How far will you go to get something you think you want? At what cost do you keep pushing? And do the obsessive ends justify the means? These are some of the heavy and impacting building blocks of Sean Ellis‘ latest film. And coming from the man whose career is built on movies where characters make life-changing sacrifices, this might be the crown jewel in his CV. The Cut is an exploration into what drives someone. With nothing but training and instincts to lean on, it’s easy to imagine how much weight a boxer carries in their minds each time they enter the squared circle. After all, the mind is…
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Interview…Composer Stuart Michael Thomas Digs Deep For ‘The Cut’
Life-long musician and composer Stuart Michael Thomas has amassed over 100 feature film and television credits during his time in Hollywood including international blockbusters such as Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, Iron Man 3, and The Dark Knight. He was also one of the featured guitarists on Top Gun: Maverick. Imagine getting to shred out that theme for the world to enjoy. Yeah, that’s just one of Stuart’s many super cool stories about his “day job” working on these sensational projects. Over his 20-year career he’s developed a unique and versatile style blending elements of Classical orchestration with modern techniques resulting in a sound that is both timeless and…
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Interview…Tina Romero, Erin Judge and Natalie Metzger on Scripting, Sculpting and Shooting the Social Commentary of ‘Queens of the Dead’
This year, the world was treated to a rebirth, or an extension rather, of the Romero ‘of the Dead‘ universe. Tina Romero makes her feature debut with something that is in line with what her legendary father started nearly sixty years ago, but she and co-writer Erin Judge put their spin on it. And, we’re talking about some serious spin. To be honest, it’s been spinning in our head since we finished our glowing review of it. The film, produced by Vanishing Angle (spearheaded by Natalie Metzger and Matt Miller), is not your father‘s zombie movie, but in a way, it actually is. This feature is a dyed-in-the-wool Romero joint…
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Interview…Composer Jeff Danna on Strings and Texas-sized Tension in ‘The Hunting Wives’
Here at GoSeeTalk, composer Jeff Danna‘s music has a history of living rent-free in our heads. From TV to films, projects whimsical and fun to those with a very heavy-handed subject matter, his unique approach to melody and themes never ceases to amaze us. Moreover, it’s his selection of instruments that takes those compositions to another level. He first popped up on our radar all the way back in 1999 when he crafted a gritty and driving sound to a tale about two Irish brothers. The supercharged music helped Troy Duffy’s The Boondock Saints reach legendary cult status. Over the years, Jeff has paved his way in entertainment circles, and…
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Interview…Composer Cameron Moody on Hulu’s ‘Washington Black’
Cameron Moody is an American composer, conductor, and trumpeter based in Los Angeles, CA. His distinctive utilization of the symphony orchestra has given way to a varied resume, with project genres in film and television ranging from action and documentaries to romance and comedies. His debut project, Washington Black, hit Hulu in July and the score is a magical and transportive orchestral effort that sounds like some of the all time greats. His work is signalling a new fresh talent in music. The limited series, created by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and starring Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction, Paradise), called for a sweeping, cinematic score, one that reflects the global scale of its story while…
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Interview…Dominic Lewis & Hamilton Leithauser On the Intro Song to ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’
If you visit this site somewhat regularly, it should be news to no one that we love music, specifically theme music for film and television. We also love chatting with composers, songsmiths and performers about their work. As such, we had a blast speaking with Dominic Lewis & Hamilton Leithauser who tag-teamed the superb melody and lyrics for the song in the opening credits of Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple TV+. This mini-series about misdemeanors, mischief, misdirected hostilities and marital troubles is, even in a fictitious sense, proof that what glitters is not always gold. Nobody’s life is perfect and it’s fair to say you never truly know your…
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Interview…Theodore Shapiro Breaks Down the Music and Method of ‘Severance’ Season 2
Season 2 of Severance on Apple+ upped the ante and stakes on everything that Season 1 gave us. We got more characters, more mystery and more twists and turns than Chutes and Ladders. Suffice to say, it was weird and wild and we want to see how deep this rabbit hole really goes. And more waffle parties, please. One of the standout elements helping this dense and sophisticated story resonate is, literally, the sound palette. Composer Theodore Shapiro rejoined this ensemble to expand his catchy four-chord tune and adapted it to this season’s new narrative pathways. He was not afraid to get abstract, and even dove into specific sound design…
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Interview…Director Colleen Thurston on Commodification of Resources and Cultural Connections in ‘Drowned Land’
Winding its way through southeastern Oklahoma, the Kiamichi River is a bastion of eco-diversity. Already twice-dammed, the state of Oklahoma and a Texas corporation continue to try to commodify the remaining water, and build a hydropower plant on the small river. For a group of locals, this isn’t just a fight for a river, it is a lifelong reckoning with the cycle of land theft and displacement that began with the Trail of Tears. Now, in a region in which the community relies on the Kiamichi’s ecosystem for subsistence, taking the water out of the watershed could mean yet another relocation. This eye-opening film, which was awarded “Best Oklahoma Documentary”…
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Interview…Director David Bushell on Passion Projects, Nice Dreams and ‘Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie’
The iconic pairing of Cheech & Chong has been a massive hit with audiences for more than 50 years, and the legendary stoners have gotten back together for a highly entertaining, tell-all documentary. From director/producer David Bushell comes a surprising and hilarious trip down memory lane that, like the two subjects, is anything but conventional. We got to speak with Bushell about his process. As this was very much a passion project and a dream opportunity, this director’s primary focus was, and I quote, “not to fuck this up.” Further, Bushell tells us that this documentary – replete with fourth wall breaking exposition, throwback animation, thirty hours of interviews, archival…
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Interview…Brandi Burkhardt on Singing, Dreaming and Summertime Fun
We had a lot of fun on the show today with Brandi Burkhardt. This seasoned song siren has done it all – from stage to screen to voice overs and more. She’s had a memorable role as ‘Crickett Watts’ on Hart of Dixie and in films like Confessions of a Shopaholic and A24’s Friendship (which is in theaters now). Burkhardt has also done many guest spots on hit television shows such as Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, Boston Legal, Numb3rs, Brothers & Sisters, The Defenders, NCIS and others. Performing is in her blood, and when she’s not acting, she’s turning heads with her sensational voice that is suited…
