Oblivion’s score, while effective, is a familiar work that rarely transcends in the way it should.
In the winter of 2010, Joseph Kosinski brought us the sleek and stylized Tron: Legacy, which stumbled in the storytelling department, but undoubtedly excelled from…
Interview with composer Reza Safinia on his dubstep-driven score for ‘Snap’ and electronic music’s relationship with film scoring.
Reza Safinia, a multi-instrumentalist composer raised on Barry White, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones Productions, has worked in the music industry producing and engineering records…
‘Upstream Color’ score uses synthetic sounds to elicit resoundingly human emotions.
Upstream Color Composed by Shane Carruth erbp February 20, 2013 There’s an ostensibly incomprehensible quality about Shane Carruth’s work that initially makes it difficult to…
Interview with composer Rob Simonsen on the mechanics of musical storytelling, the impact of technology on film scoring, and the beneficial ubiquity of pop music.
Rob Simonsen has been writing music for the screen for nearly a decade now. He has done commercial work for Apple and has provided music…
Iconography in Scoring: The Music of the Western
From its very beginnings as a genre, Western film has trafficked in the iconic, in the larger-than-life imagery of the tall tale and the never-ending,…
‘Mama’ score proves Fernando Velázquez’s consistent ability to create dignified music regardless of genre
Mama Composed by Fernando Velázquez Quartet Records January 14, 2013 Reviewing scores for horror films proves to be a challenge mainly because the genre of music…
Five Forgotten Gems From Five Great Movie Music Composers
Anybody who has ever been to a high school reunion (and I’ve been to my share) will tell you that the calendar and the clock…
Alexandre Desplat’s Psychological Landscapes
A soundtrack that has Chinese overtones, interspersed with Satie, and A La Claire Fontaine. Is it a Chinese composer familiar with French culture? Turns out to…
Best Soundtracks of 2012 (part two)
What makes some film soundtracks transcend from mere background music to helping a director tell a story and help invoke an emotional response? Is it…
Best Soundtracks of 2012 (part one)
Django Unchained Traditionally, Quentin Tarantino’s films recycle older pop tunes and soundtrack snippets, helping to build up his image as a sort of “cultural DJ”…
Top Ten Film Scores of 2012
I have to say that it’s been a particularly great year for film scores. Not only did we see the return of established staples such…
‘The Hobbit’ score is a familiar, yet compelling, return to the musical landscape of Middle Earth
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Composed by Howard Shore WaterTower Music December 11, 2012 In 2001, Peter Jackson and his intrepid cast and crew transported…
