There are very few TV shows associated with just a few musical notes, but Law & Order is at the top of that list. And its spinoff, SVU, gets the benefit of that foundation, and then its own scary score to highlight some of the more dastardly crimes.

Turkish composer Arda Ren has written additional music on both series across multiple seasons, building on an award-winning career that spans TV, film, and video games.

Today, we unpack what goes into scoring these crime shows and how he works in collaboration with previous scores and branches, out on his own.

Let’s dive in.

– YouTubewww.youtube.com

NFS: Hi Arda! Can you tell us about your experience serving as lead orchestrator on recent seasons of both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU?

Arda Ren: To say it’s been crazy would be an understatement! I grew up watching Law & Order on TV, now I get to work on it. These are long-running shows. SVU itself is the longest-running drama in network history, with its 27th Season on the way! As such, I inherited a very well-established style that has been honed by multiple generations of composers and orchestrators. My greatest duty and challenge is to maintain and refine that style while carving my own identity in it.

NFS: How does the role of a lead orchestrator differ from that of a composer? Has the experience prepared you for your work as a composer?

AR: Well, they come in different hats but contain all the same ingredients. Being an orchestrator is like preparing a dish from a recipe in a kitchen while the head chef who crafted said recipe is watching your every movement. Add in the factor of crazy deadlines and yelling customers, and that’s pretty much it. Being a composer is like being that head chef; it is the dish you’ve come up with, but you’re watching someone cook it while making sure nothing tastes funky at the end. I get to wear both hats on Law & Order, SVU, and all the other shows we do at Mike Post Productions. I work as the orchestrator and an additional composer on all our shows because there are simply crazy amounts of music to be done. On average, me and Mike deliver about 45 minutes of music a week for a total of 90 minutes of TV.

NFS: How do you navigate the established musical palette of an iconic series like Law & Order while still allowing for new ideas and innovations?

AR: That’s the most challenging and also the most fun part of the work! The musical palette of the franchise was first established by Mike Post and his then-orchestrator, Danny Lux, before I was even born. There’s a long and rich history behind it. That being said, the palette and the style itself have evolved ten times over before I got on board. I was talking to Danny about this recently. If you go back and watch the early seasons of the series, there’s hardly any music at all compared to the sheer amount of music that goes into an episode right now. They were going for a documentary style of cop and court drama back then. We’re talking about a leap from 3-4 minutes of music per episode to 20-22 minutes. The style itself has also changed drastically with the times and with every orchestrator who occupied the post. The franchise has had it all, from large orchestral sounds to guitar and drum-driven scores to chamber music-heavy sounds. The current Law & Order musical palette is much closer to SVU than it is to the palette of its first seasons. My personal style is very classical, and we’ve been relying more and more on large orchestral sounds lately. We’ll see if that trend continues in the 25th Season.

Arda Ren Credit: Arda Ren

NFS: Audiences could also hear your score for the indie short Deep Dish Dimples at the Slamdance Film Festival earlier this year. Please tell us about your creative vision for the score, particularly as the film deals with the urgent theme of trans identity.

AR: Deep Dish Dimples came from the creative minds of Alex Villarreal (director), and Nova Cypress Black (screenwriter). It’s such a beautiful film about making peace with yourself that is wrapped up in a horror aesthetic with a hint of magical realism. I’m a huge Del Toro fan, and Alex has the closest style to him that I’ve seen in the new generation of directors, so it’s been a true pleasure to work on the picture from start to finish. The score itself is primarily String Quartet-driven. Me and Alex talked about that early on and decided to go with a chamber style to capture the necessary tension and tenderness. We got to record with absolutely wonderful musicians: Mark Robertson (Violin I), Ben Jacobson (Violin II), Luke Maurer (Viola), and David Low (Cello). I’m so glad we had the budget for a live ensemble. That human touch just elevates the picture! Now, the sky is the limit for Deep Dish. It’s doing a marvelous festival run right now, and it is headed for the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival this year, so fingers crossed!

NFS: How does your approach differ between scoring for a short film and for a long-form mode of storytelling like a TV show or video game?

AR: The biggest difference is the time constraint. In short formats, you just don’t have enough time to meaningfully develop leitmotifs or character-driven musical arcs. So, a common technique is to create soundscapes around the narrative themes. Music is capable of conveying many different emotions at the same time, and it can be a powerful tool to convey intricate themes without a large runtime.

– YouTubewww.youtube.com

NFS: Are there any new technologies or techniques you are excited to incorporate into your workflow as a composer?

AR: Technology is evolving faster than ever! The way we currently compose for film and TV would be completely alien to the masters of the trade even 4-5 decades ago. We’ve just had a major upgrade at the studio, so I’m excited to bring in fresh gear and new instruments into the sound palette of the upcoming second season of Mammoth and Law & Order shortly after.

NFS: Thanks, Arda! Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your work?

AR: Thanks for having me! Underneath everything, I’m a huge music nerd, so it is always fun to get to talk about the intricacies of the craft! We have some crazy seasons coming up, so make sure to tune in for Law & Order nights on NBC every Thursday, starting in October!