how audiences would hear an alien world.
As the composer behind James Cameron’s latest blockbuster, Franglen took on a pivotal role in shaping the film’s sound.
His work became a core part of the overall experience, helping bring the story to life.
As a result, the film went on to surpass $1.3 billion at the global box office.
While earlier Avatar films relied heavily on orchestral scores, he took a different path this time.
Instead, he used electronic music to reflect the cultural identity of the Na’vi in the third installment.
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The Creative Process for Avatar: Fire and Ash’s Musical Score
Moreover, Fire and Ash continues Franglen’s creative partnership with James Cameron.
It marks their second collaboration in a row.
Previously, they worked together on Avatar: The Way of Water, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films in history.
Franglen, who also created the iconic song “My Heart Will Go On” for Titanic, wrote an extensive 1,900 pages of music.
He began this process in 2018, starting with early sketches that later evolved into the final score.
In many ways, his work mirrors the famous iceberg metaphor from Titanic.
While audiences only hear a small portion of the music, that is only the surface of what was created.
Beneath it lies a much deeper and more expansive body of work.
It is this hidden depth and scale that ultimately shapes the entire experience.
At the same time, scoring an alien culture presented a unique creative challenge.
Franglen needed to imagine how a civilization would sound before anyone had ever heard it.
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Creating The Sound
This task became even more complex when he developed the sonic identity of the Ash clan, a fierce new group within the world of Pandora.
Therefore, instead of relying on traditional instruments, he chose a fully electronic approach.
He explained that electronic elements can create a strong sense of ritual and identity.
He also noted that he avoided organic sounds for the Ash clan and relied entirely on synthesizers and electronic production to define their character.
