Film.Music.Media

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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Composer Interview: Albert Chang (November 7, 2014)

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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John Powell Interviewed By Jon Burlingame [Audio Sourced From Video] (October 28, 2014)

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.comsagaftra.org

Composer Interview: Antonio Sanchez (October 10, 2014)

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 SanchezRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications
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Composer Interview: Heitor Pereira (September 6, 2014)

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 PereiraRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications
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