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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2nd Annual “Musical Anatomy of a Superhero” At Comic-Con
To those of you braving the lines, the hotel lottery and the mass hysteria that is Comic-Con, we wish you Godspeed. More than that, we wish we were going with you! While there’s lots to see and do, there’s one panel that’s got us both excited and envious to attend. The Con is hosting the 2nd Annual “Musical Anatomy of a Superhero” panel this Thursday, July 24th, 2014. For fans of film music, specifically the wildly successful films in the MCU and DC’s growing line up, there’s going to be a lot of focus put on the composers who have been tasked with writing themes for some of the most highly…
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Mike Matessino Remembers John Williams’ Score for ‘Empire of the Sun’
On December 25th, 1987 Steven Spielberg’s film Empire of the Sun hit theaters. There’s a point in the surreal adaptation where we see a very young Christian Bale cheer on the famous WWII-era fighter-bombers he hopes would liberate his character’s internment camp; very ecstatically he sings their praises, “P-51! Cadillac of the sky!“
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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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FourScore Match-Up #20: “The Colossus of Clout”
This year, on the 60th anniversary of Ishiro Honda’s landmark film, we’ll get to see Gareth Edwards’ reinvention of the world-famous Toho monster. In the subsequent decades since Godzilla first lumbered out of the water we’ve see other mightily impressive creatures (with some equally impressive firepower) blaze across the screen yet of the biggest and baddest Gojira reigns supreme. Over the years he’s retained the title of “King of the Monsters” but he didn’t earn his moniker easily – there are some memorable, and equally gargantuan, baddies who can and have gone toe-to-toe with Toho’s big screen icon. Today we look up, way up, like into the clouds up to see…
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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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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Film and TV Composer Darius Holbert Talks Peter Berg, Hulu and His Experiences in the Music Industry
Darius Holbert is an award-winning composer of music for film, TV, and new media and has written scores for a gaggle of international films and television shows. Less than a decade in the industry he’s already been afforded the opportunity to work with such film and TV luminaries as Robin Williams, Kevin Spacey, Bobcat Goldthwait, J.J. Abrams, and many more. His work has even been featured in hit TV shows like American Horror Story, Lost, The Client List, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and Crash. Aside from scoring to picture, Darius has been commissioned to compose operas, modern dance pieces, and chamber works. He has appeared on a ton of records…
