Film.Music.Media

Composer Interview: Penka Kouneva (October 5, 2012)

Penka Kouneva takes some time to talk about her new album, A Warrior's Odyssey. Penka is no stranger to blockbusters as she has worked on films like Transformers, The Matrix Revolutions and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End. She composed Midnight Movie and co-composed Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands with Steve Jablonsky among many other projects. We talk about the inspiration for doing the album, which leads into a detailed discussion of sound and image. She explains how images inspire sound and how it works the other way where sound inspires images. Since the album is not composed for a specific picture she shares what her visual inspirations were for writing the pieces. She shares a bit about her upbringing and how she incorporated that into the music to make the musical journey a personal one. A terrific interview from a terrific composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Penka Kouneva

Composer Interview: Paul Leonard-Morgan (September 28, 2012)

Paul has scored a bevy of fantastic projects including Limitless, the hit show MI-5 (Spooks) and now the sci-fi action extravaganza Dredd. We talk about his approach for the score and how he wanted to do a different kind of blockbuster. He makes his case for his electronic-heavy sound and what he wanted to do to escape the traditional sound Hollywood usually goes after in action movies. We also chat about how his music had to compete with sound effects in the final mix and if action score should work precisely with the heavy editing or sort of flow underneath. Paul is always great fun to chat with and it was an honor to have him back on F.M.M. Enjoy!
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Paul Leonard MorganCaroline GormanDianne Stevenson
Photography By:Alexander Newton

Composer Interview: Marcelo Zarvos (September 20, 2012)

The always amazing Marcelo Zarvos takes some time to talk about his recent score to The Words and his upcoming score to Barry Levinson's The Bay. We chat about his upbringing and how he came to compose for films. He describes his approach and goal for The Words. He then shares about his working relationship with Barry Levinson who he has composed 3 films for and counting. He shares what it was like to venture into found footage territory with Barry, which is a new area for both storytellers. A really great interview with an amazing composer.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Marcelo ZarvosBeth KrakowerCinemedia Promotions

Director Interview: Mark Nistico (September 16, 2012)

Director Mark Nistico talks about his new film, Blue Collar Boys. His film revolves around a construction worker trying to keep his family's business afloat while doing whatever is necessary to bring money in. The tense drama won Best Picture in the micro budget category at the Toronto Independent Film Festival. Mark talks about the inspiration for the film and what it's like being the director, writer, producer and editor. He shares how he worked with composer Joe Lapinski to craft the score as well. Mark gives a lot of great and insightful information for any independent filmmakers out there and it was a real pleasure to talk to him.
Interview Conducted By:Kaya Savas
Special Thanks:Mark NisticoChandler PolingWhite Bear PR

Composer Interview: Anton Sanko (August 30, 2012)

Emmy winning composer Anton Sanko shares some insight behind his score for The Possession. The composer is no stranger to the genre with amazing work on film like The Last Winter. He shares his approach and we chat about the challenge of humanizing characters while still achieving the goal of thrilling the audience. He talks about the duality of the piano and how it can be dark or warming plus describes certain scenes that relied almost on 100% score with no diegetic sound. Some great insight from a composer who knows how to execute within the thriller/horror genre.

Composer Interview: Tony Morales (August 29, 2012)

Tony Morales takes some time to chat about his recent Emmy nominated score for Hatfields & McCoys, which he co-composed with John Debney. Tony explains the research that went into the music in finding the style of the setting and era through instrumentation. He also shares how John and him structured the score for such a massive mini-series and how they condensed the score for an album release. A great talent and a great interview.

Composer Interview: Sean Callery (August 23, 2012)

Emmy winning composer Sean Callery takes some time to talk about his work on the hit series, Homeland. Sean received his 12th Emmy nomination for his main theme to the show. We talk about how he found his way into music and ultimately composing. He discusses his methods and approaches on shows like 24 and Homeland, and the differences between cable and broadcast network television. Through that Sean reveals the importance of working with great showrunners and how that makes the difference when you're in the midst of composing a television series. This was truly one of the best interviews I've had and it's extremely informative. A fun chat with an amazing and talented guy. Sean's other credits include 24, Bones, Medium and La Femme Nikita among many others.

Composer Interview: Geoff Zanelli (August 18, 2012)

Geoff was the first interview ever on Film, Music & Media done via email back in 2009. Now we chat again about his recent score to The Odd Life Of Timothy Green. Geoff tells us his inspirations for the music and what he wanted to achieve with the score. The music is clearly his most personal score yet and everything that he shares in this interview reflects that. Geoff Zanelli has really created a heartfelt and memorable narrative here, and it was a real pleasure to be able to have him back on F.M.M. Geoff shares how fatherhood helped him connect with the story and allowed him to write in his true voice. We also discuss how John Toll's cinematography influenced how he approached the music plus working with director Peter Hedges. It was a real joy to speak to Geoff about this wonderful score.

Composer Interview: Michael Bacon (August 9, 2012)

Composer and songwriter Michael Bacon takes some time to chat about his music and methods. We discuss how he got started in music and what led him to film composing. As an established documentary composer he shares some insight into his process for scoring many documentaries over his esteemed career. We also chat about his band with his brother, actor Kevin Bacon and what that journey means to him. An incredibly insightful chat with a great musical storyteller.

Composer Interview: Reza Safinia (August 1, 2012)

Reza Safinia has had an impressive career in the music business for a long time first starting in the pop music scene. We discuss his transition from that part of the industry to film composing. He shares what he looks for in a film for musical inspiration and we discuss his score to the Sundance hit, Filly Brown. He shares his approach for the film and what it's like to have a screen film at Sundance. He also shares some insight for his upcoming film, Snap. A great and insightful interview.