When it comes to contemporary composers, Brian Tyler is one of our favorite musicians. He is supremely accomplished – skilled in playing piano, guitar, drums, bass, cello, world percussion, guitarviol, charango and bouzouki – and able to walk through multiple genres, even in the same film. It’s been a long time since we interviewed Brian about his work, but he’s done a lot since 2016. Over the years, we’ve had lively and insightful conversations about his work on some of his standout scores: Rambo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Iron Man 3, Now You See Me, Expendables 3, and Criminal. For years, Brian has been interested in listening to and deconstructing…
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Interview…Junkie XL on the Mondo Box Set of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’
It’s been a while since we chatted with Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL), and boy how his career has soared. It wasn’t enough to follow George Miller to the ends of the ear and destroy the sonic landscape with such raw and powerful drums. As an artist, he had to push farther, and we’re so glad he did. His signature blend of rhythms – a style that comes from deep down in his DNA – can be heard in all his scores no matter how far apart they seem on the surface. Are we saying that Mad Max: Fury Road, Mortal Engines and Sonic the Hedgehog are the same? Yes.…
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Interview…Author Eric Maikranz on ‘The Reincarnationist Papers’
One of the biggest films hitting screens this years is the Antoine Fuqua-directed actioner Infinite. As far as recent heady sci-fi, it’s as wild, imaginative and complex as it comes. The story is adapted from a novel by D. Eric Maikranz and is part of a series where a handful of people recall their past life memories and reincarnate over and over again. These 28 people created a secret society called the Cognomina centuries ago so that they could associate with each other from one lifetime to another. They are, in effect, near immortals — compiling experiences and skills over diverse lifetimes into near superhuman abilities that they have used…
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Interview…GoSeeTalk Contributor Federico Furzan
Hey, film fans. Hope you’re doing well. Can you believe it’s already June? I can honestly say that 2021 is, even at the halfway mark, tremendously better than 2020. Businesses are open to full capacity, theaters are back in business and you can go see your friends without a great many limitations. GoSeeTalk has been a one-man show since I cut the team lose in 2014 so they could pursue other, more professional opportunities. They are still missed. But this year, we start embracing the team atmosphere once again. And many times, teams work because of friendship. If you’ve been paying attention to the reviews recently, particularly the byline, you’ll…
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Exclusive: Interview…Stephanie Economou Discusses Collaboration and Inspiration on ‘Jupiter’s Legacy’
Stephanie Economou is a composer and violinist based in Los Angeles, CA. Her early successes have emerged from her exploration and study of widely varying musical styles, including classical, experimental, folk and rock. Stephanie’s experience in film scoring extends from drama to action to comedy, which has demanded the synthesis of an electronic and acoustic musical palette. It is her uniquely hybridized compositional voice which has proven a valuable asset across a wide spectrum of visual media. Stephanie is the composer of the upcoming Netflix TV series Jupiter’s Legacy, based on the comic series by Mark Millar. She has written the music for the Lionsgate/Starz series Step Up: High Water,…
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Interview…Travis Andrade on Guts and Gun Culture in ‘Wesley’
Travis Andrade is an award winning filmmaker whose short films have screened at international film festivals in North America, Europe and Australia. Early on in his career, Travis shot and directed awarding winning branded content. Andrade’s music videos for the likes of Interscope and Virgin amassed tens of millions of hits and have been featured in numerous online publications. His latest endeavor a stunning short film that follows a young boy in a world where gun culture and live shooting drills has changed our education system forever. The success of the short is that is does not point a finger at anything or anyone. Instead, he shows a sort of…
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Interview…Chandler Poling and Thomas Mikusz from White Bear PR
One of the best parts about running this site is the opportunity we’ve had to speak with people in the film business. Over the years, our staff has been fortunate enough to meet some of our heroes: actors, directors, and composers. Now I’ll tell you up from that GoSeeTalk wouldn’t have half our current interview content if it wasn’t for the help of PR firms handling the public relations on any particular campaign. It should be no surprise to you readers that we hold composers and film music in high regard. We do our best to shine the brightest light on the talent. However, it all goes back to the…
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Interview…Composer Kate Simko on Awareness and Acceptance in ‘Underplayed’
American composer, electronic music producer, and leader of her ensemble London Electronic Orchestra, Kate Simko blends distinctive influences from her hometown, Chicago, and formal training in classical piano and jazz. Kate’s music has been licensed by ABC Television, Victorinox, and Giorgio Armani, and she has written original music for films, commercials and shows featured on the BBC, Netflix and PBS. After graduating Northwestern University’s music school Kate’s career started in Los Angeles interning on feature films, and then took a surprise turn as her live electronic music career took off. She spent her twenties performing at revered clubs and festivals across the globe, from underground venues in Berlin and Tokyo…
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Interview…Composer Jermaine Stegall on ‘Coming 2 America’ and the New Sound of Zamunda
Jermaine Stegall is an accomplished and versatile composer and conductor. Stegall’s extensive music studies include a BA from Northern Illinois University’s School of Music, a Master’s degree in Music Composition from the University of North Texas, and the prestigious Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at USC. Following his formal education, he was selected as a Sundance Composer Lab Fellow, as well as the BMI Conducting Workshop. With over 50 projects to his credit, Stegall’s professional career began as a music intern for the film I, Robot, and Stegall’s scoring and conducting assignments have included film and TV shows in all genres, to leading bands at major musical events.…
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Interview…Composer Alec Puro on ‘The Crew’, ‘Black Summer’ and ‘The Mighty Ones’
The composing world is a fast paced industry. It’s a lot of hustle just to get in the door, and then, once you got the job, it’s even faster. Oh, and if you’re in composing for television, it’s faster still. So why would anyone want to do this for a living? Well, if you’re like Alec Puro, it’s just too much fun not to. Alec has a lifetime of experiences playing and making music. A seasoned drummer, producer and all around nice guy, Alec makes it look easy and has done music (both composing and licensing) for multiple, multiple TV shows. On his crowded plate are a trio of projects…
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Interview…Director John Swab on the Facts and Finances of ‘Body Brokers’
One of the more eye opening films we’ve seen in a while is John Swab’s Body Brokers. A kind of medically-focused sister to The Big Short, Swab manages two things with his narrative: it is an exposé as well as an autobiography. Tulsa native writer/director John Swab lived the life portrayed by Jack Kilmer’s character in the film. He similarly got swept up in the true-life business happening in the healthcare world where drug treatment served as a cover for a predatory business, enlisting addicts to recruit other addicts. This is as wild a story as it comes, and Swab gives us some first-hand insight into it as well as…
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Interview…Cinematographer Richard Schaefer Discusses Visual Impact and Shooting Style in ‘The Last Champion’
Last year, the Glenn Withrow directed family drama, The Last Champion, was released by Redburn Street Pictures. It tells the story of John Wright (played by Cole Hauser), a scandal-ridden ex-Olympian who, following his mother’s death, returns to a hometown that has not forgiven him. It’s an emotional sports movie, and we’re glad to see one about wrestling. In a story about facing the past, it’s also about finding the hero in all of us. We spoke to cinematographer Rich Schaefer about his experiences on the uplifting film. Schaefer used to wrestle, so he was able to bring some personal expertise to the shoots and help Glenn Withrow get some…
