Film.Music.Media

Composer Interview: Joel Douek (November 2, 2013)

Joel Douek is an incredibly talented and fascinating composer. His versatility as a musical storyteller can be heard in films like The Tall Man starring Jessica Biel, nature documentaries like Galapagos 3D narrated by David Attenborough and hit animated series like Yu-Gi-Oh!. Joel explores how his different life interests led him to composing, and eventually starting as a music editor on Pokémon the series. Joel shares his expertise and interest in neuroscience and how he loves to examine how music works with our brains to translate emotions. We also talk about his involvement in the SCL (Society Of Composers & Lyricists) and how it offers amazing resources to aspiring composers. Joel also talks about some of his passion projects including documentaries he's scored with subject matters he really stands behind. By far one of the most fascinating and informative interviews on Film.Music.Media from a composer whose work and method I admire deeply.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Joel DouekBeth KrakowerCinemedia Promotions

Composer Interview: Dominic Lewis (October 31, 2013)

Dominic Lewis has been busy working alongside composers like John Powell, Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Henry Jackman as an additional composer on amazing films. He makes his feature film debut as a composer with Free Birds, and it was a great pleasure to chat with him about it. Dominic shares how he got involved at Remote Control Productions, and everything he learned working under some of the best talents in the industry. We discuss how he got hired for Free Birds through John Powell's recommendation, and how he approached his first feature score. We talk about his musical goals for the film, what he wanted to accomplish musically and his methods. Dominic is a fantastic talent and proves it by handling his first feature with a masterful execution. Enjoy this fun and extremely informative interview with one of the best new voices in the industry.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Dominic LewisRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta CommunicationsStéphane Humez

Composer Interview: Jeff Lippencott & Mark T. Williams (October 31, 2013)

Jeff Lippencott and Mark T. Williams (known collectively as ah2) are two fantastic composers whose work is the musical backbone of some of TV's biggest hits. While the composing duo have done excellent scores for films like Jeff's recent score to Grace Unplugged, they are more known for their work in reality television. So if you watch The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, MasterChef, Shark Tank or Who Do You Think You Are then you've been immersed in their music. This is a supremely fascinating interview behind how reality television is scored and the work Jeff and Mark do. Just listening to them delve into their process shows why they are two of the most in-demnad composers in television. Two great guys doing great work that deserve attention in a genre of scoring that deserves more of a spotlight.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special ThanksJeff LippencottMark T. WilliamsAshley PattersonCW3PR

Composer Interview: Daniel Pemberton (October 25, 2013)

The prolific and versatile Daniel Pemberton takes some time to chat about his recent score to Ridley Scott's The Counselor. Daniel has scored films such as The Awakening, Blood and video games such as the popular Little Big Planet 2 and The Movies. The Counselor marks Daniel's first venture with Scott, which is significant because the director rarely changes composers. We talk about how he got into film scoring as well as how he got The Counselor gig through editor Pietro Scalia's recommendation. We discuss the musical approach and how he wanted his orchestra of guitars and unique textures to truly be something modern and new. He shares about the discussions he had with Ridley and all the cool things he tried to implement musically. We talk about the story and plot's thematic structure, and how that influenced his musical thematic structure. A great interview with a composer whose music I accidentally discovered in 2005 through the video game The Movies and have been a fan of ever since.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Daniel PembertonRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Steven Price (October 18, 2013)

*NOTE: Spoilers, including the film's ending are discussed in this interview.
Steven Price may be a relatively new composer, but his score for the critically-acclaimed Gravity shows that he is a master at building a sonic narrative. We chat about how he got his start in the business and what ultimately led him to being hired for Gravity. Gravity's technical complexity provided great challenges and Steven shares how he and director Alfonso Cuarón approached what they wanted to achieve. We discuss the restraints the score needed to have, the emotional draw of the characters and how the score needed to act as more than just the score but as an integral anchor of the whole sound design. A fascinating interview with a composer who has proven his amazing abilities early in his composing career.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Steven PriceRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Carl Thiel (October 11, 2013)

Carl Thiel is a fantastic composer who has been working with director Robert Rodriguez for many years now. Carl has been part of Rodriguez's musical team on a slew of his films and was the lead composer for Machete Kills, which Carl co-composed with Rodriguez. Carl worked extensively on the first Machete as well as part of Rodriguez's band Chingon. We discuss the collaborative differences between the first film and this one. Including what it's like working with a director like Robert who holds almost every title behind the camera including director, writer, editor and more. Carl talks about the different sounds he created for the many characters while upping the adventure factor for this installment. Even though the movie is crazy over the top, Carl shares how in some scenes he even had to tone the music back and find the right balance. We also talk about the James Bond influences in Machete Kills and how that affected the score. A very enlightening talk with a great composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Carl ThielJeff SandersonDan BarryChasen & Company
Photo Credit: Mathew Sturtevant

Composer Interview: Jeremy Zuckerman (October 11, 2013)

The incredibly talented Jeremy Zuckerman provides some insight behind his amazing work on The Legend Of Korra. We delve into how Jeremy got his unconventional start in the business and went on to score one of the most successful animated shows on television with Avatar: The Last Airbender. He discusses his time schedules and process working on an animated series including recording with live musicians. We discuss how it's important to treat the subject matter as real as possible and never try to simplify emotions just because a show or film is aimed at a younger audience. Jeremy also shares a bit of what he loved (and didn't love) about the live action film adaption of The Last Airbender. A fantastic interview with a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Jeremy ZuckermanChandler PolingWhite Bear PR

Composer Interview: Christopher Lennertz (September 26, 2013)

The always great Christopher Lennertz chats about some of his newest scores like Thanks For Sharing and Revolution. Thanks For Sharing is a drama about sex addiction, but it also has a lot of light life moments. It's a film that will make you laugh and cry at the same time so we discuss all the challenges that came with it. It's also a deeply psychological film requiring a lot from the score to get into the head of the characters. We discuss in depth the psychology of film music. Especially how composers need to be able to analyze characters well in order to know what the music needs to do in order to evoke an emotional connection. Chris shares how 20 years ago he wouldn't have had the life experiences needed to be able to properly write a score like Thanks For Sharing, and how living life is the best way to become a better storyteller. We also discuss Revolution and what his method and approach is for a huge broadcast drama. A truly fascinating and insightful interview with an amazing composer. It was great to chat with Chris once again.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Christopher LennertzStefan KarrerRay CostaAlbert TelloMilan RecordsCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Lorne Balfe (September 26, 2013)

The busy Lorne Balfe takes some time to chat once again about all his recent projects including The Frozen Ground, Salinger, Beyond: Two Souls and more! We chat about his experience of putting together a live concert in Spain at the PlayFest Festival where he won an award for best video game score for Assassin's Creed III. Lorne talks about the long journey of making Salinger and his love for documentaries. We also discuss game scores with Beyond: Two Souls, which is an extremely unique project. He shares about working with director David Cage on this bold interactive narrative starring Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. It's always a pleasure to catch up with Lorne in all his endeavors. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Lorne BalfeBeth KrakowerCinemedia Promotions

Composer Interview: Christine Wu (September 26, 2013)

NOTE: Christine was suffering from Laryngitis at the time of this interview, but was still eager to speak about her work!
Christine Wu is a concert violinist, cellist, composer, string arranger, and studio musician for records, film, television and live performance. She has recently become more involved in film scores as a musician and a composer herself. Her collaborations with Lorne Balfe are extremely wonderful. We discuss her background and a lot about performing on a film score. She shares the work relationships between composers and musicians, and the approach of working to what is right for the score. She gives a great insight between the differences of performing for a score and performing live on stage. Christine also talks about what inspires her when writing music of her own. A wonderful interview with a great talent.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Christine WuLivia SquiresSquires PR