BFI | Sight & Sound | The Best Music in Film

The Best Music in Film

(Composed the music for Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects and X2)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?: "I'd say there are so many, and most of them are ones Goldsmith did in the 60's and 70s. These were 20 years of sheer genius. I love to find little gems that no one's heard of, and a TV mini series Goldsmith scored in the 70s called Masada (1981) is one of my all time favourites. There's a sheer excitement and passion you can feel behind the music, and again, orchestrational inspiration and originality throughout."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?: "I always say that it's the soul of a film. A film can certainly exist with music, but most often it will be as if the film is a sort of living dead. Once the music is added, there's life, emotion and a greater understanding of the world of the film, if the score is done tastefully. Aside from that, music also has technical offerings, such as helping stale or awkward areas of a film flow without anyone noticing that these areas needed help."
S&S: Which film either has music that you wished you'd written or is one you would like to rescore and why?: "Well, I've scored a lot of bombs! -- So there's a long list of films I wish I had composed. I guess the obvious is Lord of the Rings (2001). Shore did a great job, but I wanted to do it! (Along with everyone else I'm sure!)"