Film and game composer Penka Kouneva has worked for 15 years in Los Angeles on a variety of projects from games, to shorts, to feature films. Her own music is a blend of her Eastern-European upbringing, classical training, modern film & game music, and influences ranging from rock, electronica, Medieval chant to non-Western music. A woman composer role model on the vanguard of the rising momentum for women creatives in entertainment, Penka Kouneva made Hollywood history as the first woman Lead Orchestrator on films with a budget over $100M – Ender’s Game and Elysium. In various capacitites, she has had notable collaborations with the celebrity composers Hans Zimmer (orchestrator: Pirates 3,…
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Varèse Sarabande Celebrates the Film Music of Patrick Doyle
This Friday, Varèse Sarabande will release THE MUSIC OF PATRICK DOYLE: SOLO PIANO. The first of two planned albums features original performances and arrangements by the Oscar-nominated composer. The collection features some of Patrick’s most revered compositions performed on piano by Doyle himself. Few composers have taken audiences to such whimsical, fun and fantastical landscapes with their music. But stepping back from the energy and grandeur of the cinema screen, Doyle has put together a low-key yet intimate listening experience. His exceptional album highlights eighteen tracks which include music from Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations, Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park and Cinderella. “I have been recording the piano album over the last…
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Interview…Composer Bill Brown Scores Season 2 of Dominion for Syfy
Bill Brown is an award-winning composer and creative force behind the musical scores of fan-favorite TV, film and video game thrillers, dramas and super-hero adventures. Widely recognized for his experimental approach to developing a unique sound and for creating dynamic orchestral landscapes, Bill is best known for composing the compelling musical backdrop for all nine seasons of the hit CBS series CSI: NY. Bill’s passion for composing is followed closely by his interest in cutting-edge sound technology. Developers regularly approach him to beta-test new music and sound design products; many in the music community as the go-to resource consider him when a product or technology recommendation is needed. Continually experimenting…
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Interview…Film Composer Patrick Doyle Weaves Magic for a Whole New Generation with ‘Cinderella’
If you visit the site often, or know me personally, you know that I love film…but I love film scores a whole lot more. Our “Composer Series” has become a large part of the site, and it has been incredibly rewarding being afforded the opportunity to speak with those who have created some of the most iconic and indelible themes of the last half century. Case in point. When we spoke with Patrick Doyle last year, we discussed his and Kenneth Branagh’s efforts to reboot the Jack Ryan franchise. His hybrid approach to the tech-thriller score was an exercise in tension and excitement, and everything you could want in a…
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Interview…Composer Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) on the Emotion Behind the Adrenaline in ‘Run All Night’ and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
When it comes to working in the film industry, and if you happen to be a talented and in-demand composer like Junkie XL, 16-to-18 hour days are the norm. Suffice to say, a composer’s work is never done but they also need to carve out time for necessary levity. A bit of a practical joker when it suits him (just ask his then assistant and now good friend Sam Estes about the in-office pranks), Tom Holkenborg has put his stamp on the music world with his bombastic drum kit and adrenaline-themed cues. He also knows how to help the director get to the heart of their story. Whether it’s a segment or two in The Animatrix,…
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Interview…Film Composer Mark Adler on Robert Kenner’s ‘Merchants of Doubt’
Mark Adler brings to his work as a composer a broad background in both film and music. At 16 he created an award-winning animated short which the New York Museum of Modern Art acquired for its permanent archive collection. A year later, he was the recipient of an American Film Institute grant for his original screenplay. He studied piano privately for fifteen years, and was initially a music major. His return to music followed graduation from film school at UCLA, where he studied film scoring with David Raksin. The 1980s were a renaissance for documentary film in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mark was soon scoring many of those projects. During…
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Interview…Sound Designers/Composers Sam Estes and Michael Hobe
When it comes to music as a profession, composer Robert O. Ragland might have said it the best, “The film composer has two main pressures…time and quality“. Sam Estes and Michael Hobe can certainly relate to all the hurdles in the creative process. They have seen their fair share of films, TV shows and video games and learned from the best in the industry while working as composers and sound designers at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions. Following their time there, they went on to produce private sound design and samples for the likes of Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg), and Christopher Lennertz. Sam specializes in taking a…
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Interview…Composers Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson Bring New Life to the Old-Fashioned Spy Game in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’
When it comes to larger-than-life comic book universes playing out on the big screen, both Henry Jackman and co-composer Matthew Margeson are the reigning champions of super hero themes and kick-ass action sounds. Kingsman: The Secret Service tells a story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. While they intended to make this score their own, they still included a fair amount of hat tips to the likes of John Barry, and David Arnold. Well, Kingsman is a movie about the spy world so some things can’t be helped. It’s a…
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CONTEST CLOSED – Win A Copy of the ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ CD Score by Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson
Attention: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. All winners have been notified. Thanks for your interest in Kingsman: The Secret Service. ——————————————————————————————————————————— Go,See,Talk and La-La Land Records are offering FIVE lucky fans a copy of the film score soundtrack to Kingsman: The Secret Service composed by Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally and on CD on February 10, 2015 at La-La Land Records. The CD includes 3 exclusive tracks not available on the digital download release. Additionally, the Kingsman: The Secret Service CD will also be available at Amazon and other major music retailers on February 17, 2015. Read below to find out how you can win a copy from us.…
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CONTEST CLOSED – Win A Copy of the ‘The Interview’ and ‘This Is the End’ CD Score by Henry Jackman
Attention: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. All winners have been notified. Thanks for your interest in The Interview and This Is the End. ——————————————————————————————————————————— Go,See,Talk and La-La Land Records are offering lucky fans a copy of the film score soundtrack to The Interview which includes music composed by Henry Jackman. This CD is a special release and these copies are from the limited run of 5000 units. The Interview Original Motion Picture Score was released on CD on February 10, 2015 and as a special bonus, this album release features the original score for the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg blockbuster hit comedy This Is the End. Read below to find out how you can win…
