Film.Music.Media

Gabriel Mann (Composer: A Million Little Things | Modern Family)

[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

Nathan Barr (Composer: The House With A Clock In Its Walls)

[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

Nicholas Britell (Composer: Vice | If Beale Street Could Talk)

[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

Diane Warren (Songwriter "I'll Fight" from RBG)

[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 (Composer: The Death Of Stalin)

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

All Access: Henry Jackman - Episode 2 (Ralph Breaks The Internet, The Predator)

[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 Interview: Rolfe Kent

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

All Access: Carter Burwell (The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs)

[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

All Access: Tony Morales (Elena of Avalor / An Actor Prepares)

[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

Composer Interview: Gabriele Ciampi (Hybrid)

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