Jon Ekstrand is a Stockholm based Swedish film composer and artist. He began his career under the mentorship of acclaimed sound designer Owe Svensson, where he sharpened his skills at understanding the power of sound and its dramaturgic importance in helping a story realize its potential. In 1998, whilst attending Stockholm Film School, Ekstrand met Director Daniel Espinosa, in which the two formed a tight creative relationship which continues to this day. Ekstrand and Espinosa have collaborated on seven films, including the hit trilogy Easy Money as well as Hollywood Studio Films Child 44, Life, and the Marvel film Morbius starring Jared Leto. The hybrid soundtrack is part synth, part…
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Interview…Music Supervisor Cody Partridge on TV, Film and ‘Letterkenny’
Here’s a fun diversion. Take a movie, any movie, and skip to the end credits. These days, a ton of people work on any given project, and yet very few of them get the “credit” they deserve. Why? Well, I’d posit that many people have no idea what some of those titles mean. What’s a key grip? Answer: they set up the lights. Well, what’s a best boy? Answer: they help the key grip. There’s all sorts of trades who contribute but one of the more nebulous out there deal with audio. So, Marc, what’s with all this preface? Just tell us who we’re going to hear from. Ok, then,…
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Interview…Legendary Music Promoter Dave McLean on ‘Schemers’
How could you chronicle the life of a person? Like, their whole life? Well, that’s a trick question because it is literally impossible. Still though, you can try to sum up their life – either through a series of career highlights or character building sequences. But what if you have several of those? And I mean SEVERAL. Then you have your work cut out for you, and you’re talking about the one and only David McLean. Mr. McLean has literally lived music from a young age, and this Scottish entrepreneur is about as self-made as they come. For close to 50 years, he’s worked with/managed/promoted some of the biggest musical…
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Interview…Aneil Karia on Riz Ahmed and ‘The Long Goodbye’
What’s more powerful: words or actions? Usually it’s the latter, yet in the case of Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed’s brilliant and sobering short film, the former shines ever brighter and clearer. The Long Goodbye is a personal statement from the two above-mentioned entertainers, and an incredibly pointed narrative. Just a mere 11 minutes, and you are thrust into a world of experiences that many social groups have had to endure for generations. To say this is powerful doesn’t give it enough weight. But simply, it does the job because it is true. Karia uses sharp visuals – mostly editing and natural light – to convey an accurate portrayal that,…
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Interview…Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson Discuss the Loss and Weight of ‘On My Mind’
How often do we listen to the lyrics of a song? And I mean really listen. Sometimes the poetry the artist spent so long crafting gets lost in the car, or speakers, but maybe it’s because we aren’t ready for the weight of the message. Other times, our lives don’t correlate to the words. But what about when it does? It usually results in a couple people (for whatever the reason or message) saying, ”that’s our song!” So why this particular intro? No, we’re past Valentine’s Day, but there is still love in the air, and it’s two-fold. First is a heartfelt short film about a man who wants nothing…
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Interview…Composer Steve Mazzaro on the Quirky and Charming Score to ’Army of Thieves’
Every few years, some piece of pop culture jumps up, grabs hold of us and just won’t let go. In this case, it was the unassuming prequel to Zach Snyder’s Army of the Dead. Considering they both deal with zombies, perhaps the surprise (and parallel) was quite funny, even serendipitous. What really comes alive in this heist film, which are usually fun by nature, is the music. At times, it is white-hot to match the energy (and calamity) fueling this team of discarded dorks. Other times, it is somber and anguished as these characters wear their emotions on their sleeves. Further, the sound pulsing through the speakers is so unexpected…
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Interview…Director Tim Kirkby on Subtle Humor and Colorful Casting in ‘Last Looks’
When it comes to entertainment, there’s a certain school of thought that things belong on boxes – the easier it is to identify something, the easier is it to understand and sell it. So we have genres. But when stories mix certain elements, and make bold choices, the narrative becomes stronger and keeps the audience on its toes. Case in point. When someone says “detective story”, one might think Sam Spade or Jake Gittes. Well what if you throw in eccentric characters, against type casting and pepper the whole affair with a certain British flair and some ’70s era pizazz? Now you’re getting something unique, entertaining and unexpected. So that…
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Interview…Murad Abu Eisheh on Truthfulness and Importance of ‘Tala’vision’
Ahead of the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards, we got to speak with a highly talented young director about his powerful short film. This project is written and directed by Murad Abu Eisheh (who is in his third year of film school) who was inspired to write Tala’vision after he came across an article about ISIS banning televisions in Syria 2014. The film highlights Tala’s struggle trying to live her childhood in a war zone. This heart-wrenching film won the Gold Student Academy Award, thus qualifying it to be considered for a 2022 Oscar. The Jordanian director earned his bachelor’s degree in Visual Communications and Design with a focus…
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Interview…Composer Kevin Kiner on the Emotion and Intellectual Authenticity to ‘Peacemaker’
There are heroes. There are villains. And then there’s Peacemaker…Fresh from his explosive role in last year’s hit film The Suicide Squad, and from the brilliantly twisted mind of James Gunn, comes PEACEMAKER – a new series achieving peace on HBO Max at any cost starting January 13. The DC spinoff series is written and directed by James Gunn, and the show explores the continuing story of the character that John Cena reprises in the aftermath of Gunn’s 2021 film. The colorful patriot is a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost. And like the titular character, seasoned composer Kevin Kiner doesn’t care how many ear drums he has to kill to give us great music. This…
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Interview…Composer Don Davis Shares Stories Plugging Into ‘The Matrix’
In a world of remakes and reboots, one property we thought we’d never see expanded or revisited was the universe of The Matrix. It was, and still is, a landmark film, one that raised the bar for filmmakers and the industry as a whole. A triple-kick of story, visuals and action, The Matrix was a high watermark for cinema. As the series expanded, the arcs of the three leads finished in a less than satisfying (or deserving) way, yet it still seemed the most logical and inescapable end. Fate? Perhaps. The third film culminates in an uneasy truce between humans and machines (and between programs themselves). More importantly it’s not…
