Mondo employees are a rare breed of cinephiles and artisans – chalk it up mostly to each of them having seen certain films way too early in their lifetime. Having watched those titles countless times, movies are not just a means of entertainment, they are part of their DNA. Who else could make/understand a “little too Raph” joke on a daily basis without missing a beat? In short, certain films defined their tastes for years to come. One such individual is Mo Shafeek. We got to speak to him for over an hour regarding his role as Mondo’s soundtrack production manager. Based in Austin, TX, the Mondo bunch (Mo included),…
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Interview…Richard Kaufman on John Williams and Being A Session Musician on ‘Jaws’
Richard Kaufman is, and has been, a good friend of the site. Thanks to our contacts at the Dallas Symphony, we always get to catch up with him when he’s in town for a show as their Pops conductor laureate. Richard has had an amazing career being a session musician (violin) on many classic film scores as well as being MGM’s Music Supervisor for 19 years. He’s seen incredible things behind the gates of major Hollywood studios. You’ve seen those Dos XX commercials with “the Most Interesting Man in the World” right? Well, it should actually be Richard they’re talking about. Seriously, name any filmic presonality and Richard either knows them,…
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Interview…Composer Jeff Russo on ‘Fargo’, Multiple TV Shows and Finding An Identity For Each Project
Grammy and Emmy-nominated musician, Jeff Russo has become a prominent composer, songwriter and arranger in the film and television industry and recently finished composing music for two highly-anticipated television series: FX’s ten-episode limited series, Fargo (starring Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman and Colin Hanks) and Starz’s new original drama Power. Jeff Russo’s history as a guitarist influenced his process of scoring FX’s Fargo, for which he recently received an Emmy-nomination. At the panel Russo said that he looks at the dialogue as the lyrics of a song, and composes the score around what it is the characters are emulating in each scene. Russo’s work can also be heard in various…
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Exclusive: Interview…Nathan Johnson Talks Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rian Johnson and the Musical Mojo of ‘Don Jon’
A gifted musician in his own right, film composer Nathan Johnson creates such unique musical soundscapes for every movie, short film and project to which he’s attached. This year he composed the score to Don Jon, which is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s modernized interpretation of the iconic thief of hearts. With a sound and style that’s so varied and diverse, Johnson’s scores have given such a unique atmosphere to films like Brick and Looper. We got to chat with Nathan about his work on Don Jon, his process working with different directors and so much more. Below are the highlights of our time with him. ——————————————————————————————————————————— – An interesting take on the fabled Don Juan DeMarco, Don Jon…
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Ohhh, Listen…First M83 Track Released From The 'Oblivion' Score
At G-S-T we’ve become increasingly fond of the group M83. It’s not hard once you listen to a few tracks since they have such a distinct and infectious sound. When Joseph Kosinski began work on his second film after the TRON: Legacy many wondered if Daft Punk would return to knock another score out of the park. Well Kosinski enlisted the above mentioned French group to score the film and that only made the production of Oblivion that much more appealing. Recently the first track from the score, titled “StarWaves” was released (thanks to Rolling Stone for the heads up) and it sounds goooood! Have a listen and enjoy the epic…
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Ohhh, Listen…Preview Thomas Newman’s Score From ‘Skyfall’
On October 5th fans around the globe celebrated the 50th anniversary of everyone’s favorite secret agent. Like a steam roller, Bond 23 has been pushing toward its November 9th release date. From an Oscar-winning director (and his video blogs), to a simply top drawer cast, to Adele’s sensationally Bond-esqe title song, it looks like Skyfall and will live up to the hype. Well as fans of films scores we at G-S-T were over the moon to find out that Thomas Newman would be lending his talents to the 007 franchise. As regular composer David Arnold had to bow out to help work on the 2012 Olympics, we’re excited to see what Newman will bring to the table.…
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Dallas Symphony Orchestra Presents: “Masters of Film Music”
In 2010 the Dallas Symphony Orchestra announced a series of concerts that would make any film fan smile. Titled “Masters of Film Music“, the DSO will hold concert events featuring some of the most memorable film scores (through a series of performances conducted by the top living film composers themselves) in Dallas’ renowned Meyerson H. Symphony Center. At G-S-T we’re pretty big into film scores so this is right up our alley and we wanted to share this with you. Also we’re going to cover the events so keep an eye out for write-ups, possible interviews and more. Needless to say, we’re pretty excited! Today the DSO has re-issued a press release…
