Film.Music.Media

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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Composer Interview: Brian Tyler (August 20, 2014)

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 TylerJeff SandersonRyan MazieChasen & Company
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Composer Interview: Joey Newman (August 20, 2014)

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 NewmanSabrina HutchinsonSabrina Hutchinson PR
Photography Credit: Liza Voll Photography
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Composer Interview: Mario Grigorov (August 20, 2014)

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 GrigorovShoshie AbornBig Picture Media
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Composer Interview: Daniel Licht (August 15, 2014)

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 LichtJana DavidoffCW3PR
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Composer Interview: Nathan Whitehead (July 21, 2014)

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 WhiteheadChandler PolingWhite Bear PR

Composer Interview: Trevor Morris (June 18, 2014)

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 MorrisJana DavidoffAshley PattersonCW3PR