The Film Scorer

The Best Film Scores of 2022

Better late than never - The Film Scorer returns for the annual tradition of covering the ten "best" film scores of 2022. There's also an eleventh honorable mention of arguably my favorite film score release of the year. These scores aren't presented in any particular order, and are really just favorites - who's to say what's "best"? Feel free to chime in with some of your favorites from the world of film and beyond; even if they didn't make the list, chances are they were close!

 

One note: I mention that two composers are on their third collaboration, while I meant to say that the score marks their third collaboration with the film's director.

Tyler Bates Talks ’John Wick 4’

Fresh off of scoring the critical and box office hit action film John Wick 4, Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy Vols. 1 & 2, 300, The Punisher) joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Unsurprisingly, Tyler and I spend a decent amount of time talking about his work on John Wick; not just the latest film, but his work across all four entries and his collaboration across each with Joel J. Richard as well. Throughout the chat, we also cover Tyler's latest series, the animated action/spy show Agent Elvis on Netflix (which he co-scored with Tim Williams), his interest in equitable collaboration, and how he continues to push himself to improve and break his own boundaries.

One note: prior to the interview Tyler had spent the preceding few days playing shows with Jerry Cantrell and flying across the country, so he has a slight cold throughout.

You can find out more about Tyler on his website. John Wick 4 is in theaters while Agent Elvis is on Netflix, and Tyler's scores, as well as many of his other works, are available digitally on all major platforms.

Anne-Kathrin Dern

Anne-Kathrin Dern is the latest guest on The Film Scorer Podcast! You might be most familiar with Anne's lush, thematically-rich traditional orchestral scoring on a number of family and animation films, but she's started to slowly move into more hybrid and pure electronic/textural film and game scoring as well. As such, we talk about this transition and how mixing up scoring styles makes her grow as a composer well maintaining her excitement in the field. This transition recently culminated with her latest score, The Devil Conspiracy, a far more electronic, textural horror score that also features heavy use of organ and choir. It's an unusual score for Anne, but also admittedly the most fun she's had scoring in a long time! We then move into discussing some heavier topics, including the recent article from The Guardian regarding MeToo in the composing world, the lack of opportunity for female composers, and the necessity for having open conversations about these types of issues.

You can find out more about Anne on her website. The Devil Conspiracy is now available on demand and Anne's score, as well as many of her other works, is available digitally on all major platforms.

Tim Hecker Takes a Dip In The ’Infinity Pool’

Tim Hecker, one of the leading voices in experimental electronic music (sometimes referred to as "ambient") joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Tim and I primarily talk about his score to the new film Infinity Pool, a psychedelic, nasty ride with an equally wowing, disorienting score. Among the stranger aspects of the score is that Tim actually utilized the sounds of Mediterranean cicadas, spending hours trawling through YouTube for the perfect samples before eventually turning them into a sort of Baltic banjo in a Deliverance homage for the regressive, yet future-forward dystopian mythical island state on which the film takes place. We then get into, among other things, the problematic nature of the "ambient" genre label and our increasing disconnect with music.

One note on this interview: after the introduction, it begins mid-conversation between Tim and I. Our pre-interview small talk started going too deep, so I felt the need to capture it and keep it going rather than abruptly stop it to start a more "formal" interview.

You can find out more about Tim on his website. Infinity Pool is now available on demand and Tim's score, as well as many of his other works, is available digitally on all major platforms. Although the score is not available there, most of Tim's works are available directly through bandcamp.

Film Score Recap: October through December 2022

With 2022 over, The Film Scorer covers some of the best and most notable film scores released from the last three months of the year. These include scores like Babylon by Justin Hurwitz, All Quiet on the Western Front by Volker Bertelmann, and many more. A breadth of film music awaits!

The episode opens with some awards season coverage, recorded prior to the BAFTA awards ceremony, and so predicts a Hurwitz win even though Volker Bertelmann ended up winning.

Keep your eye on The Film Scorer website for reviews and articles covering some of these scores and see below for articles covering some of my favorite scores for the following months, including detailed writeups and lists:

October: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-october-2022/

November: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-november-2022/

December: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-december-2022/

Carter Burwell Talks ’The Banshees of Inisherin’

 

Three-time Oscar nominated composer Carter Burwell (True Grit, Three Billboards Outside Billing, Missouri) joins The Film Scorer Podcast! We primarily talk about his latest score, which also happened to land him his third Oscar nomination (as well as another BAFTA nom), The Banshees of Inisherin! This includes determining the sound palette (going from initial ideas for period-appropriate Irish music to incorporating an Indonesian gamelan), pulling out the essence of Colin Farrell's character, and more. Along the way, he gives his thoughts on experimentation in film music and the benefit of having more time to sit down and score, while briefly covering his a capella score for Catherine Called Birdy.

 

I was immediately drawn to Carter's score, in part because it deviates from and subverts expectation. Carter creates a sort of dark fairy tale, balancing a childlike sense with melancholy and foreboding, all through a minimal and restrained sound palette. On this point, he told me "When I started really thinking why does this music work or what am I trying to achieve, I began thinking that what it really is doing is turning the movie into a fable. It’s playing a little more like a fairytale.” This comes, in part, because of Carter's choice to largely use the music to play off of Colin Farrell's character, to embody him and his troublesome journey through the film.

 

You can find out more about Carter on his website. The Banshees of Inisherin is currently available on HBO Max and Carter's score, as well as many of his other works, is available digitally on all major platforms.

 

Maya Shenfeld

I recently chatted with experimental composer Maya Shenfeld about her first major foray into film scoring: the Oscar shortlisted documentary The Flagmakers. Fresh off of her critically acclaimed debut album, In Free Fall (which experiments through electroacoustic arrangements), Maya's score for The Flagmakers is a contemporary, modernized take on traditional American minimalism (á la Reich and Glass). Not only do we discuss these two pieces, but we also cover Maya's long-time interest in film music, dive into the world and communities of experimental music, and more.

You can find out more about Maya on her website or on bandcamp. The Flagmakers has not yet been released, and Maya is still working on potentially releasing (and expanding) her score for the documentary, although her prior works are available on all major digital platforms (and her cinematic album called Cinematic Minimalism and released under the nom de guerre Rouge Fou.

Zak Engel

Composer Zak Engel joins me to kick off 2023, and end my brief interview hiatus. We primarily chat about his score for the mind-bending sci-fi thriller Ultrasound, which released a couple of years ago but for which Zak's score has only recently come out. It's a really cool, engaging score filled with older analog synth sounds and more modern electronics, building on influences from folks like Mort Garson, Disasterpeace, and Daniel Lopatin/Oneohtrix Point Never. We also talk about some of Zak's personal influences, how he got into film, and Zak even tackles a few of my surprise and unfair abstract questions about film, music, and the art of scoring.

You can find out more about Zak on his website or on bandcamp. Ultrasound is currently available on Hulu, while Zak's score (and many of his prior works) is available on all major digital platforms.

Nathan Johnson’s Glass Onion - Scoring a Murder Mystery

To finish up 2022, I attempt to unravel the new murder mystery Glass Onion, with the help of its composer, Nathan Johnson (Knives Out, Looper) . Not surprisingly, then, Nathan and I jump into his big, orchestral score, including revisiting themes from the predecessor film Knives Out, creating new themes (particularly the theme for Janelle Monáe's character, Andi), and finding the right sound for the film. Along the way we talk about working with Rian Johnson and Guillermo del Toro (with whom Nathan collaborated on 2021's Nightmare Alley), picking the right projects, impostor syndrome, and more!

You can find out more about Nathan on his website. Glass Onion is currently available on Netflix, while Nathan's score (and many of his prior works) is available on all major digital platforms.

 

Volker Bertelmann Talks ’All Quiet on the Western Front’

Pleased to have Academy Award winning composer Volker Bertelmann join the show! Volker is fresh off of scoring the new adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, a new bleak, harrowing anti-war version of the classic novel for which he's received his first Oscar and BAFTA wins! We chat primarily about this score, including creating some of the incredibly distinct, surprising sounds used throughout and his working relationship with long time collaborator (and the film's director) Edward Berger. We also cover a few more disparate topics, like his earlier days in the music industry, finding inspiration when writing, and the drive to constantly challenge himself (telling me "I love being challenged by things that I haven’t done before...I’m actually in a long learning curve of getting challenged”).

 

Volker's score has been fairly divisive, and I think that's a testament, in part, to the unorthodox sound palette and that drive to challenge himself. The score's main motif is a blaring three note siren or alarm, backed by the humming din of organized industrialization. Although it feels modern and electronic, the thrust of the motif is actually an amplified harmonium from the early 1900s, firmly placing it in the film's time period. It's one of those moments where immediately upon hearing the score's first few notes I knew I had to find out more. I'm glad I did, and I hope you are too!

 

You can find out more about Volker on his website. All Quiet on the Western Front is currently available on Netflix, while Volker's score (and many of his prior works) is available on all major digital platforms.