Composer Mikel Hurwitz discusses scoring ‘Soul of a Nation,’ crafting its emotional tone, and the creative challenges of matching a temp track filled with musical legends.
“In my own head at least, it became this game of, okay, how can I take the production value of the score to the absolute nth degree?” Hurwitz says of scoring the film.
In this interview, composer Mikel Hurwitz breaks down his creative process behind scoring Jonathan Jakubowicz’s documentary ‘Soul of a Nation,’ from the unexpected personal connection that brought him onto the project to the pressures of working with a temp track featuring giants like Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and Trent Reznor. Hurwitz discusses recording with the Budapest orchestra, the struggle to find the right emotional tone—especially in the film’s final cue—and the influence of his formative experiences and musical heroes. He also touches on mentorship, studio preferences, and even a shared love of the Beatles and Hallmark’s Hanukkah on Rye.
Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, ‘Soul of a Nation’ offers an unfiltered look at the most perilous chapter in Israel’s recent history. It’s been a period defined by both internal divisions and political extremism. Jakubowicz draws on insights from Nobel laureates, Muslim leaders, peace activists, and other prominent figures in dismantling preconceived notions about one of the world’s most scrutinized countries.
‘Soul of a Nation’ is currently available to buy or rent through digital retailers or take home on DVD.
How did you first become attached to working on Soul of a Nation?
Mikel Hurwitz: My oldest friend in life, their kids go to the same school that Jonathan and Claudine’s kids go to in LA. We kind of met and connected, some time went by, and then Jonathan and Claudine thought of me to score this. Very uneventfully in in a way, in terms of the connection. But yeah, just friends of friends, really.
Did Jonathan give you any particular direction as far as what he wanted out of the score?
Hurwitz: Oh, yeah. Yeah, he was actually incredible to work with. Both Jonathan and Santiago Garcia, the editor. They worked really hard at the temp track and did it—when I saw the rough cut, it was so clear how important music was to tell the story that I kind of fell in love with it.
I fell in love with it for many reasons, but I loved how they temped it. However, it was very difficult to live up to that temp. There was stuff—there was Hans Zimmer, John Williams, I think some Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross—some of my film scoring heroes. So, in a way, that was the first round of direction.
And then as we were going through it, Jonathan would have a thing where it’s like, we need to turn the emotion up here or turn the emotion down, or we would play that game and tread on that fine line.
Yeah. How much anxiety or pressure do you feel when temp tracks have the likes of Hans Zimmer, John Williams, or Trent Reznor? Because I imagine that’s not popping up on any of the Hallmark movie temp tracks.
Hurwitz: (Laughs) Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Yeah, believe it or not, they don’t temp Hallmark movies with Trent Reznor.
I felt the pressure. To me, I think what I realized was how I couldn’t just tell this story with music or help tell the story with music with MIDI virtual orchestra. In my own head at least, it became this game of, okay, how can I take the production value of the score to the absolute nth degree?
We started off doing some scenes with virtual piano and virtual this and virtual that, and it kind of felt right, but it clearly needed the human element to it.
Because of that, we ended up recording the orchestra in Budapest. I played a ton of live instruments on the score and just to sort of really heighten the whole thing and make it sound as cinematic as possible, I guess you’d say.
How did you decide on the orchestra in Budapest?
Hurwitz: I’d worked with them before. We didn’t have a ton of budget for this film. I would have loved to work with an orchestra in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, or Toronto. I love what they’re doing in Budapest. They run a very tight ship and they’re phenomenal players.
It’s just a little bit cheaper, really, to work with them, and they still have an incredible product. I would have loved to be there conducting, but again, it sort of came down to a budget time scenario more than anything.
Was there any particular cue that evolved throughout the composing and recording process?
Hurwitz: That’s a great question. I remember that we spent a lot of time with the very last cue in the movie. We’ll say spoiler alert, but you’ve seen the film, obviously. In a way, the last scene with the pan back on the earth, it really touches you on a deeper level about what this whole journey that we’ve been through really means. Talking about polarization and our indoctrination. And is it, are our neighbors as bad as we think they are, or are we a product of our indoctrination?
The tone of that cue in my mind was so difficult to get right. We played it sort of really pretty at first, but there was kind of a weight that wasn’t there as well. And then we played it dark and it was too dark. We had to figure out this middle ground that also wasn’t too suggestive for the listener.
What we ended up doing was—I mean, you’ve heard the cue, you’ve heard the scene, but we ended up sort of creating this evolving bed, and part of that bed was actually a slowed down air raid siren from Tel Aviv. I don’t know if it’s in our own heads or not, but it had this lightness and this beauty, but at the same time, this weight and like verité kind of thing going on. I don’t know if anyone else would know and recognize the siren, but yeah, for me, I think that helped sell the last scene.
Is there a studio that you like to record at because of the way it sounds?
Hurwitz: I like a lot of studios. I think my favorite studio probably is the Warner Brothers lot, the Eastwood stage. I like Sony a whole lot as well. Capitol’s great. It’s a little smaller, but it’s a really great sounding room.
I do like how the room sounds in Budapest a bunch. I think it depends on what you’re recording and who you’re recording, and having that influence though, your decisions in sort of an ideal world scenario.
How did you first get interested in composing for film?
Hurwitz: My gosh. I think you fall in love with film first before you fall in love with music in film. I was a kid who had a stack of VHSs when I was growing up and played them till they wore out. I had ‘Star Wars’ and I remember I had ‘Field of Dreams.’ I had ‘Alien.’ As you’re a 10-year-old, 11-year-old, 12-year-old watching these really intense or crazy or beautiful movies, you’re emotionally reacting to them.
I always played music growing up. I took piano lessons, played drums, and did a bunch of different things. I specifically remember a moment that I was watching ‘Field of Dreams’ and there’s this beautiful scene when he reconnects with his ghost dad at the end of the film. The theme plays and it’s very sparse. It’s not a hugely orchestral theme by any means, but it’s so poignant.
That was the first moment that I thought, what is this music? What is it doing here? Why is it—who’s doing this? I remember looking into it, and it was James Horner. It it turns out that that stack of VHSs that I had was the all-time greats of film composers. I mean, there’s John Williams, James Horner, and Jerry Goldsmith. I mean, just the list was incredible. I think from then it kind of started.
I remember when I was 15, a family friend of ours is a film composer, and he invited me to one of his scoring sessions for a Canadian TV show. I remember sitting on the couch and I saw the TV above me. I was looking out into the window into the live room where there was a live orchestra. They’re going through cues, performing them, and recording them. The director’s in the back giving notes.
I left that session and I felt like I was on a cloud. I looked at him and I just I asked him, “You make money doing this? This is your career?” So yeah, I think that’s probably the first moment that I thought, well, this is an interesting path to use music and to be involved in music.
From there, it was a long and winding road in terms of how I actually developed a career. But yeah, those are probably the formative moments.
I bet Paul McCartney just made some money.
Hurwitz: Oh.
Long and winding road.
Hurwitz: I did. I did say it, didn’t I? (Laughs)
It’s funny. I mean, 30 years ago today, ‘The Beatles Anthology’ premiered on ABC, and that was it for me.
Hurwitz: Yeah, is that right?
That’s when I became a Beatles fan.
Hurwitz: Interesting. Interesting. Did you see the whole big thing that came out a couple of years ago?
‘The Beatles: Get Back.‘
Hurwitz: Yes, the Get Back sessions.
Yes, I’ve seen that. And then as of yesterday, I have finished rewatching ‘The Beatles Anthology’ since Disney sent out screeners on Monday.
Hurwitz: They sure could write a song, couldn’t they?
Oh, yeah.
Hurwitz: Yeah. Neat. Yeah, I’m a total Beatles fan, too.
Is there someone that you look up to as a mentor?
Hurwitz: No. Film scoring wise, I have my favorites. He’s no longer around, sadly, but James Horner was definitely a favorite. I loved Jerry Goldsmith scores. Obviously John Williams.
I’m not sure if you know, but I worked on Danny Elfman’s music team for about five years and that, in a lot of ways, was of a hugely formative experience as well.
I think by virtue of being close, I learned a whole lot so there was a bit of a mentorship situation there. I was more of an employee, I would say, than a mentee, but certainly picked up a lot along the road. I don’t have a formal I don’t have a formal mentor. I’ve always sort of dipped toes in different lakes, I suppose.
I know I mentioned this when you first followed me on Instagram, but ‘Hanukkah on Rye’ is my favorite of the Hallmark Chanukah movies.
Hurwitz: It’s so cute. Isn’t it a cute movie? Yeah. I love it. I actually was just talking with the producer before we popped on here. We just finished another film. Unfortunately, not a Jewish theme, but we’ve worked together now on I think five or six films. But ‘Hanukkah and Rye’ was great.
Yael Grobglas—I forget how you pronounce it. She was in it, and now she’s actually—I don’t know if you caught it on Instagram, but she’s posting about ‘Soul of a Nation’ and everyone has to see this movie and stuff. So that was nice to see a nice full circle moment. Yeah. Yeah.
All right. It’s been nice chatting with you.
Hurwitz: It’s been great chatting with you, too. Yeah. I appreciate your time. And yeah, I’m loving your work.
Thank you.
Hurwitz: Yeah, keep it up.