I had to do this very aggressive, big score in a very short time, and knowing that in the beginning, middle, and end would be this very, very famous theme, but I still had to weave a score around it and make it work as a score was really challenging.

Elfman describes a common compositional problem in franchise filmmaking: being hired to write a new score that must prominently feature an already-iconic theme. The “very famous theme” functions like a fixed architectural element—audiences expect to hear it at key structural points (beginning, middle, end), yet the composer still has to create connective tissue, pacing, and emotional shading that make the music feel like a coherent dramatic score rather than a string of quotations. His emphasis on an “aggressive, big score” and a “very short time” highlights the industrial pressures of film scoring, where tight deadlines and brand recognition can constrain originality while demanding craftsmanship and integration.