Film.Music.Media

Composer Interview: Eric Serra (January 23, 2015)

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 SerraElaine SchockMeredith LouieShock Ink
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Composer Interview: Joseph S. DeBeasi (January 23, 2015)

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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Composer Interview: Geoff Zanelli (January 16, 2015)

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 ZanelliEmilie ErskineCW3PR
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Composer Interview: Alex Ebert (January 16, 2015)

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 EbertRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications
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Composer Interview: Ilan Eshkeri (December 5, 2014)

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 EshkeriChandler PolingJosine CohenWhite Bear PR
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Composer Interview: Lorne Balfe (December 4, 2014)

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 BalfeKelly Johnson
Photo Credit: Peter "Oso" Snell
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Composer Interview: John Powell (November 15, 2014)

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 PowellRay CostaAlbert TelloAsenath NakayamaCosta Communications
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Composer Interview: Henry Jackman (November 15, 2014)

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 JackmanRay CostaAlbert TelloAsenath NakayamaCosta Communications
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Composer Interview: Jóhann Jóhannsson (November 7, 2014)

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 JóhannssonRay CostaAlbert TelloAsenath NakayamaCosta Communications
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Composer Interview: Joe Henson & Alexis Smith [aka The Flight] (November 7, 2014)

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 HensonAlexis SmithGreg O'Connor-ReadTop Dollar PR
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