Film.Music.Media: Podcast: Recent Episodes
Film.Music.Media
The official Film.Music.Media podcast features interviews with today’s top film, TV and game composers. We sit down and talk extensively with today’s top composers working across all visual media. Get to know the people behind some of your favorite soundtracks! Video versions of our All Access interviews can be found on our YouTube channel.
Composer John Powell sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! John takes us into his newest score to Minions & Monsters as well as reflects back on his scores for Wicked and the live-action How To Train Your Dragon.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jessica Rose Weiss sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Jessica discusses her path to composing and goes in depth with her recent score to Girls Like Girls!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Geoff Zanelli and Director Gore Verbinski sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation to dive into their newest collaboration together with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composers and musicians Justin Rubenstein and J.R. Kaufman of The Blasting Company sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Paul Edward-Francis sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Lindsay Jones sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Lindsay is a composer, sound designer, performer and educator who works across all media. Lindsay has worked across film, TV, theater, podcasts, and audiobooks.
He recently won a 2025 Webby Award for Original Music and Sound Design for Othello, which is part of Next Chapter Podcasts' Play On Shakespeare series.
*This interview was recorded the day before he won.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Kyle Rodriguez sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jeff Morrow sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Jason Poss and Danita Ng-Poss from Symbols Of Sound sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation to discuss what goes into running a company dedicated to full-service music preparation for composers across all media!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Diwa de Leon sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Joy Ngiaw sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation to chat about her path to composing as well as her approach to Season 2 of Apple TV's WondLa!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
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Composer Michael Paraskevas sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation to chat about his path to becoming a composer as well as recent projects like Agatha All Along!
Learn about Michael's path to becoming a composer, first jobs in the industry, working with Christophe Beck, co-scoring Agatha All Along with Christophe, his general approach to scoring, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composers Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation for a look into their recent score to Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Learn how Max and Alfie got the call to tackle The Final Reckoning. Max and Alfie break down the musical approach for The Final Reckoning, breaking down the thematic elements of the classic Lalo Schifrin theme and incorporating it into the fabric of the score, dealing with picture changes, writing for action and emotion, and the pressure they felt stepping in to bring Ethan Hunt's arc to a satisfying resolution.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Join us for a Film.Music.Media roundtable discussion focusing on composing for animation!
Featuring Jina An (Exploding Kittens), Vidjay Beerepoot (Super Kitties), Mark Evitts (Frog And Toad), Stuart Hancock (Kensuke's Kingdom and Shirley Song (Exploding Kittens)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact24 PR Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
Composer Tim Wynn sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation where he takes us into his recent score for Final Destination Bloodlines.
Learn how Tim worked with directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to make sure they honored the series while still adding their creative touches. Tim talks about his approach, honoring Shirley Walker's theme, recording the orchestra in Los Angeles, and gives us an exclusive demo of his custom-built instrument featured in the score called the Bloodbox.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Join us for a Film.Music.Media roundtable discussion focusing on timing and composing for the edit, including how to make music have an impact within the narrative. Part of the 5th Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium!
Featuring Ian Arber (Composer, Paris Has Fallen), Jonathan Scott Friedman (Composer, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead, Nina Helene Hirten (Editor, Grimsburg) and Andrew Morgan Smith (Composer, Average Joe)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact24 PR Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
Composer Ronit Kirchman sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Sherri Chung sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Sherri takes us through her path to becoming a composer as we examine both the business side and the creative side to being a working a composer. Sherri explores her approach to writing as we look at projects like Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai, Based On A True Story and Found.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
The 4th Annual F.M.M Symposium continues with Symphony Synergy!
Join us as we discuss how it takes a village to bring musical storytelling to life!
Featuring Yuri Gorbachow (Music Editor, Vikings: Valhalla), Alan Jones (Co-Owner, Cliff End Records), Dina Rizvic (Co-Owner, Cliff End Records) and Kenny Wood (Composer, The Naughty Nine)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Co-Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
The 4th Annual F.M.M Symposium continues with Melody Makers!
Join us as we discuss different approaches for writing songs for the screen and stage.
Featuring Hannah Friedman (The Muppets Mayhem), Joe Iconis (The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical), Brian Pickett (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood) and Stefan L. Smith (Super Why's Comic Book Adventures)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Co-Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
The 4th Annual F.M.M Symposium continues with For The Craft.
Join us as we discuss and look into how music supports characters and structure.
Featuring Graeme Cornies (Bakugan), Alexander Hitchens (Two Trials), Margaret Maria (Goddess of Edges) and Thilo Schaller (A Portrait of Redemption in Five Acts)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Co-Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
The 4th Annual F.M.M Symposium continues with Chilling Crescendos!
Join us as we discuss and look into the music and sound editing for horror, suspense and thrillers.
Featuring Ethan Beigel (Sound Editor: Goosebumps), Spencer Creaghan (Composer: SurrealEstate), Ryan Shore (Composer: Zombie Town) and Jennifer Smith (Music Supervisor: Hollow's Bend: The Radio Play)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Co-Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
The 4th Annual F.M.M Symposium kicks off with Animation Sensations!
Join us as we discuss and look into writing music for animation!
Featuring Amanda Cawley (Fireman Sam), James Chapple (Total Drama Island: Reboot), Alex Geringas (Batwheels) and Pat Irwin (Rocko's Modern Life)
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Co-Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
*Please note that this panel was recorded a while back and may contain discussions of past events in the industry that are no longer current.
Esteemed author, journalist and educator Jon Burlingame sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
If you follow film and TV music at all then you'll recognize the name Jon Burlingame. When it comes to the topics of film and television music, Jon has been the leading author and journalist in the field covering almost every aspect of the art form and business. His articles, books, interviews and lectures have helped keep screen music as part of the public conversation for his entire career.
For this interview we're excited to talk about Jon's latest book titled Dreamville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn And Music For TV Noir. The book is a fascinating and entertaining look into a specific point in the career of the great Henry Mancini. Jon talks about why he was inspired to write the book, why this point in TV music history is so important, and how he approaches his research and writing.
We also take a look into Jon's path to film music journalism. Learn how Jon's career started in New York, and how it evolved into the world of film and TV music.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Daniel Futcher sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
We're diving into the acclaimed Adult Swim series My Adventures With Superman with composer Daniel Futcher! Daniel co-composed Season 1 with Dominic Lewis and is back with Dom for Season 2. We talk about how the series has evolved musically across the two seasons, and what the process was like scoring such an iconic character. Daniel also co-scored Monsters At Work with Dom and we dive into the approach of tackling that world musically.
We also talk about Daniel's path to becoming a composer, and how he ended up working with Dominic Lewis. Daniel shares why becoming a composer's assistant and taking the additional composer path was right for him, and everything that he's learned while working with Dom. We also talk about the challenges that face younger composers in today's ever-changing industry.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Dominic Lewis sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
We're diving straight into Dom's recent score for The Fall Guy, which sees him re-teaming with director David Leitch! Hear how Dom utilized the iconic "I Was Made For Lovin' You" from Kiss to be part of the DNA of his score along with his original thematic material. Dom breaks down finding the tone, working with needle drops to make a seamless experience, writing and performing original songs for the movie and soundtrack album, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
*Spoiler Warning for some plot points of Damsel and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Composer David Fleming sits down for a brand new in-person Film.Music.Media conversation!
Dave takes us into two of his recent scores with Netflix's Damsel and Amazon's Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
For Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Dave talks about how the approach for the score was very much defined by the vision of co-creators and stars Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover. And for Damsel, Dave talks about how he was truly able to go big with the orchestra and embrace the fairytale genre while still putting a modern twist and making the score an emotional and intimate journey.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Emmy-winning Composer Carlos Rafael Rivera sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Carlos takes us behind his new score to Griselda starring Sofía Vergara and how he found the sound to humanize her character in the Netflix limited series.
We talk about Carlos's approach to music, his passion for teaching, how he managed to build a career based out of Miami, and how his career is something he never expected.
Carlos talks about his love for visual storytelling and we discuss what the future of filmmaking holds and how optimism for future storytellers drives passion within all of us working in the entertainment industry.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Emmy-winning Composer Geoff Zanelli sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
It’s always a blast having Geoff return to discuss his latest projects, and this conversation is no different!
We dive right into Leo, the new animated feature starring Adam Sandler from co-directors Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachenheim. Geoff takes us into his process and how the score had to work with the original songs that were part of the film. We discuss finding the right tone and how to navigate between comedy and sentimentality within scores for family films.
Geoff also gives us a look into the score for 10 Lives, the animated feature recently premiered at Sundance and sees Geoff co-scoring with Tome Howe.
Lastly, we get an amazing update on the immensely anticipated Star Citizen which Geoff has been working on during it’s lengthy development as the game tackles an unprecedented approach to its production through crowdfunding, conventions and building a whole community surrounding it.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer David Metzger sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Dave is an industry legend who has built an incredible body of work as a composer, orchestrator and arranger. Besides his incredible body of work as a composer, he's also been composers' and songwriters' secret weapon when it comes to orchestration and arranging.
Composers like Mark Mancina, John Powell and Henry Jackman have relied on Dave's skills to bring their music to life. And without Dave, the songs of Frozen, Moana, Spirited and Disenchanted wouldn't have the orchestral colors that they do.
We dive into Dave's gorgeous score to Disney's Wish, and how he approached scoring his first feature since Brother Bear 2. Learn how Dave got hired on the project, and how he approached bringing the world of Wish to life.
Dave also shares his path to becoming a composer, and how the biggest breaks in his career came when he was ready to give up hope. We talk about his big break working on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, how he formed a lasting creative relationship with Mark Mancina to become an essential part of his team, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jake Monaco sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Jake takes some time to talk about his path to becoming a composer and some of the early projects of his career. Jake talks about scoring animation and what his approach is to scoring television for younger audiences. We also dive into his approach to scores like Jerry And Marge Go Large, Cars On The Road and his newest score to National Geographic's Incredible Animal Journeys.
We look into how Jake created different and unique sonic palettes for each episode, and what his starting point is when approaching nature docs. From instrumentation to knowing how to navigate narration, Jake takes us into his approach and we have an absolute blast!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Co-composers Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between co-composers, and what the process is for two composers to tackle a project together.
Chris and Matt are unique in that Matt has worked for Chris as an additional composer on various projects and has spent a good part of his early career learning from Chris as part of his music team. For Gen V, Chris knew it was the perfect project for him and Matt to tackle as co-composers.
You'll learn all about what Chris looks for when hiring people for his music team and how Matt used the early years working with Chris to learn techniques that he now applies to his solo projects. We also discuss the evolution of the score for The Boys and how that led to developing the sound for Gen V.
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Matt Novack and Co-Showrunner Dan Mirk sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between the composer and the show runner on a TV series. Matt and Dan take us right into what the process is like between the composer and showrunner and how the two of them worked together across Miracle Workers: End Times.
This conversation is incredibly insightful and unique given that Miracle Workers did not have a composer till this season when Matt was brought on. The prior seasons utilized library music, and Dan explains why they decided to bring in a composer to write an original score for this season of the anthology comedy series. Matt takes us into how he approached the tone and style for the season, and what elements informed his creative process.
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composers Antonio Naranjo and Meiro Stamm are joined by director Cory Morrison for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between composers and the director as we take a look into the scoring and production process for Glisten And The Merry Mission. Antonio, Meiro and Cory sit down to talk about what the process was for their collaborative workflows while scoring the animated holiday film.
Get an in-depth look at how two co-composers establish a process with their director and what the collaboration was like while working on the film. We also take a look at how they approached scoring a Christmas film and what role that genre played in the style and approach of the score.
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Kevin Smithers and writer/directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between the composer and the writer/directors of Frankelda's Book Of Spooks (Sustos Ocultos de Frankelda). The Max original stop motion series is an absolutely stunning series filled with amazing storytelling, visuals and music.
Kevin, Arturo and Roy take us into their collaborate process and how the three of them worked on the series together. You'll get to hear what it's like for Kevin as the composer to work with two brothers who are the writers and directors, and Arturo and Roy talk about how they work not only with Kevin but how they split duties between each other. A wonderful look into collaboration and stop motion animation!
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer/Songwriter Mark Sonnenblick and Executive Music Producers Bill Sherman and Will Van Dyke sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Mark, Bill and Will kickoff our spotlight series focusing on composer collaborations. Get an incredible inside look at how the trio approached creating the musical that appears within the acclaimed mockumentary Theater Camp!
From how they approached making the musical feel true to the amateur production values the characters were doing onscreen to how they fleshed out the songs for the album, we take an insightful deep dive into what it takes to write a musical that appears within a non-musical film.
A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Producer Stéphane Humez, sound engineer Maxime Marion, and film music journalist Kaya Savas take you behind the scenes into the approach for the newly expanded and remastered The Rock album for Intrada Records.
Learn how the trio all know each other and how this release came to be. Stéphane takes us behind the presentation of the album, and why this album assembly makes the most sense for a listening experience. Stéphane also talks about the process of getting access to certain masters, and how all of that material made its way to Maxime.
Maxime takes us behind his mastering process, including how it was important to stay true to the original sound of the score. Maxime also shares how certain tracks were badly damaged, and how he approached the restoration process.
Kaya takes us behind the liner notes and how Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams and John Finklea were essential in helping piece together the picture of how the score was made.
If you've ever been interested in what goes into producing an archival soundtrack album then come join us for the ride!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
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Composer Stephanie Economou sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Steph takes some time to chat about her recent score to Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken for DreamWorks Animation, and everything that went into bringing not only the main character to life, but the world around her.
We also chat about Steph's time working with Harry Gregson-Williams and everything she learned working as an additional composer with Harry.
Steph also talks about getting in touch with her Italian roots with her other recent score to About My Father starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro and what we can expect from her score to My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3! We also discuss all the changes happening in the industry, and Steph shares her perspective on it.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
stephanieeconomou #composer #interview #podcast #soundtrack #soundtracks #musicproduction #composerlife #behindthescenes #filmmaking #movies #television #rubygillman #rubygillmanteenagekraken #dreamworksanimation #aboutmyfather #sebastianmaniscalco #mybigfatgreekwedding3 #niavardalos
Composer Paul Haslinger sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Paul takes us back through his amazing career in music from his time with Tangerine Dream, moving to Los Angeles and exploring other avenues of music, and eventually focusing on a career as a composer for film and TV. We explore what it was like to be an electronic musician in the 80's and how those working with synths and electronics were shunned in the composing community.
Paul talks about several of his projects including the Underworld films, Crazy/Beautiful, Crank, Shoot 'Em Up, and more! We also dive into his newest score for The YouTube Effect. The documentary directed by Alex Winter explores how YouTube has left a troubling legacy on how it has impacted society as a whole. Paul talks about his unique approach to scoring the film, and why he did not want to go the conventional route. While the score was written for the film, the stylings and structure of the album allow it to stand on its own almost as its own experience. You can listen to the album from Node Records on all digital platforms.
Paul is one of the pioneers of electronic music, and his music has left a lasting impact through all the amazing scores and albums he's composed throughout his career.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson sit down to take us behind the music of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story!
Al talks about his love for the parody genre, and why his interest in writing film and television has led to projects like UHF and Weird.
Al describes what it was like to go back and re-record some of his most well-known songs that would then be lip synced on set by Daniel Radcliffe. Al also wrote a new original song titled "Now You Know" for the film.
Leo and Zach take us behind the score, and how the key to a good parody score is having sincerity behind it. For Weird, the composing duo aimed to channel the big warm scores of early 1990's dramas, while also getting crazy and over the top with different stylings and genres. Learn how they processed and warped the sound of the accordion for the diner fight scene, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jeff Russo sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Jeff returns as a guest to take us into two of his recent scores. We dive into the miniseries Love & Death, and how Jeff approached the drama based on the real-life true crime story. Jeff talks about what it was like coming onto the project late and what his process was with crafting a music narrative that wasn’t too heavy-handed. Jeff also explains his process for navigating song placements to create a seamless flow.
We also talk about the critically-acclaimed Mrs. Davis, which Jeff also scored. Mrs. Davis was a very different approach in that it went all in with bending genres, and we explore if genres even have the same connotation or meaning anymore or do they effectively box in storytellers. Jeff talks about how much fun he had scoring Mrs. Davis, and how he built the arc of the series musically.
Jeff also gives us a little of what we have to look forward to coming up as he is deep into working with Noah Hawley again on Fargo: Season 5 and Hawley’s upcoming Alien series for FX.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jeff Rona sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Jeff takes some time to talk about the newest edition of his book, The Reel World. Jeff’s book has been an incredible resource for composers entering this industry, and is packed with so much real-world knowledge and perspectives that help get any composer a more comfortable footing on the ever-shifting grounds of the entertainment industry.
Jeff talks about how he updates the book to reflect the current state of the industry including getting more perspectives from younger composers who have more recent insight to share along with the insight from veterans who entered the industry at different times including John Williams and James Newton Howard among others. Jeff talks about how things have changed and evolved, what has stayed the same, new technologies, and even the hot topic conversation around AI in music.
Jeff examines some of his recent work as well including how he works with an amazing team, how he got into video game scoring, and his recent solo album Lume.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer David Fleming sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
Dave shares his journey to becoming a composer including getting his start working with composers like Atli Örvarsson and Hans Zimmer. Dave also talks about his work as an additional composer on certain projects like Hans Zimmer's Dune, and what it's like being part of a music team.
For this chat we take a look at Dave's general approach to several projects including South Of Heaven, Hillbilly Elegy, and The Unforgivable. The latter two were co-scored with Hans Zimmer. We also dive into Dave's recent score with Hans to the French Canadian miniseries, The Night Logan Woke Up.
Dave also talks about co-scoring The Last Of Us on HBO. Hear how he worked separately from the series' lead composer Gustavo Santaolalla to help flesh out certain scenes and to add tension and atmosphere to the overall structure of the series.
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
This interview was recorded at the end of March 2023 and certain mention of projects and their timing are not accurate at the time of posting.
Composer Max Aruj sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation!
From getting his start working on Lorne Balfe's team to scoring hit thrillers like Crawl (co-scored with Steffen Thum) and his recent score to The Tank, Max has quickly stood out for his incredible versatility and unique voice as a musical storyteller.
For this chat we explore Max's background and path to composing, getting his foot in the door, working with Lorne Balfe, early lessons learned, branching out and scoring films on his own, finding his storytelling voice, and co-composing some projects with Steffen Thum.
For The Tank we look at what it takes to successfully create tension and score a creature feature, and why we as a society love the genre so much!
A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Corey Wallace sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Topics: Corey's path to becoming a composer, getting his first jobs in the industry, developing his sound as a composer, his approach to scoring Supercell and writing music that balances disaster action as well as character arcs, keeping that traditional orchestral writing style alive, achieving a big sound on a small budget film, and more! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas #coreywallace #composer #interview #podcast #soundtrack #soundtracks #behindthescenes #filmmaking #movies #television #supercell
Composer Joel J Richard joins us for an in-depth look at his work co-scoring the entire John Wick series alongside Tyler Bates, and what went into developing the sound of John Wick and evolving it across four films. Joel starts off talking about his unique path to composing including working as an assistant for John Powell. We talk about how he found his inspiration for composing and what were the steps that led to meeting Tyler Bates, which in turn led Tyler asking him to co-helm the first John Wick film. We focus on the musical evolution of John Wick, and how he worked with director Chad Stahelski as the films grew in scope and the lore of the world expanded. Joel talks about finding the sound of the world, what style and approach worked best, and how the scores for each film led up to this final chapter. Chapter 4 opens up the scope of John Wick even bigger and builds upon its genre inspirations from Hong Kong cinema, John Woo, European neo-noir, Akira Kurosawa, and Sergio Leone. Joel talks about weaving those textures and nods, tackling huge action set pieces, and making sure the score never lost the feel that was established in the first film. Joel is such a wonderful and versatile composer, and his work on the John Wick series stands ended up building its own unique sonic identity while still being able to acknowledge the genres that inspired the character and world. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Alex Heffes has worked on over 70 feature films and TV projects collaborating with directors including Kevin Macdonald, Steven Frears, Catherine Hardwicke and Mira Nair. His ability to adapt and craft unique narratives and build sonic palettes has made him one of the most renowned composers working today. For this chat we look at how Alex found his way to becoming a composer, and what his general approach to scoring is. Alex shares stories from various projects such as traveling around the world to record certain sounds and instruments to working closely with Tim Burton on the film adaptation of Sweeney Todd. We also take a look at his recent score to Mafia Mama, which sees him reuniting with director Catherine Hardwicke for a fun and light crowd-pleasing comedy starring Toni Collette. Alex talks about working with Catherine again, and how he approached scoring an action comedy. We talk about finding the right tone, making sure the score doesn't overstep boundaries, referencing the mob genre musically and much more! Alex's versatility as a composer and storyteller have brought us so many wonderful scores over the years and it was a real pleasure to peek into his world for this conversation. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer James Allen Roberson takes some time to talk about his career and his new score to the heartwarming family film Heart Of A Champion. We chat about James's path to becoming a composer, and how he started working as an assistant and additional composer for Rupert Gregson-Williams. James explains what he learned working for Rupert, and how it helped prep him for his own career. We dive in and talk about his newest score to Heart Of A Champion, and how James approached the score to balance the tone and emotions of the narrative. We also talk about his score to the animated series, Spirit Riding Free and how he tackled an animated series across four seasons. James's passion and versatility as a storyteller has made him one of the most prominent voices working today and it was a real pleasure to catch up with him! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
EmmoLei Sankofa has been paving her own path and establishing her amazing sound as a storyteller through her scores for projects like Step Up: High Water, Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, and her recent score to the feature Three Ways, which is now streaming on Hulu. In this extensive chat we cover a wide array of topics covering not only EmmoLei's methods and approach to scoring, but also navigating the business, working with filmmakers, tackling different genres, adapting to change and so much more! We also look at how EmmoLei is re-defining how a composer is part of the creative team, and why she loves to go the extra mile to collaborate beyond the score. She serves as Executive Producer on Three Ways as well, and we discuss how that happened. EmmoLei also talks about her unique approach of using Morse code to come up with themes and melodies in her scores. Something that she's been utilizing since early on in her career, and one of the most interesting ways of crafting narrative structure. EmmoLei's passion and versatility has made her a premiere voice in the industry, and she's doing so by staying away from the conventional career routes to discover how artists can truly make a living and still be fulfilled by their work in this industry. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Tim Wynn's versatility as a storyteller can be seen and heard in his scores across film, television and video games. His work on movies like Freaks and The Legend of La Llorona to series like Disney's MECH-X4 and Supernatural showcase his passion for variety and exploring as many genres as possible. Tim returns as a guest to discuss his newest score to the hit video game Marvel's Midnight Suns, which he co-scored with Phill Boucher. We take a dive into how he approached scoring the game and exploring the world of Marvel through music. We talk how different genres of games require different types of scores, and how the process has evolved over the years. We also chat about other topics like changes happening in the industry, his general approach, a little refresh on his background and path to composing, and much more! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas #timwynn #composer #interview #podcast #soundtrack #soundtracks #behindthescenes #filmmaking #movies #television #videogames #marvelsmidnightsuns #midnightsuns #marvel
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium concludes with “Post Production All Stars"! Music is just one piece of the puzzle, hear from other professionals who work in post production alongside the composer and the score to see how music and sound is part of their workflows. Featuring Forest Christenson (Additional Composer/Score Mixer, Hunters), Jemma Burns (Music Supervisor, Heartbreak High | Okja), Nathan Ruyle (Sound Designer, Joyland | The Voyeurs) and Yvette M. Amirian, ACE (Editor, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers) An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium continues with “Dynamic Dramas And Compelling Characters"!
This panel takes a look at scoring for characters and dramatic arcs as well as building out thematic structure!
Featuring Alexandra Petkovski [p/k/a FJØRA] (Better At Texting), Dan Light (Johanna Enlists), EmmoLei Sankofa (Three Ways) and Juan Carlos Enriquez ('Til Jail Do Us Part).
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium continues with “Auteurs & Comedy”!
This panel takes a look at approaching scoring for comedies as well as sub genres. From finding the right tone, creating pacing, what comedic beats to hit or not hit, and more!
Featuring Adam Blau (Dead To Me), Kara Talve (The Simpsons), Matt Novak (Miracle Workers: End Times) and Peter Chapman (Wynonna Earp).
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium continues with “All About Animation”!
It’s animation time! Let’s talk about the wonderful medium of animation and how composers approach scoring animation across all genres!
Featuring Esin Aydingoz (Princess Power, Black Barbie), Fabrizio Mancinelli (Mushka), Jared Faber (Teen Titans Go! To The Movies), Matthew Tishler (Fancy Nancy).
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium continues with “Composing For The Good, The Bad, And The Scary”!
Tune in to hear us talk about establishing an atmosphere through music in tense and dynamic scenes!
Featuring Andrew Morgan Smith (The Old Way), Janal Bechthold (Marlene), Johannes Ringen (Troll) and Lindsay Jones (Marvel's Wastelanders)!
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium continues with a one-on-one conversation with composer Matt Bowen!
Go behind the scenes with Matt’s scores for The Binge, It’s A Wonderful Binge, The Boys and more!
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
The 3rd Annual Film.Music.Media Symposium kicks off with a one-on-one conversation with composer Mark Leggett!
Go behind the scenes with Mark’s scores for My Name Is Earl, Doctor Who Am I, Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings and much more!
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
Grammy-winning composer, songwriter, violinist, and vocalist Lili Haydn sits down to discuss her incredibly diverse career as well as focus on her two new scores for Split At The Root and Ginny & Georgia: Season 2 (co-composed with Ben Bromfield).
Lili talks about her childhood and how despite music always being part of her life, it was not always the clear career path. Lili talks about her passions in activism and why she got her degree in political science from Brown, and how that led to a career in music eventually.
We discuss her solo records, being part of the Grammy-winning band Opium Moon, her work as a session musician, and her composing work.
Lili talks extensively about her new score for the documentary Split At The Root (soundtrack out now from Node Records), and how the plights of these mothers seeking asylum affected her approach to the music. We also take a look at the music for the hit-series Ginny & Georgia, and how she collaborated with composer Ben Bromfield to find the tone of the show as well as write songs like the popular "Marriage Is A Dungeon". Both Split At The Root and Ginny & Georgia are streaming on Netflix.
Lili's passion for music and storytelling is infused into every ounce of her being, and getting to sit down and explore her process and approach is a true joy and inspiration.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Animation is fueled by passionate storytellers during all aspects of production. A successful collaboration between the score composer, music department and the animation leaders can make a project sing.
Join us for an in-depth panel conversation as these Animation All Stars discuss their journey in the industry, their most beloved projects and how music fits within animation.
Featuring Daniel Cavey (Sr Producer Franchise Production, Lucasfilm | LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation), Stephanie Earley (Editor, Bob's Burgers | Central Park), Patrick Hughes (Founder/CEO, Foundation Media), David Silverman (Consulting Producer & Director, The Simpsons), and Ryan Shore (Composer, Star Wars | Scooby-Doo!)
An Impact 24 PR & Film.Music.Media Production | Presented By Kaya Savas
Co-composers Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope sit down together to reflect back on scoring GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64! Surprisingly, in nearly 26 years this is the first time that Graeme and Grant have spoken publicly about the score together!
Graeme and Grant take us back to the mid 90's where the two of them found themselves working for Rare Limited; a game developer based out in the English countryside. Hear the origin story of how the two met, what it was like working at Rare in those early days, and how the two of them found themselves working on GoldenEye 007.
The duo talk about the technological limitations of the time, how they rarely worked on the game at the same time during its lengthy delayed production, how they had complete freedom with the music, and how the levels were scored simply based off short descriptions and early art.
Both Graeme and Grant are open about how they really had no idea what they were doing at the time as two young composers. You'll hear how Graeme handled the "sound design" of the game, and where he found what are now the legendary death grunts of the enemies as well as the sounds of each gun.
You'll also hear great stories like how Grant scored the now legendary pause music, which of the NPC's were modeled with their faces as an easter egg, and much more. We also look at how long it took for them to realize that the game was a hit, and the years leading into Perfect Dark.
This is truly a special conversation for anyone who grew up playing GoldenEye 007 with friends at every sleepover till your thumb was raw from pushing around that infamous N64 joystick. And hopefully if you're new to the game, you can learn how a small group of passionate people accidentally made one of the most iconic video games of all time.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Son Lux joins us to chat about their Oscar nominated score to Everything Everywhere All At Once!
Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia, and Ian Chang are the members of Son Lux. Get to know the history of their friendship and collaboration and how Son Lux grew from a solo project that Ryan created to a band that explores anywhere music takes them.
We dive into Everything Everywhere All At Once to discuss what it was like working with the Daniels, how they developed the sound palette of the score, crafting the emotional structure, creating the sounds of the multiverse, building that immense staircase fight sequence climax in the third act, working without music editors for periods of time, utilizing Claire de Lune as a central motif, and so much more!
Ryan, Rafiq and Ian are incredible musical storytellers, and getting to hear them discuss their process and approach is so insightful!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Greg Nicolett proved his versatility very early in his career, which has opened the doors to some amazing opportunities where his music and talents as a storyteller shine.
For this interview we sit down with Greg to learn more about his path to becoming a composer, and discuss topics such as how a career in the entertainment industry can take a lot longer to achieve certain goals vs other career paths.
Greg shares a lot about his work on the hit indie game Potionomics, and how he was also allowed to place his music within the game which is not always the case in game production. Greg's background as an editor also expands his versatility in post production.
We also talk preschool! A genre and demographic that hardly gets any attention or spotlight. Greg takes us into his work for the Disney Junior series T.O.T.S, and what the process is like working on a preschool show including the process and working with songs.
Whether you see Greg making an appearance in Rob Cantor's viral "Shia LaBeouf" Live (no really, check out the pianist!) or hear his music in a Disney production, Greg brings his passion to his work every step of the way.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Carter Burwell is one of the most iconic auteur composers working today, whose sound is instantly recognizable from the first few notes you hear. Carter's unique voice also attracts unique filmmakers from the Coen brothers, Spike Jonze, and of course Martin McDonagh.
For this interview we focus heavily on the work Carter has done with McDonagh with In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and The Banshees Of Inisherin.
Before we dive into Carter's scores for McDonagh, we take a look back at Thick Pigeon. Carter recounts stories of how he and Stanton Miranda formed Thick Pigeon as a musical group that came onto the NYC music scene before Carter was pulled into the world of film composition. Carter reflects back on his early career a bit, and how he ended up scoring films like Psycho III and Blood Simple.
As we dive into McDonagh's films, Carter takes us into his approach for The Banshees Of Inisherin and how the score's simple approach and sound was settled upon. We also touch upon his absolutely unique a cappella inspired score he did for Lena Dunham's Catherine Called Birdy.
Carter also talks about what he has coming up in the future including re-teaming with Ethan Coen, who is currently in post production with his next film.
It's been a few years since we had Carter as a guest, and it's always a massive treat to get to hear all of Carter's wonderful insights.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Jason Graves has paved an incredible career path over the years, with a strong focus on scoring games. We take a walk down memory lane as Jason talks about his early years being mentored by composers like Elmer Bernstein, the ins and outs of scoring games, how working on Until Dawn with Supermassive Games led to The Dark Pictures Anthology, and how he approached the latest installment The Devil In Me.
We also talk about scoring video game tie-ins to movies like Flushed Away and King Arthur, and how he always tries to get the composer of the film's blessing and insight before doing a game like that. Jason also talks about how it feels that the Dead Space remake is upon us, and how touched he is that they decided to re-use his original score in the remake.
Lots of amazing insight and great stories from one of the most prominent composers in gaming!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Our friend Dom Lewis is back again to lift our holiday spirits up with not one, but TWO new scores that aim to spread some festive cheer. We dig into his scores to Spirited and Violent Night. One is a musical comedy, the other a violent action flick done in the spirit of Die Hard.
For Spirited, Dom scored his first musical and we talk about the composer's role in a musical when it comes to navigating around the songs that were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. We also discuss leaning into that heartwarming feel of Christmas scores without getting too schmaltzy, plus the excitement of writing a big orchestral score with choir that taps into the genre.
For Violent Night we talk about creating a score that embraces the Christmas feel, but how it needed to be over the top in a very operatic way for this balls-to-the-wall action flick that subverts the genre. Dom talks about all the differences in writing this score vs Spirited, including how he recorded himself for the entire choir and recorded an original song.
It's always a pleasure to have Dom sit down and chat, and such a nice way to kick of the holiday season!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Jimmy LaValle (aka The Album Leaf) didn't expect to ever become a film composer, but the type of music he was writing pushed him into the realm of screen music.
We talk all about Jimmy's unconventional path to becoming a composer, how The Album Leaf concept started, growing up in the 90's music scene of San Diego, his old days of touring with bands like Sigur Rós, his process for composing scores, and we dive into his approach to scoring Something In The Dirt. We also discuss his continued collaboration with directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson.
Jimmy's unique sound palette and voice as a musical storyteller has gained him an incredible following of fans, and his wonderful insight into his process is nothing short of inspiring.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Orchestrators Jonathan Beard and Henri Wilkinson take us deep into the world of orchestration as we examine how they (along with Ed Trybek) took composer Bear McCreary's massive score and brought it to life.
Jonathan, Ed (who could not join due to scheduling) and Henri together are Tutti Music Partners, one of the most prestigious orchestration teams working in the entertainment industry.
Jonathan and Henri delve into a side of music that is rarely talked about, and that is orchestration. Learn all about the process of how an orchestration team works with a composer to realize the vision of the score.
The dynamic trio have a long and trusted relationship working with Bear, so of course Bear brought them in to orchestrate The Rings Of Power. Due to Bear's demanding schedule, Tutti Music Partners also oversaw the recording sessions for the score and take us into that process as well.
Jonathan and Henri illuminate every aspect of orchestration, examine some of Bear's themes in terms of orchestrating, talk about recording choir in one of Tolkien's languages, how their duties were split across the 6-8 months they worked on the project, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composers Adam Lukas and James Everingham take us into their score for the awe-inspiring Frozen Planet II, which they co-composed with Hans Zimmer for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Learn about Adam and James, and how they found their path to composing. Adam and Lukas also discuss what the process is working at Bleeding Fingers Music, and how the duo became a perfect match when paired to co-write the score for Frozen Planet II.
We break down the production pipeline process for scoring an iconic BBC Earth docuseries, and how Adam and James worked with Hans Zimmer as well as featured vocalist AURORA on the score. Adam and James also talk about helping to create the custom "Fractured Strings" library with Hans Zimmer and Spitfire Audio that was utilized in scoring Frozen Planet II.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Ben Lovett joins for an All Access discussion that takes us into his musical world!
We chat about how Ben got into music, what the pivot point was to start scoring films, and how he works with directors on projects.
We also dive into his score for Hellraiser directed by long-time collaborator David Bruckner. Hear Ben talk about his approach, his respect and research for the original novel and original film adaptation, honoring Christopher Young's score, putting his own voice into this adaption, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Oscar-winning composer Steven Price sits down for a brand new All Access interview that takes us into recent projects such as Our Planet Live In Concert's upcoming US Tour, Beast and My Policeman.
Steven breaks down his amazing score for Netflix's Our Planet, which focuses on climate change and humanity's impact on the natural world. We discuss how Steven approach the score for the series, how he navigates that iconic David Attenborough narration, and how different sound palettes are used for different natural habitats.
We then talk about the journey of taking his score from the series and adapting it for the stage with Our Planet Live In Concert. Steven talks about how the live-to-picture event reimagines Our Planet for a single-viewing concert experience that still covers all the major moments of the series.
We also talk about recent scores such as Beast and My Policeman, and the different approaches Steven took with those films. We also dive into Steven's general approach to composition, working with directors, and so much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Miriam Cutler's passion and versatility has made her one of the most prominent composers working today, especially in the world of documentaries. It's absolutely wonderful to have Miriam back as a guest on Film.Music.Media.
Miriam tells some fascinating stories of her unconventional path to becoming a composer. Hear about her early days in the 70's as a performer when she joined up with Richard and Danny Elfman and their street theater group The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. This was before Danny Elfman reformed the group into the band we all know Oingo Boingo.
Miriam shares how she was very much into journalism and being part of the feminist movement, and how her path eventually led to composing. This led to an early career doing sleazy horror pictures, which was enough for her to hone her skills and eventually move her career to focus on documentary scoring.
We also talk about projects like her recent score to Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down and the Oscar-nominated RBG, including what working on a documentary is like and how it's completely different to your typical fictional narrative workflow.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
The score in a project makes a huge impact on the overall project, by either punctuating the plot or moving the story forward to the next scene. In this panel, composers discuss the different ways that the score enhances or reacts to a scene, as well as other functions the music may have in the overall narrative and storytelling approach.
Featuring composers Tangelene Bolton (Walt Disney Pictures, Disney Animation), Greg Nicolett (T.O.T.S.), Shaun Chasin (Domino: Battle of the Bones), and Elias Serpa (Voodoo Tracks Latin Music Library).
Moderated by Film.Music.Media Founder Kaya Savas
Get a special all-access look at the musical team behind animated shows like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Paw Patrol, Total DramaRama, and more! Composers James Chapple, Graeme Cornies, and Brian Pickett sit down to discuss how they co-founded Voodoo Highway Music Group, their process for scoring popular children’s animated shows, and more!
Moderated by Film.Music.Media Founder Kaya Savas.
While each project will present its own challenges and opportunities, are there similarities when composing for multiple mediums? Join us as we explore the similarities and differences when scoring for animation or other mediums with composers behind animated projects like Charlotte, Blush, The Boys: Diabolical, and The Loud House Movie.
Featuring composers Michelino Bisceglia (Charlotte), Joy Ngiaw (Blush), Matt Bowen (The Boys: Diabolical), and Philip White (The Loud House Movie).
Moderated by Film.Music.Media Founder Kaya Savas
Get a special look into the work of Christopher Willis and Elyse Willis! The musical duo is behind many songs and music cues from projects like Schmigadoon!, various Disney’s Mickey Mouse projects, Netflix’s Cat Burglar, and Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin!
In this special All Access that is part of our Midsummer Music Matinee series, we get in-depth with Chris and Elyse and how their solo music careers ended up bringing them together. Chris talks about his work as a composer, and Elyse talks about working as a vocalist and vocal contractor.
Chris and Elyse occasionally get to work together like on Schmigadoon! and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse. Get to hear how they work together as a married couple when the project calls for collaboration!
Moderated by Film.Music.Media Founder Kaya Savas.
Stories often feature characters with prominent characteristics that can inform their unique sound palettes. In this panel, we’ll dive into the creative decisions composers make when working with strong characters, from villains in superhero films to dinosaurs from millions of years ago.
Featuring composers Tyler Strickland (Edge of the Earth), George Streicher (Corrective Measures), Amit May Cohen (Zombies 3), and Kara Talve and Anže Rozman of Bleeding Fingers Music (Prehistoric Planet).
Moderated by Film.Music.Media Founder Kaya Savas.
Composer Aldo Shllaku sits down for a great conversation about his score to the star-studded comedy The Comeback Trail! We discuss his childhood, his family having to escape communism, planting roots in a new country, finding his passion for music, and how he decided to go into composition.
We talk about Aldo's early days of his career, and how he got his foot in the door working with Christopher Young. Aldo also shares why being mentored or being part of a music team is the best education someone can have in the industry.
Aldo goes into great detail about working with writer/director George Gallo, and what goes into their lasting collaborative relationship. We also discuss how he approached scoring the comedy with a full orchestra with 100 musicians from around the world, and why the score needed to be thematic while homaging the classic sound of Hollywood. You can check out Aldo's score, which is out now!
Aldo shares so much insight here fueled by his passion for music and movies!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Our good pal Dominic Lewis is back to take into his latest score for Bullet Train! The Brad Pitt-starring action/comedy/thriller comes from director David Leitch who brings his style and vision to the table.
Dom takes us deep into exploring all about the process of working with no temp, writing material before shooting, writing and producing songs in the film, the approach and tone of the score, finding the emotion within the style of the film, recording elements on analog to achieve a certain feel, chugging tequila to get his vocals where they needed to be, blending genres, recording vocals, and so much more!
We also briefly chat about his score to Baymax! on Disney+, and what it was like returning to the world of Big Hero 6 after working as an additional composer on Henry Jackman's score to the film.
As always, this one is tons of fun with a BOATLOAD of insight from one of the most passionate and original musical voices in the industry.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Our good friend Henry Jackman joins us for another great discussion. This is Henry's 9th time as a guest on Film.Music.Media, so if you're looking for more extensive discussions on his past projects be sure to check out our past interviews.
For this discussion we rewind back to Henry's days as an album producer and programmer before he ever even thought he'd become a film/tv/game composer. Experience old stories about how Henry worked on albums with artists like Seal, Sally Oldfield, Mike Oldfield, Coolio, Conner Reeves, Michael Gordon, and others.
Then we dive right into Henry's continued collaboration with the Russo brothers, and hear some stories from their past collaborations on films like Captain America: Winter Soldier and Cherry.
Then we dive right into their latest collaboration for The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which is now streaming on Netflix. Hear about how Henry worked several months on The Gray Man suite before they even started shooting to help shape the mood and tone for the film, plus some of Henry's favorite scenes and set pieces to work on in the film and what he was going for with his approach.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Spoiler Warning: Skip 29:22 - 30:48 to avoid some Severance spoilers. There is an audible warning before spoilers within the interview as well.
Theodore Shapiro's versatility as a storyteller spans across genres from slapstick screwball comedies like Dodgeball all the way to nuanced character dramas like The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. Recently he re-teamed with director Ben Stiller for the acclaimed Severance on Apple TV+. The series is a wonderfully executed thriller that blends science fiction in a grounded modern reality with plenty of social commentary on top of well-developed characters and storytelling.
Theodore shares a bit about his path to becoming a composer including taking us into his general approach. We discuss the great traits he loves in his regular collaborators like Paul Feig and Ben Stiller, and why he loves working with them.
Theodore tells the story of how he first met Ben Stiller, which led him to scoring Dodgeball and eventually working with Ben when he was in the director's chair on Tropic Thunder. We look back at projects like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander 2, and do a bit of a dive into Severance.
For Severance, we examine the approach Theodore took musically including how that intense season 1 finale was crafted, developing character arcs, working on the source music in the show, how the extraordinary main title sequence came together, favorite moments, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
The Newton Brothers are back on All Access, this time to go in-depth about their magnificent work on Mike Flanagan's brilliant Midnight Mass miniseries that you can currently stream on Netflix. While the series premiered last fall, it was Film.Music.Media's #1 television score on our Best Scores Of 2021 list so it's an absolute pleasure to have Taylor and Andy back to talk about their score.
Taylor Newton Stewart and Andy Grush make up The Newton Brothers (named after their shared love of Isaac Newton), and on this All Access we revisit their long-lasting collaboration with writer/director Mike Flanagan going all the way back to Oculus in 2013.
We start by testing how well the two know each other in another round of the "Composer Newlywed Game" that we recently played with Matt Margeson and Dominic Lewis in a previous All Access.
We jump into Midnight Mass where Taylor and Andy take us into the incredibly unique scoring process that initially started as only recording versions of traditional hymns, but then expanded to score when Mike Flanagan realized that just having hymns was not enough to craft the emotional arcs of the characters. Hear the story of how Andy lost his voice recording the hymns, and his moments of anxiety when Mike Flanagan asked him to play a small cameo acting role in the series. The duo also talk about how horror as a genre allows certain creation and experimentation that other genres don't always provide, and why Mike Flanagan's work is more along the lines of character drama rather than pure traditional horror.
It's always a pleasure to catch up with Andy and Taylor, who have shown their amazing versatility as musical storytellers across so many wonderful projects.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Lorne was a guest on Film.Music.Media for the first time 11 years ago, and he was the very first All Access video interview over 7 years ago. We've had many great conversations over the past decade, so it's a true pleasure to have Lorne back for a new All Access.
For this conversation we discuss what has changed in the entertainment industry over the past decade, and what it means for younger people starting their careers now versus back then. We also discuss how integral music editors are on films and television, and why Lorne wholly believes that every aspect of filmmaking is a team effort including scoring.
We dive into Top Gun: Maverick and how Lorne worked with Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer on the music for the film. He shares how they had to adapt during the pandemic, and the key to making a team effort be cohesive to serve the story.
Lorne also talks about how much of a fan he was of 90's action films especially those from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. We talk about our shared love for 90's action, and how Lorne is now working with people like Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer on different projects. We also talk about Lorne's scores to Bad Boys For Life, and how he made sure Mark Mancina's theme was front and center. Lorne also talks about working on Michael Bay's Ambulance.
As always, it's a pleasure to have Mr. Balfe as a guest and this conversation is a fantastic insight and reflection on some of his current projects.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Natalie Holt is one of the busiest composers working today, and she joins us for this fantastic All Access to take us behind her career and projects.
Natalie discusses her early career working for composers like Ilan Eshkeri and Martin Phipps, and what she learned from that time being part of a composer's music team. We dive into her process and how she finds the starting point for a project. We also discuss how she approaches television arcs, thematic structure, the importance of music editors, working with directors, and much more!
Natalie takes us behind her score to Loki, and what it was like to craft a score for one on Marvel's most iconic characters. She explores how she found the tone and atmosphere of the series, what Loki needed as a character, and what she found both rewarding and challenging.
We also touch briefly on her score for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natalie shares what a dream it was to work with John Williams and have him be part of the limited series.
Natalie is an extremely passionate and talented storyteller and it was such a joy to have her take time to explore her career and process.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Cristobal Tapia de Veer's life journey has taken him down many roads, and even he didn't expect to end up as a film and television composer. In this All Access interview, Cristobal talks about how his career in producing pop music led him to a chance meeting that set him on the path to his most creatively rewarding projects.
Cristobal just won the 2022 ASCAP Composer's Choice Awards for television score of the year and television theme of the year for his score to The White Lotus. The annual ASCAP Screen Music Awards feature the "Composer's Choice Awards" that are voted on solely by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community.
We discuss Cristobal's general approach to composition and musical storytelling, how he loves to experiment and work solely by himself without any assistants or music team, and much more!
We also dive into Cristobal's score for The White Lotus, which is the acclaimed miniseries from writer/director Mike White that you can stream right now on HBO Max.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
The wonderfully talented and fun Shie Rozow joins us for an All Access interview that shines a light not just on Shie's personal career but also on the crafts of composing and music editing as a whole.
Shie tells his personal story of growing up in Israel and moving to the United States where he found his career path as a composer and music editor. We first dive into what exactly a music editor does, and Shie explains every part of the craft and how he approaches it from temp score editing to conforming cues.
We then explore some of Shie's recent work as a composer including the feature documentary The Last Of The Winthrops. We also look at some of the short-subject docs that Shie composed like One Day You'll Go Blind, Body Language, and Legacy: The Life Of Canto Robledo.
Shie is one of the most talented storytellers and musical professionals working in Hollywood today, and this interview is a treasure trove of insight from someone who has paved their own unique career path.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
For this All Access we're sitting down with the fun and talented Batu Sener to dive into his recent scores for The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild and Ice Age: Scrat Tales.
Batu is a young composer in Hollywood, and he has been an essential part of John Powell's music team for the past several years working as an additional composer and score producer.
We discuss what it was like relocating to the United States to pursue a career in music, how he met John Powell, and what it has been like working as part of a veteran composer's music team.
Batu also talks about how he convinced John Powell to let him work on his first cue as an additional composer, what it's been like building an amazing relationship with John, and how it feels to branch out to score his first animated feature film.
It was an absolute blast to catch up with Batu and hear his fresh perspective of what it's like to be a young composer in Hollywood today as well as dive into his creative process.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
From being inspired by John Carpenter and Ennio Morricone to meeting Danny McBride and Jody Hill in college, Joseph Stephens walks us through his amazing composing career and takes us into his process.
In this All Access, composer Joseph Stephens reflects back on his path to becoming a film and TV composer. Learn the story of how Joseph met Danny McBride and Jody Hill in college, which has led to collaborations like Eastbound And Down, Observe And Report, Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.
We look specifically at Joseph's scores to Vice Principals as well as the The Righteous Gemstones, which just recently aired its Season 2 finale. Josephs talks specifically about the different styles he uses, approaching the tone of McBride and Hill's humor, and writing songs like "Misbehavin'" and "Sassy On Sunday".
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Stories have the opportunity for international reach. This panel will explore how composers uplift stories that appealed to audiences in the U.S. and beyond, as well as share their unique journeys and perspectives.
Join Kevin Smithers, Sandro Morales Santoro, Dan Zlotnik, Camilo Froideval and Wei-San Hsu
We’ve partnered with our good friends at Impact24 PR once again for our 2nd Annual F.M.M Symposium! This is panel 3 of 3!
Music is a necessity in movies, television, and video games that serves as a plot device and a way to evoke emotion in the viewer. This panel dives into the process of creating unique scores for media and how it compliments and drives the story with J.D. Spears, Lewis Rapkin, Jonathan Snipes and Denise Santos.
We’ve partnered with our good friends at Impact24 PR once again for our 2nd Annual F.M.M Symposium! This is panel 2 of 3!
Explore prestige drama and children's entertainment through musical and scoring collaborations in this informative virtual panel with Rachel Charest and Aaron Bertram of Kids Imagine Nation, Antonio Naranjo and Meiro Stamm.
We’ve partnered with our good friends at Impact24 PR once again for our 2nd Annual F.M.M Symposium! Visit our YouTube Channel or Facebook page to view the video version.
Composer Sharon Farber joins us for this illuminating and fantastic All Access conversation where we take a look at her path to becoming a composer, her work in film and television, her concert work, and a deep focus on her new score to Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power.
Sharon will also be discussing her work on Brainwashed with director Nina Menkes on January 24th for an ASCAP Screen Time Conversation which is part of ASCAP’s annual Sundance Music Cafe. People can check that out by creating a free account at festival.sundance.org.
For this discussion, we focus on Sharon's versatile career and look at her general approach to both writing for the screen as well as writing for the concert stage. Sharon talks about her love for working with musicians and embracing everyone's personal voice and styles.
We then take a close look at her score to Brainwashed and how she had the rare opportunity to use an orchestra for a documentary score, and how working on the film opened her eyes to how film being told through the male perspective has objectified women for decades, and what the ripple effect of that is on society. This results in an amazing dialogue about the visual language of cinema and how women are portrayed onscreen, which is the central subject of the documentary as well.
Sharon is an incredible storyteller and one of the most talented composers working today, and she brings some amazing insight to the craft of composing.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Rufus Wainwright is one of the most talented songwriters and performers working in music today. His musical upbringing helped shape him into a storyteller who works across songs, opera, theater and more. His music resonates with millions, with each of his albums being a true reflection of himself.
Rufus is also no stranger to having his work featured in films from original songs, covers and new performances. His recent original song "Secret Sister" was written for the incredible documentary Rebel Hearts. Rebel Hearts tells the story of a group of nuns in in the 1960's that stood up against the patriarchy of the Catholic church to fight for freedom and equality. You can check out the documentary on Discovery+.
For this All Access we sit with Rufus for an intimate chat about his childhood growing up in a musical family, how he found his path as a songwriter, what it's like to perform live vs recording an album, writing for stage and screen vs crafting a song for an album, and much more.
We take a look at his approach for writing "Secret Sister" specifically and how he actually has a personal connection to the story. Rufus talks about the point of view of the song and what about the film inspired him.
Rufus is an artist that is true to himself, and his voice as a storyteller resonates with so many since his songs truly explore the human condition and never fail to emotionally resonate.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
For our last All Access of 2021, Alan Silvestri joins us once again. This time to talk about Back To The Future: The Musical, The Witches, and how The Polar Express has become a holiday classic over the years.
Alan is one of our favorite guests and it's an absolute pleasure to have him for his third All Access on Film.Music.Media. In this episode we talk about the long journey to completion that Back To The Future: The Musical had, and what it took to adapt the iconic film for the stage. Alan also takes us into the process of adapting the score, and creating new music and lyrics with Grammy-winning songwriter Glen Ballard who he shares co-credit with.
We also look back at his score for Robert Zemeckis's The Witches, and what it was like to score the film during the pandemic. We also touch upon the lasting creative relationship that Alan has with Robert, and why the bond is still strong after all these years.
Alan also looks back at the lasting legacy of Back To The Future and what it means to him, as well as how he feels that The Polar Express has found its way to be a movie-watching tradition for many families during the holidays.
We hope you're watching or listening to this interview safe and happy as we near the end of the year, and look forward to more in 2022! Happy holidays and happy New Year!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Dara Taylor is one of the brightest and most original voices working in the industry today. If you're a fan of Christopher Lennertz then you may recognize her name as she got her start working with Chris as part of his music team. In the years she has showed her versatility across all genres with projects like Echo Boomers, Little Ellen, Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar, and most recently she teamed up with director George Clooney for The Tender Bar starring Ben Affleck.
In this All Access get to hear Dara's journey from growing up and living in New York all the way to moving to Los Angeles, and how she got her foot in the door with her first jobs. We dive into her time working with Christopher Lennertz and everything she learned and carried into her career when she branched out and started taking solo projects. Also learn how she became connected with George Clooney and Grant Heslov that lead to her being hired for The Tender Bar.
Dara also takes us into her process including her approach to scoring The Tender Bar and how she had to navigate needle drops and create an overarching emotional thread through the narrative that leaned into the heartwarming tone that George Clooney was trying to capture.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Matthew Margeson And Dominic Lewis are taking their friendship to the next level and are working side by side to co-compose The King's Man from director Matthew Vaughn. You've seen them on All Access before, but now we're diving into their latest collaboration together.
Matt and Dom discuss how they met working for composer Henry Jackman early in their careers at Remote Control Productions. We talk about late night coffee chats at 3am, and how the two always wanted to co-compose a film together.
Matt and Dom then take us into the world of Matthew Vaughn's Kingsmen films, and how the two of them came onboard together to work on The King's Man. Hear about the approach of how this new film gave them the opportunity to really start fresh and not feel obligated to reference the other two films given that it's not connected by timeline or characters.
We end the interview by playing a little "Newlyweds" Co-Composer Edition! Matt and Dom are put to the test and see how much do they truly know about each other!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Steve Jablonsky joins us once again for a new All Access interview. Steve recently re-teamed with director Rawson Marshall Thurber for Red Notice, which just recently became the biggest opening weekend ever for a film debut on Netflix.
We dive into Steve's score for Red Notice and talk about balancing tone to make sure the score is fun but still has weight and stakes. Steve talks about leaning into the genre of caper films and utilizing some elements in the score that give a great nod to the genre.
We also rewind the clocks a bit to discuss Steve's score to Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel, which came out right at the start of the pandemic.
Steve also shares his views about scoring a film for Netflix and what his take is on the debate of seeing films in a theater vs streaming at home.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Gregory Tripi takes some time to sit down for a fantastic All Access interview that explores his path to becoming a composer, working with composers like W. G. Snuffy Walden and Cliff Martinez, and taking us behind some of his most notable scores including his recent score to Warning.
Gregory explains his general approach to scoring, and what he loves about the collaborative process of filmmaking. We also chat about his two recent library music albums for Warner Chappell Music, and how the creative process differs when writing library music versus music direct to picture. We also discuss creating synth palettes and how Gregory envisions the sounds in his head no matter what instrument he's using.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Sebastian Zuleta is a composer, arranger and music editor who has worked with composers such as Hans Zimmer, Heitor Pereira, Henry Jackman, and others.
In this interview Sebastian takes us inside his work as a music editor and explains what role a music editor has on a production. Sebastian shares his approach working as the music editor for the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga and what it was like working with RZA on the series. We also dig into his work as the music editor for Finch starring Tom Hanks and scored by Gustavo Santaolalla.
Sebastian also talks about growing up in Colombia and how his passion for filmmaking and music brought him to the US where he studied in Florida and eventually moved to Los Angeles where he got an internship at Remote Control Productions. Sebastian shares what those early years were like, and goes into detail about the working relationships his role as a music editor served between the director and composer. He also shares how his work as a music editor helps him become a better composer on his solo projects and vice versa.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
We're celebrating our 80th All Access interview with the always fun and talented Dominic Lewis who is returning for his 4th time in the hot seat. Dom takes some time to catch up with recent projects like Monsters At Work for Disney+, Peter Rabbit 2, Jolt starring Kate Beckinsale, composing the final season of Ducktales, and more!
Dom shares what it was like following in the footsteps of Randy Newman for Monsters At Work, and what he tried to bring to the show musically. We also talk about the electronic-charged soundscape world Dom built for Jolt, and the bittersweet feel of writing music for the final season of Ducktales.
We also discuss how the pandemic pushed studios hard to lean on streaming and what that means for the future. We weigh the pros and cons of what it means for viewers and of course for the talent who make a living making content.
Dom also shares what he has coming up including scoring a film starring Brad Pitt and his new podcast that is now available!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla sits down with us fresh from his ASCAP Composer's Choice Award win at the 2021 ASCAP Screen Awards. Gustavo won for his score to The Last Of Us Part II, and the annual award is voted on by other composer's in the industry.
In this All Access, Gustavo shares how music entered his life and how it turned into a career. He takes us through the early parts of his life and how his career in bands led to writing for film. We chat about the time he met Alejandro González Iñárritu and how that collaboration evolved. Gustavo also talks about how he met Ang Lee, and how he wrote the entire score to Brokeback Mountain in 15 days. We cover some other topics such as how Gustavo is always searching for "the wrong note."
We also chat about The Last Of Us and The Last Of Us Part II. Gustavo talks about why he decided to take the plunge into scoring a video game, and how he worked with Neil Druckmann on the two projects. We examine the western genre elements in the score as well as how he utilized minimalism and dissonance to create a sparse musical soundscape.
We also touch upon his score the Hulu original series Monsterland, which premiered last fall and how he enjoyed diving into the horror genre for the anthology series.
Gustavo's warmth and passion exudes from from his work, and it's why his music connects with and resonates so much with people around the world.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Tom Holkenborg has proved his versatility across many genres, and his most recent projects showcase his abilities to craft narratives from big action set pieces down to nuanced emotional character arcs. While Tom has been a guest on Film.Music.Media in the past, this is our first All Access and we take the time to dive into Army Of The Dead, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Godzilla vs. Kong.
Tom takes us through his thoughts and emotions when he finally learned that Zack would be returning to finish his vision of Justice League. Tom tossed out all his initial work and started fresh for Justice League, and he takes us through how exactly he mapped out and structured his approach in tackling this 4-hour epic.
Tom also discusses working with Zack Snyder again for Army Of The Dead and how the film and score may play with expectations and provide some fun surprises for the action-horror zombie heist flick.
We also touch on Godzilla vs. Kong and how Tom’s love for the entirety of the Godzilla franchise helped him shape his own take on the two titular screen monsters. We discuss the trick to scoring massive action fights, creating momentum through music, and how he approached each of them thematically to give unique musical identities.
Tom also discusses where he sees himself currently in his career, and how his curiosity and thirst for knowledge has become almost an addiction that keeps him busy outside of his music career. Tom shares about learning new languages, perfecting a cup of coffee, and working on his culinary skills among many other things that help keep him craving to learn new things. We also chat about how his popular Studio Time series got started, and why he dedicates tons of time to providing knowledge for free to those who are interested.
Tom’s passion for music, instruments, and gear shine through his warm personality. He’s one of the most creative minds in the industry, and it’s always an honor to have him sit down and share some stories and insight.
Charlie sits down for this All Access interview to discuss his path to a career in music, his techniques, what he learned from his career in music before composing, and of course we explore some of Charlie’s scores including his most recent one for Spiral: From The Book Of Saw.
Charlie discusses his early childhood and how he ended up on the music path, including his days as part of Nine Inch Nails and working with other artists. We look at Charlie’s first foray into scoring for visual media with the TV series Fastlane. Charlie then tells the story of how he got the job to score the first Saw film.
We discuss the evolution of the Saw franchise and what it’s like being one of the only people to have worked on all 9 films, and how to play within a horror franchise’s formula. Charlie talks about working with the various directors who came into the franchise and how he approached the industrial sound that the films needed. We also discuss how Spiral is branching away from the formula and how it required a different approach with the music.
We tackle topics like scoring against sound effects, finding the right tones and atmosphere, working with directors, scoring television, and where he thinks the entertainment industry is heading towards during these times of change.
Charlie is one of the most fun and insightful people to have a chat with, and his ability to wear many hats has proved to make him a versatile storytelling force.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning composer Howard Shore joins us for a short chat about his new score to the film Funny Boy. Directed by Deepa Mehta, Funny Boy is a character-focused coming-of-age story set amongst the backdrop of the Sri Lanken Civil War.
Howard talks about how he got involved with the film, and how he took a light approach to the score to make sure the music worked with the picture. Howard discusses working with director Deepa Mehta, he goes over how the film was spotted, and he talks about the thematic structure of the score. Funny Boy is currently streaming on Netflix at the time of this interview. Howard also talks about some of the projects he has coming up on the horizon.
We end our chat with one of the most pressing questions that Howard needed to answer: Who would win in a band battle, Howard Shore And His All-Nurse Band or Howard Shore And His All-Bee Band?
*Due to Howard's busy schedule we only had time to discuss his most recent score.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Anthony Willis joins us for a special All Access in giving an in-depth and very authentic look at what it's like to be a young composer in Hollywood. Anthony has been a go-to talent for many composers such as Henry Jackman, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams and many others where he has served as an additional composer and various other titles as part of music teams for the industry's top talents.
He recently scored the acclaimed Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge and many others. The film is written and directed by the talented and versatile Emerald Fennell who is making her feature debut.
In this All Access Anthony shares his story of how he discovered music, pursued it while growing up in the UK, and made the leap to come study it here in Los Angeles. Get to hear about all the events that led Anthony to meet composers like Harry Gregson-Williams, Henry Jackman and John Powell. Anthony's reflections serve as a wonderful bounty of information for any young composer wondering how to get their foot into the industry.
We also dive deep into Anthony's score to Promising Young Woman, and how he approached the film which aims to blur genre lines between thriller, drama, and black comedy. We discuss how he balanced his score with the song choices in the film and how writer/director Fennell's love for the Brittney Spears song "Toxic" led to Anthony doing a haunting orchestral cover of the song for the film (also featured in the trailer).
Anthony is an immense talent who has been working and learning under some of today's top composers, and with Promising Young Woman has showcased a heap of promising talent of his own.
Due to the pandemic, Promising Young Woman is now available to rent digitally with "Theater At Home".
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Emmy-winning composer Geoff Zanelli joins us for another quarantine All Access as we catch up with Geoff and talk about his newest scores to Fatale starring Hillary Swank and Michael Ealy as well as You Should Have Left starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried
It’s been a while since Geoff was a guest on All Access so we catch up on some of the scores he’s written since then including Christopher Robin, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, and more!
Geoff discuss many other topics including overcoming self-doubt, building relationships with directors like Deon Taylor and David Koepp, breaking down the psychology of music and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
*Apologies, Zoom accidentally defaulted back to the microphone on Kaya’s AirPods at the start of the call.
Composer Henry Jackman joins us once again for another All Access as we chat and discuss about a bunch of projects that have come out since the last time Henry was on All Access. We discuss scores such as Detective Pikachu, 21 Bridges, Jumanji: The Next Level, Extraction and more!
We dive deep into two of Henry’s most recent scores, which are Mosul and The Comey Rule. Henry talks about scoring a foreign language film that was written and directed by an American, as well as what enticed him to score the first dramatization of Donald Trump’s presidency. We discuss the balance you have to have when dealing with real-life events, and how tricky political dramas can be to score.
As usual, we branch into a multitude of other topics with Henry who always has so much great insight. You can check out Mosul on Netflix right now and catch The Comey Rule on Showtime.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
The Newton Brothers may not be related by blood, but their shared musical passion and skills that compliment one another led them to form an incredible friendship and creative partnership.
Andy Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart join in for this virtual All Access where we dive deep into their careers, their approach to scoring films as a duo, how they work with directors, where their inspirations come from, and we look at many of the collaborations they’ve had with director Mike Flanagan.
Andy and Taylor talk about their work with director Mike Flanagan, including the incredible Doctor Sleep which was a follow up to The Shining. We discuss how the Kubrick estate let them take a look at much of the material that was rejected from Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind-Tourre in the original The Shining. Plus how they approached scoring the film in their own unique voices.
We also dive into the “Haunting” anthology series, and compare and contrast The Haunting Of Hill House and The Haunting Of Bly Manor. Hear Andy and Taylor discuss how they wanted to connect the two series through recurring themes and motifs, and how certain themes aren’t necessarily attached to any particular character. We break down how to appreciate and recognize many of the archetypes and formulas of the horror genre so that you can approach it in your own unique way.
Andy and Taylor are two fantastic talents who have proven their versatility in a wide spectrum of genres, and with their partnership with Flanagan have proven to hone their abilities to craft emotionally deep scores in a genre that doesn’t see that approach too often.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman is one of the most prolific composers working today. Her amazing filmography spans so many different genres with amazing filmmakers with films like Emma, The Cider House Rules, Hart's War, Chocolat, Oliver Twist, The Joy Luck Club and many many more.
Rachel discusses her path to becoming a composer, and how she decided to stay in the UK and build her life and career there. We deep dive into her writing process, and she talks about where the first note typically comes from. We also discuss what traits she loves in directors that make her job a lot easier, and how she's gotten to work with some amazing directors.
We also explore her new album, ask the river. Rachel composed this instrumental album over a year as a way to really get in touch with the natural world around us. It's a beautiful album experience that allowed her to write freely away from picture for something that's truly personal. Rachel also performs a piece from the album on her piano.
Rachel Portman's storytelling abilities with music are truly astounding. She has managed to carve her own unique path with her career, which has made her one of the most respected and admired composers in the field. Her score to Emma also made her the first female composer to ever win an Academy Award. It was a true pleasure having Rachel Portman on this episode of All Access.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Filmmaking and visual storytelling overall are a team effort, and to truly understand the process it's important to shine the light on some of the amazingly talented people working behind the scenes. For this interview we have the pleasure of being joined by the talented Queenie Li.
Queenie is a Music Production Coordinator who has been working with composer Lorne Balfe over the past few years. Queenie is an integral part of Lorne's music team, and she has worked on everything from small dramas to some of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Take a unique inside look of what it's like to work with one of the most in-demand composers working today.
Queenie talks about how she applied for an internship at Remote Control Productions, which led to her meeting Lorne. We discuss what her responsibilities are, and what she's doing at every stage of the scoring process working alongside Lorne.
Queenie shares how Lorne has become more than a boss, but a friend and mentor who has helped her learn the ropes of the industry. We talk about some invaluable lessons that can only be learned by diving in and overcoming nerves. Queenie also shares some of the skills and programs that anyone looking to work in this industry should master.
Queenie is an incredibly talented and hard-working industry professional whose work is integral to how production moves forward during the scoring process. It was an absolute pleasure to gain her insight and hear her perspective on what it's like working in this industry. A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Rebecca Sugar helped define a generation with her groundbreaking series, Steven Universe. For this All Access we welcome the creative mind behind the world of Steven Universe as she shares her story of growing up in suburban Maryland, her love of animation and music, and how she landed at Cartoon Network Studios where she ultimately pitched the idea for Steven Universe.
For this All Access we sit with Rebecca as she talks about what her initial dreams and aspirations were when she was young, and show she discovered animation. She shares stories of going to school, and how she was hired at Cartoon Network Studios where she was part of the crew for Adventure Time. We talk about how Steven Universe started at the ground level, and how the series has evolved over the seasons. Rebecca also shares the process of creating the ambitious Steven Universe: The Movie, including an in-depth look at her songwriting process and mapping out the songs in the movie. Rebecca also talks about working with composers Aivi & Surasshu on the series as well as on the movie. She talks about what she loved about their sound, and how their score to Steven Universe brings the world to life.
Other topics that we discuss include being open and vulnerable in storytelling, overcoming the pressure of putting yourself out there in the world, what themes and ideas she wanted Steven Universe to cover, working with her entire production team and how the team became a family, the overall animation process, and so much more.
Rebecca's skills as an artist, writer, director, producer, musician, singer and songwriter all make her one of the most talented storytellers working today. She wears many hats, but also loves the collaborative process of animation. We are thrilled to have Rebecca on this episode of All Access.
You can catch Steven Universe: Future on Cartoon Network, new episodes begin airing on March 6th, 2020.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Chad Cannon has worked with composers such as Joe Hisaishi, Howard Shore, Alexandre Desplat and Tyler Bates. His love for storytelling comes from his love of human stories. As a composer, Chas has quickly established his unique voice as a storyteller, and all of that is evident in his score for the Oscar-winning American Factory.
American Factory won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. The film is an important look at factories and the people working in them. The film is about a Chinese billionaire who opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant. We see hope lead to how high-tech China clashes with working-class America. The film is also backed by Michelle and Barack Obama's Higher Ground Productions.
In this interview we learn about Chad's unique path to becoming a composer, and how he ended up in Japan working with legendary composer Joe Hisaishi. We dig into American Factory and how Chad approached the score, including what it means to score non-fiction and help the story of real everyday people.
Chad is a true talent that brings a wonderful touch to his projects and it was an absolute honor to have him as a guest. You can stream American Factory on Netflix.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Nathan Johnson's versatility as a composer and a storyteller can be seen across all his scores as well as all his projects he does outside of film composing. In this All Access we take a trip down memory lane as Nathan talks about growing up with his cousin, director Rian Jonson.
Both Nathan and Rian dabbled in music and filmmaking when they were younger, and that blossomed from being family members messing around to the two of them being creative partners. Nathan has scored every one of Rian's films except Star Wars: The Last Jedi (for obvious reasons).
In this All Access we dissect scores such as Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper and of course Knives Out. We also dive into Nathan's work as a director with some of his extremely amazing music videos and other visual art. Hear about Nathan's general approach and process to scoring plus tons of amazing stories such as when Rian Johnson invited him to the scoring sessions of The Last Jedi.
It's a joy to sit down and just talk and dissect creativity with a composer and visual artist such as Nathan, who has the rare perspective of coming at music with so much else in his creative repertoire.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Earlier this year, we had a fantastic All Access with How To Train Your Dragon trilogy writer/director Dean DeBlois and John Powell. But for our 3rd All Access with John, we wanted to explore the last chapter in the HTTYD trilogy from John's point of view as well as take the opportunity to revisit some stories that we touched upon way back in our first All Access.
Part reboot and part new examination, John talks about his path to becoming a composer as we examine his career's beginnings. We tackle a variety of different topics as we always do as John opens up about his process and approach to writing music to picture. John reflects back on the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, specifically how he found his own life reflected upon the films. We also talk a lot about ending the trilogy and how John carefully crafted the score.
Sitting down with John Powell is always a pleasure and joy, and it's terrific to have him back on a brand new All Access!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer John Lunn has built a career that spans across multiple genres in film and television. For over two decades, John has contributed music to make worlds come alive, carve out characters and inject the emotional core of the story into the narrative.
In this All Access, we caught up with John while he was in town to walk through his career and discuss his approach and philosophies with scoring. John shares his techniques for starting a brand new TV series, as well as how the music can evolve or not evolve across seasons. John also talks about his technique for coming up with a main title theme, and how he tends to write a few episodes worth of music first and let the music speak out to see what melody rises to the top.
We also dive into Downton Abbey, and what the approach was to return to that world with the feature film that takes place after the end of the series. John talks about how working with the same crew and talent made it feel like it was picking back up right where they left off.
John Lunn is one is not only one of the kindest people around, but also a magnificent storyteller. It's an honor to have him on All Access.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Michael Giacchino's scores have brought to life some of our most beloved stories whether it's a videogame, TV series or film. He has worked across every genre, and has built found relationships with some of the best filmmakers in the industry. But It's his amazing talents as a storyteller that make people gravitate towards his music.
For this All Access we were able to squeeze some time with Michael during his press day for Jojo Rabbit. We dive right in and discuss the approach for Jojo Rabbit, and how director Taika Waititi sought him out to score the film.
Michael talks about his childhood and his path to becoming a composer, which wasn't the original plan at all. Michael's passion was filmmaking, and he went to film school to become a director but his side hobby in music ended up setting him on the path he's on now.
We talk about subjects such as working with directors who are friends, and what happens when there's a disagreement. We also cover topics like knowing the business side of the industry, where the first note comes from, how to tackle sequels, how to jump into an established franchise, why Michael prefers not to read the script, if Michael will ever return to games or TV, where he stands in the "Marvel is not cinema" debate, what he and Matt Reeves plan on doing with The Batman, and what has been the worst butchering of his last name so far!
Michael is one of the most established auteur composers working today, and it was a true pleasure to have him as a guest on All Access.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Emmy-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir has quickly become one of the most prominent composers in the industry. Her musical journey started when she was young, but it was later in her life, and after finding a musical collaborator in Jóhann Jóhannsson that she became more involved in film composing.
Hildur talks about her childhood and growing up in Iceland. And we talk about how she met Jóhann, and what the creative spark was between the two. She talks about the process of working with him, practically as a co-composer on every score of his and how they were always on the same wavelength.
Hildur discusses scores such as Mary Magdalane, Sicario: Day Of The Soldado, Ófærð (Trapped), her Emmy-winning score for Chernobyl and of course Joker.
Hear how Hildur actually went to a power plant to sample the metallic sounds of the structure itself to help build her score for Chernobyl. And hear how she collaborated with director Todd Phillips on Joker, who loved her work so much that he called her up and offered her the job. Hildur was onboard Joker early enough that she was able to write some of the score based solely off the script. Todd Phillips then played her score on the set to help build scenes, while Joaquin Phoenix actually had an earpiece that fed her music to him so he could shape his performance from the music right on the spot.
Hildur is one of the most talented and unique voices working in the industry today and it was a real pleasure having her on All Access to dive into her process.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Carl Thiel's bold sounds and storytelling skills have graced some of the most standout scores across film and TV. Carl's storytelling sensibilities got the attention of filmmaking auteur Robert Rodriguez, where the two's shared love of visuals and music made them click instantly.
Carl's additional work on Rodriguez's features quickly lead to a co-composing relationship where he scored projects like Planet Terror, Spy Kids 4-D, Machete Kills, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series and many more.
Carl's most recent score is to the new Netflix anime series Seis Manos, which hails from creators Brad Graeber and Álvaro Rodríguez. The ultra original concept sees Carl having to blend genres such as Chinese martial arts, anime, 1970's Blaxploitation, Mexican cinema and more.
We dive into Seis Manos and explore how on Earth did Carl blend all those sounds into something cohesive to bring the series to life. We also look back at Carl's childhood growing up in Mexico, going to High School in Canada, and finally planting his roots in Austin, Texas. Carl also dives into many of his past scores and how he originally wanted to be a director or cinematographer, but his love for writing music won the battle.
Carl's amazing sensibilities and wonderfully bright personality shines directly into the music he writes, and it's a joy to have him on All Access.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Tim Wynn is one of the most talented storytellers working today. He brings his amazing personality to all his music, and injects his projects with wonderful themes and a deep emotional current. It's such an honor to have him back on All Access for the second time.
For this discussion we revisit Tim's path to becoming a composer, including how he and Christopher Lennertz met in school and became best buds. The two of them opened up Sonic Fuel Studios together, where both of their studios reside.
We breakdown a handful of Tim's career highlights including The Simpsons Game, The Darkness II, Red Faction: Guerilla Mech X4 on DisneyXD and his newest score to the acclaimed feature Freaks. Hear Tim breakdown his process including his continued collaboration with director Zach Lipovsky, and how the music he wrote based solely on the script was played on set during the filming of the movie.
We tackle some other topics including finding your own sound when you're starting out, how to deal with rejection and criticism, and finding confidence in your abilities and your music.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Austin Wintory is back for another All Access! Austin sits down to talk a bit and revisit the story about his path to becoming a composer, and how important the mentors in his life have been. Austin also reflects on Journey and how a single project from 7 years ago is still very much part of his life and the way he connects with people all around the world.
We move on and discuss some projects that have come out since our last chat like The Banner Saga 3 and Austin's passion project A Light In The Void. The focus of this episode was also to dive into Erica, a new videogame that took years of work but is now finally available on the PS Store for everyone.
Erica utilizes live-action to take you on an interactive dark thrilling ride where each choice has a consequence and can alter the outcome of the game completely. Learn how Austin scored a game that plays out linearly, but where each player might have their own unique story path. Austin also takes us through the construction of his main theme for Erica, he plays it out for us on the piano before dissecting each part on his workstation for us to examine.
We tackle a multitude of other topics as usual from personal stories to views on the industry in another great sit down with one of the busiest and most creative composers working today.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
No matter what the genre or what the medium is, Bear McCreary dives right in to inject his signature sounds and approach to the stories we love. Bear’s talents as a storyteller extend across film, TV, and videogames to make our favorite stories come alive.
Bear was one of our first interviews on Film.Music.Media, so it’s such a pleasure to have him as a guest on All Access. For this chat we walk through a lot of major moments in Bear’s career. Bear talks about having Elmer Bernstein as a mentor, and how he got involved in Battlestar Galactica at the start of his career.
We dive into many of Bear’s acclaimed scores including The Walking Dead, Da Vinci’s Demons, Black Sails, Outlander, and many more. We also explore Bear’s recent scores to Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, Child’s Play, The Professor And The Madman, and Rim Of The World.
Bear talks about his approach, including finding his voice as a composer, working with directors, finding the first note, how to carry confidence, thinking outside the box for instrumentation, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Jasper Leak just got his first Emmy nomination on his first project as a music supervisor, and we're glad to have him as a guest to dive into his work on the acclaimed Netflix documentary Quincy.
Jasper may be a young talent, but his skills as a composer and music supervisor led him to build a fantastic relationship with director Alan Hicks. Alan co-directed the documentary Quincy along with Rashida Jones, and including Jasper formed an amazing relationship as Jasper had the task of building a narrative completely through Quincy Jones's entire discography.
Learn the process of a music supervisor and how it differs on a project like Quincy where you have no composer and you have no score to play off of. Jasper's approach to how he would build narrative moments through song choices included an immense amount of work and collaboration with his directors to make the documentary flow the way it did.
Hopefully this unique music supervisor perspective shines a light on the craft and work of the profession and how Jasper's approach showcased the amount work, logistics and creativity involved.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Matthew Margeson has been behind some of the most stylistic and bold scores in recent memory. His work on films such as Kick-Ass 2, the Kingsman franchise, Eddie The Eagle, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, and now Rocketman has showcased his versatility across many genres.
Matt joins us for his second All Access, this time to dive into the amazing world of the Elton John biopic, Rocketman. Matt reunites with Eddie The Eagle director, Dexter Fletcher for this wondrous yet dramatically heavy exploration of the highs and lows of Elton John’s life as he exploded into one of the biggest musical artists of all time.
Learn how Matt worked alongside renowned producer Giles Martin (son of George Martin) to help blur the lines between song and score. While Giles Martin and his team were responsible for reimagining Elton John’s classic songs, Matt worked alongside to write a score that created a seamless musical narrative. Matt also shares how he worked closely with director Dexter Fletcher to find the right tone and approach for Rocketman and how to support the creative vision of the film.
We explore other topics such as what Matt learned early in his career working for composers such as Henry Jackman and Hans Zimmer, and what fuels his inspiration for writing music today.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
SPOILER WARNING: This interview contains spoilers for the entire How To Train Your Dragon trilogy.
Writer/director Dean DeBlois and composer John Powell went on an immense 10-year journey together when they embarked on the first How To Train Your Dragon movie over a decade ago.
Now, the trilogy has been completed with a beautiful 3-act structure that has given us three films filled to the brim with beautiful and emotionally resonating storytelling.
Now, for a truly special All Access, we are joined by both Dean and John for an unforgettable conversation about the filmmaking process. We dive into all 3 movies starting from the beginning. Learn about how both Dean and John approached their different roles, and how they worked together.
Other topics include the overall animation process, working with temp scores, working within a PG rating but still pushing boundaries in storytelling, finding themes, finding the look and tone of the films, where inspiration comes from, how to know when something is working vs not working, how to handle sequels, and so much more. This entire interview is an immense exploration into filmmaking and storytelling, and should not be missed.
So pour some wine, pull up a chair, and join Dean and John for a conversation full of laughs, surprises and much more in this in-depth exploration of the filmmaking process, the director/composer relationship, and why we love to tell stories through images and music.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Composer Siddhartha Khosla’s music has been the backbone to a multitude of TV series such as The Royals, The Runaways, The Kids Are Alright, and the hit NBC series This Is Us. His versatility and talents as a storyteller have made him a standout voice in the industry.
Siddhartha shares his path to becoming a composer and how spending his early life in India helped shape his musical taste and heritage. Siddhartha talks about all the many musical influences in his life, and how a phone call from an old college buddy convinced him to come score a TV series.
That college buddy was Dan Fogelman, the creator of This Is Us. It was Dan who called up Siddhartha back when he had the show The Neighbors on ABC, and Dan convinced Siddhartha to come score the second season of that series. This sparked a creative relationship that then carried over to This Is Us, where Siddhartha gets to truly explore his voice as a storyteller.
Learn about the musical approach to This Is Us and how Siddhartha approached scoring the pilot, and then fleshed out the music through the first season. Learn how the music evolves across the 3 seasons of the show so far, and how Siddhartha tackles the show’s unique structure of multiple storylines, flashbacks, and flash forwards. Siddhartha also talks about using elements of Indian music in the score, and how creator Dan Fogelman encourages him to go down unique paths that speak to Siddhartha’s musical stylings.
Siddhartha Khosla’s versatility and ability to hone in and help characters and emotions feel organic have become an essential part of what makes This Is Us work so well. It was a real pleasure to explore his process and gain insight from his career path so far.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
He got Arnold to the choppa, put the fly in Marty McFly, helped Forrest run like the wind blows, made sure we found out who framed Roger Rabbit, made you cry over a volleyball, and is now making sure Thanos is put in his place.
Honored to welcome back composer Alan Silvestri for another in-depth All Access interview. In this conversation we dissect some of Alan’s early defining moments that set him on the path to becoming composer, early mistakes he made that served as teachable moments, and we break down his creative process and what it truly means to be a storyteller. Other topics include overcoming self-doubt, how living through both happy and sad life moments help make you a better storyteller, working with directors, becoming the character you’re writing for and much more.
In our previous All Access we looked at a lot of Alan’s iconic projects, but here we breakdown some of the most iconic themes Alan has written from films like Predator, Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Forrest Gump and of course Avengers. Learn the thought process behind some of these themes and how they came to be.
Listen to How Alan approached his Marvel scores as we reflect back on Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War and the big finale that is Avengers: Endgame.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Christopher Young’s talent as a storyteller is only rivaled by his kindness as a human being. Chris has firmly cemented himself as one of the most iconic film composers across a variety of genres, but it was in the horror genre where he was able to carve a path for his career early on.
We dive into Chris’s path to becoming a storyteller including early scores like A Nightmare On Elm Street 2, Hellraiser, and working for legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. Chris explores what got him into horror and why he seems to come back to the genre even though his career is not defined by it.
We explore Chris’s work from scores like Hard Rain, The Core, Bandits, The Shipping News, The Grudge, Spider-Man 3, Sinister, The Monkey King, and of course his new score to Pet Sematary.
Other topics include working with directors, avoiding typecasting, finding the first note, teaching, and finding inspiration from within the film you’re working on.
Chris is one of the kindest and most sincere people in the business, and it was a real honor to have him for this All Access.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
When you think of smart and engaging television, good chances are that David Schwartz is behind the music of that show. David has scored series such as Northern Exposure, Arrested Development, The Good Place and is now scoring the final season of Veep.
For this All Access we dive in with David to explore his background and his path to becoming a composer. David shares some incredibly fun stories about working on Northern Exposure and what his process is when approaching his writing.
We talk about how David met Mitchell Hurwitz on The John Larroquette Show, and how that relationship was built over several other series before Mitchell had the opportunity to create Arrested Development and bring David onboard for that journey.
We dissect The Good Place, and how David worked with creator Michael Schur who came from shows like The Office and Parks And Rec that used no score. Learn how Michael Schur learned to embrace music in a series and trust David.
We tackle other topics as well such as writing a main theme, finding the write tone, what it feels like for a series you’re working on to get cancelled, and so much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented By Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Gabriel Mann is a composer, songwriter, singer and part of the LA-based alternative rock band The Rescues. Gabriel’s path to becoming a composer is a fascinating one, and his entire career journey has lead him to be one of the most prolific television composers in the industry.
We discuss Gabriel’s early work in video game scoring, which included games in the iconic Crash Bandicoot and Spyro game franchises. Hear Gabriel talk about his early days assisting composer David Schwartz, working on shows like Arrested Development. We also dig deep into Gabriel’s score for the hit ABC series, A Million Little Things. Plus we look back at the legacy of Modern Family and how that show is such a unique project for a composer.
If you’re interested in the world of television then you’ll want to listen to Gabriel’s in-depth discussions about how composers get jobs during pilot season, finding the sound for a series in season 1, the differences between single-cam and multi-cam series, and what it takes to write a perfect main title theme (including why The Simpsons is Gabriel's favorite main title of all-time).
Gabriel’s amazing charisma and personality makes him a joy to talk with and listen to, and in this interview he truly opens up in the most fun and inspiring way.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Nathan Barr's passion and curiosity in unique instruments from around the world, including one made from a human femur, has made him one of the most versatile composers working today. His scores for Cabin Fever, Hostel, Hemlock Grove and True Blood have secured his place as a horror composer. But his scores in various other genres like The Americans, Sneaky Pete, and The Son showcase his versatility as a storyteller across any genre.
In this All Access we dive into Nathan's path to becoming a composer as well has his recent score for The House With A Clock In Its Walls, which sees him reuniting with director Eli Roth. Nathan also talks about what to expect in his upcoming score for Carnival Row on Amazon.
Nathan also recently acquired and restored a 1928 Wurlitzer Theater Organ that used to be installed at 20th Century Fox Studios. He ended up building his studio around it, and Bandrika Studios is now home to some of the most interesting mechanical and automated instruments from around the world. Nathan talks about the history of the Wurlitzer and how it came to be at his studio, and how he's utilizing antique instruments in his modern workflows.
Nathan's passion and curiosity as a storyteller is extremely engaging and contagious. By just spending a little time with him, you immediately want to jump down the rabbit hole into a wonderful world where the past meets the present.
Stay tuned for an upcoming video where we will get a personal tour from Nathan Barr as he walks us through his studio and demos some of the amazing instruments at Bandrika, including the wonderful Wurlitzer.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
In this All Access we are joined by Academy Award nominated composer, Nicholas Britell. Based out of New York, Nicholas has quickly garnered critical acclaim after he found himself thrust into the world of film composing.
Through some chance meetings and introductions, Nicholas found himself scoring for amazing directing talents such as Natalie Portman, Steve McQueen, Adam McKay and Barry Jenkins. These collaborations led to scores such as A Tale Of Love And Darkness, 12 Years A Slave, The Big Short, Moonlight, and recently Vice and If Beale Street Could Talk.
In this All Access we dive into Nicholas's path to becoming a composer, and what the turning point was for him to make a career out of his passion. We discuss working with directors like Steve McQueen, Adam McKay and Barry Jenkins. Nicholas breaks down his approach on scores like The Big Short, Moonlight, Vice, and If Beale Street Could Talk. We also look at how Nicholas wrote all the diegetic music for 12 Years A Slave, and how different that process was compared to writing the actual score which was done by Hans Zimmer.
We cover a whole slew of other great topics that pick apart the composing process and how Nicholas learned to build new ways of collaborating with filmmakers to truly find what is best for the scene. Nicholas is one of the most talented and in-demand voices in the industry, and it was a joy to finally have him as a guest.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nicholas Britell, Asenath Nakayama, Jeff Sanderson, Ray Costa, Annapurna Pictures, Chasen & Company, Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Diane Warren has written hundreds of hit songs including “Because You Loved Me”, “If I Could Turn Back Time”, “Rhythm Of The Night”, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” and many more. Diane has won a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three consecutive Billboard Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year, and has been nominated for nine Academy Awards.
Many of her songs were written for films, and have then gone on to be launched into the stratosphere of pop culture. In recent years her music has tackled incredibly important subjects. She has written “Til It Happens To U” with Lady Gaga, “Stand Up For Something” with contributions from Common, and of course now “I’ll Fight” which was performed by Jennifer Hudson for the documentary RBG, about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In this All Access we find the extremely fun and down-to-earth Diane taking some time to talk about why she wanted to become a songwriter, and how she got her foot in the door. She talks about the different approaches to writing melodies and lyrics, and why music is such a powerful tool for expressing ourselves and commenting on the world around us.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Diane Warren, Jeff Sanderson, Chasen & Company
Christopher Willis got his start working for composers like Rupert Gregson-Williams, Harry Gregson-Williams, and Henry Jackman. His talents as a storyteller can be heard in his scores for series like Veep (co-composed with Rupert Gregson-Williams), The Lion Guard and Mickey Mouse. His score for The Death Of Stalin gained critical praise along with the amazing film, which reunites Chris with Veep creator Armando Iannucci who co-wrote and directed the film. In this interview, Chris shares his path to becoming a composer including working with Rupert Gregson-Williams. We chat about the relationship Chris built with Armando Iannucci on Veep, and what that show needed musically. Chris then dives in and dissects his brilliant score to The Death Of Stalin and how he approached the music. Chris is an amazing talent and has demonstrated his wonderfully unique voice as a composer very early-on in his career.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Christopher Willis, Andrew Cohen, Impact24 PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Henry Jackman's versatility has always been one of his strongest assets as a storyteller. Henry has given us amazing scores across a variety of genres, and his ability to shift gears drastically from project to project is nothing short of impressive. On our last All Access with Henry we covered a lot of ground. This time we still do plenty of ground covering, but with more focus on recent projects such as Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, The Predator and Ralph Breaks The Internet. Henry reminds of his amazing path to becoming a composer including working with Hans Zimmer and what he remembers from his first solo score with Monsters vs. Aliens. Henry also talks about the phone call he had with Alan Silvestri about scoring The Predator, which happens to be one of Henry’s favorite scores and the reason why he fell in love with film music. Other topics include what characteristics a great director needs to have, tackling different genres, the recipe for doing sequels, and Henry talks briefly of what we can expect from his work in 2019. Henry helps us close out 2018 with another wonderful All Access!
Interview Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman, Matt Justmann, Allison Swift
Composer Rolfe Kent has continually demonstrated his versatility as a storyteller by bringing us such wonderful scores across every genre. He has built lasting relationships with directors like Alexander Payne and Jason Reitman. He has also given scores such as Up In The Air, Sideways, Legally Blonde, Wedding Crashers, About Schmidt and many more. Rolfe recently scored the Laurel and Hardy biopic titled Stan & Ollie. In this interview we talk a little about Rolfe's path to becoming a composer, and then dissect his work on Stan & Ollie. The film has a really deep emotional core, and Rolfe was able to build these iconic characters up musically and give the film the emotional resonance it needed. It was such a pleasure to welcome Rolfe back as a guest on Film.Music.Media!
Interview Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Rolfe Kent, Sabrina Hutchinson, Defiant PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Carter Burwell is a true auteur of his craft, and one of the most respected and cherished composers working in the industry. While he’s mostly known for his work with The Coen Brothers, his entire filmography is filled with treasures. For this All Access we sit down and discuss Carter's unique path to becoming a composer, including how he met The Coen Brothers to score Blood Simple and kickoff an unexpected career as a composer.
We walk through some of Carter's most memorable Coen brothers scores including Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Fargo, True Grit, No Country For Old Men and their recent collaboration on The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. Carter shares stories such as how he had to write some score for Inside Llewyn Davis just to convince the Coens they didn’t want score. Outside of Carter's work with the Coens, we look at his work with Martin McDonagh and Spike Jonze. Hear Carter breakdown his music in films like In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Being John Malkovich and Where The Wild Things Are.
Some other discussion points include why Carter decides to live in New York vs Los Angeles, where the first note comes from, the new trend of movies coming directly to Netflix, working on bigger budget studio films, and his views on where the industry stands today.
Carter's brilliant insight and warm personality are a true delight, and you won't find a more incredible view on the craft of film scoring than through Carter Burwell. It was an absolute joy and honor to have him as a guest on this All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Carter Burwell, Jeff Sanderson, Chasen PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
EMMY-nominated composer Tony Morales joins us for a new All Access. Tony got his big break by having a chance meeting with Harry Gregson-Williams in a pizza shop, this led to commercial work and eventually session musician work along with being an additional arranger and orchestrator for Brian Tyler.
We discuss how Tony's career grew once he got some early experience, and how he developed his sound as a composer on his solo projects. We also dive into many of Tony's projects such as his scores for Bloodline, Hatfields & McCoys, Scorpion, Elena of Avalor and An Actor Prepares.
Tony breaks down the process of scoring TV animation with Disney's Elena of Avalor, and how even with children's animation there is change in how much music is needed and how it acts as a narrative device. We also discuss the new film An Actor Prepares, starring Jeremy Irons and Jack Huston. Tony breaks down character scoring and dealing with tone in comedy.
Some other topics we discuss is how to find confidence in your voice as a storyteller as well as how to deal with rejection, whether that's being replaced on a project or having a cue rejected.
Tony Morales is such a great talent and voice who has quickly established himself as a versatile and in-demand storyteller. It was great having him as a guest on All Access!
Interview Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tony Morales, Sabrina Hutchinson, Javier Garcia, Defiant PR, The Krakower Group
Gabriele Ciampi is a classically trained composer who has blended more modern sensibilities into his work. But even with all the modern technologies at a composer's disposal, he still insists on starting with a pencil and paper. Gabriele studied composition at the prestigious St. Cecilia Music Conservatory. He also attended the Film Scoring Certificate Program at UCLA where he studied composition and orchestration.
He has written and directed the music for the performance of “A Christmas Carol” in 2012 in Moscow (in cooperation with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra) and in 2013 at the Parco della Musica Auditorium in Rome, where he was awarded the Italian Excellence Medal by the Senate of the Republic of Italy. In 2014 he released an album titled “The Minimalist Evolution”, which was then performed in concert in Los Angeles and Rome.
Gabriele also had the distinct pleasure of being personally requested by Michele Obama to be a performer during the annual Holiday Open Houses at The White House.
For this interview we talk about Gabriele's journey to becoming a renowned concert composer as well as his work in film composition. Gabriele also discusses his new album "Hybrid", which sees the composer really meshing his classical sensibilities with modern stylings.
Interview Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Gabriele Ciampi, Bobbi Marcus, Bobbi Marcus PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Daniel Hart may be a relative newcomer to the world of visual media scoring, but he has already established himself as one of the best auteur composers working today. His collaborations with director David Lowery have been extremely notable, and so has his projects with other directors and producers. Daniel is behind the scores to Ain't Them Bodies Saints, A Ghost Story, Pete's Dragon, The Exorcist (TV Series) and many others. We also dissect Daniel's two newest projects. The first is Lowery's latest film The Old Man & The Gun starring Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek. The second is the excellent Forever on Prime Video starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen.
On this All Access Daniel talks about his extremely unique path to becoming a composer, and how he still feels like an outsider in this industry from time to time. Daniel talks about his band Dark Rooms, and how it exercises a completely different part of his brain when he's songwriting or going on tour. One of the most interesting things we discuss is how Daniel got the job to score Disney's live-action Pete's Dragon. Daniel talks about how he was initially passed on by Disney for Howard Shore, but that creative differences ended up letting Lowery fight for Daniel and to let Disney give him another shot. Hear how Daniel learned from his mistakes to secure the job, and score his first big studio feature.
Daniel Hart's unique sound palette and intimate way of storytelling makes his scores resonate on a completely unique emotional level. He is such a fresh and talented voice in this industry and it was a pleasure to finally have him as a guest on All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel Hart
Composer, producer, writer and director John Carpenter is regarded as one of the most influential auteur filmmakers in all of cinema. He has been behind some of the most iconic films in the horror and sci-fi genre such as Assault On Precinct 13, Halloween, Christine, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and many more. What sets John apart from most other writers and directors is that he is also the composer on his films. His music has become as iconic as the images he has brought to life onscreen. John makes his long-awaited return to the Halloween franchise that he gave birth to in 1978 by coming onboard to score and executive produce David Gordon Green's Halloween sequel. Green's film is ignoring all the sequels and picking the story up 40 years after the events of the original film. We had a small window to chat with John about his career in the industry, dating back to what made him fall in love with cinema in the first place. We touch on several subjects such as coming up with a story and what makes a great horror film. Hear stories such as what inspired the Michael Myers character, the true story of how John worked with Ennio Morricone on the The Thing, working with Alan Howarth, the difficulties of production across his films, when he starts the composing process on his films, and how he collaborated with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies to co-score the newest chapter in the Halloween franchise. It was such an honor to have this brief and engaging chat with one of the greatest storytellers of cinema.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Carpenter, Storm King Productions
Terence Blanchard is a renowned jazz musician and composer who has paved his own unique path as a musical storyteller. Terence and director Spike Lee have one of the most prolific composer/director relationships in the industry, and their latest project is the critically-acclaimed BlacKkKlansman. Terence joins us for a great chat about his childhood in New Orleans, and how he grew up into the New Orleans jazz scene. We talk about how he found his path to becoming a film composer, and the first time he met Spike Lee. We also dissect the score to BlacKkKlansman among a few other notable scores from Terence's filmography. Terence also discusses topics such as finding inspiration, overcoming doubt to find confidence, and his music outside of film including his journey in writing an opera. Terence is such an amazing talent and voice in this industry, and it was a pleasure to have him as a guest for this chat.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Terence Blanchard, Alisse Kingsley, Muse Media
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Brian Tyler sits down for his third All Access interview here on Film.Music.Media. We revisit Brian's path to becoming a film composer including how both his undergraduate and master's degree had nothing to do with music despite his childhood and adolescent years being filled with music. We dive in and examine Brian's approach to Crazy Rich Asians and reuniting with director Jon M. Chu. Hear how Brian and Jon came to the conclusion that this score needed to feel like a throwback to the 1940's but also have an organic emotional undercurrent. We also examine Brian's score to Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone, a new series starring Kevin Costner. Brian talks about scoring a modern western and how he didn't want to go the route of either Americana or spaghetti western. Finally we talk about Brian's work for Formula 1 racing and how he brought drama and emotion to one of his favorite sports. Other topics include how to manage confidence vs self-doubt, how director Jon Chu calmed Brian's hesitations for scoring Crazy Rich Asians being a white man, and how Brian deals with criticism online and via social media. It was extremely fun and inspirational to have Brian back as a guest on Film.Music.Media All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler, Stephanie Bryant, Jeff Sanderson, Chasen & Company
Composer Lorne Balfe has proven his versatility and talent as a storyteller by delivering amazing scores across all genres and all mediums of visual storytelling. He has delivered the goods in family animation, moving dramas, thrilling horror, engaging biopics, inspiring documentaries, captivating television series, quirky comedies, addictive video games and much more. For his most recent film, Lorne joins the legacy that is the Mission: Impossible series. Lorne follows in the footsteps of some amazing composers to add his own signature stamp to the franchise. Lorne is one of our favorite guests, and it was a pleasure to catch up with him to dissect his biggest and most ambitious score to date in Mission: Impossible - Fallout. We discuss some topics such as confidence and doubt when it comes to being a composer, working with directors, what Lorne learned from his time as an additional composer, and how he handles criticism from people online especially on a big film like Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The majority our interview focuses on Mission: Impossible, including how this film needed a different scoring approach and how he approached utilizing that iconic Lalo Schifrin theme. You'll hear how Lorne structured certain action scenes, including knowing what scenes in the film didn't require score. Lorne shares how director Christopher McQuarrie doesn't use a temp track, and instead utilized an hour's worth of musical ideas that Lorne wrote away from picture to start editing to, and that made sure that music was baked into the DNA of this brilliant exercise in action filmmaking. We wrap up taking a look at Lorne's score for Genius: Picasso and how the score evolved from season 1, which focused on Albert Einstein. Lorne has proven himself as one of the most versatile and talented composers working today, and it's always a pleasure to catchup and pick his brain.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lorne Balfe, Quennie Li, Ray Costa, Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Steve Jablonsky joins us for a second All Access, this time to discuss his score for Skyscraper among many other topics. In this All Access, we get a bit of a refresher of how Steve ended up on the composing path plus his views on the action genre as a whole. We talk about how he approached Skyscraper, which stars Dwayne Johnson as a former FBI agent trying to save his family from a group of terrorists. Steve talks about working with a new director for the first time, finding the right tone that didn't make it too melodramatic and of course how action filmmaking has evolved since when he started working as a composer. We also discuss comedy scoring as well as touch upon some other projects he did recently like Game Over, Man! and the indie documentary Origin Story. Steve is one of the nicest and most humble composers working in the industry, and having him as a guest is always such a pleasure.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Steve Jablonsky, Lori Castro, Jeff Sanderson, Chasen & Company
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Nature documentaries are unique in that the score is more important than ever in creating a narrative structure as well as an emotional pull. This genre is one of the purest forms of image and music working hand in hand, with only narration there as a guide for the audience. With Blue Planet II, Jacob Shea and David Fleming worked alongside Hans Zimmer to craft a hugely powerful and affecting score that brought our aquatic world to vivid life. Learn a little about how Jacob and David worked as additional composers to gain experience. Hear them dissect the process of working on Blue Planet II, and what their approach was to create this sonic world for some of the most breathtaking footage ever captured for a nature documentary. We chat about the collaborative nature of working with Hans Zimmer, how they built thematic structure, and what it means to work on something important from an educational standpoint. Jacob and David are quickly blazing their own paths in the industry. Please enjoy this fun and inspiring discussion with two leading talents in the next generation of composers working today.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jacob Shea, David Fleming, Andrew Cohen, Impact24 PR
Peter Boyer is a composer, conductor, orchestrator, and professor of music whose work has been performed over 400 times by over 150 different orchestras. As one of the most premiere talents in the concert music world, Peter is sought out and his work commissioned for extremely powerful and unique projects. One of his most recent works that ended up being years in the making is Ellis Island: The Dream Of America; a classical work celebrating the historic American immigrant experience. We dive into Peter's background and what led him on the path to becoming a celebrated concert composer. Peter also talks about how he approached Ellis Island, including incorporating dramatic readings of actual first hand accounts from immigrants who arrived on Ellis Island. Peter also talks about his work as a Hollywood orchestrator and working with composers such as James Newton Howard, Michael Giacchino and Thomas Newman. Ellis Island: The Dream Of America will make its television debut on Great Performances on Friday, June 29 at 10 p.m. on PBS. And you can stream it online afterwards. It was a great pleasure to chat with Peter and get an amazing insight into his process.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special
Thanks: Peter Boyer, Jeff Sanderson, Chasen & Company
PBS Great Performances website page on Ellis Island: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/ellis-i...
PBS official YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/KTwCr7NrFBE
Composer Sherri Chung has quickly established herself as a prominent voice in the industry with her storytelling talents. After scoring many short films as well as being an orchestrator for Walter Murphy on shows like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show, Sherri began to work with Blake Neely. She has worked as an additional composer on shows like Blindspot, Arrow, and Supergirl. Sherri is currently is the co-composer of Riverdale with Blake Neely and you can catch her music on the recent album release for Crisis On Earth X, exclusively on La-La Land Records. The massive CW / DC four-part 2017 television crossover event showcases a score composed by Blake Neely, Nathanial Blume, Daniel Chan and Sherri Chung. This interview was a fantastic opportunity to talk to Sherri about her journey to becoming a composer and to explore her approach.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Sherri Chung, Andrea Resnick, Impact24 PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access we sit down with composer John Powell who returns for his second All Access with Film.Music.Media. In this discussion we talk about topics such as changes in the industry, finding inspiration, his love for chorus and percussion, producing songs, his early days at Media Ventures, working with Harry Gregson-Williams and more! We also go in-depth with his newest score to Solo: A Star Wars Story. John tells the story of when he got involved, how he incorporated John Williams' original theme and all the different themes he wrote. John is one of the most fun and inspiring composers working today and it was an absolute honor to have him return to All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Powell, Batu Sener
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Dominic Lewis joins us for his third All Access, and to give us an incredibly unique and comprehensive look at his process. Film.Music.Media was granted special access to come and document the writing process for the score to Peter Rabbit, starring James Corden and Margot Robbie. Dom also sits down after the film has been finished to reflect back on the whole process, while we as an audience get to take a look at moments during his working process. Get to watch the writing process unfold as it happens and hear Dom's analysis of his approach to Peter Rabbit, including using garden tools as instruments! We cover topics such as how Dom built a relationship with director Will Gluck, finding the right sound for Peter Rabbit, conforming tracks to picture changes, recording the score with an orchestra in Australia, his relationship with his assistant Daniel Futcher and so much more!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Dominic Lewis, Daniel Futcher
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Jeff Russo has built an amazing career as one of the most prominent television composers in the industry while also scoring films and games. In our second All Access interview with Jeff, we revisit his background and how he found himself attracted to the profession. We talk about some of his recent scores such as Star Trek: Discovery, Altered Carbon and Waco. Beyond that we get into some deep discussions about process, working with directors, finding the first note, searching for inspiration and other great topics that really dissect the composer profession. Enjoy this informative and passionate discussion with the always enthusiastic Jeff Russo.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Russo, Stephanie Pfingsten, Jana Davidoff, Impact24 PR
Composer Anne Nikitin has established herself as an extremely versatile composer by tackling different genres with her unique voice as a storyteller. Some of her notable scores include The Imposter, This Beautiful Fantastic and the docuseries Locked Up Abroad. She reunites with director Bart Layton for the upcoming crime drama, American Animals. We discuss her approach for American Animals as well as her approach in general. Anne talks about her background and how she carved her path in the industry. Enjoy this extremely interesting and insightful interview with the delightful Anne Nikitin!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Anne Nikitin, Stephanie Pfingsten, Jana Davidoff, Impact24 PR
Composer Peter Nashel has paved a unique path for himself, and his career has seen him helm the scores to film and television across many genres. His most recent score is to the critically-acclaimed I, Tonya starring Margot Robbie. In this interview Peter shares his background and how he found himself working in film and television by taking an unconventional path. We dive in and dissect I, Tonya and how Peter had to navigate a film that primarily used songs throughout. I, Tonya also challenged Peter to find the right tone and cement some of the darker moments of the story together. Enjoy the special insights of composer Peter Nashel in this enlightening interview. Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Peter Nashel, Adrianna Perez, Chandler Poling, White Bear PR
As the year is winding down, we catch up with Henry Jackman who is one of our favorite guests on Film.Music.Media. Since Henry was recently a guest on our All Access series, we instead focus just on all the happenings in Henry's world since the last time we spoke to him. We dive into Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle where Henry talks about how exciting it was to create a score truly built on themes and melodies. Hear Henry talk about how he channeled the musical spirits of James Horner and Alan Silvestri to really try and make a rousing symphonic adventure score, which we don't get often these days. Henry also talks about returning to the world of Matthew Vaughn with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Henry talks about how he and co-composer Matthew Margeson tackled the second entry in Vaughn's stylish series. With 2018 almost here we finish up our chat by looking forward to what's ahead!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman, Ray Costa, Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Rolfe Kent joins us for the last All Access of 2017! Rolfe talks about his early years and how quickly he knew he wanted to be a composer when he was younger. After securing a job he packed up and moved to Los Angeles where he never looked back. Some of his first scores were for the tantalizing Playboy series called Inside Out where Rolfe Kent would cement his entire career by meeting directors like Alexander Payne and Richard Shephard who directed segments for the sexy series. We talk about how these relationships evolved and how the directors he works with are actually his close friends. Rolfe examines his work with directors like Mark Waters, Richard Shephard, actor Jason Bateman, Jason Reitman and of course Alexander Payne. We talk about the unique premise for Downsizing and how Rolfe approached the score for Alexander's newest film. Other topics include navigating licensed music used in a movie, how Rolfe doesn't look at movies in terms of genre and how boredom usually leads to innovation. Rolfe is such a versatile composer whose work always finds the emotional center of a film, and it was an honor to have him as a guest!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Rolfe Kent, Beth Krakower, The Krakower Group
Composer Carlos Rafael Rivera has had music in his life as long as he can remember, but it wasn't till he became the guitar teacher to writer/director Scott Frank did film composing suddenly enter his life. Carlos takes some time to share his fantastic story of how he composed the score to his first feature with A Walk Among The Tombstones, and how that collaboration with Scott Frank let to their newest project titled Godless. Carlos goes deep into his process of he crafted the score for Godless, a western mini-series that is currently streaming on Netflix. Scott is such a warm and fun person that getting his insight on the process and the industry is extremely engaging and inspiring.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Carlos Rafael Rivera, Beth Krakower, The Krakower Group
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access we sit with the extremely talented Daniel Pemberton who has quickly blazed his own path by always aiming to create new sounds and approaches on the scores that he composes. Daniel talks about finding his interests in creating sounds and music, and how that led to him pursue a career as a composer. Daniel shares a story of how he met John Powell by coincidence when his girlfriend was doing a photoshoot with John's wife, Melinda. The two chatted on a bridge at 2am and Daniel learned a lot from John that evening. We go on to discuss many of Daniel's projects such as his scores for directors like Ridley Scott and Guy Ritchie. Also why Daniel decided to remain in the U.K. and not relocate to Los Angeles. This interview was also conducted on the day it was announced that Christopher Plummer would be replacing Kevin Spacey in All The Money In The World, and Daniel gives his thoughts on Ridley's bold skills as a filmmaker. From composing on a small game called The Movies to honing his inner Ennio Morricone to find the right sounds for Guy Ritchie, we cover lots of great stuff in this fantastic chat.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel, for taking an Uber deep into Burbank to make this interview happen even though you were only here on business for a quick trip! Also to Ray Costa and Costa Communications.
SPOILER WARNING: Please note that we discuss major plot points from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in this interview. Please watch the film before listening.
With films like In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh has very quickly become one of the best auteur filmmakers working today. His dialogue is sharp and focused, and his characters are so individually unique and organic. Over his three feature films he has also established a great working relationship with composer Carter Burwell. We were able to catch Martin very briefly on the phone for a quick discussion on his writing process and how he works with Carter. Martin talks about why he pursued filmmaking after becoming known as a playwright, and how his Oscar-winning short film helped launch his career. We discuss his writing approach and technique to make sure each character feels authentic with their own voice and how he doesn't listen to music during his actual writing time. We then talk about how he and Carter Burwell work together, and how as a director he has full trust in his composer and doesn't interfere in the process beyond giving him his initial direction. Martin is such a great storyteller and a filmmaker who utilizes score in such a brilliant way; it was fantastic to have him as guest for this quick chat about his process.
Special Thanks: Martin McDonagh, Paula Woods, Knight Hall Agency Ltd
Gordy Haab has composed some great memorable scores in film, TV and video games. Gordy along with several other composers tackled the extremely popular Star Wars: The Old Republic video game which was a great stepping stone that lead to Gordy taking the reigns on Star Wars: Battlefront and now the recent followup Star Wars: Battlefront II. Gordy also recently scored Halo Wars 2. We dive into his background and how he found his path to film composing including a focus on his video game scoring approaches. We discuss the immense amount of pressure that comes with following in John Williams' footsteps for a AAA Star Wars game. Hear Gordy explain how the addition of a single-player campaign allowed him to venture into new territory in Battlefront II plus all the work that went into making it feel like a Star Wars experience.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Gordy Haab, Sabrina Hutchinson, Defiant PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Austin Wintory joins us for an incredibly in-depth and engaging discussion on this All Access. Austin talks about his unique path to film scoring and how early on in his career he scored shorts and formed relationships that would lead to great projects such as Captain Abu Raed and Flow. We go into great depth on projects like Journey, ABZÛ, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Tooth and Tail and more. Austin describes his writing process and how each project comes to him in a different manner. We also talk about the state of video game storytelling and how the medium is evolving, and how games are gaining more and more respect as storytelling art. Austin also reflects on some of the headline-making news when he and the AFM (American Federation of Musicians) had some friction. We go over many details and many topics in this chat, and while it's one of our longest interviews on Film.Music.Media there's so much valuable information within it. It was a great honor to have the fantastic Austin Wintory as a guest!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Austin Wintory, Chandler Poling, Adrianna Perez, White Bear PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access, we sit down with the wonderfully talented Matthew Margeson. We discuss Matthew's background and how a series of events including his love for musical theater led him to pursue music as a career. After college he finally made the leap to become a film composer by moving to Los Angeles with nothing but $500 in his pocket. Hear Matthew talk about his early days of being an assistant to Klaus Badelt and doing additional music for composers like James Dooley and Henry Jackman. Hear about all the mistakes he made on Skyline, one of his big first solo credits, and how he learned from those mistakes. Matthew talks about all the fundamentals he learned in his early days that he then applied to his own work as a composer whether it was on solo projects like Eddie The Eagle or co-composed projects like Kick-Ass 2, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the Kingsman films. We discuss working with different directors such as Matthew Vaughn and Tim Burton, and how each director works with composers. We also delve into Matthew's process as he shares how he approaches projects from the start. Whether it's scoring a wacky TV comedy like Wrecked, following in Hans Zimmer's footsteps for Rings, or arranging Stephen Sondheim's classic music for Disney's adaptation of Into The Woods, we cover it all. Matthew has accomplished some amazing feats very early on in his career and it was a great pleasure to have him as a guest on this All Access!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Matthew Margeson, Ray Costa, Jenay Tally, Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
In this All Access we sit down with Oscar-nominated composer Marco Beltrami as he walks us through his career and shares tons of great stories. Hear how he found the path to becoming a composer as we discuss some of his most beloved scores to films like Scream, 3:10 To Yuma, Blade II, Hellboy, The Homesman, Logan and many more. We also discuss his recent work to the Netflix original films Little Evil and First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. Marco talks about working with high-profile directors like Alex Proyas, Guillermo del Toro, James Mangold, Wes Craven, Tommy Lee Jones and Angelina Jolie. Hear how he and Buck Sanders met and formed a working relationship that has spanned most of his career. We talk about some hilarious stories such as the time he co-composed Resident Evil with Marilyn Manson and Marco's neighbor came running down the driveway to flash Marilyn, or the time Marco went on a rant about temp music used in Scream 2 that got him in hot water. Marco shares his process and thoughts on a variety of topics in this in-depth chat with one of the busiest and most prolific composers working today.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Marco Beltrami, Ray Costa, Jenay Tally, Costa Communications
Composer Ben Lovett's unique path to becoming a film composer is a true inspiration as the career found him versus the other way around. Hear Ben's story about how he found himself composing music for The Last Goodbye and The Signal, and how that led to collaborative relationships with filmmakers Jacob Gentry, David Bruckner and Dan Bush. Ben shares if he ever gets discriminated for not being a classically trained composer in today's industry and how he shaped his sound and style. We also dive into his process for The Ritual, a new horror film that reunites Ben with director David Bruckner.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access we sit down with composer Atli Örvarsson whose journey to becoming a composer started all the way back home when he was a young boy in Iceland. We discuss Atli's career journey and some of the great projects he's been a part of. Atli talks about starting out working for the great Mike Post and getting his start writing music for classic shows like NYPD Blue and Dragnet. Atli talks about how he was introduced to Hans Zimmer and how that phase of his life took him into an amazing world of working on big budget Hollywood films, and all the challenges that came with it. Topics such as approach, structure and different genre scoring are discussed using examples from scores like Stuart Little 3, Vantage Point, A Single Shot, The Edge Of Seventeen, Chicago Fire, The Hitman's Bodyguard and much more. Atli also shares the personal story of scoring Rams, which was an Icelandic movie that filmed on location in the village where his mother was born. It was a return to Atli's roots in many ways. Here Atli also talks about how he and his wife decided to move back to Iceland, and how he balances his home life in Iceland and part of his work life still in Los Angeles. Atli is one of the most kindest and talented composers, and his life journey and career are an inspiration. It was great chatting with Atli again and to have him as a guest on All Access was even a greater pleasure.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Atli Örvarsson Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
Composer Ronit Kirchman has accumulated a wide array of skills from being a composers that is also a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and orchestrator. Her talents as a storyteller can be heard in her scores for Zen & The Art Of Dying, Finding Neighbors, The Golden Age Of Fish and now on the critically acclaimed mini-series The Sinner starring Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman. Ronit shares her story of how she came to be a film and television composer and she pursued the career. We discuss some of her past projects and how she approaches her writing specifically on the mini-series The Sinner. We discuss where the first note comes from, how she structured the score, and how the tone and style helped flesh out the characters. Ronit is an extremely original voice in the industry and it was such a pleasure to talk to her about her work.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Ronit Kirchman Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
Joel P West found an unconventional path to becoming a film composer. He burst onto the scene with his emotionally nuanced score to Short Term 12 with director Destin Daniel Cretton in 2013 while the both of them were kickstarting their careers. Fast forward 4 years later and we're honored to have Joel back on Film.Music.Media as a guest. We revisit his path to becoming a composer, a career that found him vs the other way around. Joel talks about learning different techniques and approaches with the films he's scored since the last time we talked. We dive into The Glass Castle and how he worked with director Destin Daniel Cretton to get the music to a place that emotionally supported the narrative without doing too much. Joel P West's unique voice as a storyteller comes from a background you wouldn't normally associate with a film composer, but he's proven his abilities time and again. It was a great and special experience to catch up with Joel since we interviewed him at the start of his career, and now get to explore how he's grown as a composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joel P West Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
The one and only Steve Jablonsky joins us for a fantastic All Access interview. We sit down and Steve shares his unique path to film scoring as he grew up in the Los Angeles area, and was surrounded by film from an early age. He tells the story of how he he phoned up Hans Zimmer's studio to see if they needed any assistant work and how he ended up working for Harry Gregson-Williams for a few years, and through that he learned the business from the ground up. We discuss the early days of working on massive films like Armageddon and Bad Boys II as an additional composer, and how Michael Bay hired him to score The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake based off of great recommendations. Steve shares fun and inspiring stories from many of his scores such as The Island, Pain & Gain, Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, all the Transformers films, Steamboy, D-War, Gears Of War 2 and Desperate Housewives. We also discuss Steve's process for thematic writing and how he approaches certain films from different genres. Steve is one of the kindest and most talented composers working in the industry, and his versatility has been displayed in almost every genre. It was such an honor to have Steve return as a guest on Film.Music.Media, this time for this wonderful All Access interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Steve Jablonsky Jeff Sanderson Chasen & Company Lori Castro
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Brian Tyler (and his cat, KC) join us for another All Access as we catch up on his latest scores, plus dive deep into some fascinating topics. Brian recalls his first jobs ever from starting in construction and finally working his way up into the industry. He dove in by doing coverage on scripts no one had time to do, and learned filmmaking from the ground up before finding his path in film music. We discuss typecasting in the film music industry and how Brian as a composer has had to escape genre typecasting many times in his career. Brian discusses working with the late Bill Paxton and the friendship that they shared, and even shows us the very same piano that Brian used to play his themes on for Bill. We also discuss how to keep a score from falling apart if the edit of the movie changes, and Brian shares some examples from The Mummy including re-writing the main character's theme and replacing it throughout the score in 1 weekend. We talk about composing for ensemble casts, and where the unifying theme comes from on scores such as Power Rangers and The Fate Of The Furious. We also delve deep into music psychology and why Brian got his Master's Degree in Philosophy at Harvard, and how he applies that to what he does in life. Brian is truly one of the most fun, talented and smartest composers working today and his conversations are always a blast!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler Jeff Sanderson Chasen & Company Ave-Marie London KC (Brian's cat)
Composer Scott Doherty takes some time to take us into his world and share about his path to composing including writing the score for Netflix's Orange Is The New Black. Scott's unique path to becoming a composer is a fascinating one. We talk about his involvement in the composing band American Matador, and how as a band they were involved in music for hit series like Real World. Scott then shares how he got work writing additional music on Weeds for composers Gwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay, and how that collaboration led to him being invited to be part of a composing trio for Jenji Kohan's Orange Is The New Black. Scott's career is a fascinating one, and it was great to explore his approach and processes.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Scott Doherty Sabrina Hutchinson Defiant PR
Composer Fred Coury's path to becoming a film and television composer is a fascinating one. Fred was the drummer for the rock band Cinderella and had an entire career as a rockstar before moving his focus to composition. Fred discusses his approach and process for the NBC series The Night Shift as well. We talk about the process of transitioning from being on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans to working alone in a studio. Fred talks about how his skills as a drummer and his background in classical composition helped him when he started writing to picture. Fred also shares the amazing story about how fellow rockstar Gene Simmons got him his first job as a composer to write for Gene's reality show. Fred's story is an inspiring one, and he brings an amazingly versatile background to the music he writes today.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Fred Coury Sabrina Hutchinson Defiant PR
Brian McOmber's voice as a composer is unique, but he has followed a similar path by coming from the world of being part of a band and now being in a career as a composer. Brian is the former drummer of the band Dirty Projectors, and now has built up a collaborative relationship with director Trey Edward Shults. Brian discusses his work on Trey's first feature titled Krisha, and now how he approached scoring It Comes At Night. Brian explains how he built the very layered and atmospheric score, and how he knows when a piece is finished when writing in that style. Brian talks about his background as a drummer and how he applied that to his skills as a composer. Brian's path to composing is an inspiring one, and he shares all the ins and outs of how he started his unexpected career as a film composer.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian McOmber Terra Lopez Terrorbird Media
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Geoff Zanelli is one of the most prolific and busy composers working in the industry. He is also one the kindest, hardest working and supremely talented people in this industry and his career is a reflection of that. We sit down to discuss it all, from the early days of cleaning the bathrooms at Media Ventures / Remote Control Productions, becoming John Powell's assistant, and all the way to helming Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Geoff recounts some amazingly fun stories from his films with David Koepp, working with David Duchovny, Into The West, The Pacific, the madness of The Lone Ranger and William Tell Overture, his history on the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and more. Geoff was in fact our very first interview ever on Film.Music.Media, so it was an honor to go all out here with this immensely inspiring All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Geoff Zanelli Zak McNeil Emilie Erskine Jordon Von Netzer Impact 24 PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access we dive into the world of two composers who have successfully established both a composing partnership as well as their own solo career paths. Elik Álvarez and Freddy Sheinfeld are behind some of the most popular animated series such as Ultraman: Tiga, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The two of them have also worked on fantastic nature documentaries hosted by the great David Attenborough including Kingdom Of Plants, Galapagos, Micro Monsters and David Attenborough’s Conquest of The Skies. While Elik and Freddy frequently work together with the amazing Joel Douek, it’s their bond and friendship over the years that has made their story a unique one. They are both from Venezuela but didn’t even realize they were both from the same country at first until others told them. Hear their unique journey of moving to Los Angeles, getting their degrees, going through composing bootcamp by composing for animated series such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, starting their own company and still maintaining their careers as solo composers. Elik and Freddy are two extremely talented musical voices, and their insights shine an amazing light on what it’s like to carve your own path in this industry.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Elik Álvarez Freddy Sheinfeld Beth Krakower The Krakower Group
Composer Cris Velasco is one of the most respected and in-demand talents in the video game composing world. For this discussion we re-visit Cris’ own journey to becoming a composer and why he decided to start his career with a focus on vide game composition. We chat about the different techniques and approaches Cris uses when he writes music including letting the music play in loops around his house while he does chores so he can see if any of his melodies become annoying or irritating. We dive into Cris’ recent projects such as his involvement in Overwatch, the approach he took while working on Resident Evil 7 and his new series Dimension 404 which airs on Hulu. Dimension 404 is a unique anthology series that follows in the footsteps of classic series like The Twilight Zone where episodes are a standalone story requiring a different style of music for each narrative. Cris is one of the most fun and creative minds in the business and it was so great to get a glimpse into his world once again!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Cris Velasco Greg O’Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Composer Vivek Maddala has created wonderful scores in the world of film, especially in documentary filmmaking. Hear about his unique background where he was on the path to becoming a scientist, and was extremely successful in his field when he felt the call of composing pull him into that career path. Vivek talks about his approach and techniques to scoring, and we dive into his recent project which is scoring The Tom And Jerry Show which airs on Cartoon Network. We discuss the amazing history of Tom And Jerry and how the original series' style of scoring cartoon shorts has lived on through the years. Vivek talks about how he approaches this modern take on the classic cartoon duo, and how he focuses on keeping the traditions of Scott Bradley and "mickey-mousing" slapstick alive, while still adding character and thematic touches. Vivek shares some amazing and fun insights in this great discussion!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Vivek Maddala Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
Composer Heather Christian is behind the score to the acclaimed Sundance hit Lemon! Lemon is directed by Janicza Bravo and stars Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Nia Long, Rhea Perlman Martin Starr, Megan Mullally and many more. Heather enters the film music industry as a fresh voice bringing a unique background and passion to the field. Hear her path to becoming a composer and how she tackled working on a unique film like Lemon. Heather also shares her personal views as a female composer starting her career in a male-dominated profession.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Heather Christian Brielle Schiavone The Music Sales Group
Composer Fil Eisler takes some time to discuss two of his recent projects with CHiPs and Newtown. Fil talks about his unique path to film composing and how his love of playing in bands meshed with orchestral music. We dive into Newtown which revolves around the Sandy Hook tragedy. Fil discusses the role of documentary filmmaking and how it can help start a conversation about an important subject such as gun control. We also discuss CHiPs and how Fil worked with director Dax Shephard to create a score with both band elements and orchestral action. The whole goal of CHiPs was to stay away from the conventional "studio rock" sound that is in modern R-rated comedies these days. Fil is one of our favorite guests and it was so great to have him back to catch up on his recent projects.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Fil Eisler Jason Kim Allie Bloxberg CW3PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Jeff Rona returns to join us once again on another episode of All Access. We visit Jeff at his studio to discuss his newest score to the film Veeram, an Indian film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Jeff walks us through the journey of scoring a major Indian blockbuster and why they sought out an American composer for the film. Jeff walks us through some of the score including the thematic structure as well as how 3 versions of the score exist since the film was shot in 3 languages, shot not dubbed. Beyond that we discuss some broader subjects such as working with directors and navigating working relationships with all the different personalities out there. Jeff also shares his love for world instruments and how he utilizes certain sounds in his music. Also hear how Jeff learned some basic scoring fundamentals when he visited his friend who happened to be scoring hardcore porn at the time. Jeff is a treasure trove of amazing insight and fun conversation and it was an honor to have him back on as a guest.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Rona Kelly Seal Cody Johnson
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access we are incredibly honored to be welcoming Klaus Badelt. Klaus quickly rose to prominence while working under great composers such as Hans Zimmer and Michael Kamen. Hear Klaus share what led him to pursue film music as a career, and stories from some of his most beloved scores. We dive into such scores as Ned Kelly, The Time Machine, Beat The Drum, Invincible, The Pledge, Rescue Dawn and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Klaus shares details about the hectic journey of working on the first Pirates Of The Caribbean, what Werner Herzog is like as a director, living in China to compose The Promise and the 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony, the bizarre experience of working on Basic with John McTiernan, and the approach he took on his newest score to The Warrior’s Gate. Klaus has built an amazing career and has always continually pursued new opportunities that appealed to him, from composing for French cinema to starting his own tech company with Kinonation. Klaus' current focus is with his company Kinonation where he is solving the issue of worldwide distribution by letting content makers keep ownership of their content while getting it front of a wide audience via top streaming companies such as Amazon, Hulu and Netflix for no cost. We hope you enjoy this fantastic discussion with the kind, passionate and talented Klaus Badelt.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Klaus Badelt
Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe are two composers who have produced exemplary work early on in their careers. Both Jacob and Jasha got their starts working with some of the most notable composers working today including Steve Jablonsky, Lorne Balfe and of course Hans Zimmer. The two of them found themselves working together when BBC Earth came knocking on the doors of Bleeding Fingers Music with their new show Planet Earth II. Hear Jacob and Jasha share their backgrounds and paths to film composing, and hear them discuss their approach to scoring Planet Earth II. They talk about the Bleeding Fingers Music model and how it has become a new platform for composers to become attached to some amazing projects. Go in-depth into how they split scoring duties on Planet Earth II, and the approach they took to scoring a massive TV nature documentary series. Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe have already carved their own paths as musical storytellers early in their career, and Planet Earth II further demonstrates their talents. This interview shines a light on two emerging talents who without a doubt have many more stories to tell.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jacob Shea Jasha Klebe Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
Composer and producer Justin Freer has turned his passion and love for film music and channeled it into one of the premiere companies dedicated to live film music concerts in the world. As a co-founder of CineConcerts, Justin discusses what pursued him to focus his passion into bringing some of the most beloved and respected scores of all time to venues around the world. We discuss the challenges of adapting a score to be performed live to picture in its entirety. Justin shares some insights into how he keeps the orchestra perfectly in sync to picture and how they adapt certain scores that may utilize synth sounds. We also discuss the importance of film music concerts and why he believes there’s been a sudden surge of interest in live to picture concerts around the world. Justin is one of the brightest and most passionate people you’ll hear speak, and his work in bringing classic scores to a modern audience is something that continues to be cherished by audiences worldwide.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Justin Freer Andrew P. Alderete CineConcerts
Composer Lesley Barber takes some time to share her journey to becoming a composer and some insights into her process. Lesley's talents and versatility have brought us memorable scores to films such as Hysterical Blindness, Mansfield Park, You Can Count On Me, and recently the critically-acclaimed Manchester By The Sea. We chat about her process for Manchester By The Sea including reconnecting with writer/director Kenneth Lonergan for their second film together. Lesley explains how she came up with the inspiration to utilize vocals in her score, and how she navigated a heavy subject matter as well as source music. Lesley also gives her views on her score being rejected from Oscar consideration due to the use of classical pieces in the film. Lesley's unique style and strong talents as a musical storyteller make this a fun and fascinating interview for all.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lesley Barber Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access we are joined by composer Mark Mancina whose career has given us some of the most iconic scores of our generation. Mark takes us through his path to becoming a composer as well as his approach to some of his most memorable scores. We discuss Speed and how Mark worked with director Jan de Bont to craft the now iconic action score. Hear the stories behind some of his other scores such as Bad Boys, Twister, Con Air, Moll Flanders, Blood+, August Rush, Planes and Moana. Mark also shares why working with Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay was a challenge, and why he decided to walk away from Bad Boys II. Also hear Mark talk about the challenges of bringing The Lion King to life as a musical. Mark's career has given us some amazing scores that spanned across so many genres, and each of them special in their own way. Enjoy this fascinating and fun interview with one of the most respected and influential composers in the industry.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mark Mancina Marlon Espino
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Henry Jackman returns as a guest on Film.Music.Media, this time for an All Access interview that takes us through his entire career including his approach for Kong: Skull Island. Hear how Henry found his path to becoming a film composer by finding a passion in traditional classical music as well as hard electronic rave music in Europe. Henry talks about his time working in pop music and how Hans Zimmer ended up convincing him to move to Los Angeles and pursue film composing. We cover a variety of topics including how to work with demanding directors like Paul Greengrass, where the first note comes from, dealing with criticism, composing for Disney and Marvel, and much more. So pour a glass of Scotch and enjoy the fine charm and humor of the great Henry Jackman.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman Matt Justmann Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
It's 10pm at Remote Control Productions, the clock is ticking, and composer Dominic Lewis has to make the finishing touches on his score for The Man In The High Castle: Season 2. Join us on this episode of All Access where we take a completely different approach by simply watching Dom work his magic. Get an amazing and unprecedented look as we sit down next to Dom in the final hours before the score is delivered, and get a first-hand look at the mammoth undertaking of writing a score for a rich and detailed TV series like The Man In The High Castle. Dom plays host and will entertain you with his charm and wit as he goes through his thought process and workflows in an All Access episode that is sure to delight and educate in equal measure.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Dominic Lewis Daniel Futcher
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
In this very special episode of All Access we sit down with Oscar-nominated actor and musician John Hawkes. John is mostly known for his work as one of the finest character actors of his generation, but his passions and talents reach beyond film as music has been part of his life from his youth up till now. We sit down and explore John's path to acting and music. John goes into amazing detail about his acting methods and approaches to some of his most memorable roles. John discusses his latest film, Too Late which was shot on 35mm and filmed in five 20-minute single takes. John also wrote the original song "Down With Mary", which his character sings in the film. Listen to John share stories like acting with Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone, the approach to doing nude scenes with Helen Hunt in The Sessions, and performing in his band Rodney & John. So, sit back and relax as we examine the craft of acting and songwriting with the one and only John Hawkes.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Production Company: Vanishing Angle (www.vanishingangle.com) Producer: Matt Miller Director Of Photography: Kelly King Camera Operator: Tory Harder Editor: Tory Harder
Special Thanks: John Hawkes Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications Vanishing Angle
When you talk about young talent in the industry, it's impossible not to mention Justin Hurwitz who has already demonstrated his amazing abilities as a storyteller so early in his career. In this interview, Justin talks about his background and how he set himself on the path to becoming a film composer. Hear his fascinating insight including how he met director Damien Chazelle in college, how he paid the bills by writing scripts for sitcoms like The League and The Simpsons, and how he learned from all the mistakes he made on his first feature. We discuss how he learned through making mistakes on Damien Chazelle's first feature, Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench which was also a musical. Then learning more on Whiplash before tackling the modern musical once again with La La Land. Justin dissects his process including how he wrote both the score and the music to the songs in the film, as well as working with lyricists Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. The whole music process on La La Land took 2 years and we talk about Justin's workflow through it all. Justin Hurwitz is such an incredible storyteller and personality, and it was immensely inspiring to hear his story and approach to one of 2016's most critically-acclaimed films.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Justin Hurwitz Albert Tello LTLA Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access, we sit down with composer Abel Korzeniowski whose rich orchestral style has quickly made him one of the most respected and in-demand auteur composers working in the industry. Abel shares his background and how he found the path to film composing. We also discusses how he moved from his native country of Poland to the United States to pursue his career further. We examine Abel's scores throughout his career and what it was like working with different directors such as Tom Ford and Madonna, including specific approaches to many of Abel's scores like Nocturnal Animals and Penny Dreadful. We also discuss electronics in music and what their role is in the music he writes. All in all this is a great all-encompassing discussion with such an incredible talent and person. Abel continues to breath life into the projects he works on, and it's a real pleasure to have him as a guest on this episode of All Access!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Fernando Velázquez Jana Davidoff Gabriella Belzer CW3PR
Composer Fernando Velázquez's talents and style as a musical storyteller has given us some amazing scores such as The Orphanage, Mama, The Impossible and Crimson Peak among many others. Recently, Fernando continues his collaboration with director J.A. Bayona with A Monster Calls as well as with the fantasy adventure Zip & Zap And The Captain's Island (Zipi y Zape y la Isla del Capitán). Fernando talks about about his background and how he never remembers a time that he didn't want to write film scores. We discuss the differences between Spanish and American cinema, his relationship with J.A. Bayona, how he approached scoring A Monster Calls, and is posed with the question of "will we hear a Fernando Velázquez score for Jurassic World 2?" Fernando's music has brought the films he has scored to vivid and emotional life, and it's an enlightening delight to hear him speak about his craft.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Fernando Velázquez Jana Davidoff Gabriella Belzer CW3PR
Composer Michael A. Levine takes time to discuss his background and journey to film composing as well as his score to the powerful and critically acclaimed documentary, Landfill Harmonic. Michael takes us through his path to becoming a composer including performing on the street, creating one of the most recognizable advertising jingles of all-time (KitKat, "give me a break"), working with Harry Gregson-Williams, working with Hans Zimmer and developing his own career as a composer with hit series such as Cold Case. Michael is one of the industry's most beloved talents whose passion continues to inspire.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Michael A. Levine Jana Davidoff Gabriella Belzer CW3PR
Dive into a fun and inspiring chat with composer Joby Talbot. Joby's diverse career and versatile talents have led to a multitude of memorable scores such as for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Penelope, Son Of Rambow and now Sing. We discuss Joby's path to film scoring and how he approaches certain genres of films. We delve into Sing, which is the newest film from Illumination Entertainment who brought us Despicable Me and Minions. Joby talks about the challenge of creating a score for a film that has pop songs and musical numbers throughout. He also discusses his ongoing collaboration with director Garth Jennings across the films they have worked on together. Joby brings his unique voice as a composer into all of his music and it was such a blast to dissect his process with him.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joby Talbot Jana Davidoff Andrew Cohen CW3PR
Composer Mario Savigny takes some time to talk about his recent score to the Crackle original series, The Art Of More which stars Christian Cooke, Kate Bosworth, Cary Elwes and Dennis Quaid. Beyond that, Mario discusses his background and path to film composing including his techniques and approaches. Mario also discusses being a composer based out of Canada and how you can build a career in the industry when not being located in Hollywood. A fantastic and informative chat with a composer who brings a fresh voice to the industry.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mario Sevigny Jordan Von Netzer CW3PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access we are so honored to be joined by the simply amazing Alan Silvestri. Alan's work as a composer truly needs no introduction as he has given us some of the most iconic scores of all-time. We discuss his background and path to composing, and how his beginning in jazz led him to end up working on small productions. He recounts the first time he ever met Robert Zemeckis, and how he came onboard to score Romancing The Stone. Alan continues to take us through his career highlights including Back To The Future, Forrest Gump, Predator, Cast Away and also his most current score to Robert Zemeckis' Allied. Hear stories such as how the Predator scoring sessions failed to come together in Europe and how he had to re-record in Los Angeles, or how Alan sat with Robert Zemeckis through the first half of Cast Away and could not find a moment he felt that needed score, and Alan opens up about the time he was hired on Pirates Of The Caribbean but was ultimately replaced. We even talk about how Alan and his family decided to start a winery up in Carmel where they live. Alan Silvestri is truly one of the warmest, kindest and most interesting human beings you'll ever meet. Enjoy a truly special discussion with one of the industry's most beloved composers.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Alan Silvestri Sandra Silvestri
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access we sit down with the fantastically talented and insightful John Frizzell. John’s immense and versatile filmography gave us many things to discuss as we talk about how John grew up with music all around him, and how that lead to the path of becoming a film composer. John discusses many of his past projects including working with Mike Judge on Beavis & Butthead Do America, Office Space and King Of The Hill. We delve into horror/thriller scores such has John’s score to Alien: Resurrection, and his views on how composers can easily be typecast in the industry. Some other great insights shared include scoring Dante’s Peak and the role that James Newton Howard had in getting him the job, and how he used James’ theme. We also discuss John’s recent score to When The Bough Breaks, and how he handled the tone and approach to that film compared to his other work in the thriller/horror genre. John’s fantastic insight and reflections on his work are all captured here on another wonderful All Access interview.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Frizzell Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
Greg Edmonson has brought his charm and big personality as a human being, and has infused that into his music. His scores carry his voice and style yet adapt easily to the films, shows and games that he scores. Greg’s versatility has brought us amazing gems such as fan favorite Firefly, the first 3 games in the Uncharted franchise and Mike Judge’s King Of The Hill. Greg takes some time to reflect on his background and tells us what it was like growing up in Texas, and how he found the path to being a composer. We look back on his iconic scores and talk about the state of film music today. Greg even gives his opinion on how he feels about not scoring the latest Uncharted game. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more genuine, kind and positive composer in this industry like Greg, and it was a pure joy to catch up again as he returns as a guest here on Film.Music.Media.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Greg Edmonson Greg O’Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this All Access we have an intimate chat with the one and only Nick Glennie-Smith. We sat on Nick's patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a breezy and beautiful California day with cups of tea to discuss his varied career in music and film. Nick takes us back to his childhood growing up in the UK and how he formed early relationships and his love of gear that led him down a path that would eventually lead him to Hollywood. Nick shares some amazing stories that paint the picture of the origins of his friendships with other notable composers such as Richard Harvey, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. We discuss all his films including those he composed for Randall Wallace, and iconic 90's action films like The Rock. Beyond that Nick talks about his career as a conductor and the role he plays during recording sessions, what he still hopes to accomplish in his career as a composer and so much more. Nick's optimism and warmth as a person are treasured characteristics in this industry, and to hear his story and insights is a true pleasure that should shine a light on a composer whose musical body of work means so much to so many.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nick Glennie-Smith Stéphane Humez
Separately they are known as Taylor Newton Stewart and Andy Grush, together they are known as The Newton Brothers. And together they have become one of the most unique and accomplished sounds in Hollywood as they continue to add their unique musical storytelling talents to the films they score. Unfortunately due to a last minute composing emergency, Taylor was unable to join us for this chat. But thankfully Andy was able to give us some amazing insight into the duo's history and how they joined to form a partnership. We go into great detail about composing with a partner, and how they split duties. Beyond that we focus on their approach for their new score to Ouija: Origin Of Evil and how they have built an amazing collaboration with director Mike Flanagan over the course of many films. In the spirit of Halloween, Andy gives us his opinion on what makes a good horror score and discusses how for Ouija that they only used instruments from the era the film takes place in. Then they recorded the score in Nashville in a studio built into a renovated 100-year old church. Some amazing and fun insights here, and a glimpse into a great creative partnership that's doing some fantastic things.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Photo Credit: Berliner Images - Universal Pictures
Special Thanks: Andy Grush Taylor Newton Stewart Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
Composer Darren Fung whose varied projects over the years have led to him composing many versatile scores from documentaries such as Lost Years, to the Jay Baruchel starring dramedy Just Buried and small indie darlings like Summerhood. One of his most recent scores is to the documentary mini-series, The Great Human Odyssey which displays his amazing talents as a storyteller capable of emotions from big to small. We chat about Darren's background growing up in Canada and how he found the path to film composing. We go into great detail about his work on The Great Human Odyssey, and Darren shares insights about being an "orchestra guy", and how he always pushes for an orchestra on his scores. Darren gives so much great and fun insight especially to composers looking to find ways to push for an orchestra in today's increasingly digital world.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Darren Fung Andrew Cohen CW3PR
Composer Chad Seiter has quickly become a premiere voice in the realm of film, TV and video game composing. Chad takes some time to discuss his path to becoming a composer from his early beginnings, to becoming Michael Giacchino's assistant and to now helming blockbuster games such as ReCore. Chad's path and background makes him unique in that he's one of the few young composers out there who is fully at home working with the orchestra. We talk about everything he's learned from Michael Giacchino, the state of video game scores over the past few years, and how he tried to incorporate orchestra as much as possible into the sound of ReCore. Chad provides such amazing insight and detail, and it was such a blast having him as a guest!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Chad Seiter Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Iconic composer and musician Harold Faltermeyer takes some time to chat about his varied career as well as his upcoming autobiography. Harold has ventured into many areas of music from collaborating with the likes of Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer to composing iconic scores to films like Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun. Harold takes us into great depth about his career and varied works including his recent autobiography as well as his new musical titled Oktoberfest: The Musical. Harold gives us a great window into his creative process and thoughts about music, and we are so honored to have him as a guest.
Interview Conducted By: Michael Hollands
Special Thanks: Harold Faltermeyer Birgitt Wolff Wolffpromotion
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Theodore Shapiro sits down and talks in great depth about his career and recent works in this episode of All Access. Shapiro's filmography is unique in that his scores always seem to transcend genre boundaries and focus solely on the characters and emotional arcs no matter if the movie incorporates comedy, action, horror or drama. We talk at lengths about how he aspired to be a composer and that film composition came later down the road. The topic of typecasting comes up and Theodore talks about why it seems he tackles lots of comedies and action/comedies. We go into great lengths about building relationships and working with directors such as David Mamet, Ben Stiller and John Hamburg. Theodore also discusses his approach for certain films like The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Spy and his most recent score to Ghostbusters. We also touch upon the controversial backlash towards the new Ghostbusters and Theodore shares his whole view on the situation. Theodore Shapiro is such a great talent and a composer who has been able to build a unique sound as a storyteller whose music is admired by many. It was a great honor to have him as a guest.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Theodore Shapiro
Composer Jay Wadley has quickly garnered attention has he demonstrates his unique voice as a composer and storyteller. Jay gained experience composing College Humor shorts as well as a selection of short films. He has also worked as an additional composer on the hit FOX TV series Lie To Me. In this interview we discuss his score to James Schamus' Indignation including how he got involved on the film, his approach to a period film and the challenge of finding the right tone. This is a fantastic and insightful chat with a composer who has managed to build a budding career very quickly all the while planting his roots in New York City.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jay Wadley Chandler Poling Maike Eilert White Bear PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
While there are a select few filmmakers who have the ability to wear multiple hats behind the scenes, there is only one amazingly talented and versatile John Ottman. On this episode of All Access we sit down with a truly special film composer who just also happens to be a film editor, film producer and film director as well. John's fun and witty personality shines through as we examine his career from the start. We discuss great topics like working with Bryan Singer, how he was offered to direct Urban Legends: The Final Cut and if he would direct again, why he only edits Bryan Singer's films, working on X-Men and the path of the franchise, and much more. John reveals the challenges of balancing personal and work life, how he was typecast into being the dark horror and thriller composer, his true love of animation scoring and his views on X-Men as a metaphor for gay rights and equality. We discuss so much here that it truly becomes a fascinating and fun exploration of filmmaking as a whole from scoring, producing, editing and directing John Ottman takes us through his enlightening and inspiring creative processes.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Ottman
Composer Chris Hajian's talent and versatility can be heard in films like The Take, Yonkers Joe, First Position and now The Infiltrator among many other great projects. He is reconnecting with director Brad Furman for the new crime thriller starring Bryan Cranston. We chat about Chris' approach to the film including how he aimed to make the score feel vintage but not distinctly of the time period. Chris also discusses many other topics like why ambient scoring can be more appropriate versus using melodies, why he thinks there is too much music in modern films, and how he was able to build a successful career in his hometown of New York City when many people only see Los Angeles as the film capital of the world. Chris is such an inspiring composer, and getting a little glimpse into his processes is extremely enlightening. It was such a pleasure to have Chris return as a guest.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Chris Hajian Chandler Poling Maike Eilert White Bear PR
Composer Hélène Muddiman has brought her unique sounds and talents as a storyteller to many different films and TV series over the years. Her work on notable films like the drama Skin, the documentary Hair and reality series The Only Way Is Essex showcased her great versatility. Hélène also worked with John Powell on his scores for Happy Feet 2 and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Her most recent score is to the drama Bliss!, about a young girl searching for her unknown father. Here we discuss her upbringing and how she found film music, her work on Bliss!, working with directors, being able to sympathize emotionally with characters, and how important it is to have role models in life as you pursue your passion.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Hélène Muddiman Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
Photo Credit: Ray Meese
Nicolas Winding Refn and Cliff Martinez are one of the best director/composer duos working in the industry, and are bringing the spotlight back to auteur filmmaking in a time where studio-curated franchises dominate theaters. The two have worked together on Drive and Only God Forgives, and The Neon Demon marks their third collaboration together. In this unique interview we get to hear from both Nicolas and Cliff together. We discuss how they met, why they work so well together, what it means to be an auteur in today's industry and their process for working on The Neon Demon. Enjoy this short but sweet interview from two auteurs who are blazing their own path.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nicolas Winding Refn Cliff Martinez Beth Krakower The Krakower Group
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
For this episode of All Access, we sit down with the amazing Jeff Rona for a deep conversation about his career, his projects and the current state of the industry. Jeff talks us through his early beginnings and how he gained experience as a ghost writer for composers, we candidly discuss the ghost writing process and his views on the helpfulness of it to young composers. We discuss White Squall, which was Jeff's first big score and how nervous he was when he had to present music to Ridley Scott. We also discuss The Regatta Suite, which Jeff composed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the journey behind it. We also go into great detail with Jeff's current score to Season 2 of Powers, which is available on the Playstation Network. The conversation of superheroes pops up, and why they are relevant in today's pop culture. We dive into all those topics and more with one of the best and most versatile composers working today. Enjoy!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Rona Kelly Seal
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of Film.Music.Media: All Access we visit composer Lyle Workman whose sound and skills have essentially defined a whole genre of modern comedy. We talk about his musical career as a session musician and how it all led to film composing when a chance encounter ended up nabbing him the job to score The 40 Year Old Virgin. We discuss working with Judd Apatow including on the new Netflix series Love. We discuss his approach to comedy such as his work on Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. Lyle talks about how the industry can typecast composers, and the challenges of trying to show off your range in other genres. Lyle has carved a defining path and sound in comedy scoring in an era where the “R-rated” adult comedy reigns supreme, and getting his insight makes this interview fascinating and fun.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lyle Workman Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
Composer Victor Reyes takes some time to chat about his recent score to the miniseries adaptation of John le Carré's The Night Manager. We talk about Victor's path to film composing and his approach to the craft. We go into detail about scoring The Night Manager and how he approached scoring the miniseries. We discuss some of John le Carré's other novels that have been adapted and the challenge that comes with scoring a John le Carré story given their dense plots and character arcs. Victor also shares some differences and similarities between Spanish and American cinema. It's a great honor having the passionate and talented Victor Reyes as a guest!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Victor Reyes Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Heitor Pereira returns as a guest to Film.Music.Media's All Access series. If you haven't checked out Heitor's first All Access interview, be sure to do so! This time around we discuss two of Heitor's recent projects that include The Angry Birds Movie and the documentary Sonic Sea. Get to hear and see Heitor's melodic process from conception all the way to the final product. Heitor demos his bird call flutes that he used to create the themes and melodies in The Angry Birds Movies then plays us a piece from his score. Following that we talk about his score to Sonic Sea, the powerful documentary examining noise pollution in our oceans and how it's killing mammal life underwater. Heitor plays us some samples from his score and his thought process behind the cue structures. We finish up by sitting down in Heitor's acoustic instrument room where he samples some of his favorite and most unique instruments that he uses to start melodic ideas and build sonic textures. It was such a pleasure to have Heitor Pereira be our first returning guest to the All Access series where this time it's definitely less talk and more play!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Heitor Pereira Leah Dennis Ray Costa Andrew P. Alderete Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Brian Tyler is one of our favorite guests here at Film.Music.Media, so it's an absolute joy and honor to have him be part of the All Access series. Get ready to experience a fully immersive and detailed interview focusing on Brian's path to film scoring plus many industry trends and his views on them. Brian shares that while music was his true passion, he never went to school for it and got his education in completely different fields. Brian grew up in a family surrounded by music and film, and that left its mark on him very early. We talk about the popularity of superhero films and why Brian believes they are as popular now as ever. Plus we discuss how after so many car chases and shootouts, how do you make action scoring unique and different each time you approach a new action film. We also discuss some of his upcoming projects like Criminal, Now You See Me 2 and his upcoming concert in London. Many of the other topics discussed include negative criticism, director relationships, scoring for ensemble casts of characters, interacting with his fans, balancing business and creativity, performing live and his alternate artist name Madsonik. If you were ever looking for the definitive interview with Brian Tyler, then you found it!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler Marissa Fernandez Seth Glennie-Smith
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Fil Eisler has quickly become one of the most versatile and sought after composers working in the industry. His range for storytelling can be heard in almost any genre such as TV shows like Revenge and Empire, and in films like Newtown and How To Be Single. This All Access is truly special as we welcome back Fil to Film.Music.Media and converse with one of the most fun personalities in the composing world. Fil talks about his childhood, being born Czechoslovakia and then his family moving to England at a very early age. We discuss industry trends such as reboots and remakes since Fil is currently working on CHiPs based off the classic TV series. Fil gives insight to the challenge of scoring comedies as well. We then go into great detail on his work on the powerful documentary, Newtown. Newtown is an emotional look at how the community of Newtown came together following the tragedy of the Sandy Hook mass shootings. It's a heavy subject, and Fil talks about how he ended up wanting to bring 17 composers together to work on the score to symbolize a community. Gun control is a passionate subject for Fil, and we talk about how he hopes the documentary will spark a debate to better society. We touch upon violence in film and television, and some grand overall views of what the film industry is doing right these days and possibly what they are doing wrong. Even though the subject matter is heavy at times, this is one of the most enlightening and engaging All Access interviews on Film.Music.Media. And it was such a great pleasure to sit down with Fil Eisler once again.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Fil Eisler Jana Davidoff CW3PR
One of the most prominent and rewarding director/composer relationships in recent years has been with legendary auteur director Terrence Malick and composer Hanan Townshend. Hanan takes some time to chat about his most recent collaboration with Malick for Knight Of Cups. Hanan tells the story of how he simply answered an ad for a composer for an unnamed director, and it just so happened to be for Terrence Malick. We discuss what it's been like working with one of the most secretive and reclusive directors of our time, and how Hanan approached scoring Knight Of Cups. Some of the challenges scoring a Malick film of course are that Hanan isn't scoring to picture, and has to navigate between Malick's use of classical pieces. Hanan provides some amazing insight here and talks about the discussions he and Malick had, and what Hanan wanted the music to accomplish. Hanan also sheds some light on Malick's upcoming projects. It was a true pleasure to welcome back such a fantastic composer to Film.Music.Media.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Hanan Townshend JC Chamboredon Milan Records
Kaveh Cohen & Michael Nielsen are two composers who are paving a path by bringing new approaches and unique sounds to their projects. The composing duo talks about their journey to becoming film composers and talk about how they met, and why they decided to form a partnership. We discuss how the two of them compliment each other's talents and the benefits of working with a composing partner. We speak briefly about Ninja Tracks, which is the production music company the two formed together. It's a whole different approach to the "production music library" model, and they are truly succeeding with their music in huge campaigns such as The Martian and Hardcore Henry. We dive into their score for Forza Motorsport 6 and all the challenges that come with scoring a racing game, and a franchise that is on its 6th entry. This is truly a fascinating and fun chat for anyone wanting to learn more about working relationships and how to truly bring emotional weight to the challenging genre of racing games.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Kaveh Cohen & Michael Nielsen Beth Krakower The Krakower Group
Composer Sven Faulconer takes some time to talk about his recent score to Blood Father starring Mel Gibson. Over the past seven years, Sven has showcased his great talent by scoring several short films and documentaries. Sven has gained invaluable experience working on scores providing synth programming and/or additional music and arrangements on some of the biggest films in the industry. Through this, he was given the chance to perfect his talent working with some of the most high profile composers in the industry. From working as a scoring assistant on Ridley Scott's Robin Hood as well as Despicable Me at Remote Control Productions, to his current ongoing collaboration with James Newton Howard. Sven has worked on many of James' scores such as Nightcrawler, The Hunger Games, The Bourne Legacy, What Lives Inside, The Green Hornet, Snow White And The Huntsman, The Tourist, Maleficent, After Earth, Cncussion and many more.
Interview Conducted By: Michael Hollands
Special Thanks: Sven Faulconer
The talented and versatile Tree Adams has quickly made a name for himself by creating a unique voice and sound as a storyteller. Having Tree has a guest is a great pleasure as we discuss his unique path from performing in a band to focusing on the composing path. What sets Tree apart from other rockers is that he was classically trained when he was younger, which is now allowing him to take all his life experiences and craft some incredibly engaging music for film and television. We focus on Tree's score to the current season of The 100, which is the incredibly popular post-apocalyptic drama on The CW. The show is a dream canvass for a composer and Tree shares his approach to creating thematic arcs and building the sonic world. We touch on some of Tree's other scores such as Legends and Californication as he explores his approach over different genres. If you're a fan of The 100 be sure to find Tree Adams on twitter where he live-tweets every episode! It was a real treat and enlightening chat to delve into the musical world of Tree Adams.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tree Adams Sabrina Hutchinson Defiant PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Film.Music.Media: All Access is honored to welcome Harry Gregson-Williams as our guest. Harry has carved a path for himself in the industry by building one of the most unique sonic styles as a composer, and crafting some iconic working relationships with top directors. We discuss Harry's beginnings in England and how he went to a boarding school to be trained in a children's choir. As he grew older he found himself working with composer Richard Harvey, which led to a phone call from a German composer named Hans. Beyond his journey to the United States and setting up shop with Hans Zimmer then branching out on his own, we discuss in detail many of the approaches with the different directors Harry has worked with including the late Tony Scott. Harry talks about his love for teaching and why he decided to shutdown his mega studio and scale it back to a home studio to be near his family, and we also get an official word if he is scoring Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant or not. Harry is one of the true auteur composers working today and his sound is instantly recognizable, getting to sit down and experience his charm in person was a true joy.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Harry Gregson-Williams Stephanie Economou
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Composer Tim Wynn sits down with Film.Music.Media for another fantastic episode in the All Access series. Tim's work in video game, film and television composing has given us some amazing scores that have stood the test of time. We spend some time here focusing on Tim's newest score to the anticipated science fiction turn-based tactical game XCOM 2. Tim talks about how he wanted the score to feel retro yet modern at the same time and talks about being influenced by Blade Runner and other classic scores of the sci-fi genre. Beyond that, Tim talks about how he found his path to film scoring. And how he and his best friend composer Christopher Lennertz roomed together, schooled together and now opened up their own dream studio together. We delve into industry talk such as how to be creative and have a voice when you have so much pressure coming from your directors, producers and studio executives. Many other industry trends and approaches are also discussed in another fantastic All Access interview.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tim Wynn Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Composer David Newman takes some time to sit down and talk about his body of work, and how being born into one of the most recognized musical families ignited his love for the craft. David goes into detail discussing topics ranging from industry trends, schedules and his approach to film scoring. We also discuss the ideal composer/director relationship while working including his body of work with director Danny DeVito. We dive into his most recent score to 5 Flights Up, and the type of approach he took to the heart-warming film starring Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. David's career has been so rich and varied, and it has resulted in a body of work that has allowed fans worldwide to fall in love with his amazing music. It was a true pleasure to have him as a guest.
Interview Conducted By: Michael Hollands
Special Thanks: David Newman
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Film.Music.Media: All Access welcomes Joe Kraemer as we sit down in his studio and get talk all things film and film music with the Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation composer. Joe shares his path to film scoring including how be became friends with Christopher McQuarrie, which has led to one of the premiere director/composer collaborations in the industry. We delve into Joe's process for Rogue Nation including how he decided to not shy away from one of the most famous film and television themes of all time. We also get insight into the state of film music today, especially action film music. And Joe talks about his passion for The Beatles and how he decided to remaster and remix their entire catalogue just for fun. We talk video games and even Star Wars, including how the orchestra surprised Joe on his birthday while recording the Rogue Nation score. Joe's writing and storytelling is truly on a level of its own, and it was a real honor to have him back as a guest for All Access.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joe Kraemer
The wonderfully talented Roque Baños takes some time to chat about his recent score to Ron Howard's maritime epic In The Heart Of The Sea starting Chris Hemsworth. Roque shares talks about how he found his way to film scoring and bridge the gap from Spanish cinema to American cinema. We talk about his work on In The Heart Of The Sea and how he got the job through Hans Zimmer's recommendation and went on to build a score as big as the story. From rebuilding sections of the ship in the recording studio to finding the core emotional points, Roque gives us a fascinating look into his process.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Roque Baños Ray Costa Azalia Mendoza Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access, we get to sit down with one of the master auteur composers of video games. Inon Zur talks about his journey from Israel to the United States and how his dream of being a jazz musician took an unexpected turn when he discovered the world of video game music. Inon talks about his approach and process to scoring, and we go into detail for his most recent score to the massive worldwide sensation Fallout 4. Other topics include if the film industry looks down upon video games as a lesser art form, how to avoid being typecast and dealing with rejection as a composer. Inon is such a wonderful talent, and to get to a glimpse inside his world is a real treasure.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Inon Zur Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this "All Access" we sit down with Fargo composer Jeff Russo to examine his process and approach to scoring in intricate detail. Jeff tells us some wild stories about his initial path as a singer/songwriter and how that eventually led him to film and TV composing. We look into his work for Fargo specifically and what his approach for Season 2 was as he collaborated with show runner Noah Hawley. Jeff shares many amazing memories from his time on the road including a special moment that sticks in his mind more than any other. We also discuss juggling multiple projects at once, and what Jeff likes to do outside the studio when he has free time. Enjoy another supremely entertaining and informative episode of All Access with one of the best composers working in television.
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Russo Jana Davidoff Andrew Cohen CW3PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On this episode of All Access, we get to sit down with the extremely fun and talented Dominic Lewis. Dom worked with Henry Jackman on the score for the critically-acclaimed Amazon series The Man In The High Castle based on the classic novel by Philip K. Dick. Dominic gives us a fresh and unique perspective into the film music industry as he very quickly rose up the ranks at Remote Control Productions after working with such notable composers like Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer and John Powell. We discuss the benefits of taking that path for a young composer, and all the opportunities that he was able to make happen with it. Beyond discussing his approach for scoring The Man In The High Castle, we also discuss certain trends in the industry such as "binge watching". Dom talks about being a new Dad and how he must balance family life with work life, and how as a young composer what challenges come with trying to form your own identity and voice in the industry. Dominic is a notable composer on the rise, but has the insight and talents of a weathered veteran which makes this episode of All Access a supremely informative and fun one!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Dominic Lewis Chandler Poling Beth Krakower Krakower Poling PR
The talented and versatile Edwin Wendler takes some time to talk about the three spooky scores he cooked up this fall. Edwin shares his approach to the three horror scores Unnatural, I Spit On Your Grave: Vengeance Is Mine and his contribution to Tales Of Halloween which is a collection of shorts. We go deep into the horror genre as well as cover many other things revolving around the world of film scoring. It's a true pleasure to have Edwin return as a guest.
Interview Conducted By: Michael Hollands
Special Thanks: Edwin Wendler Krakower Poling PR
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Have you ever wanted to sit down for an hour and half with John Powell and really get to know him and his process fully? Well now you can with our latest installment in the All Access series. We cover everything from John's path into music and what really made him settle down to become a film composer. He takes us through his journey starting out working under Hans Zimmer in the 90's, including teaming up with Harry Gregson-Williams. John talks extensively about his methods and processes, and you'll really get to understand how he analyzes a scene or project. We talk about the state of the industry and why Hollywood's obsession with violence caused him to quit action movies and focus solely on animation. Hear fun little details from his scores across his career, such as when The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman lost a bet that ended up causing him some discomfort to his testicles (yep, it's a John Powell interview after all!).
In deep sincerity John describes in immense detail about the historical events of World War 1 that inspired him to take 2 years off of writing scores to focus on his concert piece, A Prussian Requiem which premieres March 2016 and will see an album release later that year. After hearing John speak about it, you will have a full understanding of what drove him to write it. John also shares why he continually tells himself that his music is not good enough and we explore where in terms of quality he is trying to reach. From his favorite drink to what he does outside of music, you'll experience John Powell like you never have before. It was a supreme honor to speak casually, intimately and in-depth about his life and career. Sit back and relax and enjoy the wonderful brilliant mix of genuine sincerity and sarcastic hilarity that is John Powell. Only on Film.Music.Media: All Access.
*John's latest score sees him returning to live-action with Pan. We don't discuss it in this interview, but if you'd like to hear John speak on his work on Pan please check out this other interview that FMM's Kaya Savas shot for the IFMCA where John speaks about Pan after accepting his IFMCA Award for How To Train Your Dragon 2. Search "Winners Speak John Powell".
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Powell Batu Sener
Composer Daniel Pemberton has very quickly established himself as one of the premiere and unique sounds of the film industry. His bold style and approach is on full display in Guy Ritchie's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. We dive right into his scoring process of the film, including how he got the job plus how Guy Ritchie as a director is very specific in his musical directions. Daniel talks about re-capturing the essence of 60's and 70's spy films and TV series such as the original The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, The Pink Panther and James Bond. He discusses the challenge of fulfilling Ritchie's request of delivering "a good track" and being able to make something to work as close to the edit as possible. His process on this film was a combination of following the edit as well as the edit following his music. We also discuss Ennio Morricone's influences in all his music, and of course if he could score Mission: Impossible or James Bond, which franchise would he choose? Daniel is such a wonderful talent and it was a blast to have him back on Film.Music.Media.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel Pemberton Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
The wonderfully talented and incomparable Richard Harvey takes some time to chat about his newest score to The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) that he co-scored with Hans Zimmer. Richard takes us on an enlightening journey about his career and his views on the industry. He shares why he decided to stay in the UK and still have a successful career as a composer and musician without having to relocate to Los Angeles. Richard also talks about his longtime friendship and working relationship with Hans, as well as how they scored The Little Prince together. Richard is one of the kindest and smartest composers in the industry and here he truly shares some fantastic and inspiring things.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Richard Harvey Nicolas Cabarrou Stéphane Humez
Christophe Beck's career is a prime example of versatility in a composer's storytelling ability. We dive into Ant-Man, which is Beck's most recent project. The film is a meshing of genres by being a superhero heist film that blends action with comedy. Before we dive into Ant-Man and writing the score to Marvel's newest onscreen superhero, Chris shares his path to film composing and his approach to genres like comedies and musicals. We also discuss the process of being a replacement composer or actually being the one replaced. Chris has been on both sides and shares his experience of being replaced on Terminator: Genisys as well as being the replacement on Edge Of Tomorrow. A fascinating and fun chat with one of the busiest and most versatile composers working today.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Christophe Beck Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
Our second episode of "All Access" finds us sitting with composer Heitor Pereira in his studio. We cover his approach to his colorful score to the worldwide sensation Minions, and how he tried to deconstruct his melodies from Despicable Me 1 & 2. Beyond that Heitor shares how he immigrated to the USA via a boat from Brazil all the way to New York City to begin his musical path. Other topics include his love for melodies, working with a temp, trying to break into other genres, and every angle of his unique approach to scoring. Heitor even breaks out a guitar to demo his melodic improvisation. We discuss the importance of hard work and support from the people around us as he tells us that his film music career wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the support of his friends and collaborators. Heitor is one of the most fun and passionate people in the world, and this in-depth and fascinating conversation opens up his world to us. Enjoy!
Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Heitor Pereira Ray Costa Albert Tello Sarah Childers Costa Communications
[Watch the video interview on our YouTube Channel]
On the first episode of "All Access" we visit Lorne Balfe at his studio to sit down and talk a bit about his score to Terminator: Genisys. The conversation evolves as we chat about the usage of very famous themes from past entries of a franchise, presenting music to directors and producers, composing music for action, big budget vs small budget filmmaking, scheduling, creativity, and even what the best late-night snacks are. Lorne also demos some music and rhythmic structures!
Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lorne Balfe Kelly Johnson Ray Costa Albert Tello Sarah Childers Costa Communications
"Film.Music.Media: All Access" is a brand new video series. We'll be taking you into the composer's studios to sit down and discuss not only recent projects, but deep and meaningful conversations about film music and the entire world of film. Each video interview will be uniquely different, will have a relaxed and organic approach, and offer a glimpse you don't get in our regular audio interviews.
Oscar-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal takes some time to chat about his newest score to Julie Taymor's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The unique take on the Shakespearean classic was performed live on stage, but was shot cinematically to be edited into a film. This presented Elliot with a completely new way of writing music. The film plays for a special one-night only event via Fathom Events on June 22nd at theaters around the country. Beyond that, Elliot also composed a 3-act ballet adaptation of Othello as well as another play directed by Julie Taymor starring Anne Hathaway called Grounded. Elliot discusses how he wrote the score for Grounded just from Anne Hathaway's voice. We also discuss his Symphony In G# Minor, which was released on CD/Digital last month. Elliot describes what goes through his mind when he writes a symphony vs film or stage. And finally Elliot gives his thoughts on the complaints Harry Gregson-Williams made when Michael Mann's Blackhat was released and to Harry's surprise had most of his score replaced. It's a true honor to have Elliot back on Film.Music.Media for another insightful and supremely interesting chat.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Elliot Goldenthal Jeff Sanderson Ryan Mazie Chasen & Company
Composer James S. Levine takes some time to talk about his background and how he found his path to film music. He talks about his early days working with Hans Zimmer and learning the ropes through that path. James reflects on his scores for American Horror Story and Glee, and discusses his evolving collaboration with showrunner Ryan Murphy dating all the way back to Nip/Tuck. James talks about working on the first 3 seasons of American Horror Story, and how he treats each one as its own thing. We chat about his work on Glee where he reveals his love for musical theater, and how he and the crew felt like they were back in high school making that show. James also mentions his current shows that are keeping him busy like The Last Ship (co-composed with James Dooley) and Rizzoli & Isles. A really fun chat with one of the premiere talents in film and television today.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: James S. Levine Jana Davidoff CW3PR
Mac Quayle takes some time to talk to us about his background and journey to film composing. Mac formed a close collaboration with Cliff Martinez and learned a lot working on many of Cliff's scores. He jumped into the spotlight by taking over on American Horror Story: Freak Show where he delivered a very unique and immersive score for that season's storyline. Mac continues his collaboration with Ryan Murphy as we discuss what he will be cooking up for Scream Queens premiering this fall. Mac also has done impressive work in films such as the documentary Autism In Love. A really informative and interesting chat with a great composer who has established his voice very quickly.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mac Quayle Jana Davidoff CW3PR
Composer Evan Roth takes some time to speak about his new feature score to the documentary Maree V. State. We also chat about how he began his path in music and how he pursued becoming a film and television composer. From his approaches and techniques, we cover how Evan takes on each new project. We also chat about his successful work in commercials where he describes how commercial scoring is some of the best training a composer can get. Enjoy this great interview with a bright young talent in the industry.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Evan Roth Brent Harvey
The awesome and talented Gabriel Mann chats Modern Family, Rectify and The Exes in this in-depth interview that explores Gabriel's background into film scoring and his current works. Gabriel shares his unconventional path to becoming a composer (by dropping out of med school), and candidly speaks on the hectic time of year known as pilot season. Gabriel has successfully walked away from pilot season with a handful of new shoes including Angel From Hell, Rosewood, Dr. Ben and School Of Rock. We talk about his upcoming work as well as his current slate. A supremely entertaining and informative interview with one of the most prominent and busiest composers working in television today.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Gabriel Mann Chandler Poling Krakower Poling PR
If Dominic Lewis is not on your radar, he should be. Dominic has been a go-to collaborator for some of Hollywood's biggest names including John Powell, Henry Jackman and Hans Zimmer. He is also one of the most impressive talents and voices as a composer in the industry. His premiere score to the hit animated film Free Birds instantly perked up everyone's ears. He was also behind the teen comedy The DUFF and now the big-screen adaptation of the hit series Spooks. US audiences may not know what Spooks (also known as MI-5) is, but the ever popular UK spy series aired for 10 seasons, and now has a big screen continuation starring Game Of Throne's Kit Harrington called Spooks: The Greater Good. Dominic and I chat about how he got the job (with a little help from his friend John Powell) and how he wanted to break the mold of the modern spy genre. Dominic shares all of his tricks of creating an organic electronic soundscape by recording modems, phones and mouse clicks for percussion. The score is refined and intense even in its subtle moments, and we chat about how happy he was as a composer to have a 100% locked picture to write to. It allowed Dominic to build longer tracks and cues without the worry of the edit changing, and therefore having the music fall out of place. We also chat about his upcoming Amazon Prime series The Man In The High Castle based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. Dominic co-composed the pilot (viewable on Amazon Prime) with his friend Henry Jackman. Now that the series has been picked up, he explains the thought process he's going through as he begins work on the rest of the season. Another fun and fascinating chat with one of the most prominent and on the rise composers in the industry.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Dominic Lewis Stéphane Humez
Even though Tom was a guest on Film.Music.Media very recently, we had to have him back to talk about his masterful score to Mad Max: Fury Road. Tom (also known as Junkie XL) shares the fantastic and rare approach he was able to do working with master auteur George Miller as he brought his classic Mad Max universe to a new audience. Tom worked 18 months on this score and was part of George Miller's collaborative process as he went back and forth scoring to picture as well as the picture shaping around his music. Tom shares how he came up with that descending main theme we heard in the trailers, and all the different layers he added to make the music work. Tom has also built a reputation as a mad music scientist by doing some always amazing sonic experiments on his scores. Here is no different as we discuss how he recorded animal noises (including his own dog) to give the bad guys an animalistic and tribal presence. We discuss it all, from Taiko drums to wailing guitars and mathematically precise action arcs. Mad Max: Fury Road is a masterwork of action scoring, and it's always a blast to dig into the process with the fantastic Tom Holkenborg.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tom Holkenborg Ray Costa Albert Tello Asenath Nakayama Costa Communications
Tom Kingston and Joe Wilson are the UK-based musician/composing duo that may be better known for their amazing and unique songs in the electronic genre, but they are prominent new voices in the composing world as well. Tom unfortunately couldn't join us, but here Joe Wilson takes some time to chat about their score to the BBC/HBO co-production of The Casual Vacancy. This miniseries is adapted from the critically praised novel by J.K. Rowling. Joe describes one of the most inspiring and creatively liberating scoring processes you will hear about that is pretty much non-existent in Hollywood today. The duo traveled up and down the English and Irish countryside where the story takes place well before production started. There they recorded soundscapes, melodies and organic sounds with the local people and locations to build the score for The Casual Vacancy. This then became the blueprint for the show. Joe sharing their wonderful journey on this project is an amazing story and a must-listen for all aspiring filmmakers and composers. And it was great to hear from such a unique musical talent who is breathing a fresh sense of style and composition into film and television. Be sure to catch The Casual Vacancy on HBO/HBO Go/HBO Now and hear Solomon Grey's unique and emotionally infused score at work.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joe Wilson Chandler Poling Krakower Poling PR
Brian Tyler is one of the most in-demand and talented composers working in the industry today. His incredible style and strong voice as an auteur in the field has helped bring us some of the most memorable high-octane and emotionally infused scores in recent years. Brian joins us for the 6th time here on Film.Music.Media to talk about his two recent scores to Furious 7 and Avengers: Age Of Ultron. We waste no time and dive right into Furious 7. Brian discusses how the series has lasted so long and what he does musically to fight off "franchise fatigue". Since the score is a hybrid of both electronics and orchestra, we talk about how Brian writes either for the orchestra first or builds the synth work first. We talk about the emotional experience it was for him writing a goodbye for Paul Walker, as the series builds a touching send-off not only for the character of Brian but for Paul. Then we dive into Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Brian explains why Danny Elfman was brought onto the project so late in the game, and how that led to one of the most unconventional yet rewarding collaborations. Since the film was so narratively huge and constantly evolving, it was a challenge even for a Marvel veteran such as Brian. Brian explains how continuity was the biggest factor for him, and how he wanted to bring references to his Iron Man and Thor scores as well as Captain America. He pushed to make sure Silvestri's original Avengers theme was there to remain as the all-encompassing motif for the group. We end by talking about Brian's upcoming slate which sees him returning for Now You See Me: The Second Act and most likely to return for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. Also, we hypothetically talk about if Brian were to reunite with his Fast 5 director, Justin Lin for Star Trek 3. Another fun and informative chat with Brian who is keeping the classic orchestral adventure style of scoring alive in the modern action landscape.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler Jeff Sanderson Ryan Mazie Chasen & Company
Photo Credit: Joanne Leung
If you're a fan of Robert Rodriguez then you know Carl Thiel's music well. Carl has been a part of Robert's creative fold for many many years now, and has become the most prominent aspect of a Robert Rodriguez film's soundscape. Carl started working with Robert all the way back on Spy Kids 3-D, and since then has co-composed scores like Shorts, Spy Kids 4, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, Machete Kills and Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. Carl talks about his collaborative relationship with Robert and how it has evolved and grown over the years. Since Robert is a musician and a composer himself, it's one of the most interesting Director/Composer collaborations in the industry. Rodriguez recently launched his own TV network called El Rey, and for its flagship series he called on his friend and collaborator Carl to take the helm. Carl talks about his musical approach for From Dusk Till Dawn and how he wanted it to both touch on the original cult classic film, but also give it a more emotional spin while still having fun with the genre. From the instrumentation and how he chose to do a less thematic structure, Carl talks about what the music needed to do for the story. We also talk about Carl's score to the upcoming docudrama, The Teller And The Truth. Hearing Carl's voice as a composer grow over the years has led him to become one of the more bold and stylistically engaging composers working today, and it was great to have him back as a guest.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Carl Thiel
Grammy and Emmy-nominated composer Jeff Russo takes some time to talk about his expansive slate of projects for 2015. Jeff has quickly become one of the most in-demand composers for television with shows like Fargo, CSI: Cyber, Power, The Returned, Battle Creek, and the upcoming mini-series Tut starring Ben Kingsley. Jeff also has two upcoming features called Surface starring Sean Astin and the Wilt Chamberlain Biopic titled Wilt. Jeff talks about the importance of scheduling and how his current slate was able to happen purely out of luck where none of the production schedules overlapped. Jeff goes into detail about how each of these different shows and genres stimulates different creative parts of his brain since the narratives vary greatly. We discuss the importance of season long arcs for certain shows, while something more serial like CSI needs to be treated a bit differently. Jeff also talks about still playing with his band that he co-founded and how performing and songwriting scratches a completely different creative itch. We also get to hear how far along he is on Fargo: Season 2, and when we might expect the series to return. It's so great to have Jeff back as a guest and always an immense pleasure to chat with him.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Russo Jana Davidoff CW3PR
Composer Nathaniel Levisay takes some time to speak about his newest score to The Toy Soldiers; a film that follows a group of teens in the 1980's over the course of one night. Nathaniel talks about his upbringing and how he discovered his love for music and eventually film scoring. We chat about his work on the film, and how he approached scoring a period film where the music of the time was so iconic in its sound. From what sparks the first note to being inspired by colors, we chat about how the score was meant to function in The Toy Soldiers. Nathaniel discusses the challenges and the rewards of working on a picture like this, and reflects on how growing up in the 80's allowed him to connect to it. Nathaniel Levisay has quickly established a unique voice in the industry, and has demonstrated a masterful hand when it comes to scoring films. His diverse range of scores have also quickly established his versatility amongst genres. It was a true pleasure to dig into his process.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nathaniel Levisay Zach Tow Howlin' Wolf Records
Composer Rich Vreeland (better known as Disasterpeace) is the composer behind the fantastically bold and unique score to the horror sensation, It Follows. We chat about how Rich got into music and how he stumbled into video game scoring, which in turn led him to film scoring. Rich shares the unique process for It Follows and how he worked with director David Robert Mitchell to achieve what the film needed. In this situation Rich worked closely with a temp track that he embraced with open arms, and it really helped him find the pulse of the film. He then was able to apply his own unique style to craft a score that is boldly of its own world. Rich explains that he was very unfamiliar with the horror genre and horror scores in general, so that made it easy not to fall into the genre formulas that plague most modern horror films. Rich also shares the origins of the name Disasterpeace. From the emotional intent of the music to the challenges he faced on the score, Rich goes through what made It Follows such an amazing experience. The film is getting some of the best critical acclaim of any horror film of recent years, and much of what makes the film work so well is the boldly original score from Disasterpeace.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Rich Vreeland Jean-Christophe Chamboredon Milan Records
Composer Fil Eisler returns to Film.Music.Media for a chat about his most recent work including the season's biggest smash-hit series, Empire. We dive-in to discuss Fil's approach for a show that isn't afraid to hide what it is. Empire is a drama with soap opera qualities, and we discuss what is needed from the score on a show such as that. Fil also talks about how the score must work with the songs appearing in the series as well. Beyond the world of Empire we also chat about Fil's other series, UnReal on Lifetime that airs this June and looks to rebrand the network's image which from the melodramatic shows/movies it's usually known for. On the film side of things, we chat about his scores for the dramedy Growing Up And Other Lies starring Adam Brody and horror/comedy Kitchen Sink starring Vanessa Hudgens and Bob Odenkirk. Fil has been a guest many times, but we never run out of things to discuss. Each new project is always testing the versatility of this smart and talented composer who continues to impress.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks Fil Eisler Jana Davidoff CW3PR
Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated Patrick Doyle is one of the industry's most respected film composers, and one of the warmest and friendliest people out there. Patrick takes some time to discuss his simply wonderful score to Disney's Cinderella, which sees him re-teaming once again with director Kenneth Branagh. Patrick shares how he followed the path to becoming a composer, and how he met Kenneth Branagh while working in the same theater company. We discuss what it's like collaborating with a director from the beginning of both their careers, and how the process between them remains the same after all their films. We dive into Cinderella and how Patrick decided to approach the music to one of the most well-known stories of all-time. Listening to Patrick explain his creative process is a true delight.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Patrick Doyle Beth Krakower William Scot "Grecco" Bray Krakower Poling PR
Composer Tom Holkenborg (also known as Junkie XL) is on an unstoppable roll as one of Hollywood's most in-demand composers. With such hits as 300: Rise Of An Empire, Divergent and much more under his belt he has become one of the prominent sounds of the industry. Tom takes some time to chat about his most recent score to Run All Night starring Liam Neeson. We discuss the unusual process that this score had including the quick 4-week process, as well as compiling a conceptual score after only hearing the plot from an executive at Warner Brothers. Tom shares how that 1-hour musical compilation of ideas got him the job. He talks about researching classic gangster films, including those of composer Ennio Morricone in order to learn how to mesh intensity with emotions. Tom is one of the most clever and innovative musical minds working today and this interview is a great exploration of his creative process. We also pry a bit into Tom's upcoming scores to Mad Max: Fury Road and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tom Holkenborg Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Composer Cris Velasco takes some time to chat about his recent scores to Assassin's Creed: Unity - Dead Kings as well as his work with Clive Barker on the Book Of Blood digital comics. Cris shares about how he found the calling of music composition in college, and why he chose to pursue video game scoring. We discuss his approach and process for video game scoring including what every type of gameplay requires from the music as well as his trick on how to avoid the annoying music loops that gamers hate so much. Cris then discusses his approach for Dead Kings, but even more fascinatingly discusses the process for scoring a digital comic with Clive Barker. Cris Velasco's music has always stood out from the rest because of his impressive melodic structures and emotional pull, and it was an honor to chat with one of the titans of the video game music world.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Cris Velasco Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
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Composer Matthew Margeson takes some time to talk about his fantastic new score to Kingsman: The Secret Service, which he co-composed with friend and collaborator Henry Jackman. Matt shares his path to film composing and reveals his love for Broadway and musicals, which was the source of his love for music. He got to realize his dream by doing additional orchestrating for the recent Disney adaptation of Into The Woods. We talk in-depth about collaboration, and how he found his path working as an assistant to high-profile composers including Henry Jackman. Matt talks about all the things you will learn being an additional composer, and how that evolved into a fantastic working relationship with Henry. We discuss Kingsman and everything the movie needed musically, including working on a stylized project with director Matthew Vaughn. Matt is a fantastic talent who has shown extreme versatility and a strong style very early in his career. His grasp on film music shines through his work, and it was a pleasure to chat with him about his process.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Matthew Margeson Ray Costa Asenath Nakayama Albert Tello Costa Communications
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Eric Serra is one of the most iconic sounds and talents in the film music world. For this all-encompassing interview we discuss how he was reluctantly dragged into film music by an early acquaintance named Luc Besson early in his career, which ended up leading him to find his true passion as a composer. Eric shares so many interesting stories from scores like The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional and working on GoldenEye. He shares the origin of his signature "cohhhh" sound that permeated his soundscape on a few scores but then went on to be used by and to influence other composers as well. We discuss different creative challenges that he has faced, be it from finding ways to reinvent his sound or how to deal with producers to protect his music in the mixing stage. Eric was visiting Los Angeles from France, but was kind enough to sit down for this amazing chat over some drinks at the Caffe Primo on Sunset Boulevard. A different atmosphere than our usual interviews with one of the most unique and influential talents in the film music world.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Eric Serra Elaine Schock Meredith Louie Shock Ink
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Joseph S. DeBeasi jumped into the Hollywood spotlight over the 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend with his work on the underscore for Clint Eastwood's record-breaking film American Sniper starring Bradley Cooper. In this fascinating interview Joseph shares about his musical path, and how he has made an amazing career as a music editor working on huge projects. Through a series of fortunate circumstances he found himself working with one of the greatest filmmaking legends of all-time. We dissect the unusual process for American Sniper, which was anything but traditional when it came to the music. The musical process for Joseph was to find the emotional undercurrent, this had to work as a companion to "Taya's Theme", which Clint wrote as well as with the sound design of the entire picture. From trying an orchestral approach to tossing everything out and re-working from an electronic approach, we discuss the fascinating process behind the movie and Joseph's musical goals for the task at hand. Joseph's fine-tuned abilities to pin-point the tone and emotions of what's on-screen are evident in his work on American Sniper.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joseph S. DeBeasi
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Emmy-winning composer Geoff Zanelli takes some time to talk about his two recent scores to Mortdecai and The Scorpion King 4: Quest For Power. For Mortdecai we discuss Geoff's continuing collaboration with director David Koepp as well as co-scoring with Mark Ronson. The collaboration with Mark was a unique one, but Geoff found that it reawakened a part of his musical background he hadn't tapped into for a while. We chat about the stylistic approach of a film that draws inspiration from the comedy capers of the 60's, and how it needed to be rooted in modern times. We also discuss the benefits and the hindrances of focus groups, which every film goes through. Geoff shares how on The Scorpion King 4 he learned to let loose and score a B-movie, which only had the intention of being campy and tongue in cheek. The question of "What other job on a film besides a composer would you ever want to do?" is also answered. Geoff was the very first interview ever on Film.Music.Media, and over the past 5 years we have never run out of interesting and fun things to discuss. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Geoff Zanelli Emilie Erskine CW3PR
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Golden Globe-winning composer Alex Ebert takes some time to chat about his recent score to A Most Violent Year. Alex talks about how he started an interest in filmmaking, but then decided to pursue singing and songwriting with his bands IMA Robot & Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes. He tells the story of how he ended up with J.C. Chandor on All Is Lost and how that collaboration started. We delve into his process for A Most Violent Year. Alex is definitely a noteworthy talent and his work stands out from the rest.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Alex Ebert Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
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The very talented and versatile Ilan Eshkeri takes some time to chat about two of his recent scores, Still Alice and Black Sea. Ilan shares how he accidentally fell into the world of film music, and his path to becoming a composer. We talk extensively about his methods and approach, and Ilan goes into great detail about instrumentation and sound design on some of his work. We discuss in the ideas behind the score for Still Alice, and how much of a personal connection Ilan has to the topic of Alzheimer's Disease. From the structure to the instrumentation, the character of Alice and her battle with Alzheimer's Disease resonated deeply with Ilan who then tried to interpret that life struggle through music. We finish the interview by discussing his score for Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald's thriller Black Sea, starring Jude Law. From trying to echo the sounds of a submarine to creating disorientation, Ilan reveals his approach for the undersea thriller. This interview is truly an informative and resonating one, a wonderful chat and exploration of film music with one of the industry's most unique talents.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Ilan Eshkeri Chandler Poling Josine Cohen White Bear PR
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The supremely versatile Lorne Balfe takes some time to chat about his fantastic new score to the new Dreamworks animation film, The Penguins Of Madagascar. Lorne explains everything that came with scoring a spin-off to characters who have become very familiar to audiences in another franchise. We discuss thematic writing, including Lorne's process for writing a theme. Beyond Penguins we get into a fantastic discussion of certain composing techniques and trends happening in the industry. We touch briefly on some of Lorne's other recent projects too like Skylanders and The Driver. All in all, this is definitely the most informative and engaging interview with Lorne on Film.Music.Media yet. Enjoy.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lorne Balfe Kelly Johnson
Photo Credit: Peter "Oso" Snell
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A true and special delight, John Powell takes some time to reflect on his career in film music as well as discuss his recent score to How To Train Your Dragon 2. John shares how he fell into the film music path, how he met Hans Zimmer and reflects on his collaborations with Gavin Greenaway, Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams. From his thematic process, the source of his signature percussion sound, his views on film music today and how to draw emotion from real-life experiences we cover it all. We also dive into How To Train Your Dragon 2 to explore the process of scoring such a beloved sequel to a film and score that became very special to millions of people. John also talks about his reasons for spending time away from scoring, including a concert piece he's working on as well as possible plans to revisit his old scores for a new album. It was a true honor and pleasure to spend some time with one of the best composers to have ever worked in the medium. A must-listen interview for filmmakers and aficionados.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Powell Ray Costa Albert Tello Asenath Nakayama Costa Communications
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The incredibly versatile Henry Jackman joins Film.Music.Media for the 4th time, this time to discuss his newest score to Big Hero 6. We dive right into Big Hero 6 and explore the approach to scoring something that carries some genre archetypes yet is extremely unique and intimate to its characters. Henry discusses the dual nature his theme had to carry; being big and heroic in some parts yet poignant and emotional in others. We also reflect on Henry's career in animation from scoring Monsters Vs. Aliens up till now. We also touch briefly upon his upcoming score to The Interview and his projects in the future. Another fascinating interview with one of the best composers working today. Be sure to check out our last interview with Henry if you want to learn more about his work from Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman Ray Costa Albert Tello Asenath Nakayama Costa Communications
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The wonderful Jóhann Jóhannsson takes some time to discuss his latest score to the critically-acclaimed The Theory Of Everything. We start by exploring Jóhann's journey to becoming a composer and then delve into his work on the film. Jóhann shares his approach for this emotional story about Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane Hawking. We talk about how to make sure the music is not doing too much to keep from being melodramatic, what he connected to in the story, and how knowing Stephen Hawking would see the film affected his process. Jóhann Jóhannsson is a wonderful talent, enjoy this interview with a composer who is sure to create some Oscar buzz this year.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jóhann Jóhannsson Ray Costa Albert Tello Asenath Nakayama Costa Communications
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The composing duo of Joe Henson & Alexis Smith also known as The Flight take some time to speak about their recent score to Alien: Isolation. We discuss how the two got into music and what made them decide to pair up instead of venture alone. We then focus on what their approach was for such an iconic franchise such as Alien, and how they were able to incorporate Jerry Goldsmith's original score into the DNA of their score. We touch very lightly on their music for another game, Little Big Planet 3 and how much of a different task that was musically. Enjoy this immensely informative interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joe Henson Alexis Smith Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
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Albert Chang is an extremely versatile composer of film, television and his own solo concert pieces. We sit down and talk about his recent project, Blood Ransom. Albert shares a lot about his background and how he fell in love with film music when seeing Dances With Wolves at a very young age. He also shares inspirations and techniques from his former professor at UCLA, Jerry Goldsmith. We then discuss his approach for Blood Ransom, which came with a set of challenges musically as Albert had to find a way to make the music present but never overbearing. A fantastic chat with a great and talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Albert Chang
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SAG/AFTRA presents another special "Meet The Composer" event. For this event composer John Powell was featured, who has utilized SAG/AFTRA choir members and singers in many of his scores. Before his master class, film music journalist Jon Burlingame sat down with John Powell for this fantastic interview.
Watch the master class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqGLRQqChGc
filmmusicmedia.com sagaftra.org
Antonio Sanchez is a world-renowned composer, drummer, jazz musician and winner of 4 Grammy Awards. He was personally called upon by Alejandro González Iñárritu to score Birdman, which is his feature film debut as a composer. Going a completely unconventional route, Iñárritu wanted an improvised drum score, and we discuss the process in-depth. Antonio shares the entire process from writing demos simply from ideas and the script, how that evolved into music being used on the set, and how they tweaked everything to picture in the end. We talk about the challenges of doing a fully improvised drum score, and everything he learned during the process of doing his first film. Antonio shares some amazing insights behind one of the best and most unique scores this year, enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Antonio Sanchez Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
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Heitor Pereira takes some time to discuss his latest score to the film If I Stay, which was adapted from the popular novel. Heitor discusses his approach to a film with a subject matter like If I Stay versus something lighter like Despicable Me. We discuss the state of mind one has to put themselves in depending on the project. We discuss a lot about melodies, including Heitor's unique process of recording himself reading the script because he hums out melodies if an idea strikes him while reading a scene. Heitor then shares how that process transfers to his MIDI guitar, which he had custom built because while most composers hash out ideas on a piano, Heitor feels more at home with a guitar. Beyond that, Heitor shares his favorite pastimes and hobbies that help him creatively refresh between projects. Another amazingly inspirational interview with one of the most passionate and talented composers working today.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Heitor Pereira Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
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The incredibly busy and talented Brian Tyler takes some time to catch up about the three blockbuster films he scored this summer. We chat about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Into The Storm and The Expendables 3. Brian shares his approach for all three films and what he wanted to do with each score. Such as add a swashbuckling old-school adventure style to TMNT, approach Into The Storm as a conceptual score, and working with Sylvester Stallone to craft continuity yet bring something new to the table. Beyond that Brian really delves into how he approaches thematic writing for his scores in a fascinating examination of psychoacoustics. He talks about how he actually will drop the audio of a theme while it's playing, and how the brain of the viewer completes the theme in their own head. Brian also shares his secret trick to scoring action sequences by treating them as their own 3-act narrative. We close with a brief look of what Brian is scoring next year including Fast & Furious 7 and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and how he thinks he might approach these projects. This is truly an amazingly engaging and educational interview from one of the most in-demand composers working today. Brian is a true pleasure to chat with. Enjoy.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler Jeff Sanderson Ryan Mazie Chasen & Company
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Emmy-nominated composer Joey Newman takes some time to discuss his latest project, the new NBC series The Mysteries Of Laura. The series stars Debra Messing and Josh Lucas, and premieres this fall. Joey shares how he approached the show and what it takes to find the sound of a series from the start. We also discuss Joey's other projects including the long-running The Middle on ABC, which enters its sixth season. Here we discuss the arc of his work from the start to now, and all the little intricacies of scoring a single-camera comedy. We also touch upon his score for Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge and the documentary Showing Up. Joey Newman is doing some really amazing things with his projects, and it was great to explore them with him.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joey Newman Sabrina Hutchinson Sabrina Hutchinson PR
Photography Credit: Liza Voll Photography
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Composer Mario Grigorov's versatility is reflected in the scores he's composed. From Oscar-winning drama Precious to the heartfelt Musical Chairs, Mario has demonstrated an uncanny ability to craft an emotional narrative around a film. We discuss his incredibly interesting path to film scoring, and how how he actually disliked composing when he first dabbled in it. Mario shares his journey to Los Angeles where he snagged a record deal with Warner Brothers within a month of moving there, and how he decided to take on film composing full-time. Mario talks about his collaborative process with director Lee Daniels on films like Shadowboxer, Precious and The Paperboy. We also touch on two companion films that Mario scored, Flowers In The Attic and Petals On The Wind. Beyond that we discuss the intricacies of Mario's approach to scoring. This is an incredibly informative interview with a great talent in the film composing world.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mario Grigorov Shoshie Aborn Big Picture Media
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The versatile Daniel Licht takes some time to discuss some projects new and old. We take a look back at Dexter and the entire body of his work for the Emmy-winning drama over the course of 8 seasons including the most challenging things that came his way. Daniel also discusses his newest project, which is The Red Road airing on The Sundance Channel. The drama starring Jason Momoa is entering its second season and we discuss the process of starting a series from the beginning and anticipating what's to follow. We also get into a great discussion about TV themes and the benefits of a longer main title theme. It's always a great pleasure to chat with Daniel, and there is plenty to absorb from this fantastic interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel Licht Jana Davidoff CW3PR
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Nathan Whitehead is a composer whose ability to craft engrossing musical narratives in a distinct style makes him stand out of the crowd. Last year he composed an impressive horror score with The Purge, and only a year later he is back with The Purge: Anarchy. We chat about the different direction this film is taking versus the first one, and how he needed to approach the music differently. Nathan discusses his relationship with director James DeMonaco and what it was like working with him again. We also discuss other recent projects like the popular series The Last Ship on TNT plus much more. It was great to delve into Nathan's process once again.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nathan Whitehead Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Emmy-winner Trevor Morris takes some time to discuss his latest projects including Vikings and Brick Mansions. We delve into the creative evolution Trevor's music has experienced over the course of Vikings' seasons and his approach for the show. We also discuss his score for Brick Mansions including what it's like composing a film score in a time-crunch with a two week timeframe. Trevor also shares how he handled the score differently knowing he was scoring one of Paul Walker's final performances, and what the process is like when you're scoring an actor's posthumous performance. Finally Trevor shares a bit about embarking on his next score for Michiel de Ruyter, and how he's going to travel to Europe to be on the set to help spark his creative process. And of course a little wine talk. Another fascinating interview with one of the most talented composers working today.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Trevor Morris Jana Davidoff Ashley Patterson CW3PR
The extremely fun and informative John Ottman chats in detail about his scoring and editing process for X-Men: Days Of Future Past. John is completely open when he talks about his career as an editor for Bryan Singer. We talk about how he separates the editing and scoring process. Also, John discusses what it's like being the first composer to actually return to the X-Men franchise and bring the first note of continuity back to the score with his themes. We also delve into a tiny tangent about Lake Placid when the upcoming Blu-ray release is brought up. It was such a fun pleasure to listen to John fully disclose his process and speak on his amazing work.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Ottman Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Emmy-winning composer, Sean Callery takes some time to chat about his work on the return of Jack Bauer in 24: Live Another Day. We discuss essentially returning to the show and picking up where the end of the series left off. Sean reflects on the 24 series from the start up till the point, and what it's like to have a project be in your life for that long. We also discuss Homeland and Elementary, plus Sean compares and contrasts his processes for these different series. Sean always gives the most fantastic and informative chats, and this one is no different. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Sean Callery Jana Davidoff Ashley Patterson CW3PR
Toby Chu takes some time to talk about his recent score to the new star-studded animated feature Legends Of Oz: Dorothy's Return. Toby's story of his journey to his film composing career is a fascinating one. He talks about how he discovered music and what led him to finally get to Los Angeles and by chance getting a job with Hans Zimmer's company (Media Ventures at the time). This led to working as an additional composer on many of Harry Gregson-Williams' scores, and being an essential part of Harry's team at Wavecrest Studios. Toby talks about his own process as well on show's like Covert Affairs and Burn Notice. With Burn Notice, Toby came into the series run late in the game and had to hit the ground running which is fascinating to learn about. We of course also discuss Legends Of Oz and how Toby wanted to approach his version of Oz plus getting the rare opportunity to write an overture for the film, an almost non-existent thing in films these days. All in all, Toby gives an incredibly in-depth and personal interview that really illuminates his talents as a composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Toby Chu Emilie Erskine CW3PR
Composer Jeff Russo is behind the music to the critically acclaimed and popular new series Fargo on FX. Jeff shares about his background and how he came to film and TV scoring. We dive into his process for Fargo, which sees him continuing his collaboration with showrunner/writer and creator Noah Hawley. The process for Fargo was so interesting as Jeff explains he wrote a majority of all the music to script before production. He discusses how he embraced the tone and world created by Carter Burwell's score to the film but aimed to flesh out an entirely new world. We chat about balancing the dark humor and heavy emotional weight of the series as well. A very fascinating interview with a fantastic composer who is doing amazing work on one of the best series on television right now.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Russo Jana Davidoff-Morrison CW3PR
Composer Noah Sorota takes some time to talk about his scores to the hit series Falling Skies and the action suspense thriller Jinn. Noah talks about his amazing path to film composing including working for Hans Zimmer as a programmer and arranger on some of Hans' biggest scores. He goes into detail about the technical work he did, which in turn taught him a lot about the intricacies of the business that he now carries on in his own successful career. He also shares how Steven Spielberg hired him for Falling Skies, and how his music has evolved over the course of 4 seasons. We discuss his scoring process for Jinn as well, and how the movie was essentially recut and how he had to replace his own score for the new tone of the film. Noah is such a great talent and it was a pleasure to speak with him.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Noah Sorota Chandler Poling Liz Cooke White Bear PR
Henry Jackman is one of the busiest and most versatile film composers working today. His style is distinct and his range is impressive. Projects like Wreck-It Ralph, This Is The End, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Turbo, Captain Phillips, Winnie The Pooh, X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass all show his ability to tackle any genre. Henry is now the composer behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier and has crafted a finely tuned machine of a score. We chat about how he got involved on the project and what his stylistic approach for the film was. Henry addresses all the internet responses to his heavy use of electronics in the score and why some people may find it jarring. We discuss how he went about crafting the electronic sounds and textures of the score including the menacing Winter Soldier motif. Henry talks about how certain German electronica bands helped influence some of the structures in his music here as well as finding places to interject traditional orchestral moments. Henry always gives the most insightful interviews and this one is no different.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Sergio Mendes is a true music legend. He is one of the most iconic musical figures and is responsible for ushering Brazilian music to a worldwide audience. Sergio Mendes has had an amazing career, but here we focus on his work for Rio 2. Sergio served as Executive Music Producer on the Rio films as well as a songwriter. We discuss his collaborative process with composer John Powell and how his work with the songs worked hand in hand with the score. Sergio discusses when in the production process does the songwriting start, and how do they fit into the narrative. We also discuss the importance of exposing people, especially children to different musical cultures which the Rio films most definitely do. His work on Rio 2 infuses Brazilian culture into the story to bring everything to life. Sergio Mendes is continually keeping busy, and it was an honor that he was able to chat for a bit.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Sergio Mendes Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
The versatile and talented Silas Hite takes some time to chat about his work as a film, TV, game and media composer. Silas is truly a composer who has mastered adaptability in his artistic output early in his career. He shares how he started working closely with his uncles, Bob Mothersbaugh and Mark Mothersbaugh. Silas shares his unique approach to music as well as to his passion for drawing, which as seen his artwork featured in many gallery exhibitions. We talk about if music and drawing come from the same place as well as if one medium can express things the other can't. Silas also discusses his extensive work in commercials and how commercials are a great experience for a composer. Plus we explore his upcoming projects and how he likes to keep things diversified. Silas is definitely an amazing voice in the industry and it was a pleasure to chat with him for a bit for this wonderful interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Silas Hite Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Junkie XL (aka Tom Holkenborg) is a multi-talented instrumentalist, producer, arranger and composer. His background is a very unique one as he comes from both traditional and modern electronic approaches to music. Junkie XL has made a name for himself with a few notable solo albums as well as his collaborations with musicians and remixes. He recently began collaborating with Hans Zimmer and has worked on quite a few of Hans' scores such as Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises. His solo composing credits include Paranoia, 300: Rise Of An Empire and Divergent. In this interview Junkie XL talks about his background, how he came to music, how he approaches music and so much more. We chat about 300: Rise Of An Empire, Divergent and he shares a little bit of Mad Max: Fury Road which is his next big project. Junkie XL is also part of the co-composing group Hans Zimmer put together for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 including Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr. Tom is a truly unique talent and it was fascinating getting to hear about his process.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Tom Holkenborg Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Composer Edwin Wendler has quickly made a name for himself scoring some supremely engaging scores like Escape and The Right To Love: An American Family. He has also worked with some big-name composers like John Ottman, Stephen Trask and Paul Haslinger doing arranging, orchestrating and additional composing. For this interview Edwin shares about how he got started in music and eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue film scoring. He shares about his techniques and approaches to some of his recent scores. Edwin also shares what he's learned while working with great composers like John Ottman, most recently as an additional composer on John's score to the blockbuster Non-Stop starring Liam Neeson. A truly great interview with an enormous talent.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Edwin Wendler Peter Hackman
Scott Healy is a Grammy nominated composer, producer and performer who was recently nominated at the Grammy's for his piece "Koko On The Boulevard". Scott can also be seen weeknights on TBS as part of Conan O'Brien's Basic Cable Band on Conan. Scott is a terrific talent and he shares how he got started in music, which eventually led to music composition. His album Hudson City Suite is an instrumental jazz album, and we talk a lot about writing an album like that versus writing film music. Scott talks about his approach, structure and execution plus everything that inspires and influences him. Scott also talks about performing on late night television for 20+ years now with Conan O'Brien, and what it's like being with a band for that long. We discuss his love for big band recording and how that style of composing is true art as we discuss great film composers like Henry Mancini. It was a true pleasure and honor to speak with Scott, and his passion for his music can be heard with every note he writes.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Scott Healy Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Photo Credit: Lisa Tanner
Composer Darius Holbert is the very talented composer behind Hobo With A Shotgun, Assassin's Tale, the series Quickdraw, the documentary Trophy Kids from Peter Berg, the upcoming Old 37, and so much more. Darius shares his path to being a composer, and it sure is a fantastic story. We also discuss in-depth some of his recent projects like Quickdraw and Trophy Kids. Darius shares a bit about crafting a comedy western as well as his process for scoring a documentary. We also talk about his most recent project, Old 37 as he is just beginning his work on it. All in all this is a very fascinating look into the process of a very talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Darius Holbert Shoshie Aborn Big Picture Media
S. Peace Nistades takes some time to talk about his busy year and recent projects. From films like The Wicked, Night Vet with James Cromwell, Rock Jocks with Felicia Day and more! We delve into Peace's process as he demonstrates his approach for these varied genres. The interview is a wonderful examination of genre composing focusing a lot on horror, comedy and science fiction. Peace shares some great information about what he thinks certain scores should do in certain genres. Another wonderful chat with an extremely talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: S. Peace Nistades
Saving Mr. Banks and The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock talks about his recent collaboration with composer Thomas Newman on Saving Mr. Banks. John talks a bit about directing veteran actors like Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, but also about how to direct a veteran composer like Thomas Newman. He shares some fascinating tidbits such as how Newman re-temped the entire film with his own scores to show different ways to accent scenes, and how certain musical moments in the film came to fruition. John also discusses working with the great Richard Sherman, and how integral he was to assist in the scriptwriting phase all the way to having him on set to coach actors Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak. A very inspiring chat with a terrific director.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Lee Hancock Ryan Collins Ginsberg/Libby Walt Disney Studios
Oscar-nominated Mark Isham is one of the most respected composers to ever work in the medium, and it was a great honor to be able to have him share some insight behind his recent work. Mark shares a bit about his background and how he found the path to film composing. We talk about his re-teaming with director Frank Darabont for the gritty Mob City on TNT. Mark talks about his approach and how he started really early on this project to allow Darabont to do some very unique stuff with the music in the show. Mark also shares how he juggles two major broadcast series as well with Once Upon A Time and Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. We explore how he handles TV schedules and his approach to the format including how commercial breaks play into his scoring approach. A very insightful talk with a truly remarkable composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mark Isham Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Emmy-winning composer Geoff Zanelli takes some time to chat about his two recent scores to Killing Kennedy and Christmas In Conway. Killing Kennedy premiered to record numbers becoming the highest rated program to air on National Geographic. Geoff delves into his approach for the film, as well as exploring what's behind the public's fascination with JFK and his story. We talk about how to approach a narrative based on a major historical figure and national tragedy, including how his score needed to flesh out Lee Harvey Oswald. We also chat about Christmas In Conway and how to walk the fine line between heartwarming and overly melodramatic. Christmas movies always come with a whole territory of genre expectations, and Geoff talks about how he faced them. Finally, we go in-depth into Geoff's work on The Lone Ranger as he arranged Rossini's William Tell Overture into one of the best action sequences ever filmed. Geoff talks about breaking the overture down and rebuilding it with director Gore Verbinski and composer Hans Zimmer. Every interview with Geoff shines new light onto his amazing work, and this interview is no different. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Geoff Zanelli Emilie Erskine Charley Walters CW3PR
One of the most influential musical artists of our generation has become more and more involved in the film music world over the past few years. Pharrell Williams co-scored the worldwide sensation Despicable Me, and his themes and songs returned for Despicable Me 2 including the new original song "Happy". Pharrell has also been collaborating heavily with composer Hans Zimmer doing various things such as writing and producing music for the 84th Annual Academy Awards as well as being a featured percussionist on Hans' Man Of Steel score. Pharrell will also be working with Hans on the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2. For this interview we talk about his history as a musician and what led him to be immersed in the world of film music. From what his methods are for scores and songs to his views on the goals of what film scores should do emotionally, Pharrell shares his philosophy and approach. We also discuss the importance of collaboration and how working with composers like Heitor Pereira and Hans Zimmer has been an educational process as he grows as a composer. It was such a great honor to speak to a fantastic musical mind who is bringing a brand new voice to the film music world.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Pharrell Williams Krishel Coultrup 42 West
Turkish composer Rahman Altin talks about his amazing new score for The Butterfly's Dream. The film revolves around two young and struggling poets at the start of WW2 living in Turkey and is a masterful story of love and life. Rahman goes into detail about writing a score in the tradition of classic cinema and how much of a personal journey this was for him. We discuss his background including how he fell in love with film music through John Williams and seeing Star Wars and Superman when he was young. He also talks about his initial discussions with director Yilmaz Erdogan and how the working relationship was an amazing and rare experience. From barely any temp music to no required revisions, Rahman was able to craft a score completely uninhibited. The result is stunning and Rahman won the Public Choice Award at this year's World Soundtrack Awards. The Butterfly's Dream is also Turkey's official entry for this year's Best Foreign Film for the Academy Awards. A true pleasure to speak with an amazing composer whose work is among the best of the year.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Rahman Altin Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Composer David Buckley talks Call Of Duty: Ghosts in his most recent interview for Film.Music.Media. His other scores include The Forbidden Kingdom, The Good Wife, Killing Lincoln, The Town, From Paris With Love, Parker and many more. We explore how he got the Call Of Duty job, which is a very highly sought after composer gig. Then we delve into his approach and process including what he wanted his music to be doing for the game and the story. David shares what he looked at for his musical inspiration and how he closely worked with the developers to craft the experience. This is a terrific exploration at the process of scoring a huge action game such as Call Of Duty: Ghosts. We also talk briefly of his upcoming score to the film A Bit Of Bad Luck, which sees David composing a comedy score. David Buckley is always one of the most interesting people to talk to and his insight is always fascinating.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: David Buckley
Steve Jablonsky is one of the most prolific composers working in the industry and is a true musical auteur. His iconic music and recognizable style has won him over a huge fan base. In this detailed discussion Steve talks about growing up in Los Angeles and how starting out as Harry Gregson-Williams' assistant back in the mid 90's got him on the path he's on today. We really discuss his methods and approach, specifically for his newest score to Ender's Game. We go in-depth about his collaborations with director Michael Bay, including his early thoughts for Transformers: Age Of Extinction. Steve also shares about re-teaming with director Peter Berg for Lone Survivor and how he found himself working with the band Explosions In The Sky for the score. Steve is a personal inspiration so it was beyond an honor and a privilege to speak to him about his work. Enjoy this wonderful interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Steve Jablonsky Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Photo Credit: Katia Lewin Jablonsky
Joel Douek is an incredibly talented and fascinating composer. His versatility as a musical storyteller can be heard in films like The Tall Man starring Jessica Biel, nature documentaries like Galapagos 3D narrated by David Attenborough and hit animated series like Yu-Gi-Oh!. Joel explores how his different life interests led him to composing, and eventually starting as a music editor on Pokémon the series. Joel shares his expertise and interest in neuroscience and how he loves to examine how music works with our brains to translate emotions. We also talk about his involvement in the SCL (Society Of Composers & Lyricists) and how it offers amazing resources to aspiring composers. Joel also talks about some of his passion projects including documentaries he's scored with subject matters he really stands behind. By far one of the most fascinating and informative interviews on Film.Music.Media from a composer whose work and method I admire deeply.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joel Douek Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
Dominic Lewis has been busy working alongside composers like John Powell, Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Henry Jackman as an additional composer on amazing films. He makes his feature film debut as a composer with Free Birds, and it was a great pleasure to chat with him about it. Dominic shares how he got involved at Remote Control Productions, and everything he learned working under some of the best talents in the industry. We discuss how he got hired for Free Birds through John Powell's recommendation, and how he approached his first feature score. We talk about his musical goals for the film, what he wanted to accomplish musically and his methods. Dominic is a fantastic talent and proves it by handling his first feature with a masterful execution. Enjoy this fun and extremely informative interview with one of the best new voices in the industry.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Dominic Lewis Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications Stéphane Humez
Jeff Lippencott and Mark T. Williams (known collectively as ah2) are two fantastic composers whose work is the musical backbone of some of TV's biggest hits. While the composing duo have done excellent scores for films like Jeff's recent score to Grace Unplugged, they are more known for their work in reality television. So if you watch The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, MasterChef, Shark Tank or Who Do You Think You Are then you've been immersed in their music. This is a supremely fascinating interview behind how reality television is scored and the work Jeff and Mark do. Just listening to them delve into their process shows why they are two of the most in-demnad composers in television. Two great guys doing great work that deserve attention in a genre of scoring that deserves more of a spotlight.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks Jeff Lippencott Mark T. Williams Ashley Patterson CW3PR
The prolific and versatile Daniel Pemberton takes some time to chat about his recent score to Ridley Scott's The Counselor. Daniel has scored films such as The Awakening, Blood and video games such as the popular Little Big Planet 2 and The Movies. The Counselor marks Daniel's first venture with Scott, which is significant because the director rarely changes composers. We talk about how he got into film scoring as well as how he got The Counselor gig through editor Pietro Scalia's recommendation. We discuss the musical approach and how he wanted his orchestra of guitars and unique textures to truly be something modern and new. He shares about the discussions he had with Ridley and all the cool things he tried to implement musically. We talk about the story and plot's thematic structure, and how that influenced his musical thematic structure. A great interview with a composer whose music I accidentally discovered in 2005 through the video game The Movies and have been a fan of ever since.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel Pemberton Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
*NOTE: Spoilers, including the film's ending are discussed in this interview.
Steven Price may be a relatively new composer, but his score for the critically-acclaimed Gravity shows that he is a master at building a sonic narrative. We chat about how he got his start in the business and what ultimately led him to being hired for Gravity. Gravity's technical complexity provided great challenges and Steven shares how he and director Alfonso Cuarón approached what they wanted to achieve. We discuss the restraints the score needed to have, the emotional draw of the characters and how the score needed to act as more than just the score but as an integral anchor of the whole sound design. A fascinating interview with a composer who has proven his amazing abilities early in his composing career.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Steven Price Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Carl Thiel is a fantastic composer who has been working with director Robert Rodriguez for many years now. Carl has been part of Rodriguez's musical team on a slew of his films and was the lead composer for Machete Kills, which Carl co-composed with Rodriguez. Carl worked extensively on the first Machete as well as part of Rodriguez's band Chingon. We discuss the collaborative differences between the first film and this one. Including what it's like working with a director like Robert who holds almost every title behind the camera including director, writer, editor and more. Carl talks about the different sounds he created for the many characters while upping the adventure factor for this installment. Even though the movie is crazy over the top, Carl shares how in some scenes he even had to tone the music back and find the right balance. We also talk about the James Bond influences in Machete Kills and how that affected the score. A very enlightening talk with a great composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Carl Thiel Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Photo Credit: Mathew Sturtevant
The incredibly talented Jeremy Zuckerman provides some insight behind his amazing work on The Legend Of Korra. We delve into how Jeremy got his unconventional start in the business and went on to score one of the most successful animated shows on television with Avatar: The Last Airbender. He discusses his time schedules and process working on an animated series including recording with live musicians. We discuss how it's important to treat the subject matter as real as possible and never try to simplify emotions just because a show or film is aimed at a younger audience. Jeremy also shares a bit of what he loved (and didn't love) about the live action film adaption of The Last Airbender. A fantastic interview with a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeremy Zuckerman Chandler Poling White Bear PR
The always great Christopher Lennertz chats about some of his newest scores like Thanks For Sharing and Revolution. Thanks For Sharing is a drama about sex addiction, but it also has a lot of light life moments. It's a film that will make you laugh and cry at the same time so we discuss all the challenges that came with it. It's also a deeply psychological film requiring a lot from the score to get into the head of the characters. We discuss in depth the psychology of film music. Especially how composers need to be able to analyze characters well in order to know what the music needs to do in order to evoke an emotional connection. Chris shares how 20 years ago he wouldn't have had the life experiences needed to be able to properly write a score like Thanks For Sharing, and how living life is the best way to become a better storyteller. We also discuss Revolution and what his method and approach is for a huge broadcast drama. A truly fascinating and insightful interview with an amazing composer. It was great to chat with Chris once again.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Christopher Lennertz Stefan Karrer Ray Costa Albert Tello Milan Records Costa Communications
The busy Lorne Balfe takes some time to chat once again about all his recent projects including The Frozen Ground, Salinger, Beyond: Two Souls and more! We chat about his experience of putting together a live concert in Spain at the PlayFest Festival where he won an award for best video game score for Assassin's Creed III. Lorne talks about the long journey of making Salinger and his love for documentaries. We also discuss game scores with Beyond: Two Souls, which is an extremely unique project. He shares about working with director David Cage on this bold interactive narrative starring Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. It's always a pleasure to catch up with Lorne in all his endeavors. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Lorne Balfe Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
NOTE: Christine was suffering from Laryngitis at the time of this interview, but was still eager to speak about her work!
Christine Wu is a concert violinist, cellist, composer, string arranger, and studio musician for records, film, television and live performance. She has recently become more involved in film scores as a musician and a composer herself. Her collaborations with Lorne Balfe are extremely wonderful. We discuss her background and a lot about performing on a film score. She shares the work relationships between composers and musicians, and the approach of working to what is right for the score. She gives a great insight between the differences of performing for a score and performing live on stage. Christine also talks about what inspires her when writing music of her own. A wonderful interview with a great talent.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Christine Wu Livia Squires Squires PR
Composer Daniel Hart composed the amazing score to Ain't Them Bodies Saints. We discuss a little about his background and focus on his approach for the score. We analyze which characters really spoke to him, working with director David Lowery, and incorporating non-traditional percussion such as clapping and chest beating. Daniel also shares a bit about his upcoming score to The Sideways Light. Daniel is a fantastic composer whose music is worth discovering. His music was so captivating, and it was an honor to have him for this interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Daniel Hart Bradley Rainey William Morris Endeavor
Nathan Barr is a busy man with projects like True Blood, Hemlock Grove and The Americans. Nathan recieved two Emmy nominations this year for the main titles of Hemlock Grove and The Americans. We discuss how he got into music including his first gig in Hollywood being an assistant to Hans Zimmer. He quickly started making a name for himself and that has led to nothing but success. We discuss what makes a great TV theme, and his approaches for his two Emmy nominated themes. Nathan shares his view on the success of the Netflix show model since Hemlock Grove is a Netflix original series. We also talk True Blood including his approach to the show and what his thoughts are on the upcoming final season. A fantastic interview with one of the most prominent composers working in film and television.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nathan Barr Ashley Patterson CW3PR
Joel P West takes some time to chat about his amazing score to the film Short Term 12. The film and the score are getting raving reviews and bringing lots of attention to the relatively new director, stars and composer. We discuss how Joel's friendship with director Destin Cretton led to their collaborations up to Short Term 12. He shares his history with his band The Tree Ring and how he fell in love with composing. We discuss the approach and goals musically for Short Term 12 as well. A wonderful pleasure to talk with such a talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joel P West Stefan Karrer Milan Records
Jeff Cardoni gives a fantastically fun and super informative interview. We go in depth with his two upcoming projects, The Michael J. Fox Show and Full Circle. Both series are unconventional when it comes to scoring; one is a sitcom while the other is a dialogue-heavy drama. We discuss the challenges that come with both areas of composing including how hard comedy is to score. Jeff shares about situations such as coming into a show like Wilfred in its second season as a replacement composer, and how he handled developing a new sound for a show that has already been running. It was a real joy to chat with Jeff. Please enjoy this fantastic interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Cardoni Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Chatting with iZLER is always a complete joy. This is our fourth interview together (3rd for 2013) and we never run out of stuff to talk about in the busy composer's career. iZLER is best known for his work on Shameless and Revenge, and here we discuss the CD release of the Revenge score from Intrada Records. This interview mainly focuses on how he compiled 1 CD from over two seasons of music and all the challenges that encompass that task. We chat about the album experience and the flow he wanted to achieve as well. We also discus some of iZLER's upcoming projects!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: iZLER Jana Davidoff-Morrison CW3PR
Photo Credit: Jenn KL Photography
Anton Sanko takes some time for a quick chat about his recent score to Ring Of Fire, which focuses on the life of June Carter and her relationship with Johnny Cash. We talk about coming up with the right sound for a biopic type film like Ring Of Fire, including his approach and goals for the music. Anton also shares some details of his upcoming scores which see him returning to his horror/thriller roots. He shares how he makes his scores original and fresh when you work a lot within one genre. Always a pleasure to chat with an amazingly smart and talented composer like Anton.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Anton Sanko Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Mark Mancina is one of the most iconic composers working today and it was a great honor to speak to him about his newest score to Disney's Planes. Mark shares a lot in this fantastic and informative interview. We chat about him taking over on Speed when Michael Kamen was supposed to score to why he is very selective with his film projects. We talk about 90's action scoring and how his genre defining music along with his friends Hans Zimmer and Trevor Rabin defined the decade. He doesn't hold back when discussing why he dropped out of Bad Boys 2 yet still took Speed 2 on with Jan de Bont. For Planes we discuss his approach, his discussions with John Lasseter and how his demo for the score led to a trailer that was 100% music; something that is never done. A true pleasure to chat with one of the great composer auteurs.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mark Mancina
John Piscitello takes some time to talk about his fantastic score to No Place On Earth. The documentary follows the stories of Jewish families who found shelter in caves during WW2. John also shares about his background, inspirations and methods. We discuss the role music plays in documentaries and his views of the composer being emotionally attached to the real stories within a documentary. We discuss his favorite and most challenging aspects of scoring among many other things. A great interview with a very smart and talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Piscitello Chandler Poling White Bear PR
The amazing and always fun to talk to Heitor Pereira chats about his recent scores to Despicable Me 2 and Smurfs 2. We discuss his collaborations with Pharrell Williams and how they worked together on the first film versus this film. Heitor shares his methods and views on scoring sequels, how to give a film its own sonic identity and much more. He also shares his fascinating process of recording audio as he reads the script since he tends to hum themes out loud while reading. A truly great and in-depth interview with a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Heitor Pereira Ray Costa Albert Tello Costa Communications
Mark Yaeger welcomes me to his studio where we sat down for an amazing chat about his work and the nature of film music as a whole. We talk about how he got his start and what led him to film composing. Mark shares about working with Klaus Badelt and all the things he learned through their collaborations. Mark, whose studio is still down the hall from Klaus' discusses the importance of collaboration and how he still interacts with Klaus and everyone else under one roof. We chat about his personal approach and methods for certain genres and much more. A real privilege and a fun time with a fantastic composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mark Yaeger Benjamin Willan
Composer David Schwartz takes some time to talk about his work on the hit series Arrested Development. David is no stranger to the world of TV and we discuss his background as he shares how he came to score Northern Exposure and his many other works. We dissect the role of music in the "half-hour comedy" and what his approach and goals are for Arrested Development. David also shares his songwriting process as well. A fantastic interview with an iconic composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: David Schwartz Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
Composer Vivek Maddala takes some time to speak about his score for American Revolutionary: The Evolution Of Grace Lee Boggs. We chat about how he found his way into music and composing including his methods and approach. We talk a lot about documentary scoring and delve into whether or not a composer's passion for the subject of the doc influences his/her writing. Vivek also shares about his love for world music and his research process for different ethnic sounds he has utilized across his body of work. A fascinating interview with a great composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Vivek Maddala Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Joshua R. Mosley takes some time to talk about his recent score for After Earth: The Mobile Game. The Mass Effect: Paragon Lost composer shares the process of creating a blockbuster tie-in game including the creative direction of the game and even matching the soundscape with James Newton Howard's score while stile making it his own. We discuss the state of mobile gaming, the technology composers need to keep up on and what he thinks the future of gaming will be. It was great to have another chat with such a talented and informative composer. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joshua R. Mosley Sabrina Hutchinson PR
The fantastic Henry Jackman takes some time to chat about his busy slate of projects. We discuss his scores to This Is The End, Turbo, Captain Phillips and even Captain America: The Winter Solider. Henry shares his approach to scoring an apocalyptic comedy and playing as straight as he can with a huge orchestral and choral approach. For Turbo he shares a lot about the animation process and reflects about his work on Wreck-It Ralph as well. We then delve into working with Paul Greengrass on Captain Phillips and how he completely had to switch gears for that score. Henry then shares what his views and what his approach will be for the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Solider. We finish up by talking about following in Alan Silvestri's footsteps, which Henry has done on two franchises now. Also how he discovered Alan's music to Predator by sneaking out to watch a VHS copy when he was in boarding school in England. Henry is always a complete joy to talk with and listen to. Just like our last chat this interview is extremely fun and very in-depth, please enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Henry Jackman Ray Costa Alex May Albert Tello Costa Communications
Joachim Horsley has orchestrated the scores to films such as The Possession and The Rabbit Hole, and he recently composed the score for the comedy Rapture-Palooza. Joachim is also an extremely talented singer/songwriter and his new album titled Combinations is all the proof you need. We chat about his background and how he decided to pursue composition. Joachim also shares about his songwriting approach and how his music has a universal aspect that doesn't define to one genre. He shares how he took a film score approach to each song and to make it feel as a true album experience. We also chat about his approach to scoring Rapture-Palooza and the nature of comedy scoring. A great guy, a great talent and a fascinating interview.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joachim Horsley Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Robert Townson is the executive producer and head of the beloved Varèse Sarabande record label. Varèse Sarabande has been the leader of current and archival soundtrack releases for 35 years. In 2013 the label turns 35-years old and Robert has been bringing the celebrations to the fans worldwide. I talk to the man in charge about the recent Varèse Sarabande Concert held in San Pedro with the Golden State Pops Orchestra. Specifically the logistics of putting together the concert. He also shares his experience of setting up concerts worldwide and bringing music to fans in places like China, Poland and the Canary Islands. We talk about his history at the label including working with composers like Jerry Goldsmith, Miklós Rózsa, Alex North and so many more. This was a wonderful chat with a man whose work has resulted in over 1200 soundtrack albums, which sit snuggly on score fans' shelves worldwide.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Robert Townson Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
Composer Nathan Whitehead takes some time to talk about his recent score to The Purge. We chat about how he got into scoring including working with composers like Steve Jablonsky and Jim Dooley. Nathan shares things he learned while collaborating with Jablonsky and Dooley, and how that prepared him for his own work as a fantastic distinct voice in the scoring world. We discuss the difference between horror and thriller scoring, and how The Purge is a suspense thriller that required precision from the music. From spotting, building suspense and knowing when to let silence take over we discuss a lot of interesting topics. Please enjoy this fantastic interview with an extremely talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nathan Whitehead Chandler Poling White Bear PR
The always charming and fun iZLER takes some time to talk about his work on Shameless and Revenge. The two extremely popular shows couldn't be more different and we discuss the approach of one versus the other. iZLER also reflects about his big celebratory night at the BMI Film/TV Awards where he brought home some new awards. We also discuss the challenge of recording with a live orchestra every week for his score to Revenge and the scheduling behind it. iZLER also shares some of his favorite TV scores and those that inspire him. Talking with iZLER is always a fun and amazing informative time, please enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: iZLER Emilie Erskine CW3PR
Revenge, courtesy of ABC Studios, is available on watchabc.go.com
PLEASE NOTE: This interview discusses major spoilers for Iron Man 3. There is an audible warning in the interview before we discuss them. Avoid the following times if you'd like to listen to the interview and avoid spoilers.
SPOILERS: 7:40 - 10:26
The super talented and busy Brian Tyler chats about his awesome score to Iron Man 3 and shares a bit about his upcoming score for Now You See Me. We dive right into Iron Man 3 and discuss his collaboration with director/co-writer Shane Black and what the goals for the music were. Brian shares his process for creating the big bold theme that highlights the score and infusing a sense of emotional weight for the film and Stark's character. We also discuss his approach to the Mandarin and how he handled the antagonist of this story. This leads to Tyler discussing the state of super hero scores, what he thinks a super hero score should be and he also weighs in on other composers' takes on various super hero films. Brian also shares his influences behind the caper action-thriller Now You See Me and how he really wanted to make a throwback score to the amazing caper films of the 60's with composers like Henry Mancini as a major influence. Another fantastic interview with the always fun Brian Tyler. Enjoy.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Brian Tyler Dan Barry Jeff Sanderson Chasen & Company
Photo Credit: Joanne Leung
Hanan Townshend takes some time to talk about his amazing score to Terrence Malick's To The Wonder. We delve into the process of working with one of the most respected directors in the history of the medium. He shares a bit about his history and how he came to work with Malick while attending school in Texas. The New Zealand native shares a bit about his personal journey as well and how that may have influenced his writing, which was not scored to picture. A very informative and fascinating look with a fantastic composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Hanan Townshend Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
The absolutely amazing Garry Schyman takes some time to talk about his tremendous score to BioShock Infinite, the latest installment in the groundbreaking franchise. Garry shares about how he found his niche and love for video game scores and why it appeals to him as a composer. We then discuss BioShock Infinite as Garry delves into his approach for the series starting back with the first game and how the music has evolved. We discuss a bit about the technical side of scoring the game such as what point in the process does he come in and start writing music and much more. A great insight with a premiere composer and great talent.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Garry Schyman Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Jason Graves takes some time to chat about his amazing score to Tomb Raider. The renowned game composer also shares about his work on the Dead Space games including the recent Dead Space 3. We talk about the state of video game music, his process and approach, and much more. A very fun and fascinating chat with a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jason Graves Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Trevor Morris is a two-time Emmy winner and is also the most Emmy nominated composer of the past 2 years. Trevor has done amazing work across all mediums and has impressed with his work on The Tudors, The Borgias, The Pillars Of The Earth and most recently Vikings. On the film front Trevor gave us a taste of big action with Immortals and continues in a different realm this year with Antoine Fuqua's Olympus Has Fallen. We chat about his work on Vikings and Olympus Has Fallen, scoring different periods of history, the action genre, infusing emotion, working with Antoine Fuqua, his love of wine and so much more. Trevor has always been a favorite of mine over his career so it was a great pleasure and honor to once again have a chat with him.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Trevor Morris Jana Davidoff-Morrison CW3PR
Reinhold Heil discusses in great analytical depth the score of Cloud Atlas, which he co-composed with Tom Tykwer and Johnny Klimek. In a fascinating interview, he shares how the trio came to be friends and frequent collaborators. He shares the dynamic of working with Tom Tykwer who is also the director. We talk about how they like to compose music first instead of it being the last part of the filmmaking puzzle. This opens up great conversation about how the music became the backbone of the film and how integral it was to the story. This was an incredibly fascinating chat with such a talented and knowledgable composer. A highly recommended listen.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Reinhold Heil Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
John Ottman talks Jack And The Giant Slayer in an interview that is extremely informative and an absolute blast! We chat about the nightmarish logistics behind being the composer, editor and associate producer on a project. In a completely fun fashion he discusses the dread he feels when Bryan Singer calls him up for a film since he knows lots of hard work is to follow, but it always pays off. John shares his approach to editing, why he edits first and scores last, how he's thinking creatively during his first read of the script, and so much more. This interview is extremely informative and extremely fun. John also spills a little bit about X-Men: Days Of Future Past and shares his frustration about the lack of musical continuity in most comic book film franchises. One of the most entertaining and engaging interviews on F.M.M and a real honor. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: John Ottman Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
Composer Carlos José Alvarez takes some time to discuss his wonderful score for Cubamerican. Alvarez has composed great work for films like Deadline starring Brittany Murphy and Discover The Gift directed by Demian Lichtenstein. He also collaborated with Deborah Lurie on her scores for 9 and One For The Money. Cubamerican is a documentary about the millions of Cubans forced into exile from communist Cuba, and how they started their new lives in the United States. Carlos not only shares his approach to his scoring, but the personal journey he took while working on the film. This interview is very special because we really discuss how filmmaking and scoring go hand in hand with the human journey. Carlos really became connected with his Cuban heritage and learned a lot about what his parents went through. He shares how it was his uncle who actually led him to get the job as composer on this film, and how he recommended his brother to be the editor. His filmmaking journey became a family affair and his music became a reflection of himself and the responsibility he felt for the film. A truly wonderful interview with a great composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Carlos José Alvarez Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
The super talented Jeff Rona takes some time to talk about his recent score for Phantom. Jeff talks in detail about his approach to scoring as he reflects on some of his past scores. Jeff discusses his approach to Phantom and what his goals for the music were. He shares how he recorded sounds while on the submarine set of the film and incorporated them into the soundscape of the score. We also touch on the use of world instrumentation and sounds in film scores and what his views on that are. One of the most interesting and enlighthening interviews on F.M.M and a true pleasure. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Jeff Rona Stefan Karrer Milan Records
Composer and renowned vocalist Sussan Deyhim speaks about her work on Alexandre Desplat's score to Oscar Best Picture winner Argo. We discuss the use of vocals in scores today and her experience working with different composers. She shares her experience on Argo and how she worked with Desplat to create the vocal textures in the score as well as add a personal human element. This is a fantastic chat with a composer who truly connects with her music on a personal level, and is able to add a deep human touch to other composers' works with her voice. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Sussan Deyhim Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
Photo Credit: Tino Rodriguez & Virgo Paraiso
Rob Simonsen is a wonderfully talented composer who takes some time to chat about two films he scored that recently played at Sundance, The Way, Way Back and The Spectacular Now. Simonsen shares how he met Mychael Danna and ended up becoming his protege, including what he learned most from him. Simonsen worked on many of Mychael Danna's scores and quickly branched off on his own. Simonsen co-scored the acclaimed Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World as well. We chat about his approach to his two recent Sundance darlings, working on back-to-back projects, his sources for inspiration and much more. A great interview with a talented and fresh voice in the industry.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Rob Simonsen Chandler Poling Thomas Mikusz White Bear PR
Composer and prolific orchestrator Nan Schwartz takes some time to talk about her work on Alexandre Desplat's Argo as well as Mychael Danna's Life Of Pi. She shares how she became interested in film composing and her family's rich musical history. We talk in depth about the role of the orchestrator and her working relationship with Desplat, whom she has collaborated with many times. She also shares her experience working with Danna on Life Of Pi. We talk about her own work as a composer as well and how she approaches music when she is writing it. An amazing and enlightening interview with a wonderful talent.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Nan Schwartz Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
Composer Kevin Riepl takes some time to talk about his score to the highly anticipated, Aliens: Colonial Marines. Kevin is no stranger to the video game world as he composed the score to the best-seller Gears Of War. In this interview he shares a little about his background and his scoring process. We go into great detail about how games are scored almost in layers, and the challenges he faced to build suspense and tension when it's the player that dictates pacing. He also shares how he wanted to reference Jerry Goldsmith's and James Horner's scores to their respective films, but also make it a new entry in the Alien universe. Kevin also reveals that he's going to score Cabin Fever: Patient Zero this year. A great chat with a very talented composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Kevin Riepl Greg O'Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
The incredibly talented Atli Örvarsson talks about his recent score to Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. This high energy and incredibly fun score combines classic fairytale elements with a modern twist. Atli shares how he approached the film and his writing process behind it. We also discuss his working relationship with director Tommy Wirkola. Apart from the film we we discuss some technical aspects of scoring including how surround sound comes into play with his composing process, and much more! Enjoy this terrific chat!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Atli Örvarsson Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
The always energetic FM Le Sieur talks about his score to the hit SyFy Channel show, Being Human. We delve into how he decided to approach the show and find the perfect sound for the music. We also talk about approaching the seasons as 1 big arc versus taking it on 1 episode at a time. He shares how he must try and shield himself from the UK version of the show that airs on BBC but enjoys it after he's finished with his work. We also touch upon what he thinks is the hardest emotion to score as well where he finds inspiration for his music. One of the more enjoyable interviews I've had with a composer. Enjoy!
Check Out The Being Human Soundtrack, Available Now! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/being-human/id587946606
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: FM Le Sieur Emilie Erskine CW3 Public Relations
Composer Joe Kraemer talks about his fantastic score to Jack Reacher. We chat about his friendship and collaboration with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, his approach and what 70's scores influenced him, as well as his journey to getting the job. Joe also talks about how unique it is score a film with no temp score, which was the case with Jack Reacher. He shares details about balancing score with sound effects and how he decided to record a 90-piece orchestra all at once instead of one section at a time. A fascinating and detailed look at scoring from a strong voice in the industry. It was a real pleasure to chat with Joe, please enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joe Kraemer Ray Costa Alex May Costa Communications
The always delightful Ramin Djawadi talks about his busy year that includes Game Of Thrones, Person Of Interest, Red Dawn, Safe House and Medal Of Honor: Warfighter. We chat extensively about the differences between working on a cable show and a network show. He shares a lot about his process for Game Of Thrones, what it's like scoring a procedural type show like Person Of Interest and his return to the Medal Of Honor franchise. Ramin was the first composer ever to have an audio interview on Film, Music & Media and it was a pleasure to talk to him once more. Ramin will be composing the highly anticipated Pacific Rim for Guillermo del Toro next year. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Ramin Djawadi Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
Composers Joshua R. Mosley and David Kates talk about their teaming up for the feature length animated film, Mass Effect: Paragon Lost. The film, which further explores the Mass Effect universe through the backstory of James Vega from Mass Effect 3 played by Freddie Prinze, Jr. The two talk about how they came to collaborate together. Joshua talks about what he wanted to add to the Mass Effect universe and David talks about how he wanted to continue what he and previous collaborators established in Mass Effect 1 & 2. The duo also explains scoring an animated feature and how they've actually never met the director Atsushi Takeuchi who hails from Japan. A great interview with two fantastic composers.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Joshua R. Mosley David Kates Greg O' Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Composer J. Ralph talks about his recent score to Chasing Ice. Chasing Ice is a fascinating look behind James Balog's quest to gain physical proof of climate change. Ralph talks about his approach for documentaries including his work on The Cove and Man On Wire. He describes what he wanted to achieve musically especially here with Chasing Ice and all its amazing cinematography. We touch on Hurricane Sandy, which devastated his hometown in New York and how Sandy was a sobering wakeup call that echoes the message of the film. Ralph is a self taught composer with no training or classical music knowledge and to hear his approach as a musician who works based off feeling was supremely interesting.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: J. Ralph Jeff Sanderson Dan Barry Chasen & Company
Photography Credit: C. Taylor Crothers
Yoav Goren is an amazing composer who is also the co-founder of Immediate Music, a music production company that specializes in trailer music. Immediate Music a true original in the market of trailer music companies. Since the early 90's you have probably heard their iconic music in tons of advertising campaigns. Yoav talks about the nature of the business and we chant about how trailers are an underappreciated art form. We discuss how trailers have changed over the years and trends that have come and gone. I also ask Yoav to share is thoughts on the Inception trailer trend that has just recently started to die down. We also discuss how demand for this music from the public has grown and why he decided to start releasing their music on albums, including the recent Trailerhead: Triumph album. A great and insightful interview with a composer who has been part of my musical listening for as long as I've been listening.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Yoav Goren Greg O' Connor-Read Top Dollar PR
Penka Kouneva takes some time to talk about her new album, A Warrior's Odyssey. Penka is no stranger to blockbusters as she has worked on films like Transformers, The Matrix Revolutions and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End. She composed Midnight Movie and co-composed Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands with Steve Jablonsky among many other projects. We talk about the inspiration for doing the album, which leads into a detailed discussion of sound and image. She explains how images inspire sound and how it works the other way where sound inspires images. Since the album is not composed for a specific picture she shares what her visual inspirations were for writing the pieces. She shares a bit about her upbringing and how she incorporated that into the music to make the musical journey a personal one. A terrific interview from a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Penka Kouneva
Paul has scored a bevy of fantastic projects including Limitless, the hit show MI-5 (Spooks) and now the sci-fi action extravaganza Dredd. We talk about his approach for the score and how he wanted to do a different kind of blockbuster. He makes his case for his electronic-heavy sound and what he wanted to do to escape the traditional sound Hollywood usually goes after in action movies. We also chat about how his music had to compete with sound effects in the final mix and if action score should work precisely with the heavy editing or sort of flow underneath. Paul is always great fun to chat with and it was an honor to have him back on F.M.M. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Paul Leonard Morgan Caroline Gorman Dianne Stevenson
Photography By: Alexander Newton
The always amazing Marcelo Zarvos takes some time to talk about his recent score to The Words and his upcoming score to Barry Levinson's The Bay. We chat about his upbringing and how he came to compose for films. He describes his approach and goal for The Words. He then shares about his working relationship with Barry Levinson who he has composed 3 films for and counting. He shares what it was like to venture into found footage territory with Barry, which is a new area for both storytellers. A really great interview with an amazing composer.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Marcelo Zarvos Beth Krakower Cinemedia Promotions
Director Mark Nistico talks about his new film, Blue Collar Boys. His film revolves around a construction worker trying to keep his family's business afloat while doing whatever is necessary to bring money in. The tense drama won Best Picture in the micro budget category at the Toronto Independent Film Festival. Mark talks about the inspiration for the film and what it's like being the director, writer, producer and editor. He shares how he worked with composer Joe Lapinski to craft the score as well. Mark gives a lot of great and insightful information for any independent filmmakers out there and it was a real pleasure to talk to him.
Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas
Special Thanks: Mark Nistico Chandler Poling White Bear PR
Emmy winning composer Anton Sanko shares some insight behind his score for The Possession. The composer is no stranger to the genre with amazing work on film like The Last Winter. He shares his approach and we chat about the challenge of humanizing characters while still achieving the goal of thrilling the audience. He talks about the duality of the piano and how it can be dark or warming plus describes certain scenes that relied almost on 100% score with no diegetic sound. Some great insight from a composer who knows how to execute within the thriller/horror genre.
Tony Morales takes some time to chat about his recent Emmy nominated score for Hatfields & McCoys, which he co-composed with John Debney. Tony explains the research that went into the music in finding the style of the setting and era through instrumentation. He also shares how John and him structured the score for such a massive mini-series and how they condensed the score for an album release. A great talent and a great interview.
Emmy winning composer Sean Callery takes some time to talk about his work on the hit series, Homeland. Sean received his 12th Emmy nomination for his main theme to the show. We talk about how he found his way into music and ultimately composing. He discusses his methods and approaches on shows like 24 and Homeland, and the differences between cable and broadcast network television. Through that Sean reveals the importance of working with great showrunners and how that makes the difference when you're in the midst of composing a television series. This was truly one of the best interviews I've had and it's extremely informative. A fun chat with an amazing and talented guy. Sean's other credits include 24, Bones, Medium and La Femme Nikita among many others.
Geoff was the first interview ever on Film, Music & Media done via email back in 2009. Now we chat again about his recent score to The Odd Life Of Timothy Green. Geoff tells us his inspirations for the music and what he wanted to achieve with the score. The music is clearly his most personal score yet and everything that he shares in this interview reflects that. Geoff Zanelli has really created a heartfelt and memorable narrative here, and it was a real pleasure to be able to have him back on F.M.M. Geoff shares how fatherhood helped him connect with the story and allowed him to write in his true voice. We also discuss how John Toll's cinematography influenced how he approached the music plus working with director Peter Hedges. It was a real joy to speak to Geoff about this wonderful score.
Composer and songwriter Michael Bacon takes some time to chat about his music and methods. We discuss how he got started in music and what led him to film composing. As an established documentary composer he shares some insight into his process for scoring many documentaries over his esteemed career. We also chat about his band with his brother, actor Kevin Bacon and what that journey means to him. An incredibly insightful chat with a great musical storyteller.
Reza Safinia has had an impressive career in the music business for a long time first starting in the pop music scene. We discuss his transition from that part of the industry to film composing. He shares what he looks for in a film for musical inspiration and we discuss his score to the Sundance hit, Filly Brown. He shares his approach for the film and what it's like to have a screen film at Sundance. He also shares some insight for his upcoming film, Snap. A great and insightful interview.
Composer Adam Peters takes some time to chat about his recent collaboration with director Oliver Stone. His music can be heard in Oliver Stone's Savages and is an integral part of the entire soundscape. He shares what it's like working with Oliver, how he got the job, what his goals were and how his music needed to interact with the many songs Stone used throughout the movie. He also reflects on his time working with Hans Zimmer on the Rango score. An incredibly talented musician with a great ear for textures and colors in music. Enjoy this immensely enlightening interview.
The composing duo Fall On Your Sword (Will Bates & Phil Mossman) take time to talk about their scores for Lola Versus and Another Earth. We chat about how they met and how the name "Fall On Your Sword" came to be. Will and Phil talk about their process and the musical goals for Lola Versus and what they wanted the music to do for the character. We also discuss the use of vocals in film scores and what the vocals in their music meant for the story. A very refreshing interview from a talented team of composers.
Brian Tyler is one of the busiest and most successful composers working today. He's behind some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood and has the honor of being the composer of the highest grossing entertainment entity of all time on any medium with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. We talk about his current projects including The Expendables 2 and his recent task of rearranging Jerry Goldsmith's Universal Studios logo fanfare for the 100th Anniversary. We chat about his upcoming July concert where he has expanded the fanfare into its own piece. He shares how he got his big break at so early in his career and even shares some recent things he deals with on a daily basis with an example from The Expendables 2. We also chat about his scores to TV shows like Terra Nova, Hawaii Five-O and Transformers: Prime. Brian is truly a great guy and is a lot of fun to chat with.
(Audio Sourced From Video) Composer Danny Elfman talks about Dark Shadows in this intensive Q&A moderated by Jeff Bond. Hosted at Warner Brothers Studios, Elfman goes into great detail about his relationship with Tim Burton and much more. He also answers questions from fans. Please excuse the shaky camera work and choppy editing. I did not come prepared to film this, but due to my great location decided to capture it so other's could experience. Enjoy! This is not the full interview as some parts were omitted due to lack of focus and time.
Oscar winner Elliot Goldenthal takes some time to talk about his concert for the Film Music Festival in Krakow, Poland. We discuss what it was like reflecting back on his body of work and the preparations it took to ready the music for a live performance. We touch on his scores for Alien 3 and Batman Forever, and how he crafted such iconic scores in the midst of huge recognizable franchises. His reflections on working with David Fincher on Alien 3 were particularly interesting. He also shares his next film that he's working on with Julie Taymor. A true legend of the medium and it was an honor to interview him for a second time for F.M.M.
Composer Kevin Manthei takes time to talk about his hit animated shows like Ultimate Spider-Man and Invader ZIM including what the turn around is for an animated show. We chat about what led him to be a composer and how get got his start. The veteran video game composer also talks about what has changed in the process from the very first video game he score to his most recent one. We also discuss "brand" and "genre" sounds, and he shares what its like for a composer to work on a popular video game tie-in" like Tron: Evolution way before the movie even comes out. A great chat with a very talented composer.
The great Trevor Rabin takes a moment to discuss his new album, Jacaranda. The genre defining action composer explains his reasoning for doing a solo instrumental album. We discuss the process of musical inspiration when picture or lyrics aren't involved. He also shares some secrets to composing a good action score and how he approaches it. Trevor talks about the differences between a composer/director and composer/producer relationship as he has built both kinds over the years. A true honor from a true legend.
David Ari Leon takes some time to talk about his work. David brings his unique sound to projects not only as a composer but as a music supervisor as well. We go into detail not just about his music for various hit video games but also his role as a music supervisor on a massive amount of hit Marvel animated series. We talk about brand sounds and genre sounds and working within them. He co-wrote the theme for The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and we discuss how he works with a composer to make sure the project is going in the right musical direction. A very enlightening interview.
Composer Tom Harrison talkes about his score to the short film, The Sidelines. As a composer who is just starting out we talk about what's like to be a beginning in the industry. He talks about moving to Los Angeles and the steps he is taking as a young composer in Hollywood. A great interview for anyone looking for ideas on how to get your foot in the door and make some moves.
iZLER chats about his recent scoring collaboration on Natural Selection as well as his score to On The Ice. The extremely talented composer goes into depth about his process including collaboration as well as how he handles doing a hit TV series like Revenge on ABC. iZLER is indeed a very talented composer and his music shows that. This was a very pleasant chat so please enjoy!
Chris Hajian takes some time to talk about two upcoming documentaries he scored. On April 13, 2012 the Marc Dreier documentary Unraveled opens in select theatres and in May the Sundance Selects documentary First Position will be rolling out in theatres. Chris gives an insightful look into each of the projects as well as documentary scoring as a whole. He also talks about scoring a handful of direct to video Disney sequels and what that entails when a composer jumps into a big name franchise for the home video market. Chris is a great and charismatic guy and his passion for his work speaks for itself.
The queen of documentary film scoring takes some time to chat about her career and her approach to documentary scoring. Miriam has scored great documentaries like the Emmy winning Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib and Emmy nominated Thin. This interview features a heavy focus on doc scoring and it's a very enlightening chat. Miriam shares how she got in the industry and her love for ethnic music. She talks about how easy it is to become so emotionally invested in documentaries that you work on and how that reflects in her music. Miriam also gives some tips to any young female composers trying to break into this still very male dominated industry.
Composer Danny Jacob is behind the mega-hit animated series, Phineas & Pherb from Disney. We talk about his guitar background and how he found himself on the popular series. Danny shares the ins and outs of working on an animated program where half a year goes by before he sees the finished product. He also shares how the songs are incorporated into the show since diegetic music is a huge part of the series. A very enlightening interview.
The amazing Christopher Lennertz takes some time to chat about Mass Effect 3 and some upcoming projects. We go in detail about comedy scoring and family film scoring. We spend a good portion talking about his work on Mass Effect 3 and how the rest of the composing team came together to craft a cohesive and epic score for such a large scale game. We also discuss the importance of directors sticking with composers and building a lasting working relationship. He also mentions how his daughter is his secret weapon when it comes to knowing how to approach family films. A great chat with one of today's most admired and respected composers.
Breaking Bad composer, Dave Porter takes us into the inner workings of the Emmy winning TV series. We talk about his time from the beginning all the way to the upcoming final season. We discuss his technique towards the show and what he wants his music to accomplish in each episode. We also discuss in detail how music should function in documentaries and how he approached his newest documentary, Burn. A really fascinating interview with a super talented guy.
Timothy Michael Wynn takes some time to talk about his impressive score to The Darkness II, the new video game. We discuss game scoring and what his approach to the game was. Wynn also shares his knowledge about documentary scoring and how he approached his newest documentary, Burn. A really great interview with a really great guy. Enjoy!
Randall Winston has produced some of TV's best series. He is Bill Lawrence's partner in crime and has produced on shows such as Spin City, Scrubs and now Cougar Town. Scrubs fans will know him as Leonard the security guard with a hook for a hand from Scrubs (one of his many cameos). Randall now serves as Co-Executive Producer on the amazing Cougar Town. I talk to Randall about his position on the show and the details about producing TV. He tells us about the different producer titles such as Associate and Executive Producers. We talk about locations, schedules, crew, music licensing and much more. He also shares an extremely bizarre and hilarious story from the set towards the end. One of the nicest guys I've met and someone I look up to in the business. Check out this great and informative interview and be sure to check out an episode of Cougar Town if you haven't done so already.
Listen to a unique interview where a director interviews his composer. Daniel has composed two films for me, but the interview is focusing on Daniel's new album. Sunday Mood Swings is a new album from a very talented musician and filmmaker. We talk about our own collaborations as well as his own films. Not only is Daniel a composer, but a filmmaker as well. So we chat about what it's like for a director to make a film when he knows he's composing the music as well. Like what you hear in the intro and outro? Download an exclusive track from the album before it's released exclusively from Film, Music & Media!
Composer Kim Planert is a fantastic new talent in the score world. He has worked under Robert Duncan who composes hit TV series like Castle, Lie To Me and The Unit. All of which Kim composed additional music for. Kim is now co-composing Missing with Robert Duncan. We talk about the journey that led him to Los Angeles and how he met Robert. We also discuss the TV scoring schedule and what his and Robert's goal was for Missing musically. Missing premieres Thursday, March 15th at 8pm on ABC.
David Buckley takes time to chat about his new score to the Amanda Seyfried thriller, Gone. David gives a brief recounting of how he got into music and how he met Harry Gregson-Williams who he collaborates with frequently. We chat about his approach for Gone, and his use of electronics and their function in the score. David also discusses scoring multiple films in the same genre close together and how he manages to keep things fresh. While not the first interview on FMM with David it is the first audio interview with him. Also be sure to check out his music every week on the hit TV series, The Good Wife! Enjoy!
Composer John Hunter scored the Academy Award nominated animated short, The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore. We chat about his approach in scoring a silent film and how the music needed to be the structure of the film. He briefly discusses the animation process of the unique story that combines almost every type of animation found in films today. The film's score is structured around the familiar tune of "Pop Goes The Weasel" so John explains how by the end of the story he didn't want it to feel like a familiar tune but the central theme of the character. The film is up for an Oscar this Sunday!
Joel Douek (The Wildest Dream, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- TV Series), Freddy Sheinfeld (La Hora Zero, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- TV Series) and Elik Álvarez (La Virgen Negra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- TV Series) all sit down for F.M.M's first roundtable discussion. The trio of composers who have worked together for many years on some of your favorite animated series team up for Kingdom Of Plants 3D. This discussion is by far the most informative and educational interview on F.M.M. Some essential information about collaboration, technique, style and approach are discussed. The guys give us a detailed and interesting look into how they tackled a documentary about plants and how saturday morning animation is the equivalent of composer boot camp. A very rewarding interview to those who listen through it. At the beginning I place some text onscreen as the 3 take their initial turns speaking so you know who is who. Enjoy!
This interview with Elik Álvarez was done at his studio in Pasadena, CA. We talk about his start in the business and how he moved from Venezuela to California to start a family and career. Elik composed the fantastic score to La Virgen Negra and utilized Lisbeth Scott's stunning vocals in that score. He also co-composed the BBC nature documentary Kingdom Of Plants 3D. Elik also gives some tips on how to overcome the grueling task of breaking into the film industry and what to do when you ever doubt yourself. The talented composer gives one of the most enjoyable interviews experiences on FMM. Enjoy!
Michael Wandmacher who has scored grindhouse B movie homages like Piranha 3D and Drive Angry brings his hard metal sound to Twisted Metal. We talk about getting his start in the business, his approach in scoring the many characters in this over the top rock score, and discuss the game's feature that allows you to play your own music instead of the in-game music. Michael's scores are extremely fun to listen to and Twisted Metal is no exception. While the tone is less "fun" and more "dark" than his previous scores it's still a hard industrial sound that separates itself from the traditional orchestral sound. This isn't your grandma's score, but Michael is definitely an awesome and fun guy to chat with. Enjoy the interview then go enjoy the game and rock on!
Daniel Licht may be known for his work on Dexter but on March 6th he will be replacing Akira Yamaoka as the sound of Silent Hill in Silent Hill: Downpour. We chat exclusively about the game and what his goals and motives were. Plus what it was like taking over for Yamaoka who has been the signature sound of the game franchise for more than a decade.
Composer Cliff Eidelman takes time to talk about his recent score for Big Miracle. We discuss in detail the importance of the composer/director relationship. We also focus on how to make sure the score to a family film doesn't seep into saccharine and schmaltzy territory. As you can hear from the opening intro that Big Miracle is nothing of the sort but instead is a grand sounding score with well balanced emotions. Cliff is a great guy who was part of FMM's recent composer signing. Enjoy this terrific interview!
(Audio Sourced From Video) Here is some raw, candid footage of the Q&A that the Cougar Town gang gave at the Los Angeles viewing party. Bill Lawrence answers fan questions on the studio lot! Cougar Town is back on ABC starting February 14th, 2012!
Grammy nominated composer Ryan Shore takes some time to chat about his score for The Shrine for which he was nominated for. Ryan discusses his start in music, horror composing, composing under a budget and much more. We discuss his spoof score for Stan Helsing as well and what entails scoring not just a comedy but a spoof in the same style as Scary Movie. Ryan Shore is such a great talent who is among the best of the young generation of composers.
If you haven't heard of Abel Korzeniowski I suggest you familiarize yourself with him. Abel is by far one of the richest talents in the composing scene right now. With brilliant scores like Copernicus' Star, A Single Man and now W./E. Korzeniowski (pronounced 'ah-bell korshen-yovski') not only demonstrates an impeccable ability to craft emotions but striking melodic passages as well. I feel W./E. is the best of his works so far and is a score that truly took me by surprise. We chat about his upbringing, working with Madonna as a director, his view on electronics in scores, animation scoring and much more. His unique musical voice and European sensibilities will move you. Enjoy this interview with one of my favorite composers working today.
Let me start off my saying that I am a huge fan of Bill Lawrence. Scrubs was a huge part of my life for all 9 seasons that it aired and Bill is a huge inspiration to me as a screenwriter. So I was ecstatic when I heard Bill was doing a show with Kevin Biegel. When Cougar Town started it took a good half a dozen episodes before it found its groove and boy when it did it really became something special. Cougar Town is by far the best thing on television and everyone needs to be watching it. It's as close to real life as it can be and it's constantly full of heart and laughs with some of the best naturalistic writing on TV.
You can hear composer Joey Newman's music every time you tune into The Middle on ABC as well as on the reality show Little People, Big World. Joey also just conducted alongside John Williams at the Young Musicians Foundation Gala. If you're wondering about the last name the answer is yes, he is indeed from the prestigious Newman family of composers. I talk to him about entering his family's legacy and how music found him while growing up. We also talk about scoring a 30-minute sitcom like The Middle and all the challenges that come with comedic scoring. We also touch on scoring a reality series like Little People, Big World and much more. Enjoy this pleasure of an interview with a great and talented guy!
Before the holidays I got to talk to Lorne Balfe once again about his recent duo of video game scores. Recently Lorne joined Jesper Kyd to co-score Assassin's Creed: Revelations and he also scored Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure with a main theme from Hans Zimmer. This time around we discuss the video game world and how Lorne who previously had never been a gamer has found a new niche that he's fallen in love with. We also discuss his work on Sherlock Holmers: A Game Of Shadows where he did additional music with Hans and was also the score producer. We go on discussing what the role of a "score producer" is and a few other interesting tidbits including a documentary he composed for the BBC. It was a great honor to chat with Lorne once again. If you haven't heard my first interview with him I highly suggest it as well. Lorne is a fun, lively and animated personality who has accomplished a lot this past year working on some extremely big projects.
Kurt Oldman takes some time to talk about his process and share some fun and interesting stories. He talks about the terrifying process of scoring his first feature, and how he knew absolutely nothing about film scoring at the time. He also talks about his recent project "0000" and goes into the composer/director relationship. A great chat with a genuinely great and talented guy.
Inon Zur, who is undoubtedly the master of video game composing, talks about stepping into The Lord Of The Rings franchise with War In The North. We discuss the function of game scores, his typical preference of video games he loves to score and a boatload more from one of the most talented composers working today.
The extremely friendly and knowledgeable composer of Firefly, King Of The Hill and the Uncharted game trilogy for PS3 takes some time to talk about his career. Greg tells the story of going through the pain and anger of dealing with the cancelation of Firefly as well the ins and outs of composing for one of the most successful gaming franchises in history. Greg gives us such a wealth of fascinating information in this interview and it truly is an enriching listen.
If you're looking for one the meatiest composer interviews you've ever listened to then you have to check out Henry Jackman speaking on literally all aspects of film composing. This is more a master class than an interview as Jackman delves into his upbringing, how he started in pop music and eventually was recruited by Hans Zimmer. He sheds light on composing for certain genres and the use of electronics in film scores. We even analyze some of Hans' recent scores. Truly an insightful chat. Henry Jackman has composed X-Men: First Class, Winnie The Pooh, Puss In Boots, Gulliver's Travels and Monsters Vs. Aliens. His next film is Man On A Ledge opening in January. He was also just nominated for an Annie award for best score for his work on Puss In Boots.
S. Peace Nistades takes some time to chat about his recent score to Dragon Age: Redemption. Peace is a young and extremely talented composer working from his own Alkaloide Music Productions in Hollywood, CA. He has worked on a wide variety of films and has tackled many genres. His music has the complexity and maturity of a composer who has been in the business for decades and it was great to be able to pick his brain for a bit. Enjoy!
Giancarlo Vulcano is a composer who has worked for many years with Howard Shore on films such as Lord Of The Rings and The Departed. He has composed some fantastic scores to documentaries like Unfinished Spaces. He currently works on the music team for NBC's 30 Rock.
In this interview we talk about documentary scoring and finding the balance between intellectual and emotional music. We also discuss how music functions on a 30-minute comedy such as 30 Rock.
The fantastic Cliff Martinez takes some time to talk about his start in music and how he ventured from drumming with The Red Hot Chili Peppers to being Steven Soderbergh's go-to composer. With a huge impressive filmography under his belt it's no wonder Martinez is one of today's top and prestigious composers. His distinct style and sounds make is music unmistakable and his talent for honing in on emotions makes his music unforgettable. In 2011 his films include The Lincoln Lawyer, Contagion and Drive. Enjoy!
The extremely talented and versatile Heitor Pereira was kind enough to chat with me about his recent score for The Smurfs. The meat of the interview though is really focused on the collaborative process of telling story through music. Heitor has composed amazing music in scores like Running The Sahara, Haven and Illegal Tender. He's also been collaborating with Hans Zimmer for quite some time co-composing scores like Riding In Cars With Boys and It's Complicated with him. He's been the featured guitarist on many of Hans' scores such as Mission Impossible 2. This interview is definitely more of a conversation and it's one of the most interesting and informative ones I've had. Enjoy great inspired words from Heitor Pereira.
Emmy nominated composer Dan Jones takes some time to talk about his recent project, Any Human Heart for which he earned two Emmy nominations. We also talk about TV scoring versus film and documentary scoring. Dan also goes into his background of scoring live theater as well as talking about the hardest and easiest things about telling a story through music. An extremely informative conversation with a really smart and talented guy. Enjoy!
Emmy nominated composer Edward Rogers drops a line to chat about his recent work on the hit SyFy series Warehouse 13. He talks about getting into music and film at an early age, the overall process of TV scoring, co-composing a score with another composer and the importance of a main titles theme for a TV show.
Composer Scott Starrett of The Event and Drop Dead Diva was kind enough to talk to me about his background and his process. We discuss about TV scoring and especially about documentary scoring and how a score's function changes.
The fun and animated Lorne Balfe takes time to talk about his upbringing, starting in commercials, video game composing on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Crysis 2, genre jumping and getting to the essential emotional core of music. Lorne has been working with Hans Zimmer for the past few years and has co-composed scores like Megamind and The Dilemma with Hans. He's worked on Sherlock Holmes, The Dark Knight and Inception as well to name a few. His solo works include Crying With Laughter and the recent Ironclad. A fun and extremely informative interview. Enjoy!
Limitless composer Paul Leonard-Morgan chats about his current film, the state of electronic scoring in the industry and a lot about the scoring process. A really informative interview with a great and talented guy. Hope you enjoy!
Limitless composer Paul Leonard-Morgan chats about his current film, the state of electronic scoring in the industry and a lot about the scoring process. A really informative interview with a great and talented guy. Hope you enjoy!
Composer Chris Bacon talks about his amazing score to Source Code as well a little about his background and methods.
Composer Chris Bacon talks about his amazing score to Source Code as well a little about his background and methods.
I take some time to discuss video game scoring with Joris de Man. We discuss his background, his work on the Killzone franchise and the fact that video games are becoming so cinematic may not be a good thing. I learned a lot from talking to Joris and hope you will to. Enjoy.
I take some time to discuss video game scoring with Joris de Man. We discuss his background, his work on the Killzone franchise and the fact that video games are becoming so cinematic may not be a good thing. I learned a lot from talking to Joris and hope you will to. Enjoy.
I had the honor of sitting down with Oscar winning composer Elliot Goldenthal about his latest collaboration with Julie Taymor on The Tempest. We also discuss working with Michael Mann, the difference between scoring live theater and film, his influences and inspirations, the challenge of scoring Shakespeare's dialogue and so much more.
I had the honor of sitting down with Oscar winning composer Elliot Goldenthal about his latest collaboration with Julie Taymor on The Tempest. We also discuss working with Michael Mann, the difference between scoring live theater and film, his influences and inspirations, the challenge of scoring Shakespeare's dialogue and so much more.
In this audio interview Bear talks about working under Elmer Bernstein and getting started in scoring, scoring video games vs. films, his work on Human Target and a little bit about the upcoming series The Walking Dead.
In this audio interview Bear talks about working under Elmer Bernstein and getting started in scoring, scoring video games vs. films, his work on Human Target and a little bit about the upcoming series The Walking Dead.
In this audio interview Ramin Djawadi talks about his recent score to the newest game in the Medal Of Honor franchise. Special thanks to Ramin, Ray Costa and Sarah Grace at Costa Communications.