Score: The Podcast

One of the original members of the indie band Arcade Fire, Richard Reed Parry (THE IRON CLAW, EILEEN) discusses his jump into film scoring, the importance of finding “mojo” and “vibe,” and how the wrestling biopic The Iron Claw nearly stumped him musically — until he unlocked the rich, layered sound that carries the film. How Spike Jonze’s film “Her” prepared him for the next stage in his career, and why he believes it’s important to be as musically dynamic with other musicians as possible.

Geoff Zanelli makes his long-awaited Score debut after one of Netflix’s most watched animated films of all-time, the Adam Sandler-produced LEO. In this episode, Kenny and Robert discuss the long-awaited arrival of MAESTRO, the Leonard Bernstein biopic, which we discussed on the 2nd episode of SCORE: THE PODCAST back when it was to be directed by Spielberg. Then, Robert and Geoff reminisce about drinking absinthe in Paris, before jumping into the challenge of making Adam Sandler laugh, and the paradox of writing “funny” music in animation. Plus, Geoff talks about his path from music school to being an intern at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions in the early (Lion King era) 1990s, sitting in on Alan Meyerson mixes, and getting his first opportunities while working for John Powell on the movie Face/Off. 

Composer of the new historical epic NAPOLEON Martin Phipps joins Score for the first time! How he located a piano once owned by Napoleon himself for the score. Plus, his path to film and television music, his work on Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror and The Crown, and establishing trust with the great Ridley Scott. How Martin overcame his early doubts about musical approach for NAPOLEON to meet its spectacular giant sets, and musically signaling Napoleon as an ambitious outsider rising to power. Interview by Robert Kraft and Kenny Holmes.

Score returns with composer James Newton Howard, who currently has four projects releasing this month, including the Hunger Games prequel that he says asked him not to use synths (“they haven’t been invented yet”). Plus, how working with Hans Zimmer helped pull him out of a period of depression, when to fight for your musical opinion, and why he likes the rush of being asked to “save” blockbuster films in the final weeks before release. Interviewed by Robert Kraft and Matt Schrader.

Academy Award-winning composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Santaolalla joins Score: The Podcast for a lively conversation about the phenomenon his music helped create in The Last of Us, and why it's different than any of his other work. Plus, writing the score to Brokeback Mountain prior to anything being filmed, how the records he made with the band Arco Iris (at age 18) become a blueprint for his career, and how he put the instrument "ronroco" on the map. Gustavo also shares details about his upcoming projects, including a performance in October at the World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent, Belgium, where he will be with our own Robert Kraft.

In this special summer episode, Daniel Pemberton, composer of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Daniel discusses his unique approach to the hit sequel's postmodern score, the success he’s had since his last appearance on Score: The Podcast — including SLOUGH HOUSE and The Trial of the Chicago 7 — and details about the upcoming tour of his Spider-Verse score, live to picture! Interview by Robert Kraft.

In this special pre-Oscars episode of Score: The Podcast, Oscar-nominated composer Carter Burwell speaks with Robert Kraft about his latest score for The Banshees of Inisherin. Will his third nomination be the charm? Carter talks about meeting the other nominees at the Academy luncheon, recording at Abbey Road, and working with directors.

Composer Colin Stetson (The Menu, Hereditary, Color Out of Space) talks about capturing a fresh sound for The Menu, trying not to collapse while playing saxophone, and why it makes for terrible bar tricks. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir talks about her 2019 success on JOKER and CHERNOBYL and how she responded to pandemic slowdown at the breakout moment of her career. Why becoming a mother is something she holds so dearly and credits for some of her approach. Plus, why WOMEN TALKING challenged her to find a quiet inner strength, and TÁR created a mirror opposite of Hildur's approach to her music. Interview by Robert Kraft and Matt Schrader.

Composer Chanda Dancy talks about I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, the Whitney Houston biopic, as well as her film DEVOTION. She also talks about her career rise and a music industry overlapping with film music industry. Interview by Robert Kraft.

Special Episode! Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle sits down with his composer Justin Hurwitz ahead of their new film, BABYLON. Why Chazelle involves his composer long before his script is "final," and how he uses it to create storyboards. How the music of WHIPLASH and LA LA LAND were informed by music, and the challenges of bringing to life the 1920s-era BABYLON with all its brilliant, raucous and cacophonous musical splendor. Interview by Robert Kraft and Matt Schrader.

Composer Pinar Toprak dives into her performance with Billie Eilish and Finneas at the Oscars, and her process creating a theme suite for the NFL and Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video. Then, why the music for SLUMBERLAND is some of the most personal she’s ever written. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

Composer Gabriel Mann talks through his decision to leave Pre-Med in college to become a musician — and why his parents fully supported him. Then, how working with David Schwartz led to him leaving composer altogether — and why David brought him back to collaborate on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Later, we talk about writing lyrical melodies for A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, why Disney's musical machine is so vast, and a top-secret musical stage play in the works now (based on an 1980s classic) from Gabriel's band, The Rescues, coming in 2023. Interview by Matt Schrader.

The great David Newman has been scoring memorable and iconic films since the mid-1980s, and after his own prolific career has found himself being a part of a unique world — live film music concerts. From conducting John Williams concerts at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl, to conducting orchestras live-to-picture at Walt Disney Concert Hall, David has stumbled into a world of new opportunities. We talk about why film music concerts feel more like rock concerts than classical ones, and why experimenting with the performances can trigger massive audience responses. This is everything you wanted to know about the experience of seeing a film music concert! Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

Composer Henry Jackman joins to talk about THE GRAY MAN, his musical relationship with the Russo brothers, how the birth of his son during the pandemic changed his perspective, and what kind of obsession it takes to truly make something meaningful. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

Composer David Buckley talks about his Netflix hit THE SANDMAN out now, finding the surreal, melancholy sound of a dream world. Plus, David talks about his unique start in film scoring (as a choirboy singing in a Scorsese film, then “toilet roll” ads), and how that led him to Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell (as well as Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams) and finding his own breakout hit films like JASON BOURNE and the recent hit NOBODY, plus his TV work on THE GOOD WIFE and THE GOOD FIGHT. Interviewed by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader on MORE SCORE.

Composer Daniel Hart and director David Lowery talk about the upcoming World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent, their musical collaboration and workflow on THE GREEN KNIGHT and how they met, other projects currently in the works, and even vegan French fries. Interviewed by Robert Kraft, only on MORE SCORE. THEN: Around the 45:00 mark, Robert and Carol Kuswanto catch us up on the nominees for the World Soundtrack Awards, and what to look for in October!

Special episode of MORE SCORE on SCORE: THE PODCAST! (For year-round interviews like this one, and 49 bonus interviews to date, subscribe to our bonus show MORE SCORE using any of the links below. IN THIS EPISODE OF MORE SCORE: Dave Porter, the prolific composer of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, reflects on 15 years making what some (including Matt) consider to be the best television shows ever made. The bumps along the road, the phrases Dave hears in his head still from creator Vince Gilligan, whether the Breaking Bad universe is really over, and how his career’s future is in the hands of his TV family built over the last two decades. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader. MORE SCORE is a fan-supported show available on Patreon, Apple Podcast and Spotify. To support for $10/month and get full episodes from inside the film score world, use the links below: Apple (iOS 15+): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-the-podcast/id1357882784 Spotify (via Anchor): http://anchor.fm/score/subscribe Patr

Composer Rè Olunuga talks about composing in Lagos, Nigeria, and how that helped to inform the sound of the Disney+ film RISE, a biopic about NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpos. Olunuga talks about working to find the sound of RISE, his four rules of composing for film, and how one opportunity leads to the next. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Robert Kraft, only on MORE SCORE. MORE SCORE is a fan-supported show available on Patreon, Apple Podcast and Spotify. To support for $10/month and get full episodes from inside the film score world, use the links below: Apple (iOS 15 or later): http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/... Spotify (via Anchor): http://anchor.fm/score/subscribe Patreon: http://Patreon.com/MoreScore

Composer Dave Palmer breaks down his Dallas-based recording artist career journey that culminated in his home studio in Ojai, California, and meeting Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Farrelly to score THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER starring Zac Efron. Dave talks about the key to a piano cue packing a heart-wrenching punch, meshing original score with songs of the Vietnam War era, and why this film feels different tonally than any other you’ve seen before. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.