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Film.Music.Media

Music Podcasts

Film.Music.Media features interviews with today’s top film, TV and game composers. We sit down and talk extensively with today’s top composers working across all visual media. Get to know the people behind some of your favorite soundtracks! Video versions of our interviews can be found on our YouTube channel.

Location:

United States

Description:

Film.Music.Media features interviews with today’s top film, TV and game composers. We sit down and talk extensively with today’s top composers working across all visual media. Get to know the people behind some of your favorite soundtracks! Video versions of our interviews can be found on our YouTube channel.

Language:

English


Episodes
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David Fleming | Composer: Damsel

3/13/2024
*Spoiler Warning for some plot points of Damsel and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Composer David Fleming sits down for a brand new in-person Film.Music.Media conversation! Dave takes us into two of his recent scores with Netflix's Damsel and Amazon's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. For Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Dave talks about how the approach for the score was very much defined by the vision of co-creators and stars Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover. And for Damsel, Dave talks about how he was truly able to go big with the orchestra and embrace the fairytale genre while still putting a modern twist and making the score an emotional and intimate journey. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:46:36

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Carlos Rafael Rivera | Composer: Griselda

3/13/2024
Emmy-winning Composer Carlos Rafael Rivera sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Carlos takes us behind his new score to Griselda starring Sofía Vergara and how he found the sound to humanize her character in the Netflix limited series. We talk about Carlos's approach to music, his passion for teaching, how he managed to build a career based out of Miami, and how his career is something he never expected. Carlos talks about his love for visual storytelling and we discuss what the future of filmmaking holds and how optimism for future storytellers drives passion within all of us working in the entertainment industry. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:10:09

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Geoff Zanelli | Composer: Leo

2/19/2024
Emmy-winning Composer Geoff Zanelli sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! It’s always a blast having Geoff return to discuss his latest projects, and this conversation is no different! We dive right into Leo, the new animated feature starring Adam Sandler from co-directors Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachenheim. Geoff takes us into his process and how the score had to work with the original songs that were part of the film. We discuss finding the right tone and how to navigate between comedy and sentimentality within scores for family films. Geoff also gives us a look into the score for 10 Lives, the animated feature recently premiered at Sundance and sees Geoff co-scoring with Tome Howe. Lastly, we get an amazing update on the immensely anticipated Star Citizen which Geoff has been working on during it’s lengthy development as the game tackles an unprecedented approach to its production through crowdfunding, conventions and building a whole community surrounding it. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:02:10

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David Metzger | Composer: Wish

1/29/2024
Composer David Metzger sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Dave is an industry legend who has built an incredible body of work as a composer, orchestrator and arranger. Besides his incredible body of work as a composer, he's also been composers' and songwriters' secret weapon when it comes to orchestration and arranging. Composers like Mark Mancina, John Powell and Henry Jackman have relied on Dave's skills to bring their music to life. And without Dave, the songs of Frozen, Moana, Spirited and Disenchanted wouldn't have the orchestral colors that they do. We dive into Dave's gorgeous score to Disney's Wish, and how he approached scoring his first feature since Brother Bear 2. Learn how Dave got hired on the project, and how he approached bringing the world of Wish to life. Dave also shares his path to becoming a composer, and how the biggest breaks in his career came when he was ready to give up hope. We talk about his big break working on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, how he formed a lasting creative relationship with Mark Mancina to become an essential part of his team, and much more! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:06:49

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Jake Monaco | Composer: Incredible Animal Journeys (National Geographic)

1/25/2024
Composer Jake Monaco sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Jake takes some time to talk about his path to becoming a composer and some of the early projects of his career. Jake talks about scoring animation and what his approach is to scoring television for younger audiences. We also dive into his approach to scores like Jerry And Marge Go Large, Cars On The Road and his newest score to National Geographic's Incredible Animal Journeys. We look into how Jake created different and unique sonic palettes for each episode, and what his starting point is when approaching nature docs. From instrumentation to knowing how to navigate narration, Jake takes us into his approach and we have an absolute blast! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:40:14

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Christopher Lennertz & Matt Bowen | Gen V

1/16/2024
Co-composers Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between co-composers, and what the process is for two composers to tackle a project together. Chris and Matt are unique in that Matt has worked for Chris as an additional composer on various projects and has spent a good part of his early career learning from Chris as part of his music team. For Gen V, Chris knew it was the perfect project for him and Matt to tackle as co-composers. You'll learn all about what Chris looks for when hiring people for his music team and how Matt used the early years working with Chris to learn techniques that he now applies to his solo projects. We also discuss the evolution of the score for The Boys and how that led to developing the sound for Gen V. A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:03:30

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Matt Novack & Dan Mirk | Miracle Workers

1/7/2024
Composer Matt Novack and Co-Showrunner Dan Mirk sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between the composer and the show runner on a TV series. Matt and Dan take us right into what the process is like between the composer and showrunner and how the two of them worked together across Miracle Workers: End Times. This conversation is incredibly insightful and unique given that Miracle Workers did not have a composer till this season when Matt was brought on. The prior seasons utilized library music, and Dan explains why they decided to bring in a composer to write an original score for this season of the anthology comedy series. Matt takes us into how he approached the tone and style for the season, and what elements informed his creative process. A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:50:55

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Antonio Naranjo, Meiro Stamm & Cory Morrison | Glisten And The Merry Mission

12/23/2023
Composers Antonio Naranjo and Meiro Stamm are joined by director Cory Morrison for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between composers and the director as we take a look into the scoring and production process for Glisten And The Merry Mission. Antonio, Meiro and Cory sit down to talk about what the process was for their collaborative workflows while scoring the animated holiday film. Get an in-depth look at how two co-composers establish a process with their director and what the collaboration was like while working on the film. We also take a look at how they approached scoring a Christmas film and what role that genre played in the style and approach of the score. A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:53:01

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Kevin Smithers, Roy Ambriz And Arturo Ambriz | Frankelda’s Book Of Spooks

12/23/2023
Composer Kevin Smithers and writer/directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! For this conversation we are spotlighting the collaborative process between the composer and the writer/directors of Frankelda's Book Of Spooks (Sustos Ocultos de Frankelda). The Max original stop motion series is an absolutely stunning series filled with amazing storytelling, visuals and music. Kevin, Arturo and Roy take us into their collaborate process and how the three of them worked on the series together. You'll get to hear what it's like for Kevin as the composer to work with two brothers who are the writers and directors, and Arturo and Roy talk about how they work not only with Kevin but how they split duties between each other. A wonderful look into collaboration and stop motion animation! A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:48:01

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Mark Sonnenblick, Bill Sherman & Will Van Dyke | Theater Camp

12/15/2023
Composer/Songwriter Mark Sonnenblick and Executive Music Producers Bill Sherman and Will Van Dyke sit down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Mark, Bill and Will kickoff our spotlight series focusing on composer collaborations. Get an incredible inside look at how the trio approached creating the musical that appears within the acclaimed mockumentary Theater Camp! From how they approached making the musical feel true to the amateur production values the characters were doing onscreen to how they fleshed out the songs for the album, we take an insightful deep dive into what it takes to write a musical that appears within a non-musical film. A Film.Music.Media & Impact 24 PR Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:46:23

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Expanding The Rock | Behind The New Soundtrack Album

10/29/2023
Producer Stéphane Humez, sound engineer Maxime Marion, and film music journalist Kaya Savas take you behind the scenes into the approach for the newly expanded and remastered The Rock album for Intrada Records. Learn how the trio all know each other and how this release came to be. Stéphane takes us behind the presentation of the album, and why this album assembly makes the most sense for a listening experience. Stéphane also talks about the process of getting access to certain masters, and how all of that material made its way to Maxime. Maxime takes us behind his mastering process, including how it was important to stay true to the original sound of the score. Maxime also shares how certain tracks were badly damaged, and how he approached the restoration process. Kaya takes us behind the liner notes and how Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams and John Finklea were essential in helping piece together the picture of how the score was made. If you've ever been interested in what goes into producing an archival soundtrack album then come join us for the ride! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas #therock #soundtrack #album #behindthescenes #musicproduction #nickglenniesmith #hanszimmer #harrygregsonwilliams #michaelbay #jerrybruckheimer #donsimpson #stephanehumez #maximemarion #kayasavas #intrada #intradarecords #90s #90smovies

Duration:01:00:21

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Stephanie Economou | Composer: Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

8/27/2023
Composer Stephanie Economou sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Steph takes some time to chat about her recent score to Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken for DreamWorks Animation, and everything that went into bringing not only the main character to life, but the world around her. We also chat about Steph's time working with Harry Gregson-Williams and everything she learned working as an additional composer with Harry. Steph also talks about getting in touch with her Italian roots with her other recent score to About My Father starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro and what we can expect from her score to My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3! We also discuss all the changes happening in the industry, and Steph shares her perspective on it. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas #stephanieeconomou #composer #interview #podcast #soundtrack #soundtracks #musicproduction #composerlife #behindthescenes #filmmaking #movies #television #rubygillman #rubygillmanteenagekraken #dreamworksanimation #aboutmyfather #sebastianmaniscalco #mybigfatgreekwedding3 #niavardalos

Duration:01:02:47

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Paul Haslinger | Composer: The YouTube Effect

7/13/2023
Composer Paul Haslinger sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Paul takes us back through his amazing career in music from his time with Tangerine Dream, moving to Los Angeles and exploring other avenues of music, and eventually focusing on a career as a composer for film and TV. We explore what it was like to be an electronic musician in the 80's and how those working with synths and electronics were shunned in the composing community. Paul talks about several of his projects including the Underworld films, Crazy/Beautiful, Crank, Shoot 'Em Up, and more! We also dive into his newest score for The YouTube Effect. The documentary directed by Alex Winter explores how YouTube has left a troubling legacy on how it has impacted society as a whole. Paul talks about his unique approach to scoring the film, and why he did not want to go the conventional route. While the score was written for the film, the stylings and structure of the album allow it to stand on its own almost as its own experience. You can listen to the album from Node Records on all digital platforms. Paul is one of the pioneers of electronic music, and his music has left a lasting impact through all the amazing scores and albums he's composed throughout his career. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:54:49

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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Behind The Music

6/23/2023
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson sit down to take us behind the music of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story! Al talks about his love for the parody genre, and why his interest in writing film and television has led to projects like UHF and Weird. Al describes what it was like to go back and re-record some of his most well-known songs that would then be lip synced on set by Daniel Radcliffe. Al also wrote a new original song titled "Now You Know" for the film. Leo and Zach take us behind the score, and how the key to a good parody score is having sincerity behind it. For Weird, the composing duo aimed to channel the big warm scores of early 1990's dramas, while also getting crazy and over the top with different stylings and genres. Learn how they processed and warped the sound of the accordion for the diner fight scene, and much more! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:37:47

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Jeff Russo | Composer: Love & Death / Mrs. Davis

6/21/2023
Composer Jeff Russo sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Jeff returns as a guest to take us into two of his recent scores. We dive into the miniseries Love & Death, and how Jeff approached the drama based on the real-life true crime story. Jeff talks about what it was like coming onto the project late and what his process was with crafting a music narrative that wasn’t too heavy-handed. Jeff also explains his process for navigating song placements to create a seamless flow. We also talk about the critically-acclaimed Mrs. Davis, which Jeff also scored. Mrs. Davis was a very different approach in that it went all in with bending genres, and we explore if genres even have the same connotation or meaning anymore or do they effectively box in storytellers. Jeff talks about how much fun he had scoring Mrs. Davis, and how he built the arc of the series musically. Jeff also gives us a little of what we have to look forward to coming up as he is deep into working with Noah Hawley again on Fargo: Season 5 and Hawley’s upcoming Alien series for FX. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:54:40

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Jeff Rona | Composer/Author: The Reel World (Third Edition)

6/21/2023
Composer Jeff Rona sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Jeff takes some time to talk about the newest edition of his book, The Reel World. Jeff’s book has been an incredible resource for composers entering this industry, and is packed with so much real-world knowledge and perspectives that help get any composer a more comfortable footing on the ever-shifting grounds of the entertainment industry. Jeff talks about how he updates the book to reflect the current state of the industry including getting more perspectives from younger composers who have more recent insight to share along with the insight from veterans who entered the industry at different times including John Williams and James Newton Howard among others. Jeff talks about how things have changed and evolved, what has stayed the same, new technologies, and even the hot topic conversation around AI in music. Jeff examines some of his recent work as well including how he works with an amazing team, how he got into video game scoring, and his recent solo album Lume. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:10:59

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David Fleming | Co-Composer: The Last Of Us

6/13/2023
Composer David Fleming sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Dave shares his journey to becoming a composer including getting his start working with composers like Atli Örvarsson and Hans Zimmer. Dave also talks about his work as an additional composer on certain projects like Hans Zimmer's Dune, and what it's like being part of a music team. For this chat we take a look at Dave's general approach to several projects including South Of Heaven, Hillbilly Elegy, and The Unforgivable. The latter two were co-scored with Hans Zimmer. We also dive into Dave's recent score with Hans to the French Canadian miniseries, The Night Logan Woke Up. Dave also talks about co-scoring The Last Of Us on HBO. Hear how he worked separately from the series' lead composer Gustavo Santaolalla to help flesh out certain scenes and to add tension and atmosphere to the overall structure of the series. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas **This interview was recorded at the end of March 2023 and certain mention of projects and their timing are not accurate at the time of posting.**

Duration:01:21:08

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Max Aruj | Composer: The Tank

5/24/2023
Composer Max Aruj sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! From getting his start working on Lorne Balfe's team to scoring hit thrillers like Crawl (co-scored with Steffen Thum) and his recent score to The Tank, Max has quickly stood out for his incredible versatility and unique voice as a musical storyteller. For this chat we explore Max's background and path to composing, getting his foot in the door, working with Lorne Balfe, early lessons learned, branching out and scoring films on his own, finding his storytelling voice, and co-composing some projects with Steffen Thum. For The Tank we look at what it takes to successfully create tension and score a creature feature, and why we as a society love the genre so much! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:00:36:30

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Corey Wallace | Composer: Supercell

5/10/2023
Composer Corey Wallace sits down for a brand new Film.Music.Media conversation! Topics: Corey's path to becoming a composer, getting his first jobs in the industry, developing his sound as a composer, his approach to scoring Supercell and writing music that balances disaster action as well as character arcs, keeping that traditional orchestral writing style alive, achieving a big sound on a small budget film, and more! A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas #coreywallace #composer #interview #podcast #soundtrack #soundtracks #behindthescenes #filmmaking #movies #television #supercell

Duration:00:43:58

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Joel J Richard | Co-Composer: John Wick - Chapter 4

4/27/2023
Composer Joel J Richard joins us for an in-depth look at his work co-scoring the entire John Wick series alongside Tyler Bates, and what went into developing the sound of John Wick and evolving it across four films. Joel starts off talking about his unique path to composing including working as an assistant for John Powell. We talk about how he found his inspiration for composing and what were the steps that led to meeting Tyler Bates, which in turn led Tyler asking him to co-helm the first John Wick film. We focus on the musical evolution of John Wick, and how he worked with director Chad Stahelski as the films grew in scope and the lore of the world expanded. Joel talks about finding the sound of the world, what style and approach worked best, and how the scores for each film led up to this final chapter. Chapter 4 opens up the scope of John Wick even bigger and builds upon its genre inspirations from Hong Kong cinema, John Woo, European neo-noir, Akira Kurosawa, and Sergio Leone. Joel talks about weaving those textures and nods, tackling huge action set pieces, and making sure the score never lost the feel that was established in the first film. Joel is such a wonderful and versatile composer, and his work on the John Wick series ended up building its own unique sonic identity while still being able to acknowledge the genres that inspired the character and world. A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas

Duration:01:08:07