imageMercury Records will release the original song A Lyke Wake Dirge from the AMC original series Turn. The track is written by Andrew Bird and Matt Berninger and was featured in the first season finale that premiered earlier this month. Bird has previously composed songs for such films as The Muppets and also scored the indie dramedy Norman. Berninger is best known as the frontman of The National. A Lyke Wake Dirge will be released as a single on July 8, 2014. Turn is created by Craig Silverstein and stars Jamie Bell, Seth Numrich, Daniel Henshall, Heather Lind, Meegan Warner, Kevin R. McNally, Burn Gorman, Angus Macfadyen, JJ Feild and Samuel Roukin. Read the rest of this entry »

the-leftoversPremiering tonight is the new HBO original series The Leftovers created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Tom Perrotta (Little Children) and starring Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler and Ann Dowd. The show’s original music is composed by Max Richter (Waltz with BashirDisconnectThe Lunchbox). To learn more about the drama, which takes place in the wake of a global “Rapture” and follows the people who didn’t make the cut, check out our scoring assignment articleThe Leftovers will air every Sunday night on HBO. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Open Windows’ Soundtrack Details

Posted: June 28, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Albums
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open-windowsQuartet Records has announced a soundtrack album for the thriller Open WindowsOpen Windows The album features the film’s original music composed and conducted by Jorge Magaz. To listen to audio clips and to pre-order the CD, visit the label’s official website. To download the album, visit Amazon. Audio clips are embedded below. Open Windows is directed by Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes) and stars Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, Neil Maskell and Adam Quintero. The movie follows a man who wins an online contest to have dinner with the hottest actress on earth. When she cancels, he gets a call from a guy named Chord who offers to make it up to him by giving him the tools to spy on her from his computer for the rest of the night. The thriller premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and was picked up Cinedigm for a domestic release later this year. Read the rest of this entry »

mary-poppinsWalt Disney Records will release a new soundtrack album for the classic Mary Poppins as the label’s second release in the Legacy Collection series. The 3-disc set includes the songs and score from the film composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, as well as behind-the scenes recordings and new recordings of The Lost Chords. Also included are excerpts from the P.L. Travers story meetings with Don DaGradi and the Sherman brothers, plus the Hollywood Spotlight Microphone 1965 post-premiere interviews and a 1989 interview with the Sherman brothers.The release coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the movie and will be available on August 26, 2014. The pre-order link will be added to this page soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Only one new movie is opening nationwide this weekend:

transformersGuaranteed to top the weekend box office is the sci-fi action adventure Transformers: Age of Extinction directed by Michael Bay and starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li, Titus Welliver and TJ Miller. The film’s original music is composed by Steve Jablonsky (Ender’s GameBattleship) who previously scored Bay’s last five features, including the previous three Transformers movies. A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score is expected to be announced soon. Imagine Dragons have written the original song Battle Cry for the film, which is now available to download as a single here. Also visit YouTube for a video interview with Jablonsky about his work on the film visit Hitfix for another interview with  the composer. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

begin-againOpening in Los Angeles and New York before expanding nationwide is the musical comedy drama Begin Again written and directed by John Carney and starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, James Corden, Ceelo Green and Catherine Keener. 222 Records in partnership with Interscope Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film written by Gregg Alexander, who also provided the film’s original score, as well as Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, Nick Southwood, Rick Nowels, John Carney and Glen Hansard and performed by the film’s cast.  For the full album details and to learn more about the film, check out our soundtrack announcement. Read the rest of this entry »

the-best-of-meAaron Zigman has signed on to score the upcoming romantic drama The Best of Me. The film is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato, Sebastian Arcelus and Gerald McRaney.  The movie is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks and follows a pair of former high school sweethearts who reunite after many years when they both return to their small North Carolina hometown. Hoffman has also written the screenplay with J. Mills Goodloe (Pride) and Will Fetters (The Lucky OneRemember Me). Sparks is also producing the project with Ryan Kavanaugh (The FighterDear JohnLimitless), Theresa Park, Denise DiNovi (Edward ScissorhandsBatman ReturnsCrazy, Stupid, Love) and Alison Greenspan (Monte CarloRamona and Beezus). Zigman has previously scored the Sparks adaptation The Notebook. Read the rest of this entry »

imageFrank Ilfman was honored with a Saturn Award last night at the 40th annual Saturn Awards in Burbank, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The composer won the prize in the Best Music category for his score for the Israeli thriller Big Bad Wolves, which was also recognized in the Best International Film category, and accepted his award in person. The other nominated composers were Danny Elfman (Oz the Great and Powerful), John Williams (The Book Thief), Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3, Now You See Me) and Howard Shore (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug). Ilfman’s score for the thriller, which was released in the U.S. earlier this year by Magnolia Pictures, is available on MovieScore Media and Kronos Records. For the full list of Saturn Award winners, click here.

imageComposers Gustavo Dudamel, Gustavo Santaolalla and John Williams will gather at the Academy for Behind the Score: The Art of the Film Composer on Monday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles. In a conversation hosted by Tavis Smiley, the trio will discuss significant musical moments in film that have inspired their work as they examine the art and process of creating a film score as well as the director-composer relationship. Dudamel who is the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has just made his film scoring debut with The Liberator (Libertador), a biopic about Simón Bolívar. Santaolalla is a two-time Oscar winner for his scores for Brokeback Mountain and Babel. Read the rest of this entry »

wendy-lisa

Shirley Walker Award winners Wendy & Lisa

Last night, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) held its annual Film & Television Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman received the inaugural ASCAP Shirley Walker Award, which honors those whose achievements have contributed to the diversity of film and television music.  The composer duo, known for their work on such features as Dangerous Minds and Just Wright and TV shows including HeroesNurse Jackie and Touch, were presented the award by music supervisor Liza Richardson. Hans Zimmer congratulated the Emmy Award-winning composers via a video message. Read the rest of this entry »

oscarsThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Among the invited artists this year a number of film composers, including Steven Price (The World’s End, Attack the Block) who received his first Academy Award this year for Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, Steve Jablonsky who is best known for his collaborations with Michael Bay, including the Transformers movies, as well as films such as Ender’s Game, Battleship and Gangster Squad, Stanley Clarke who scored such movies as Passenger 57, The Best Man Holiday and Boyz N the Hood and Buck Sanders (Warm Bodies) who received an Oscar nomination for The Hurt Locker. Read the rest of this entry »