Film.Music.Media

Dominic Lewis | Composer: Bullet Train

Our good pal Dominic Lewis is back to take into his latest score for Bullet Train! The Brad Pitt-starring action/comedy/thriller comes from director David Leitch who brings his style and vision to the table.
Dom takes us deep into exploring all about the process of working with no temp, writing material before shooting, writing and producing songs in the film, the approach and tone of the score, finding the emotion within the style of the film, recording elements on analog to achieve a certain feel, chugging tequila to get his vocals where they needed to be, blending genres, recording vocals, and so much more!
We also briefly chat about his score to Baymax! on Disney+, and what it was like returning to the world of Big Hero 6 after working as an additional composer on Henry Jackman's score to the film.
As always, this one is tons of fun with a BOATLOAD of insight from one of the most passionate and original musical voices in the industry.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
 

Henry Jackman | Composer: The Gray Man

Our good friend Henry Jackman joins us for another great discussion. This is Henry's 9th time as a guest on Film.Music.Media, so if you're looking for more extensive discussions on his past projects be sure to check out our past interviews.
 
For this discussion we rewind back to Henry's days as an album producer and programmer before he ever even thought he'd become a film/tv/game composer. Experience old stories about how Henry worked on albums with artists like Seal, Sally Oldfield, Mike Oldfield, Coolio, Conner Reeves, Michael Gordon, and others.
 
Then we dive right into Henry's continued collaboration with the Russo brothers, and hear some stories from their past collaborations on films like Captain America: Winter Soldier and Cherry.
 
Then we dive right into their latest collaboration for The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which is now streaming on Netflix. Hear about how Henry worked several months on The Gray Man suite before they even started shooting to help shape the mood and tone for the film, plus some of Henry's favorite scenes and set pieces to work on in the film and what he was going for with his approach.
 
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Theodore Shapiro | Composer: Severance

Spoiler Warning: Skip 29:22 - 30:48 to avoid some Severance spoilers. There is an audible warning before spoilers within the interview as well.
Theodore Shapiro's versatility as a storyteller spans across genres from slapstick screwball comedies like Dodgeball all the way to nuanced character dramas like The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. Recently he re-teamed with director Ben Stiller for the acclaimed Severance on Apple TV+. The series is a wonderfully executed thriller that blends science fiction in a grounded modern reality with plenty of social commentary on top of well-developed characters and storytelling.
Theodore shares a bit about his path to becoming a composer including taking us into his general approach. We discuss the great traits he loves in his regular collaborators like Paul Feig and Ben Stiller, and why he loves working with them.
Theodore tells the story of how he first met Ben Stiller, which led him to scoring Dodgeball and eventually working with Ben when he was in the director's chair on Tropic Thunder. We look back at projects like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander 2, and do a bit of a dive into Severance.
For Severance, we examine the approach Theodore took musically including how that intense season 1 finale was crafted, developing character arcs, working on the source music in the show, how the extraordinary main title sequence came together, favorite moments, and much more!
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

The Newton Brothers | Composers: Midnight Mass

The Newton Brothers are back on All Access, this time to go in-depth about their magnificent work on Mike Flanagan's brilliant Midnight Mass miniseries that you can currently stream on Netflix. While the series premiered last fall, it was Film.Music.Media's #1 television score on our Best Scores Of 2021 list so it's an absolute pleasure to have Taylor and Andy back to talk about their score.
Taylor Newton Stewart and Andy Grush make up The Newton Brothers (named after their shared love of Isaac Newton), and on this All Access we revisit their long-lasting collaboration with writer/director Mike Flanagan going all the way back to Oculus in 2013.
We start by testing how well the two know each other in another round of the "Composer Newlywed Game" that we recently played with Matt Margeson and Dominic Lewis in a previous All Access.
We jump into Midnight Mass where Taylor and Andy take us into the incredibly unique scoring process that initially started as only recording versions of traditional hymns, but then expanded to score when Mike Flanagan realized that just having hymns was not enough to craft the emotional arcs of the characters. Hear the story of how Andy lost his voice recording the hymns, and his moments of anxiety when Mike Flanagan asked him to play a small cameo acting role in the series. The duo also talk about how horror as a genre allows certain creation and experimentation that other genres don't always provide, and why Mike Flanagan's work is more along the lines of character drama rather than pure traditional horror.
It's always a pleasure to catch up with Andy and Taylor, who have shown their amazing versatility as musical storytellers across so many wonderful projects.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Lorne Balfe | Score Producer/Co-Composer: Top Gun - Maverick

Lorne was a guest on Film.Music.Media for the first time 11 years ago, and he was the very first All Access video interview over 7 years ago. We've had many great conversations over the past decade, so it's a true pleasure to have Lorne back for a new All Access.
For this conversation we discuss what has changed in the entertainment industry over the past decade, and what it means for younger people starting their careers now versus back then. We also discuss how integral music editors are on films and television, and why Lorne wholly believes that every aspect of filmmaking is a team effort including scoring.
We dive into Top Gun: Maverick and how Lorne worked with Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer on the music for the film. He shares how they had to adapt during the pandemic, and the key to making a team effort be cohesive to serve the story.
Lorne also talks about how much of a fan he was of 90's action films especially those from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. We talk about our shared love for 90's action, and how Lorne is now working with people like Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer on different projects. We also talk about Lorne's scores to Bad Boys For Life, and how he made sure Mark Mancina's theme was front and center. Lorne also talks about working on Michael Bay's Ambulance.
As always, it's a pleasure to have Mr. Balfe as a guest and this conversation is a fantastic insight and reflection on some of his current projects.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Natalie Holt | Composer: Loki / Obi-Wan Kenobi

Composer Natalie Holt is one of the busiest composers working today, and she joins us for this fantastic All Access to take us behind her career and projects.
Natalie discusses her early career working for composers like Ilan Eshkeri and Martin Phipps, and what she learned from that time being part of a composer's music team. We dive into her process and how she finds the starting point for a project. We also discuss how she approaches television arcs, thematic structure, the importance of music editors, working with directors, and much more!
Natalie takes us behind her score to Loki, and what it was like to craft a score for one on Marvel's most iconic characters. She explores how she found the tone and atmosphere of the series, what Loki needed as a character, and what she found both rewarding and challenging.
We also touch briefly on her score for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natalie shares what a dream it was to work with John Williams and have him be part of the limited series.
Natalie is an extremely passionate and talented storyteller and it was such a joy to have her take time to explore her career and process.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
 

Cristobal Tapia de Veer | Composer: The White Lotus

Cristobal Tapia de Veer's life journey has taken him down many roads, and even he didn't expect to end up as a film and television composer. In this All Access interview, Cristobal talks about how his career in producing pop music led him to a chance meeting that set him on the path to his most creatively rewarding projects.
 
Cristobal just won the 2022 ASCAP Composer's Choice Awards for television score of the year and television theme of the year for his score to The White Lotus. The annual ASCAP Screen Music Awards feature the "Composer's Choice Awards" that are voted on solely by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community.
 
We discuss Cristobal's general approach to composition and musical storytelling, how he loves to experiment and work solely by himself without any assistants or music team, and much more!
 
We also dive into Cristobal's score for The White Lotus, which is the acclaimed miniseries from writer/director Mike White that you can stream right now on HBO Max.
 
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Shie Rozow (Composer: The Last Of The Winthrops)

The wonderfully talented and fun Shie Rozow joins us for an All Access interview that shines a light not just on Shie's personal career but also on the crafts of composing and music editing as a whole.
Shie tells his personal story of growing up in Israel and moving to the United States where he found his career path as a composer and music editor. We first dive into what exactly a music editor does, and Shie explains every part of the craft and how he approaches it from temp score editing to conforming cues.
We then explore some of Shie's recent work as a composer including the feature documentary The Last Of The Winthrops. We also look at some of the short-subject docs that Shie composed like One Day You'll Go Blind, Body Language, and Legacy: The Life Of Canto Robledo.
Shie is one of the most talented storytellers and musical professionals working in Hollywood today, and this interview is a treasure trove of insight from someone who has paved their own unique career path.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Batu Sener (Composer: The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild | Ice Age - Scrat Tales)

For this All Access we're sitting down with the fun and talented Batu Sener to dive into his recent scores for The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild and Ice Age: Scrat Tales.
Batu is a young composer in Hollywood, and he has been an essential part of John Powell's music team for the past several years working as an additional composer and score producer.
We discuss what it was like relocating to the United States to pursue a career in music, how he met John Powell, and what it has been like working as part of a veteran composer's music team.
Batu also talks about how he convinced John Powell to let him work on his first cue as an additional composer, what it's been like building an amazing relationship with John, and how it feels to branch out to score his first animated feature film.
It was an absolute blast to catch up with Batu and hear his fresh perspective of what it's like to be a young composer in Hollywood today as well as dive into his creative process.
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas
 

Joseph Stephens (Composer: The Righteous Gemstones)

From being inspired by John Carpenter and Ennio Morricone to meeting Danny McBride and Jody Hill in college, Joseph Stephens walks us through his amazing composing career and takes us into his process.
In this All Access, composer Joseph Stephens reflects back on his path to becoming a film and TV composer. Learn the story of how Joseph met Danny McBride and Jody Hill in college, which has led to collaborations like Eastbound And Down, Observe And Report, Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.
We look specifically at Joseph's scores to Vice Principals as well as the The Righteous Gemstones, which just recently aired its Season 2 finale. Josephs talks specifically about the different styles he uses, approaching the tone of McBride and Hill's humor, and writing songs like "Misbehavin'" and "Sassy On Sunday".
A Film.Music.Media Interview | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas