Film.Music.Media

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

Composer Interview: John Ottman (June 13, 2014)

The extremely fun and informative John Ottman chats in detail about his scoring and editing process for X-Men: Days Of Future Past. John is completely open when he talks about his career as an editor for Bryan Singer. We talk about how he separates the editing and scoring process. Also, John discusses what it's like being the first composer to actually return to the X-Men franchise and bring the first note of continuity back to the score with his themes. We also delve into a tiny tangent about Lake Placid when the upcoming Blu-ray release is brought up. It was such a fun pleasure to listen to John fully disclose his process and speak on his amazing work.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:John OttmanRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Sean Callery (June 13, 2014)

Emmy-winning composer, Sean Callery takes some time to chat about his work on the return of Jack Bauer in 24: Live Another Day. We discuss essentially returning to the show and picking up where the end of the series left off. Sean reflects on the 24 series from the start up till the point, and what it's like to have a project be in your life for that long. We also discuss Homeland and Elementary, plus Sean compares and contrasts his processes for these different series. Sean always gives the most fantastic and informative chats, and this one is no different. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Sean CalleryJana DavidoffAshley PattersonCW3PR

Composer Interview: Toby Chu (May 6, 2014)

Toby Chu takes some time to talk about his recent score to the new star-studded animated feature Legends Of Oz: Dorothy's Return. Toby's story of his journey to his film composing career is a fascinating one. He talks about how he discovered music and what led him to finally get to Los Angeles and by chance getting a job with Hans Zimmer's company (Media Ventures at the time). This led to working as an additional composer on many of Harry Gregson-Williams' scores, and being an essential part of Harry's team at Wavecrest Studios. Toby talks about his own process as well on show's like Covert Affairs and Burn Notice. With Burn Notice, Toby came into the series run late in the game and had to hit the ground running which is fascinating to learn about. We of course also discuss Legends Of Oz and how Toby wanted to approach his version of Oz plus getting the rare opportunity to write an overture for the film, an almost non-existent thing in films these days. All in all, Toby gives an incredibly in-depth and personal interview that really illuminates his talents as a composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Toby ChuEmilie ErskineCW3PR

Composer Interview: Jeff Russo (May 6, 2014)

Composer Jeff Russo is behind the music to the critically acclaimed and popular new series Fargo on FX. Jeff shares about his background and how he came to film and TV scoring. We dive into his process for Fargo, which sees him continuing his collaboration with showrunner/writer and creator Noah Hawley. The process for Fargo was so interesting as Jeff explains he wrote a majority of all the music to script before production. He discusses how he embraced the tone and world created by Carter Burwell's score to the film but aimed to flesh out an entirely new world. We chat about balancing the dark humor and heavy emotional weight of the series as well. A very fascinating interview with a fantastic composer who is doing amazing work on one of the best series on television right now.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Jeff RussoJana Davidoff-MorrisonCW3PR