The Film Scorer

Marcelo Zarvos

To continue 2022's strong start, the great composer Marcelo Zarvos (Ray Donovan, The Equalizer 3) joins me for a quick chat! Marcelo recently scored the newly released film A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan. We discuss his work on the film, some early Brazilian rock and metal, and what it's like working with Denzel.

It's a lovely, intimate score that manages to balance tragedy and love, always staying true to the drama that forms the heart of the film.

A Journal for Jordan is currently in theaters and Marcelo's score, as well as many of his works over the years, is available on all major platforms. You can also find out more about Marcelo by visiting his website.

 

An Interview with Catherine Joy

To kick-off the new year, Catherine Joy joins The Film Scorer Podcast! We discuss a number of her projects, as well as (among other things) the Joy Music House, her work with the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and the differences between composing, orchestrating, and score supervising! We actually conducted this interview back in August of 2021, so a couple references may be slightly dated (such as the Oscar shortlists), and I'm glad I've finally gotten around to releasing it.

 

Catherine has composed a number of scores for TV shows, features, and documentaries. She's also worked on major projects like Wild, Wild Country, Minari, and Homecoming in various capacities, such as orchestrating and score producing. You can find out more about Catherine by visiting her website. Some of this work has come through her company, the Joy Music House, which is a full-service score production company. Catherine is also the president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, a great organization advocating for women film composers globally and its membership is open to anyone!

 

Harry Gregson-Williams on The Last Duel, House of Gucci

Pleased to have Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, Mulan, The Chronicles of Narnia) join me for a quick chat. We primarily focus on his scores for the two new Ridley Scott films The Last Duel and House of Gucci, as well as his score for the upcoming Disneynature film Polar Bear. Along the way we talk about distraction in film music and some recent scores that Harry's been enjoying. Although it's a quick chat - Harry originally only had twenty minutes, though we stretched it to just over half an hour - we managed to cover a great amount!

 

These two films do a fantastic job of showing Harry's range. While The Last Duel is an often somber, heavily thematic and semi-period specific score (late 14th century), House of Gucci sees Harry jump into a much more stylized, nearly-contemporary sound.

 

The Last Duel is now available to rent while House of Gucci is currently in theaters, while many of Harry's scores are available on all major platforms. Although House of Gucci didn't end up having a full score from Harry, the film's soundtrack release does include his score suite.

 

Mark Korven Welcomes Us To ‘Raccoon City‘

The one and only Mark Korven (The Witch, The Lighthouse) joins me on The Film Scorer Podcast! Mark is probably best known for scoring films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, but his latest score is for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. We talk about that film and his score, as well as his prior releases, his signature instrument the "Apprehension Engine," and Mark announces an upcoming 25th anniversary release of his score for Cube. Of course, during the interview we touch on a load more as well.

 

This was a very exciting interview for me since Mark's work is one of the reasons I began down this film music path in the first place. When I first saw The Witch, I found the music absolutely fascinating and unlike anything I'd really heard. Although I didn't begin writing about film music until a couple years after, it certainly planted the seed.

 

You can find more about Mark on his website. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is currently in theaters, while many of Mark's more recent scores are available on all major platforms.

An Interview with Andy Fosberry

Fan of the show and prolific film composer and solo artist Andy Fosberry joins The Film Scorer Podcast! We spend a significant time locking into Andy's composing and recording process, which has allowed him to write and record several scores in the span of two weeks each! Afterward, we cover a wide swathe of topics, including a shared love of Mica Levi and Cormac McCarthy, differing thoughts on the Friday the 13th film series, and plenty more.

 

In a rare twist, I've also included some snippets of Andy's film and solo music in the interview. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out Andy's many scores on your streaming service of choice, including his Bandcamp - he has dozens of albums up there, giving endless listening opportunities! You can find more about Andy on his website, watch several of the films he's score on YouTube, and even listen to some of the "rediscovered" albums he's re-mastered via Spun Out of Control.

 

An Interview with Peter Gregson

Peter Gregson joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Peter and I talk about his Recomposed Bach Cello Suites (in which Peter re-examined some of Bach's great cello works), taking me far out of my musical knowledge depth and comfort! We also discuss his excellent new album 'Patina' and his forays into scoring for film and other media. During the conversation, Peter mimics a few cello melodies by singing, which is a highlight that can't be missed.

 

You can find out more about Peter on his website, while his scores and 'Patina' are available on all major services (with 'Patina' also being available to buy from Deutsche Grammophon). It's an excellent album and I highly recommend checking it out!

 

Michael Yezerski on ‘Blindspotting‘

Composer (and fan of the show!) Michael Yezerski joins The Film Scorer podcast to give an in-depth look at his score for the new Starz series Blindspotting! Michael actually co-composed the score with avantgarde and renowned jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and Ambrose was originally scheduled to join the chat but unfortunately had to drop out. Hopefully both composers will be able to join when season 2 rolls around!

 

We also talk about some of Michael's recent film scores, including The Vigil and The Tax Collector, while exploring some of his musical interests, scoring process, and advice for up-and-coming composers!

 

You can find more about Michael on his website. Blindspotting is available on Starz, while Michael's score is available on all major platforms.

Ariel Marx

Excited to have composer Ariel Marx join the show! Ariel has been on a major upswing in 2021, scoring Shiva Baby (which I loved), Rebel Hearts, and the third episode of American Horror Stories. We talk about a few of these projects (as well as some others that are on the way), how the love of collaboration brought her into composing for media, and more!

 

You can find more about Ariel on her website. Shiva Baby and American Horror Stories are both streaming on Hulu while Rebel Hearts is on discovery+. Meanwhile, most of Ariel's scores are available on all major platforms.

Film Score Recap: July through September 2021

The Film Scorer takes a breather from composer interviews to cover some of the best, most notable, and favorite film scores from July through September, 2021. These include Dune and the Dune Sketchbook by Hans Zimmer, The Green Knight by Daniel Hart, Beckett and Minamata by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and a whole load more! 

 

See below for articles covering some of my favorite scores for the following months, including detailed writeups and lists:

July: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-july-2021/

August: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-august-2021/

September: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-september-2021/

Elliot Leung

Blockbuster Chinese composer Elliot Leung joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Elliot's latest score is for the major Korean War film The Battle at Lake Changjin, which released this weekend and has already smashed numerous box office records (as well as being the highest grossing film in the world this weekend). However, we only briefly discuss his score. Instead, we touch on his other films, his general process, and how Martin O'Donnell's score for Halo inspired Elliot to pursue a career in composing for film and other media!

 

You can find more information about Elliot on his website. The Battle at Lake Changjin is currently in theaters in China, but has not yet had a worldwide release. Elliot's score is similarly forthcoming, but you can listen to his scores for Operation Red Sea and The Rescue on all major streaming platforms.