Score: The Podcast

Composer Joseph Stephens (EASTBOUND & DOWN, VICE PRINCIPALS, UPLOAD) talks about creating songs and score for the dark comedy THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES on HBO, how he works directly with Danny McBride on the songs and lyrics, and his strange path to scoring through several experimental bands. Plus, how he sources musicians and plugs in virtually, post-pandemic! Interview with Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader on MORE SCORE!

The composing duo MONDO BOYS is behind some of the big breakout indie films of the last half decade (SHUT IN, FATMAN, SILK ROAD). They talk about their unusual path from experimenting as teenagers in San Diego in the late 1990s, to their process creating some of the most original and polished hybrid scores in Hollywood today. Mike Schanzlin and Mike Griffin discuss the origin of their MONDO BOYS moniker, their workflow together, why thinking like a director helps them musically, and how a few virtuoso instrumentalists can make a good score great. Interviewed by Matt Schrader.

In this special episode of MORE SCORE on Patreon, Robert Kraft speaks to Russian composer Dmitry Selipanov about fleeing his home in Moscow because of the war. With his family now sequestered in a temporary home in nearby Georgia (possibly never returning to his home or music studio), Dmitry discusses the most difficult decision he’s ever had to make for his family’s well being, and his hopes that his successful film scoring career may one day be able to continue in another country. NOTE: This is a free sample episode of MORE SCORE. MORE SCORE is the premium offseason bonus show of SCORE: THE PODCAST, with regular interviews, behind-the-scenes materials, and a whole lot more. You can subscribe on several platforms here: PATREON (best option with subscriber levels & merch): http://Patreon.com/MoreScore APPLE PODCASTS: Click "Subscribe" on the Score: The Podcast show page. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-the-podcast/id1357882784 ALL OTHERS: Click the link in our show description to subscribe. 

Composer Anthony Willis talks about his eight years working with John Powell, his discovery of his own musical passions as a kid, and how it led him to experiences working with people like Harry Gregson-Williams and Henry Jackman — and his breakout solo composer job on Emerald Fennell’s 2020 Oscar nominated PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN.

Giona Ostinelli & Sonya Belousova talk about the road from classical pianist to scoring films together, their strange instrument selection, recording slurping sounds for the score to NBC's The Thing About Pam, and The Witcher season 1. Plus, a special pig performance of their hit song "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" (yes, it's as odd and wonderful as it sounds). Enjoy!

Composer Joe Trapanese talks about how long he can experiment to find a unique sound, why he doesn't mind long delays for his movies to come out, and his decision to take fewer scoring jobs, to ensure each one is something he can find fulfillment in. Plus, working for years on his upcoming thriller Spiderhead directed by Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy, Oblivion, Top Gun: Maverick)

Tina Guo is an internationally known cellist (and composer!) known for her performing career on worldwide concert tours, including the upcoming Hans Zimmer Live! In this chat, Tina talks about leaving for the first post-pandemic tour, why the crowds in Dublin in particular get so excited for film music, and what it's like to enter a musical a trance on stage. 

Disney's ENCANTO composer Germaine Franco sits down to talk about its #1 soundtrack, working with Lin Manuel Miranda, her start with composer John Powell (and how she met Robert Kraft), and much more! 

Matt Sullivan has one of the most unique jobs in film music. He's a musical supervisor, but he prefers the term musical director, more similar to theater. He cut his teeth on musical-oriented films, overseeing the storyboards, early edits, and even vocal coaching for actors, as well as live recordings on set. For West Side Story, he worked directly with Steven Spielberg and composer David Newman for more than a year. What does the future of film music hold? Matt Sullivan is one of the best people to answer just that!

Just a few years ago, Joseph Shirley was a USC student from New Orleans. Then he got an apprenticeship with the up-and-coming Ludwig Göransson. His first project was CREED, followed by a string of massive projects including BLACK PANTHER, Christopher Nolan's TENET, and the hit Star Wars series THE MANDALORIAN. Now, Joseph is anchoring the music for his own Star Wars series, THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, releasing now on Disney+. Kenny and Matt ask Joseph about working with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Robert Rodriguez to experiment with new sounds, including an audacious choral arrangement that forms the foundation of the musical approach.