We’ve come to the final post, Part III of the 90 minute interview we had with the incomparable Steve Jablonsky. Hitting on a number of topics we got a deeper look into his process and Steve offers even more personal experiences and insight into his phenomenal scores. If you’re just joining us, check out Part I and Part II (really, if you love film music, they’re not to be missed) but if you’re all caught up then enjoy the final leg in this trio of interview posts with amazing composer Steve Jablonsky. ——————————————————————————————————————————— – “Making sounds” as opposed to just composing them is a very proprietary approach. But do you think,…
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Exclusive: Interview (Part II)…Steve Jablonsky’s Big Break, His Process, and Living In Michael Bay’s World
In Part I of our interview with film composer Steve Jablonsky we talked about his recent score for Ender’s Game. A major player in the word of film music Jablonsky has made a name for himself contributing to and fully scoring some of the most successful blockbusters in the last decade. Working with the likes of Harry Gregson-Williams and Hans Zimmer, Jablonsky has become an in-demand composer and he continues to score films for some of the biggest names in the industry. So jump right into Part II as we discuss Steve’s big break, scoring a slew of horror remakes for Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes and of course…
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Exclusive: Interview (Part I)…’Ender’s Game’ Composer Steve Jablonsky
For more than a decade Steve Jablonsky has been composing riveting scores for some of Hollywood’s most bombastic blockbuster films. From the Japanese anime Steamboy (directed by legendary filmmaker Katsuhiro Otomo), to Michael Bay’s The Island and Transformers series to scoring no less than 4 feature films in 2013 alone, Jablonsky’s epic sounds have become a staple in the world of action films. Whether things are blowing up on the silver screen, the TV screen or in video games, Jablonsky is one of only a handful of go-to composers who consistently deliver diversity and complexity along with high energy themes. Originally focused on becoming a recording engineer, Jablonsky’s career as a film composer developed after assisting…
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Interview…(Part II) Film Composer Carl Thiel Talks More Music, Robert Rodriguez and ‘Machete Kills’
Award-winning music writer/producer and film composer Carl Thiel was born into a European family and raised in Mexico City, Carl was exposed to a rich and wide variety of cultural experiences and musical styles from a very early age. As a young boy, he would listen to his father (a Swedish immigrant with a doctorate in music) play Mozart and Bach on the piano, while his older siblings would play Beatles and Carpenters albums. His mother, a perpetual student of the spiritual and healing arts and the daughter of German and Austrian immigrants, shared her love for Strauss and Vivaldi, as well as meditation and inspirational music. Immersed in the huge metropolis,…
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Interview…(Part I) ‘Machete Kills’ Composer Carl Thiel Discusses Collaborating with Robert Rodriguez
Film composer Carl Thiel is an award-winning music writer/producer. Over the course of his career he’s worked with a multitude of musicians and personalities including Willie Nelson, Bob Schneider, Los Lonely Boys, John Debney, and Del Castillo to name just a few. Carl currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and frequently volunteers his time to teach and work with high school and college students across the state during educational events. But it’s his collaborations with visionary director/filmmaker Robert Rodriguez that occupy a large portion of his resume (he’s even a member of Robert Rodriguez’s pet project band Chingón). In the last decade Carl has lent…
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Film Composer Patrick Doyle Discusses His Commission with the Syracuse International Film Festival
The Syracuse International Film Festival (which runs October 2-6) is celebrating its 10th year and among the noteworthy talent attending is accomplished film score composer Patrick Doyle (Carlito’s Way, Brave, Thor). Not only will Patrick be attending, he has been commissioned by the Festival to compose an original 77 minute score for the 1927 silent film IT starring Clara Bow, something Doyle considers a “tremendous honor“. But an undertaking like this requires a bit of exposition/back story and who better to tell about it than Patrick himself? Our good friend and fellow film score fan Tim Burden, a radio personality out of Northern Ireland (check out some of his radio programs/interviews here), personally chatted with Patrick…
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Interview…Robin Foster on Scoring Sean Ellis’ ‘Metro Manila’
British composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robin Foster may draw inspiration from bands like Radiohead and composers like Ennio Morricone but really he has a style all his own. What he calls “cinematic post-rock” is a mesmerizing and dreamy mix of electronic loops, and airy synths that are driven by waves of guitars. His close collaboration with Oscar nominated British writer/film director Sean Ellis has lead to soundtracks for prestigious global brand names such as Hugo Boss and Kenneth Cole and last year he composed the score to Ellis’ feature film, Metro Manila. The action thriller recently won the highly prestigious Audience World Dramatic award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in January 2013 where…
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Interview…Film and TV Composer John Swihart Discusses Scoring ‘How I Met Your Mother’
CBS’ wildly popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother is nearing its end and kicks off its 9th and final season this evening. Prior to the premier of tonight’s episode we got to chat with the show’s composer John Swihart to talk about his work on the show. In addition to How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM for short) his other credits of more than 40 films include Youth in Revolt, Employee of the Month, For A Good Time Call… and Napoleon Dynamite which was his breakout project. John has been playing music from a very young age and his early influences are across the board ranging from Miles Davis, Gershwin, Stravinsky and…
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Interview…Film Composer Elliott Wheeler on ‘The Great Gatsby’ Soundtrack and Scoring Mad Max ‘Fury Road’
Elliott Wheeler is a Sydney based composer, producer and founder of Turning Studios. Classically trained, he studied composition and brass studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Philosophy at Sydney University. Since then, he has worked continuously as a screen composer and producer across a broad spectrum of genres from studio releases to film, documentary, commercials, and theatre. For over a year he worked on the soundtrack for Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby, collaborating on material from all of the film’s artists, from Jay Z, Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Jack White, will.i.am, Bryan Ferry and his Jazz Orchestra, Emile Sande and Kid Koala, Fergie, Q Tip…
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Interview…Film and Television Composer Anton Sanko on His Emmy Nom for ‘Ring of Fire’
Music composer and producer Anton Sanko (pictured above Left with director/producer Sam Raimi) was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his work in the Lifetime Original Movie “Ring of Fire” in the category of Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Original Dramatic Score). “Ring of Fire” stars Jewel as legendary country artist June Carter Cash. Prior his Emmy nomination Sanko scored the Sam Raimi produced horror/suspense film The Possession starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as well as critically acclaimed film Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. Anton also has a number of television credits under his belt. Chief among them are the epic seven-part global programming television event “Great Migrations” for National Geographic, the acclaimed HBO series “Big Love” starring Bill Paxton, and…
