Film.Music.Media

Composer Interview: Harold Faltermeyer (September 19, 2016)

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 FaltermeyerBirgitt WolffWolffpromotion

All Access: Theadore Shapiro (September 2, 2016) *Video Interview Available

[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 Interview: Jay Wadley (August 10, 2016)

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 WadleyChandler PolingMaike EilertWhite Bear PR

All Access: John Ottman (June 25, 2016) *Video Interview Available

[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 Interview: Chris Hajian (July 25, 2016)

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 HajianChandler PolingMaike EilertWhite Bear PR

Composer Interview: Hélène Muddiman (July 10, 2016)

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

Director/Composer Interview: Nicolas Winding Refn & Cliff Martinez (June 20, 2016)

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 RefnCliff MartinezBeth KrakowerThe Krakower Group

All Access: Jeff Rona - Episode 1 (June 15, 2016) *Video Interview Available

[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 RonaKelly Seal

All Access: Lyle Workman (June 2, 2016) *Video Interview Available

[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 WorkmanRay CostaAndrew P. AldereteCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Victor Reyes (June 2, 2016)

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 ReyesRay CostaAndrew P. AldereteCosta Communications