Chance Thomas

There are such diverse ways and means
To break that which God commands
But if to the Lord's Day one leans
There is strength unto new hands

This day renews commitments
To God, family, and work
There faith does influence
Inspiration as a perk

Mosiah 4: 29
And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.


of Chance Thomas - Composer
from linescratchers.com click on above title to go to the article
You mentioned in the Deseret News that you have made a decision not to violate or compromise your values in the music industry. In what ways are values compromised in the film and video game industry?
A: There was an ancient king who had something to say about there being divers ways and means, so many that he couldn’t number them, right? But to bring the discussion to a couple of concrete points, let’s start with Sundays. I’ve made it a habit not to work on Sundays. This is a day to recharge, a day to connect with my children and my wife, and most importantly, a day to renew my spiritual commitments. We have lots of crunch time in the game industry, and I may have to work 100 hours some weeks. But I will squeeze those hours in between Monday morning and Saturday night.

As another example, I don’t work on games that target an M rating, or films that target an R rating. I certainly respect what other people do, but this is just what I’m comfortable with.

In what other ways does your faith influence the music you write or the work that you do?
A: I believe in approaching the creation of a piece of music spiritually. I like to envision the world where the story or scene is taking place, then plant myself firmly in that scene with my imagination and open up my feelings, to sense the emotions of that moment. As I imagine myself there in that scene, musical ideas tend to flow in a way that is symbiotic to the scene. This results in music that is very visual, for lack of a better word. Meaning that frequently, when people listen to one of my scores, they can almost see the scene taking place in their mind’s eye. So my basic approach to composition comes from a very spiritual place. I also turn to our Creator for direction and inspiration all the time. And I believe that anything good that I’ve ever produced ultimately comes as a result of that inspiration. So yes, my faith definitely plays a role in my work.