Whether it’s a studio action film or an indie festival film, Composer Andrew Lockington‘s music demonstrates his approach to scoring each project in a unique way by finding a musical language to communicate the relationships and elements of the story that visuals cannot. Andrew’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of film scoring has inspired him to record in places such as the jungles of Papua New Guinea, the tropics of Costa Rica, an ancient temple in Northern Japan, a volcano in Polynesia, and an abandoned subway station beneath central London. His recent projects include the epic Sci-Fi feature Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez with longtime collaborator director Brad Peyton, as well as several…
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Interview…Composer Benoît Charest on ‘Where Rabbits Come From’ and Living the Dream
Writer/director Colin Ludvic Racicot’s animated story immerses viewers in a dystopian world, weaving a heartfelt tale of oppression and the unbreakable bond between a father and daughter. Where Rabbits Come From features stunning animation and a captivating score, as it follows the widowed rabbit seeking to reignite wonder and magic in his daughter’s life after the mysterious disappearance of her mother. Drawing inspiration from Racicot’s personal journey through fatherhood, this heartwarming film has captivated audiences of all ages during its international film festival tour. The Canadian director and writer has crafted tender and imaginative work that united some of the animation world’s most iconic talents. Animation legend Sylvain Chomet and…
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Interview…Composer Wilbert Roget II Brings the Emotion and Excitement to Fan-Favorite Games and Properties
On today’s episode, we take a trip to galaxies far, far away, future Earths and adventures replete with robots and robust action. The visuals are impressive, but it’s the expansive score and sound engineering that really sucks us in. We were thrilled to speak to Wilbert Roget II about his work as composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music geek who, as far as we can tell, is living the dream. Roget has done more that dip his toe in fan-favorite and beloved properties; he’s done a back-flipping cannonball into the worlds of Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider, Call of Duty and score fans are feeling the waves of his gargantuan splash. Now anyone…
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Interview…Composer Ilan Eshkeri on the Emotional Beauty of ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’
The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today. Reeve portrayed the “Man of Steel” in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and…
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Interview…Composer Ilan Eshkeri on 20 Years of ‘Layer Cake’ and Personal Music Pursuits
To those in the know, Layer Cake is the landmark British crime drama of the 21st century. Since 2004, it has continued to impress audiences, and for two solid decades it is still going strong, gaining new fans as it finds its lane along with other captivating and gritty stories of narrative quicksand like The Game. It’s clever, complex, serious as cancer, but also one entertaining ride book-ended with one of the best opening sequences and closing shots of all time. To the fans out there, you’ve helped make it resonate. To those yet to be initiated, welcome, you are in for a treat. The film had a proper release…
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Interview…Composer Colin Stetson on the Musical Terror of ‘Uzumaki’
Today, we got to speak with super stylish saxophone wizard Colin Stetson. He’s made a name for himself with vast soundscapes and unnerving compositions in films like Color Out of Space, The Menu and Hereditary. He’s also got a new one coming next month from Hulu called Hold Your Breath where he similarly works his unsettling magic in an intimate, small-scale picture. But the topic du jour is the palette he crafted for the unbearably beautiful yet grotesque adaptation of the Japanese manga Uzumaki. Here are some notes from the official Milan Records press release about the show and the soundtrack. A captivating masterclass in psychological horror and obsession, Uzumaki…
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Interview…The Waltzes, Wizards and Wonder of Composer Patrick Doyle
As die-hard fans of film scores, one of our favorite people to speak with is composer Patrick Doyle. While he’s known the world over for his sensational, rousing, and robust music, that’s really only a portion of the man. Whenever we talk to him about his life, we segue into topics that, some times, are even more fascinating than the topic du jour. For instance, Patrick lives in London and has had a holiday home in France for 30 years; a building that conservatively one could estimate was built in the 1700s. Also, not many people can claim to own a tapestry that adorns a centuries old wall. That’s pretty…
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Interview…Composer John Debney Blazes the Trail for ‘Horizon: An American Saga’
When you think of Westerns, and the truly great scores and soundtracks that propelled them into legendary status, there are a staggering number of all-time greats. Much of that credit is thanks to a wide range of composers who have tried their hand in this sacred genre: Elmer Bernstein, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Alfred Newman for starters. Then there are contemporaries like Bruce Broughton, Alan Silvestri, John Barry, Michael Kamen, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams and James Horner as well as those just dipping their toe in for a particular film David Newman and Michael Abels. Part of that great pantheon is John Debney who has been around the corral a…
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Interview…Composer Amelia Warner on the Sonic Swells and Sporty Sentimentality to ‘Young Woman and the Sea’
One of the most exciting, invigorating, and crowd-pleasing films of 2024 will not be a sequel, prequel or reboot. If I was a betting man, I would put all my cinema dollars on Young Woman and the Sea. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s a sports movie of a different type and it’s also the kind of story that’s most likely to surprise. Directed by Joachim Rønning (of Kon-Tiki), this tells the true-life story of Trudy Ederle, the competitive swimmer, who, in 1926, was the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. This sensational film sits comfortably next to the likes of Apollo 13, Rudy, even The Queen’s…
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Interview…Composer John Paesano on the New Sounds of ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’
When a film score hits the right notes, and propels the narrative in film, TV, video games or even a short, the results can be absolutely breathtaking. Sure, we all expect the sound that composers craft (guided by the picture or from conversations with the director) to do the heavy lifting, but even when it stays out of the way, as they say, timing is everything. And what ace composer John Paesano does to the above-mentioned properties has the ability to get us invested in such a short amount of time with a single key, a full symphony, or just plain silence. From a young age, Paesano knew film music…
