I have to admit that I really don't care for horror movies all that much. I think mainly just because I'm a cheap scare.
If it's a real bad score, then it can ruin a movie for me, or, at least, it will draw a lot of my attention to the score.
'The Homesman' is a really interesting movie that Tommy Lee Jones directed.
There's this whole other element of film scoring, which is the social and psychological side of how you're dealing with people... And that is not always in sync with what's right for the picture.
The thing that struck me most after first viewing 'The Sessions' was the charm of Mark O'Brien and the intimacy that the director, Ben Lewin, manages to capture perfectly on screen. I did not feel forced or cajoled in any way into believing the story.
I like the scene in the first 'Scream' movie where Sidney gets up, and dusk is falling, and she's looking out at the hills of Santa Rosa, there where it was filmed, and that's where you sort of hear her theme being played out. I always liked that moment because, to me, it became more than just a horror movie.
When I think of Morricone, more than his using a specific instrument or a specific sound, it's his way of approaching music that sticks out.
Film has the potential of allowing me to explore my own ideas, which I find very attractive.
I usually start from the most general to the more specific. I'll get an emotional overview for the film as a whole, trying to pinpoint what the musical identity is and come up with thematic ideas - any ideas that identify as succinctly as possible what the film is.
Robert Townson at Varese is a huge fan of film music and has really done a lot to educate audiences about film music and scores.
One of the major aspects of film composing is that it's not so much a musical thing as it is communicating your ideas with the director, who often does not come from a musical background.
'Snowpiercer' is a little bit more experimental, I think, and crafted for a slightly different audience. 'The Giver' is more about teen angst.
I don't really have a preferred genre. It's more up to the individual project itself and if I feel compelled by it.
I think the only thing that I really haven't done much in, and I haven't felt too attracted to, is romantic comedies.
I am inspired just by the way a scene can be interpreted by the actors. It can make a huge difference on the type of music that you write. It's best for me if I don't work at all on a project until the movie is shot and I have some sort of edit in front of me.
I had come from an orchestral background, but I didn't really have any orchestral pieces for film.
I sort of enjoy being able to hear what other composers are doing and how they might score something differently than me. I enjoy that part.
To me, music is music, and it's not limited by the medium; it just encompasses everything.
I started out coming from more of a concert music background. It just turns out that 20th-century music techniques lend themselves to scary movies and horror movies.
'The Homesman' is my third collaboration with Tommy Lee Jones as director, and each time, I am aware of how fortunate I am.
