Alexander Bornstein is an award-winning composer currently based in Los Angeles. His music can be currently heard in television, independent films, feature films, web series, and documentaries. Alexander has also been at the forefront of new multimedia platforms such as composing music for Doug Liman’s Invisible, one of the earliest series produced for virtual reality. Recent works include First to the Moon: The Journey of Apollo 8 and additional music for numerous TV series including The Boys and Lost in Space. He is currently scoring the upcoming Netflix Original Anime Series Transformers War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege. Over the years, Alexander’s work has brought him through major music studios including…
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Interview…Blockbuster Podcast Team Takes A Deep Dive Into Season 2 and James Cameron
Over the years, one of the creatives we’ve been lucky enough to get to know is Matt Schrader. We first interviewed Matt back in 2016 while he was cooking up his first film – SCORE: A Film Music Documentary. This one-of-a-kind doc was quite the endeavor and Schrader made a lateral shift from his journalist background to take a big step into telling the story he wanted to tell. And, as score fans ourselves, we’re so glad he did! On the heels of that, and using the contacts made while filming the documentary, Schrader and team (which included Kenny Holmes and Robert Kraft) started SCORE: The Podcast to give composers…
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Interview…Tuppence Middleton on Method Acting, Taking Chances and Trusting Your Gut
In this severely pandemic-affected world, film fans can find solace and levity in films. And what a perfect time for a sweet-natured, feel-good comedy to come along. Now if you would’ve told me that I would fall head over heels for a film about, and I’m not kidding, a group of fishermen who sing shanties in their downtime, I’d have taken that bet. Well, blow me down, this is one cute film! Headlining Fisherman’s Friends, (the latest from Samuel Goldwyn Films), is British actress Tuppence Middleton. In the film, she plays James Purefoy’s daughter and the two have genuine (if commonplace) dynamic – him the protective father, her the young…
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Interview…Composer Joe Trapanese Talks Orchestration and Composition of Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, The Raid and Lady and the Tramp
This year, Tron: Legacy celebrates turns 10, and a huge part of that film was the amazing music from Daft Punk – it was the duo’s first film score and quite an endeavor for all involved. The combination of electronic and orchestral music seemed like a long shot, but if anyone could stick the landing, it was probably them. Truth be told, they had help from a young Joseph Trapanese and Bruce Broughton as well as two years to collaborate and work their magic. As far as we’re concerned, the world is a lot better with that music in it. So in this installment of our podcast series – one…
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Interview…Composer Paul Leonard-Morgan on High Energy, Cyberpunk, and Philip Glass
Over the years, we’ve spoken to lots of people in the entertainment business, and neither our good friend Bryan Kluger (of BoomStickComics) nor myself have met many individuals with the all-out energy and enthusiasm that Paul Leonard-Morgan exudes. No joke. The Scottish composer is a delight to speak with and you can tell he doesn’t just love his job…he realllly loves it and that comes through in how he describes his process (using analog synthesizers), his projects (Disney Test Track at Epcot Center and Limitless), and his collaborators (Alex Garland, Mark Romanek). He loves life, cares for everyone, has great taste in film and scores, and he even coined a catchphrase…
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Interview…Composer Joseph Stephens on Danny McBride, HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, and “Misbehavin'”
This week, we got to hang out with North Carolina-based multi-instrumentalist, film score composer, and songwriter Joseph Stephens. He’s got a lot of experience in TV and film and one of the gems in Stephens’ in his crown is the a little ditty called “Misbehavin‘” otherwise known as the most unlikely of upbeat bangers featured in The Righteous Gemstones, HBO’s breakout series from series creator Danny McBride. Stephens is the composer behind the show and has worked with McBride many times; their relationship goes back to their college days. Stephens composed and co-wrote the original song with McBride and Edi Patterson (who both star in the series). The twangy, fun-loving song…
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Interview…Directors Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion Discuss ‘Bushwick’ and ‘Becky’
Directing duo Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion made quite the impression with their last two genre films. In 2014, they released Cooties – the Elijah Wood led film about a mysterious virus which hit an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. It was the fun and absurd kind of ’80s style romp you’d see Joe Bob Briggs highlight on Drive-In Theater. Following that, the two made a statement with Bushwick. Based partly on thoughts and ideas from a post-9/11 New York, the themes seems darkly prophetic, if not a cautionary tale. Thankfully, it’s fiction, but what was true is the dynamic and amazing…
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Interview…Stephen McHattie Talks Career, Casting, and Dual Roles in Bruce McDonald’s ‘Dreamland’
Stephen McHattie is a prolific actor from Canada who started out in the theatre, moved to New York for acting school, and has been in over 200 feature films/television shows since 1970. His most recognized roles were in Pontypool, The Fountain, Watchmen, 300, Orphan Black, The Strain, Beverly Hill Cop 3, and even BASEketball. We’ve always been a fan of Stephen because of the roles he selects, the gravity he brings to each project, his thousand-yard stares, and that’s before he starts acting. His latest film (one of five released in 2019) is Dreamland. Bruce McDonald‘s nebulously dreamy hitman story is about as far from lucid as you can get.…
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Interview…Composer Mark Isham on Jazz, Frank Darabont, and ‘Little Fires Everywhere’
Seasoned composer Mark Isham (pronounced I-sham) has one of the most diverse and prolific careers in film and television. With a background in jazz, and proficiency with trumpet and piano, Isham has scored innumerable titles and given a incredible flair to each of his projects. His latest works graced with his musical muscle is Hulu’s familial drama Little Fires Everywhere. Taking inspiration from the narrative, Isham’s themes mirror the duality of the interweaving characters (from two vastly different worlds). Even the main theme represents the delicate and sometimes violent interactions between lead characters played by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington – what starts out prim and proper soon segues into…
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Interview…Director Vaughn Stein on Stage, Screen, Simon Pegg and ‘Inheritance’
Filmmakers draw inspiration from everywhere: past experiences, theater, classic films, friends, even other directors. They say that everyone’s got a story, and in the case of Vaughn Stein, his story is the amalgamation of everything he’s been exposed to. In short, it’s a lot! This week we spoke with Stein about his latest film – a gripping drama about a dynastical family torn apart by skeletons in the closet. And “closet” is a relative word, as the downward spiral consuming this affluent New York family is not caused by a skeleton but a living, breathing person trapped in a bunker against their will. Bum, bum, buuum! In 2018, Stein directed…
