There’s always a trick when picking out the best scores. Is the measure of great music for film and TV that it can survive on its own merits? Or is the real trick to create something that seems so inextricable from its visual accompaniment that you can almost replay the story from just a handful of notes?
In the spirit of year-end celebration, our task was to find the scores that somehow manage to do both. As with any other category overview, we strove to find a healthy mix of the familiar masters of the craft with some emerging stars who hopefully have plenty more musical magic to share in the years to come. Fortunately, we didn’t have to search far to hear a rich tapestry of sounds to go with some of our favorite films and series of 2021.
Some have the orchestral sweep of years past. Many...
In the spirit of year-end celebration, our task was to find the scores that somehow manage to do both. As with any other category overview, we strove to find a healthy mix of the familiar masters of the craft with some emerging stars who hopefully have plenty more musical magic to share in the years to come. Fortunately, we didn’t have to search far to hear a rich tapestry of sounds to go with some of our favorite films and series of 2021.
Some have the orchestral sweep of years past. Many...
- 12/15/2021
- by Steve Greene and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Songs or scores from “Soul,” “Minari,” “Tenet,” “News of the World,” “”Euphoria” and “The Queen’s Gambit” were among the winners Wednesday night at the 11th annual (and first virtual) Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Breaking down categories by genre affords the HMMAs the opportunity to cast a wide net in its awards. Film-related trophies went to James Newton Howard for “News of the World,” for outstanding score in a feature film; Emile Mosseri for “Minari” in the independent film category; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste for “Soul” as the outstanding animated film score; Ludwig Göransson’s work on “Tenet” for sci-fi/fantasy score; Benjamin Wallfisch’s “The Invisible Man” score in the horror division; and Steven Price for documentary score for Netflix’s “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.”
(Although it’s not yet certain how the Oscars will handle the different musical contributions of Batiste and Reznor/Ross for “Soul,...
Breaking down categories by genre affords the HMMAs the opportunity to cast a wide net in its awards. Film-related trophies went to James Newton Howard for “News of the World,” for outstanding score in a feature film; Emile Mosseri for “Minari” in the independent film category; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste for “Soul” as the outstanding animated film score; Ludwig Göransson’s work on “Tenet” for sci-fi/fantasy score; Benjamin Wallfisch’s “The Invisible Man” score in the horror division; and Steven Price for documentary score for Netflix’s “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.”
(Although it’s not yet certain how the Oscars will handle the different musical contributions of Batiste and Reznor/Ross for “Soul,...
- 1/28/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
“Welcome to Blumhouse” is an anthology of eight horror thrillers executive produced by Jason Blum; each tells a different story, with different casts and crews. The first two films, “Black Box” and “The Lie,” bowed on Amazon Prime on Oct. 6, with the next two, “Nocturne” and “Evil Eye,” dropping Oct. 13. The final four movies will debut next year.
Below, members of the crews break down how they built the tension that drives the action.
Hilda Mercado, cinematographer, “Black Box”
Summary: A man undergoes a painful experimental treatment to try to regain his memory after a car accident in which his wife died.
“‘Black Box’ called for a lot of practical effects, especially when it came to [space] transitions. It’s a psychological movie — one that doesn’t take the audience for granted. When our character, Nolan [Mamoudou Athie], was with his daughter [Ava, played by Amanda Christine], we wanted to be intimate with the camera, so...
Below, members of the crews break down how they built the tension that drives the action.
Hilda Mercado, cinematographer, “Black Box”
Summary: A man undergoes a painful experimental treatment to try to regain his memory after a car accident in which his wife died.
“‘Black Box’ called for a lot of practical effects, especially when it came to [space] transitions. It’s a psychological movie — one that doesn’t take the audience for granted. When our character, Nolan [Mamoudou Athie], was with his daughter [Ava, played by Amanda Christine], we wanted to be intimate with the camera, so...
- 10/8/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
“Are we really living in the moment?” muses SAG Awards nominee Bill Pullman about one of the central themes contemplated by the third season of USA Network’s anthology crime drama “The Sinner.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Pullman above.
In “The Sinner,” Pullman stars as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre murder cases over season-long arcs from a uniquely empathetic point of view. Harry’s tortured past and emotional baggage weigh on him heavily as he identifies and uncovers the psychology that drives and motivates a killer’s actions.
See Matt Bomer Interview: ‘The Sinner’
The show premiered in 2017, centering on a troubled mother (Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel) who snaps and murders a man without provocation. After proving to be a hit, it shifted from a limited series to a drama series when USA Network renewed the show for a second and third season. The...
In “The Sinner,” Pullman stars as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre murder cases over season-long arcs from a uniquely empathetic point of view. Harry’s tortured past and emotional baggage weigh on him heavily as he identifies and uncovers the psychology that drives and motivates a killer’s actions.
See Matt Bomer Interview: ‘The Sinner’
The show premiered in 2017, centering on a troubled mother (Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel) who snaps and murders a man without provocation. After proving to be a hit, it shifted from a limited series to a drama series when USA Network renewed the show for a second and third season. The...
- 6/25/2020
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“It was really terrifying,” admits Emmy nominee Matt Bomer about his starring role on the USA Network anthology crime drama “The Sinner.” Bomer plays troubled school teacher Jamie burns, who struggles with rage, depression and suffocating emotional detachment. “For me personally, rage and anger is not an emotion I can fake. It’s something I have to dig into and find.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Bomer above.
See Derek Simonds Interview: ‘The Sinner’ Showrunner
Over three seasons of “The Sinner,” SAG nominee Bill Pullman has starred as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre new murder cases by identifying the psychology behind a killer’s actions, giving the audience insight into a character’s motivations, desires and demons. The show premiered in 2017 with Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel starring as a young mother who brutally murders a man without provocation. Its second season focused on a 13 year-old...
See Derek Simonds Interview: ‘The Sinner’ Showrunner
Over three seasons of “The Sinner,” SAG nominee Bill Pullman has starred as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre new murder cases by identifying the psychology behind a killer’s actions, giving the audience insight into a character’s motivations, desires and demons. The show premiered in 2017 with Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel starring as a young mother who brutally murders a man without provocation. Its second season focused on a 13 year-old...
- 5/26/2020
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“For music, psychological depth is a goldmine of possibility,” reveals composer Ronit Kirchman about her work on the USA Network anthology crime drama “The Sinner.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Kirchman above.
See 2020 Emmy Best Drama Series Predictions
“The Sinner” explores why a particular violent crime has been committed, setting the show apart from others in the genre by focusing on the characters’ motivations, backgrounds, desires and demons. It stars Bill Pullman as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre murder cases over season-long arcs from a uniquely empathetic point of view. Harry’s tortured past and emotional baggage weigh on him heavily as he identifies and uncovers the psychology behind a killer’s actions.
The show was developed by showrunner Derek Simonds as a limited series in 2017, delving into the troubled past of a young mother (played by Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel) who snaps and brutally murders a man without provocation.
See 2020 Emmy Best Drama Series Predictions
“The Sinner” explores why a particular violent crime has been committed, setting the show apart from others in the genre by focusing on the characters’ motivations, backgrounds, desires and demons. It stars Bill Pullman as Detective Harry Ambrose, who investigates bizarre murder cases over season-long arcs from a uniquely empathetic point of view. Harry’s tortured past and emotional baggage weigh on him heavily as he identifies and uncovers the psychology behind a killer’s actions.
The show was developed by showrunner Derek Simonds as a limited series in 2017, delving into the troubled past of a young mother (played by Emmy nominee and executive producer Jessica Biel) who snaps and brutally murders a man without provocation.
- 5/13/2020
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Cutting Edge Group, a leading music financier and services provider for film, TV and advertising, has acquired Lakeshore Records, a top independent soundtrack label.
Their partnership will provide Cutting Edge with an in-house label, while Lakeshore will continue to operate as an independent, doing albums for such high-profile projects as “Marriage Story,” “Moonlight,” “Stranger Things” and “Narcos.”
Cutting Edge COO Tara Finegan cites Lakeshore’s “intensity and passion and desire to get things absolutely right for the fans of soundtrack music, and for the composers and filmmakers who are on the other side, creating this art.”
Says Lakeshore Records President Brian McNelis: “The combining of Cutting Edge and Lakeshore is an extension of the business that we had already been in. We had a working relationship and they were looking to complement their other services.” Lakeshore had been licensing albums from Cutting Edge as far back as 2005, and in...
Their partnership will provide Cutting Edge with an in-house label, while Lakeshore will continue to operate as an independent, doing albums for such high-profile projects as “Marriage Story,” “Moonlight,” “Stranger Things” and “Narcos.”
Cutting Edge COO Tara Finegan cites Lakeshore’s “intensity and passion and desire to get things absolutely right for the fans of soundtrack music, and for the composers and filmmakers who are on the other side, creating this art.”
Says Lakeshore Records President Brian McNelis: “The combining of Cutting Edge and Lakeshore is an extension of the business that we had already been in. We had a working relationship and they were looking to complement their other services.” Lakeshore had been licensing albums from Cutting Edge as far back as 2005, and in...
- 2/24/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Over its three seasons, “The Sinner” has largely been built on the idea of a coiled snake. The central figures at the core of each season have each been figures who seem at first like blank slates, numbed by their proximity to the acts of violence they stand accused of perpetrating. Inside each of these stories is some variation on “How could someone like this be capable of something like that?”
It’s a question that, especially when asked through a controlled exterior, is designed for maximum uneasiness. If the calmest person in the room can cut through any bit of serenity and unleash something horrific, then no silence is safe. “The Sinner” mostly succeeds in building its story around a mystery that incorporates “how” and “why” into its grand equation, yet somehow still seems to de-emphasize both as it goes along. At the end, all that’s left is...
It’s a question that, especially when asked through a controlled exterior, is designed for maximum uneasiness. If the calmest person in the room can cut through any bit of serenity and unleash something horrific, then no silence is safe. “The Sinner” mostly succeeds in building its story around a mystery that incorporates “how” and “why” into its grand equation, yet somehow still seems to de-emphasize both as it goes along. At the end, all that’s left is...
- 2/6/2020
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
For all horror fans attending this year’s WonderCon, there’s going to be a great panel today at 4pm Pst called Spine-Tingling Suspense: Music from Thrillers and Drama. The panel, which is moderated by Bmi’s Senior Director of Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media Anne Cecere and White Bear PR’s Chandler Poling, will feature composers Ronit Kirchman, Will […] The post If You’re at WonderCon, Make Sure to Catch the Spine-tingling Suspense: Music From Thrillers And Drama Panel appeared first on Dread Central.
- 3/29/2019
- by Jonathan Barkan
- DreadCentral.com
Starr Parodi was elected new president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers on Sunday, succeeding Lolita Ritmanis.
Parodi — who first came to prominence as a member of the “Arsenio Hall Show” house band — has extensive television credits including “The Division,” “The Starter Wife,” “G.I. Joe: Renegades” and “Transformers: Rescue Bots,” along with film credits including “Conversations With Other Women” and music for hundreds of movie trailers.
Her version of the James Bond Theme, created for the “GoldenEye” trailer with composing partner Jeff Eden Fair, was widely acclaimed and earned gold-record status in 2004 as part of the “Best of Bond” CD collection.
Parodi was the first woman to compose orchestral music for the 85-year-old Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, where she continues to be a featured composer. Her recent neoclassical album “The Heart of Frida,” celebrating the spirit of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, won Solo Piano Album of...
Parodi — who first came to prominence as a member of the “Arsenio Hall Show” house band — has extensive television credits including “The Division,” “The Starter Wife,” “G.I. Joe: Renegades” and “Transformers: Rescue Bots,” along with film credits including “Conversations With Other Women” and music for hundreds of movie trailers.
Her version of the James Bond Theme, created for the “GoldenEye” trailer with composing partner Jeff Eden Fair, was widely acclaimed and earned gold-record status in 2004 as part of the “Best of Bond” CD collection.
Parodi was the first woman to compose orchestral music for the 85-year-old Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, where she continues to be a featured composer. Her recent neoclassical album “The Heart of Frida,” celebrating the spirit of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, won Solo Piano Album of...
- 3/3/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
“The Sinner” is on the Emmy ballot in movie/miniseries categories this year. The USA mystery series follows a young woman (Jessica Biel) who commits a horrific act of violence and rage but doesn’t understand why. It’s up to a detective (Bill Pullman) to dig up her past and figure out her motivations. Gold Derby recently spoke with Biel, Pullman and composer Ronit Kirchman about their work. Scroll down and click on their names below to be taken to their full interviews.
See USA’s ‘The Sinner’ Emmy Fyc mailer highlights Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman in their killer roles
“It was a huge, terrifying challenge, and I am so happy I went for it because I feel like I learned a lot about myself,” says Biel, who received a Golden Globe bid for her performance. The role took a significant emotional toll on her personally. Playing a...
See USA’s ‘The Sinner’ Emmy Fyc mailer highlights Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman in their killer roles
“It was a huge, terrifying challenge, and I am so happy I went for it because I feel like I learned a lot about myself,” says Biel, who received a Golden Globe bid for her performance. The role took a significant emotional toll on her personally. Playing a...
- 7/4/2018
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
It was recently announced that composer Pinar Toprak will score Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson. Toprak will be the first woman to score a major movie for the studio.
Toprak’s recent score can be heard on Syfy’s awesome Superman show “Krypton”.
I’m so thrilled to finally announce that I will be scoring the upcoming Captain Marvel! It’s an incredible honor to be a part of the Marvel Universe. So many thoughts racing through my head. And the main one is gratitude. I have so many people to thank for helping me on this journey but first and foremost, my incredible agents Laura Engel and Richard Kraft for believing in me from day one and Dave Jordan and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. #captainmarvel
A post shared by Pinar Toprak (@pinartoprakcomposer) on Jun 14, 2018 at 4:39pm...
Toprak’s recent score can be heard on Syfy’s awesome Superman show “Krypton”.
I’m so thrilled to finally announce that I will be scoring the upcoming Captain Marvel! It’s an incredible honor to be a part of the Marvel Universe. So many thoughts racing through my head. And the main one is gratitude. I have so many people to thank for helping me on this journey but first and foremost, my incredible agents Laura Engel and Richard Kraft for believing in me from day one and Dave Jordan and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. #captainmarvel
A post shared by Pinar Toprak (@pinartoprakcomposer) on Jun 14, 2018 at 4:39pm...
- 6/19/2018
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The second annual “Future Is Female” concert, focusing on women film and TV composers, is scheduled for Sept. 4 at the historic Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Chamber Orchestra will perform works by a dozen composers active in media music, including Germaine Franco, Tamar-kali (“Mudbound”), Ronit Kirchman (“The Sinner”), Cindy O’Connor (“Once Upon a Time”) and Heather McIntosh (“Compliance”).
Also on the bill will be up-and-coming composers Mandy Hoffman, Tori Letzler, Emily Rice, Perrine Virgile-Piekarski, Tangelene Bolton, Aska Matsumiya and Jessie Weiss.
“While there has been a major rise in film music concerts both domestically and globally, very few feature the musical works of women composers,” organizers said in a statement.
Producer Letzler tells Variety: “I started the ‘Future Is Female’ concert series because I felt passionate about creating a platform to showcase all the talented female composers I know who often go unrecognized. In order to create change and start a dialogue,...
The Hollywood Chamber Orchestra will perform works by a dozen composers active in media music, including Germaine Franco, Tamar-kali (“Mudbound”), Ronit Kirchman (“The Sinner”), Cindy O’Connor (“Once Upon a Time”) and Heather McIntosh (“Compliance”).
Also on the bill will be up-and-coming composers Mandy Hoffman, Tori Letzler, Emily Rice, Perrine Virgile-Piekarski, Tangelene Bolton, Aska Matsumiya and Jessie Weiss.
“While there has been a major rise in film music concerts both domestically and globally, very few feature the musical works of women composers,” organizers said in a statement.
Producer Letzler tells Variety: “I started the ‘Future Is Female’ concert series because I felt passionate about creating a platform to showcase all the talented female composers I know who often go unrecognized. In order to create change and start a dialogue,...
- 6/13/2018
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Music often provides the finishing touch for a limited series or TV movie, and this year’s crop contains a diverse range of sounds that enhance the stories.
Contemporary composer and arranger Nico Muhly, who moonlights in film, wrote his first TV score for Starz’s “Howards End,” based on the E.M. Forster novel. True to his classical roots, it has a chamber-music ambiance that emphasizes the story’s intimacy.
The biggest challenge, explains Muhly, involved the Schlegel sisters, played by Hayley Atwell and Philippa Coulthard: “They are slightly Bohemian, independent and learned, but there was a need to add a sense of yearning and poignancy to them,” he says. “I wanted the Wilcoxes’ music to be always slightly haunted by the music belonging to the first Mrs. Wilcox. Bast’s music was jagged and angular — stuck in an obsessive set of patterns.”
Muhly played piano and conducted an...
Contemporary composer and arranger Nico Muhly, who moonlights in film, wrote his first TV score for Starz’s “Howards End,” based on the E.M. Forster novel. True to his classical roots, it has a chamber-music ambiance that emphasizes the story’s intimacy.
The biggest challenge, explains Muhly, involved the Schlegel sisters, played by Hayley Atwell and Philippa Coulthard: “They are slightly Bohemian, independent and learned, but there was a need to add a sense of yearning and poignancy to them,” he says. “I wanted the Wilcoxes’ music to be always slightly haunted by the music belonging to the first Mrs. Wilcox. Bast’s music was jagged and angular — stuck in an obsessive set of patterns.”
Muhly played piano and conducted an...
- 6/7/2018
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Composer Ronit Kirchman felt like she’d “hit the jackpot” with “The Sinner” because “the plot unfolds a little bit like an onion,” which allowed for musical development. This USA series stars Jessica Biel as Cora Tannetti, a young mother who brutally murders a man for no apparent reason. As a police detective (Bill Pullman) searches for a motive, he uncovers hidden secrets in the woman’s past. “She herself is unaware of big portions of her memory and psyche due to trauma,” says Kirchman. So as the series goes along “you actually get to connect what shaped the psychology of this person,” which “opens up a whole area for music to speak as the voice of that.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Kirchman above.
See ‘The Sinner’ competes as a limited series at 2018 Emmys and will be back for season 2
Kirchman wanted her score to evolve as the...
See ‘The Sinner’ competes as a limited series at 2018 Emmys and will be back for season 2
Kirchman wanted her score to evolve as the...
- 4/24/2018
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “The Sinner” Season 1, Episode 4, “Part IV.”]
In the lead-up to “The Sinner,” the creators, actors, and loglines stressed the idea that this was a crime story that concerned itself more about the “why.” But Wednesday night’s episode, down to the horrific discovery that closed out the show’s fourth installment, proved that the show has still been concerned with plenty of those other “w” questions, particularly “what” it is that every character in this USA drama thinks they’re pursuing.
The murder that opened the series has been combed over by all the show’s major players: possibly unwitting perpetrator Cora (Jessica Biel), detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), and Cora’s husband Mason (Christopher Abbott). Determined to stumble on some sort of meaning to a senseless act of violence, each of them have had to confront times when they were not who they purported to be. Harry is struggling through his infidelities and Mason even...
In the lead-up to “The Sinner,” the creators, actors, and loglines stressed the idea that this was a crime story that concerned itself more about the “why.” But Wednesday night’s episode, down to the horrific discovery that closed out the show’s fourth installment, proved that the show has still been concerned with plenty of those other “w” questions, particularly “what” it is that every character in this USA drama thinks they’re pursuing.
The murder that opened the series has been combed over by all the show’s major players: possibly unwitting perpetrator Cora (Jessica Biel), detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), and Cora’s husband Mason (Christopher Abbott). Determined to stumble on some sort of meaning to a senseless act of violence, each of them have had to confront times when they were not who they purported to be. Harry is struggling through his infidelities and Mason even...
- 8/24/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Ronit Kirchman talks about composing the music for USA Network’s riveting new dramatic series The Sinner starring Jessica Biel. USA Network’s new series The Sinner follows the story...
- 8/2/2017
- by Jazz Tangcay
- AwardsDaily.com
Ice-T To Headline .A Celebration Of Music In Film.
At 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Free Tickets to be Distributed via Twitter @sundancefestnow and @finallevel
Event Hosted By Sundance Institute Film Music Program
Sundance Institute today announced that Ice-t and hip hop icons Chuck D (Public Enemy) and Grandmaster Caz will perform at .A Celebration of Music in Film. on January 21 at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. .A Celebration of Music in Film,. one of the most anticipated music events at the annual Festival, this year celebrates Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap, by director Ice-t, co-director Andy Baybutt and producer Paul Toogood.
The event takes place Saturday, January 21, 8:30 p.m. at the Sundance Music Café. A limited number of free tickets to the event will be available to Festival credential holders (21 and up) via Twitter @sundancefestnow and Ice-t.s feed @finallevel. Additionally, the event will be live streamed at www.
At 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Free Tickets to be Distributed via Twitter @sundancefestnow and @finallevel
Event Hosted By Sundance Institute Film Music Program
Sundance Institute today announced that Ice-t and hip hop icons Chuck D (Public Enemy) and Grandmaster Caz will perform at .A Celebration of Music in Film. on January 21 at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. .A Celebration of Music in Film,. one of the most anticipated music events at the annual Festival, this year celebrates Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap, by director Ice-t, co-director Andy Baybutt and producer Paul Toogood.
The event takes place Saturday, January 21, 8:30 p.m. at the Sundance Music Café. A limited number of free tickets to the event will be available to Festival credential holders (21 and up) via Twitter @sundancefestnow and Ice-t.s feed @finallevel. Additionally, the event will be live streamed at www.
- 1/20/2012
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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