Uncompromising Composer. master mood setter. Studio City Dweller.
AMC’s taut psychological thriller Breaking Bad has short bursts of action, but it’s explosive action. The story of a chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer who descends into the netherworld of methamphetamine has a secret weapon. Driven by strong writing and acting, vivid characters and stark cinematography, the ever-present tension is drawn tighter by composer Dave Porter’s portentous music.
In Dave’s brief but pungent cues, electronic instruments commingle with traditional ethnic instruments: Japanese koto, steel pan drums, marimbas and Chilean flute. The undercurrents can be ominous or hopeful—or turn from one way to the other in a minute’s time.
He’d written for commercials in New York, but that changed when Dave came west. “I wanted to work in film and TV,” he states, “and for a composer, this is the place you can have the biggest impact.” In addition to Breaking Bad, Dave has scored the action film Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovich, and the TNT series Saved.