Editor’s Note: This interview was originally published in March of this year. We have posted it again to coincide with the digital/Blu-Ray release of Gore Verbinski’s A Cure For Wellness on June 6. Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Benjamin Wallfisch is recognized as one of the leading film composers of his generation, with a career spanning over a decade and 60 feature films. He has composed music for such legendary film makers as Steven Spielberg, Rupert Wyatt, Gore Verbinksi and Lars von Trier, and has worked on scores that have been recognized with awards and nominations at the Academy Awards, BAFTAs and World Soundtrack Awards. Wallfisch fit us into his extremely…
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[DIFF Video Interview]…Matt Schrader Screens ‘SCORE: A Film Music Documentary’ at the Dallas International Film Festival
The 2017 Dallas International Film Festival brought many amazing films and documentaries to DFW, but few hit as close to home (musically speaking) as Matt Schrader‘s feature, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary. Schrader’s film profiles various personalities and titans in the industry to chronicle the history of film music, reaffirm its importance in our culture, and attempt to explain why certain scores continue to resonate decades later. I can honestly say I’ve been a music fan longer than I’ve been a film fan, and as such, forgive the pun, this doc was music to my ears. We spoke to Schrader in 2015 while he was in the middle of interviewing the composers for…
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Interview…Composer Carl Thiel Delves Into Docu-drama and TV Music
We recently reconnected with composer Carl Thiel, and realized that it’s been three years since we last chatted. At the time, he had completed recording the music for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (with Robert Rodriguez), and was also about to begin work on the From Dusk Til Dawn TV series on the El Rey Network. In that time, Thiel continues to grow as an artist. Born in Mexico City, and after living in Canada for a while, Thiel now calls Austin home. He comes from a family of musicians, and has a lot of music he’s interested to work on away from projects under the Troublemaker Studios banner. As such,…
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Interview…Stephen Dorff on the Music & Songs of ‘Wheeler’
Ryan Ross’ Wheeler is a captivating film, one that really shines due to a trifecta of story, acting, and music. The baby of both Ross and Stephen Dorff (Blade, The Power of One, The Gate), this story follows a middle-aged musician trying to make a name for himself in Nashville. Only this isn’t a fictitious endeavor; Dorff becomes his character – the titular Wheeler Bryson – in this documentary style narrative and very few people know what’s happening. Each and every interaction caught on camera is legitimized by Dorff (under impressive prosthesis) as everyone he meets he wins over with his story, his persona, and some truly amazing “outlaw” Western songs. In…
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Interview…Guitarist Derek Mount (aka Brique A Braq) Talks Rocking Out, Giving Back, and Family Force 5
For more than a decade, Derek Mount has been shredding guitar and having a laugh with Family Force 5 (if you’ve never heard of them, really, go check them out). They are truly dynamic, and while you can liken their music to having an edge like 311, or Rage Against the Machine, these guys just have a lot more fun on the job. A bit of rap, a bit of metal, a whole lotta crazy, but it’s mixed together with that distinctive southern flair by those country gentlemen who can bring the goods. Mount may be the guitarist for Family Force 5, but he also composes, creates music libraries, records as a…
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Interview…David Wingo Trades Synths for Strings Composing Jeff Nichols’ ‘Loving’
In what some consider the start of awards season, November gives us the release of Jeff Nichols’ incredibly moving story, Loving, (about Mildred and Richard Loving) featuring the original score by David Wingo, as well as a new original song, “Loving,” by Ben Nichols of the band Lucero. The seasoned composer has been active with his band Ola Podrida since 2006, releasing three acclaimed full-length albums, and touring the U.S. and Europe multiple times. But Wingo has also been racking up a number of distinctive and high profile scores to celebrated features directed by some of this century’s most sophisticated independent filmmakers. Loving marks the fourth time he and director Jeff Nichols have…
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Interview…Steve Jablonsky on ‘Keanu’ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’
If you’re a film fan and just now getting interested in film music, we’re going to let you in on a little secret. See the happy guy in the picture above? That is Steve Jablonsky. He works in Hollywood. He writes music, big music in fact, and he’s been at the forefront of high-octane films, video games and TV shows for almost two decades. But if you’re a fan of his, or this site, you already know that. Of all the composers we’ve gotten to know over the years, Steve is one of our favorite people to talk to. Right before Father’s Day, we caught up with Steve to talk…
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Interview…Composer Rob Kolar Takes the Sonic Wheel for ‘The Detour’ on TBS
Composer Rob Kolar has established himself as a promising talent in the world of television and film scoring with his bold original songs and daring compositions. His most recent acclaim stems from composing TBS’s top new cable comedy of 2016 “The Detour,” starring Jason Jones and Samantha Bee. Rob Kolar’s eclectic score sets the perfect tone for every outrageous adventure that befalls this family of four on a roadtrip from New York to Florida. Prior to TBS’s “The Detour,” Rob Kolar captivated audiences with his unmatched music and original songs for films including Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, starring Jane Fonda and Diane Hudson, and Evelyn,” starring Pierce Brosnan. In addition,…
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Interview…Brian Tyler on Taking Big Hollywood Sound to the Concert Hall
Brian Tyler has been composing bombastic themes for Hollywood blockbusters for nearly two decades. But as his sound is nearly everywhere these days, you’d think he’d been at the forefront of adrenaline fueled music for a lot longer than that. There’s a lot to be said for Tyler’s prolific output; he’s a household name and Brian has amassed quite the hit list. Part of our reason for talking to Brian this time around was to talk about this next stage in his career. Don’t worry, he’s not giving up scoring actioners, but he is putting more focus on his music project Madsonik and his upcoming live concert feature with the…
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Interview…Composer Brian McOmber on the Emotional Instability of ‘Krisha’
Krisha, the feature length film from Trey Edward Shults (which is adapted from his short film of the same name), has a lot in common with Requiem For A Dream. But instead of strung out junkies, the character fraying at the edges is a member of his immediate family. Further, this film showcases the exceptional talent of Krisha Fairchild (Trey’s real-life Aunt) as she portrays a character unraveling in front of her family on Thanksgiving; the result is a performance as magnetic as it is horrific. Part of what makes this modest feature so compelling is the uneasy music from composer Brian McOmber. McOmber digs deep and hits on a number of emotions…
