Film.Music.Media

Anton Sanko takes some time for a quick chat about his recent score to Ring Of Fire, which focuses on the life of June Carter and her relationship with Johnny Cash. We talk about coming up with the right sound for a biopic type film like Ring Of Fire, including his approach and goals for the music. Anton also shares some details of his upcoming scores which see him returning to his horror/thriller...

Mark Mancina is one of the most iconic composers working today and it was a great honor to speak to him about his newest score to Disney's Planes. Mark shares a lot in this fantastic and informative interview. We chat about him taking over on Speed when Michael Kamen was supposed to score to why he is very selective with his film projects. We talk about 90's action scoring and how his genre defini...

John Piscitello takes some time to talk about his fantastic score to No Place On Earth. The documentary follows the stories of Jewish families who found shelter in caves during WW2. John also shares about his background, inspirations and methods. We discuss the role music plays in documentaries and his views of the composer being emotionally attached to the real stories within a documentary. We di...

The amazing and always fun to talk to Heitor Pereira chats about his recent scores to Despicable Me 2 and Smurfs 2. We discuss his collaborations with Pharrell Williams and how they worked together on the first film versus this film. Heitor shares his methods and views on scoring sequels, how to give a film its own sonic identity and much more. He also shares his fascinating process of recording a...

Mark Yaeger welcomes me to his studio where we sat down for an amazing chat about his work and the nature of film music as a whole. We talk about how he got his start and what led him to film composing. Mark shares about working with Klaus Badelt and all the things he learned through their collaborations. Mark, whose studio is still down the hall from Klaus' discusses the importance of collaborati...

Composer David Schwartz takes some time to talk about his work on the hit series Arrested Development. David is no stranger to the world of TV and we discuss his background as he shares how he came to score Northern Exposure and his many other works. We dissect the role of music in the "half-hour comedy" and what his approach and goals are for Arrested Development. David also shares his songwritin...

Composer Vivek Maddala takes some time to speak about his score for American Revolutionary: The Evolution Of Grace Lee Boggs. We chat about how he found his way into music and composing including his methods and approach. We talk a lot about documentary scoring and delve into whether or not a composer's passion for the subject of the doc influences his/her writing. Vivek also shares about his love...

Joshua R. Mosley takes some time to talk about his recent score for After Earth: The Mobile Game. The Mass Effect: Paragon Lost composer shares the process of creating a blockbuster tie-in game including the creative direction of the game and even matching the soundscape with James Newton Howard's score while stile making it his own. We discuss the state of mobile gaming, the technology composers...

The fantastic Henry Jackman takes some time to chat about his busy slate of projects. We discuss his scores to This Is The End, Turbo, Captain Phillips and even Captain America: The Winter Solider. Henry shares his approach to scoring an apocalyptic comedy and playing as straight as he can with a huge orchestral and choral approach. For Turbo he shares a lot about the animation process and reflect...

Joachim Horsley has orchestrated the scores to films such as The Possession and The Rabbit Hole, and he recently composed the score for the comedy Rapture-Palooza. Joachim is also an extremely talented singer/songwriter and his new album titled Combinations is all the proof you need. We chat about his background and how he decided to pursue composition. Joachim also shares about his songwriting ap...

Robert Townson is the executive producer and head of the beloved Varèse Sarabande record label. Varèse Sarabande has been the leader of current and archival soundtrack releases for 35 years. In 2013 the label turns 35-years old and Robert has been bringing the celebrations to the fans worldwide. I talk to the man in charge about the recent Varèse Sarabande Concert held in San Pedro with the Golden...

Composer Nathan Whitehead takes some time to talk about his recent score to The Purge. We chat about how he got into scoring including working with composers like Steve Jablonsky and Jim Dooley. Nathan shares things he learned while collaborating with Jablonsky and Dooley, and how that prepared him for his own work as a fantastic distinct voice in the scoring world. We discuss the difference betwe...

The always charming and fun iZLER takes some time to talk about his work on Shameless and Revenge. The two extremely popular shows couldn't be more different and we discuss the approach of one versus the other. iZLER also reflects about his big celebratory night at the BMI Film/TV Awards where he brought home some new awards. We also discuss the challenge of recording with a live orchestra every w...

PLEASE NOTE: This interview discusses major spoilers for Iron Man 3. There is an audible warning in the interview before we discuss them. Avoid the following times if you'd like to listen to the interview and avoid spoilers. SPOILERS: 7:40 - 10:26 The super talented and busy Brian Tyler chats about his awesome score to Iron Man 3 and shares a bit about his upcoming score for Now You See Me. We div...

Hanan Townshend takes some time to talk about his amazing score to Terrence Malick's To The Wonder. We delve into the process of working with one of the most respected directors in the history of the medium. He shares a bit about his history and how he came to work with Malick while attending school in Texas. The New Zealand native shares a bit about his personal journey as well and how that may h...

The absolutely amazing Garry Schyman takes some time to talk about his tremendous score to BioShock Infinite, the latest installment in the groundbreaking franchise. Garry shares about how he found his niche and love for video game scores and why it appeals to him as a composer. We then discuss BioShock Infinite as Garry delves into his approach for the series starting back with the first game and...

Jason Graves takes some time to chat about his amazing score to Tomb Raider. The renowned game composer also shares about his work on the Dead Space games including the recent Dead Space 3. We talk about the state of video game music, his process and approach, and much more. A very fun and fascinating chat with a terrific composer. Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas Special Thanks: Jason Graves Gr...

Trevor Morris is a two-time Emmy winner and is also the most Emmy nominated composer of the past 2 years. Trevor has done amazing work across all mediums and has impressed with his work on The Tudors, The Borgias, The Pillars Of The Earth and most recently Vikings. On the film front Trevor gave us a taste of big action with Immortals and continues in a different realm this year with Antoine Fuqua'...

Reinhold Heil discusses in great analytical depth the score of Cloud Atlas, which he co-composed with Tom Tykwer and Johnny Klimek. In a fascinating interview, he shares how the trio came to be friends and frequent collaborators. He shares the dynamic of working with Tom Tykwer who is also the director. We talk about how they like to compose music first instead of it being the last part of the fil...

John Ottman talks Jack And The Giant Slayer in an interview that is extremely informative and an absolute blast! We chat about the nightmarish logistics behind being the composer, editor and associate producer on a project. In a completely fun fashion he discusses the dread he feels when Bryan Singer calls him up for a film since he knows lots of hard work is to follow, but it always pays off. Joh...

Composer Carlos José Alvarez takes some time to discuss his wonderful score for Cubamerican. Alvarez has composed great work for films like Deadline starring Brittany Murphy and Discover The Gift directed by Demian Lichtenstein. He also collaborated with Deborah Lurie on her scores for 9 and One For The Money. Cubamerican is a documentary about the millions of Cubans forced into exile from communi...

The super talented Jeff Rona takes some time to talk about his recent score for Phantom. Jeff talks in detail about his approach to scoring as he reflects on some of his past scores. Jeff discusses his approach to Phantom and what his goals for the music were. He shares how he recorded sounds while on the submarine set of the film and incorporated them into the soundscape of the score. We also tou...

Composer and renowned vocalist Sussan Deyhim speaks about her work on Alexandre Desplat's score to Oscar Best Picture winner Argo. We discuss the use of vocals in scores today and her experience working with different composers. She shares her experience on Argo and how she worked with Desplat to create the vocal textures in the score as well as add a personal human element. This is a fantastic ch...

Rob Simonsen is a wonderfully talented composer who takes some time to chat about two films he scored that recently played at Sundance, The Way, Way Back and The Spectacular Now. Simonsen shares how he met Mychael Danna and ended up becoming his protege, including what he learned most from him. Simonsen worked on many of Mychael Danna's scores and quickly branched off on his own. Simonsen co-score...

Composer and prolific orchestrator Nan Schwartz takes some time to talk about her work on Alexandre Desplat's Argo as well as Mychael Danna's Life Of Pi. She shares how she became interested in film composing and her family's rich musical history. We talk in depth about the role of the orchestrator and her working relationship with Desplat, whom she has collaborated with many times. She also share...