Fresh off the plane from London, film composer Steve Jablonsky is just starting to wind down from his last project. And why wouldn’t he? Working on Transformers: Age of Extinction (which came out just four weeks ago and will very soon be the first movie of 2014 to reach the $1 billion mark) over the last 6 months has been a whirlwind. Like most other Michael Bay pictures it was a mad dash to the finish line but that’s how it goes when you work on projects of this size and scope. Steve Jablonsky is synonymous with big, bombastic scores yet while the energy and emotion to his music runs high, Jablonsky is…
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Interview…Composer Kevin Riepl on Scoring ‘Cabin Fever: Patient Zero’
Kevin Riepl is an award-winning composer for film, television and video games. His engaging and atmospheric scores have enhanced numerous films such as the horror/thriller Cabin Fever: Patient Zero, Contracted, The ABCs of Death, the holiday season horror hit Silent Night, as well as film festival winners and genre cult films including the emotional sci-fi short Henri starring Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Oddball Animation Studios’ stunning concept film Ruin. Riepl is also renowned for composing the epic symphonic scores for blockbuster sci-fi action video games Gears of War, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Resistance: Burning Skies and the Unreal series. His upcoming projects include the action/thriller feature film The Night Crew…
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Interview…Film/TV Composer Trevor Morris Talks ‘Vikings’, Action and Video Games
Emmy Award-Winner Trevor Morris is a prolific composer, scoring for both film and television. He received his 5th Emmy nomination in 2013 for “Outstanding Music Composition for a Series” (Original Dramatic Score) for Showtime’s The Borgias, making him the most Emmy-nominated Composer of the last three years. The Canadian composer was born in London, Ontario, a few hours outside Toronto. Morris attended Fanshawe College’s “Music Industry Arts” program, Canada’s most prestigious school for recording and production. Graduating at the top of his class, he moved to Toronto to work in music production. Morris eventually turned away from production and began to focus full-time on composing music for television commercials. In 1999,…
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Interview…Film Composer John Debney Contemporizes History with the Music to ‘Bonnie & Clyde’
Combining contemporary sounds, dustbowl folk, and jazz, film composer John Debney captures and compliments the drama and exhilaration in A&E Networks’ Bonnie & Clyde. Debney’s score blends modern electronic elements with classic orchestral sounds evocative of the period to help tell the story of America’s famed and iconic bank-robbing couple, played by Emile Hirsch and Holliday Grainger. The robust soundtrack perfectly underscores Academy Award nominated director Bruce Beresford’s epic TV adaptation. John Debney has a proven ability to create memorable music across a variety of genres, and has garnered a reputation of being remarkably collaborative. He has received numerous accolades for his talents and Debney is the youngest recipient of ASCAP’s prestigious…
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Interview…Film Composer Joel McNeely Blazes New (and Familiar) Trails Scoring ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’
Joel McNeely is a Primetime Emmy Award-winning composer and conductor with more than 100 motion picture and television credits. He maintains a busy schedule recording, producing, conducting and composing for film. As a composer for film and television, McNeely has worked with such respected filmmakers as James Cameron, John Lasseter, Seth MacFarlane and George Lucas, among others. In addition to composing, conducting and orchestrating the score for A Million Ways to Die in the West, McNeely recently completed producing and arranging Seth MacFarlane’s new Christmas album which will be released this Fall. He also produced and arranged MacFarlane’s first album of big band and orchestral standards, “Music Is Better Than…
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Interview…Film Composer Matthew Llewellyn On the New Age Old School Horror Formula
In his latest endeavor emerging film composer Matthew Llewellyn crafts a rich, thematic orchestral score for the Chiller Network original feature film Deep In the Darkness. His sweeping, ominous score evokes classic drama reminiscent of the old school style of horror scores. That combined with Llewellyn’s contemporary yet traditional orchestral textures make him a composer to watch. In the words of director Colin Theys, “Llewellyn found a delicate balance that feels original and intense at the same time, taking the film through some dramatic twists and turns.” Theys continues, “Matthew is delivering world-class scores that elevate the films they help to drive.” Llewellyn’s musical repertoire is grounded in the traditions…
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Interview…Legendary Brazilian Musician and ‘Rio 2’ Soundtrack Producer Sergio Mendes
Sergio Mendes is a producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist whose influence on the music industry has spanned five decades and continues to evolve through new collaborations and mediums. One of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time, Mendes started his career with the groups Bossa Rio and the Sergio Mendes Trio but it was Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 which sparked global stardom. Mendes added soul and funk to his jazz and pop and Mendes’ signature mix of bossa nova/samba and his distinctive pop instrumentation features melodies with distinct sophistication and alluring sexiness that ultimately came to define Brazilian music for many music enthusiasts around the world. In the…
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Interview…Film Music Composer Stephen Endelman Discusses Scoring ‘Rob the Mob’
Raymond De Felitta’s latest film Rob the Mob is based on the true story of the New York couple who would pulled off Mafia heists during the Gotti trial in the early 1990s. It stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Andy Garcia and Ray Romano and this period film finds composer Stephen Endelman re-teaming with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Last week we were fortunate to speak with this seasoned musician to discuss his work on the film. Endelman, who was actually living in NY during the original heist incidents, crafts a wonderfully simple musical backdrop to the love story of this modern day Bonnie & Clyde as well as the grittiness of their…
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Exclusive: Interview…Film Composer William Ross Talks Career Experiences as Music Director for the Academy Awards
William Ross has had a hand in all avenues of the music industry. A four-time Emmy winner, Ross has decades of experience as a composer, orchestrator, arranger, conductor and music director. Aside from scoring titles like Tin Cup and Ladder 49, he’s worked with a dizzying array of artists and musicians over the years from fellow famous Hollywood composers (John Williams, Alan Silvestri) to pop music icons (Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson). Ross has quite a lot of Olympics experience as well as he’s arranged the music for the opening and closing ceremonies for various Olympic games from 1998 to 2010. But beyond that he’s also tasked with the music of Hollywood’s biggest night. This year’s Academy Awards ceremony marks…
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Interview…Film Composer Patrick Doyle Talks ‘Jack Ryan’, Love of Country and Having A Laugh At It All
Hailing from Uddingston, Scotland, musical maestro Patrick Doyle always has the hugest smile on his face, which makes him either the happiest guy on the planet, or someone who just really, really loves his job. Perhaps it’s both, but you can’t go a few seconds without hearing him laugh. Even over the phone you can sense the endless joy in his voice when he talks about his career, his passion and his good friend Sir Kenneth Branagh. In fact, the rare (but widely abundant on the web) photo above is one of the few times you won’t see him grinning like a kid with a key to a candy store.…
