Film.Music.Media

Composer Interview: Mark Isham (December 15, 2013)

Oscar-nominated Mark Isham is one of the most respected composers to ever work in the medium, and it was a great honor to be able to have him share some insight behind his recent work. Mark shares a bit about his background and how he found the path to film composing. We talk about his re-teaming with director Frank Darabont for the gritty Mob City on TNT. Mark talks about his approach and how he started really early on this project to allow Darabont to do some very unique stuff with the music in the show. Mark also shares how he juggles two major broadcast series as well with Once Upon A Time and Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. We explore how he handles TV schedules and his approach to the format including how commercial breaks play into his scoring approach. A very insightful talk with a truly remarkable composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Mark IshamRay CostaAlbert TelloCosta Communications

Composer Interview: Geoff Zanelli (December 15, 2013)

Emmy-winning composer Geoff Zanelli takes some time to chat about his two recent scores to Killing Kennedy and Christmas In Conway. Killing Kennedy premiered to record numbers becoming the highest rated program to air on National Geographic. Geoff delves into his approach for the film, as well as exploring what's behind the public's fascination with JFK and his story. We talk about how to approach a narrative based on a major historical figure and national tragedy, including how his score needed to flesh out Lee Harvey Oswald. We also chat about Christmas In Conway and how to walk the fine line between heartwarming and overly melodramatic. Christmas movies always come with a whole territory of genre expectations, and Geoff talks about how he faced them. Finally, we go in-depth into Geoff's work on The Lone Ranger as he arranged Rossini's William Tell Overture into one of the best action sequences ever filmed. Geoff talks about breaking the overture down and rebuilding it with director Gore Verbinski and composer Hans Zimmer. Every interview with Geoff shines new light onto his amazing work, and this interview is no different. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Geoff ZanelliEmilie ErskineCharley WaltersCW3PR

Composer Interview: Pharrell Williams (November 20, 2013)

One of the most influential musical artists of our generation has become more and more involved in the film music world over the past few years. Pharrell Williams co-scored the worldwide sensation Despicable Me, and his themes and songs returned for Despicable Me 2 including the new original song "Happy". Pharrell has also been collaborating heavily with composer Hans Zimmer doing various things such as writing and producing music for the 84th Annual Academy Awards as well as being a featured percussionist on Hans' Man Of Steel score. Pharrell will also be working with Hans on the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2. For this interview we talk about his history as a musician and what led him to be immersed in the world of film music. From what his methods are for scores and songs to his views on the goals of what film scores should do emotionally, Pharrell shares his philosophy and approach. We also discuss the importance of collaboration and how working with composers like Heitor Pereira and Hans Zimmer has been an educational process as he grows as a composer. It was such a great honor to speak to a fantastic musical mind who is bringing a brand new voice to the film music world.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Pharrell WilliamsKrishel Coultrup42 West

Composer Interview: Rahman Altin (November 13, 2013)

Turkish composer Rahman Altin talks about his amazing new score for The Butterfly's Dream. The film revolves around two young and struggling poets at the start of WW2 living in Turkey and is a masterful story of love and life. Rahman goes into detail about writing a score in the tradition of classic cinema and how much of a personal journey this was for him. We discuss his background including how he fell in love with film music through John Williams and seeing Star Wars and Superman when he was young. He also talks about his initial discussions with director Yilmaz Erdogan and how the working relationship was an amazing and rare experience. From barely any temp music to no required revisions, Rahman was able to craft a score completely uninhibited. The result is stunning and Rahman won the Public Choice Award at this year's World Soundtrack Awards. The Butterfly's Dream is also Turkey's official entry for this year's Best Foreign Film for the Academy Awards. A true pleasure to speak with an amazing composer whose work is among the best of the year.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Rahman AltinChandler PolingWhite Bear PR

Composer Interview: David Buckley (November 7, 2013)

Composer David Buckley talks Call Of Duty: Ghosts in his most recent interview for Film.Music.Media. His other scores include The Forbidden Kingdom, The Good Wife, Killing Lincoln, The Town, From Paris With Love, Parker and many more. We explore how he got the Call Of Duty job, which is a very highly sought after composer gig. Then we delve into his approach and process including what he wanted his music to be doing for the game and the story. David shares what he looked at for his musical inspiration and how he closely worked with the developers to craft the experience. This is a terrific exploration at the process of scoring a huge action game such as Call Of Duty: Ghosts. We also talk briefly of his upcoming score to the film A Bit Of Bad Luck, which sees David composing a comedy score. David Buckley is always one of the most interesting people to talk to and his insight is always fascinating.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:David Buckley

Composer Interview: Steve Jablonsky (November 2, 2013)

Steve Jablonsky is one of the most prolific composers working in the industry and is a true musical auteur. His iconic music and recognizable style has won him over a huge fan base. In this detailed discussion Steve talks about growing up in Los Angeles and how starting out as Harry Gregson-Williams' assistant back in the mid 90's got him on the path he's on today. We really discuss his methods and approach, specifically for his newest score to Ender's Game. We go in-depth about his collaborations with director Michael Bay, including his early thoughts for Transformers: Age Of Extinction. Steve also shares about re-teaming with director Peter Berg for Lone Survivor and how he found himself working with the band Explosions In The Sky for the score. Steve is a personal inspiration so it was beyond an honor and a privilege to speak to him about his work. Enjoy this wonderful interview.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Steve JablonskyJeff SandersonDan BarryChasen & Company
Photo Credit: Katia Lewin Jablonsky

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