The Screen Composer's Studio

[Episode contains some colorful language]

Classically trained as a vocalist, Red got her start in cabaret and musical theater before she was bitten by the film scoring bug - a craft she says “combines all of the things”.  She and her musical partner Maya Saxell won a Leo award for their work on Charlotte’s Song, a first in the category for female composers.  She also received a Leo nod for her music for White Raven, which she scored using only the human voice.  We talk about the challenges of the music business and her time as a singer-songwriter.  She discusses the film she could score for the rest of her life, innovating her process, and what the pressures of the pandemic have revealed for her, musicians, and the community.

Twitter: @redheartbreaker
Insta: @theycallmered
www.redheartbreaker.com

[Episode contains some strong language]

Trevor Morris is without a doubt one of Canada’s most successful exports in the screen composing world. 

After cutting his teeth writing jingles in Toronto, he made the jump to Los Angeles, where a chance meeting landed him a gig with his hero James Newton Howard. This led him to Media Ventures, where he put in 4 years of incredibly hard work and learning under Hans Zimmer.  At the dawn of the Golden Age of television, his music was part of the winning formula that saw The Tudors revolutionize the costume drama, and become a massive international hit.  His music also graces blockbuster shows like Vikings, video games including Dragon Age: Inquisition, and big studio films like London Has Fallen and Hunter Killer, starring his buddy Gerard Butler. 

This two-time Emmy winner shares his candid perspective about the ups and downs in this tough and competitive business, being a Canadian in Los Angeles, the dangers of being honest on social media, and how he sees the industry changing.

Check out Trevor's Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3-GV2KR8LsDjsDjy_C22Q

https://www.instagram.com/trevormorriscomposer/

https://twitter.com/MorrisTrevor

https://www.facebook.com/TrevorMorrisMusic

We’re back, and kicking it off on July 14th with two-time Emmy winning composer, Trevor Morris.

Trevor is best known for his work on The Tudors, The Borgias, and Vikings, as well as massive studio films like Immortals, and London Has Fallen.  In a wide ranging and candid conversation, he talks about getting his start in Toronto, the tough move to LA, his time with Hans Zimmer, how he approaches his scores, the dangers of being honest on social media, and so much more.

Be sure to catch the episode when it premieres on July 14th!

Are you all caught up on past episodes of The Screen Composer’s Studio?  Check out season 1 for fascinating and insightful long-form conversations with some of Canada’s best and brightest in screen composition.

Whether you're a seasoned pro looking for a sense of shared experience, or an up-and-comer hungry for inspiration and encouragement, you’ll find it all in The Screen Composer’s Studio.  

"I’m an optimist by nature, and I really believe in the Guild and our community.  We’re facing a lot of challenges, but we’ve got a lot of creative, motivated people working really hard to move us in the right direction."

John Welsman comes from a family that is not only musical, but is practically a Toronto institution.  His roots go back to the first iteration of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, founded by his grandfather, Frank.  Though John went on to study composition in university, he found the environment stifling, and instead followed his love of roots and folk music down a different path.  He played keys and guitar in various groups, also providing string arrangements for recordings; a skill he lent to other acts including Sarah McLaughlan and Loreena McKennitt.  But it is undoubtedly his work on Road to Avonlea that John is best known for - a show so popular and successful that it is used as a case study in US film schools, and still sees fan conventions held all around the world.  In this candid interview, John and I chat about how he came to land his first TV scoring gig, his experiences on Avonlea, and his recent work on a beautiful series of documentaries about the Group of Seven.  John is also the current president of The Screen Composers Guild of Canada, and we discuss what it means to hold that position, the challenges facing screen composers today, and the hard work that the Guild is doing to protect our rights and value in the digital age.

www.welsmanmusic.com

"Hearing Morricone’s score for The Mission was a spiritual moment.  That’s why I got into this: if I could ever make something that moved someone else in the same way, that would be a gift."

After studying Business Administration and Recording Engineering, Gary Koftinoff spent 10 years in post-production at the Toronto facilities of Film House, which would later become Deluxe.  There, he got a crash course in the art and craft of filmmaking, storytelling, and client relations, and got to peek behind the curtain while working with some of the biggest names in the business.  It was also the perfect place to meet editors, producers, and other people who would later become instrumental in helping get him his start as a film & television composer.  We chat about the powerful moment that turned him onto his path, unusual ways to find themes and get gigs, and how he approaches his work on hit shows like Saving Hope, Life With Derek, and Hudson & Rex, which he co-scores with Phil Bennett.

www.koftinoff.com

Erica Procunier is a rising star in the screen composing scene.  After deciding early on that composing for picture was her passion, she completed a Masters in Music Composition from the University of Western.  While building her credits, she was accepted into prestigious programs like the Canadian Film Center’s Slaight Family Music Lab and the highly competitive Berlinale Talents which is held in Berlin each year.  She now splits her time composing for independent films including And Now A Word From Our Sponsor (starring Bruce Greenwood), television shows such as Apple TV+’s Emmy winning Ghostwriter, CBC’s Detention Adventure, and teaching film scoring at Humber College.  We chat about the intense sink-or-swim adventure that was her first apprenticeship, how she pushes her ideas to their full potential without worrying about getting turned down, and her thoughts on one of the big threats to screen composing and human culture in general: artificial intelligence.

www.ericaprocunier.com

“You don’t need to follow all the rules to be successful.  There is a certain advantage in having an individual path that is unique”

Mychael Danna is one of Canada’s most successful film composers, a national treasure and a unique talent who has reached the highest levels of global success.  His illustrious career hit a pinnacle in 2013 when he won the Oscar for his dazzling score to Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, but his path leading to that moment is rich with powerful films accompanied by equally powerful scores.  His career was kick started by early successes with Atom Egoyan, and the two would become evergreen collaborators, working on now classic indie films like Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, and Ararat.  His integration of non-western musical colors and love of early music set him apart, and Hollywood soon came calling.  Now the list of notable films stretches on: The Ice Storm, Girl, Interrupted, 8MM, Being Julia, Capote,  Little Miss Sunshine, Moneyball… among many more.  Mychael has recently moved into scoring marquee animated films like Storks and The Good Dinosaur, often collaborating with his brother, Jeff.  We chat about his early days studying and discovering world and ancient music in Toronto, and uncover his approaches to music and storytelling.  Mychael is remarkably humble and candid, and this chat is sure to delight longtime fans as well as be an inspiration to composers at any stage in their career.

“Everyone has aspirations.  But there are things I get from my career: choice and freedom. To me, that’s everything”

Over 1700 episodes of television.  150 feature films.  To call Michael Richard Plowman prolific would be an understatement.  He has also proved to be quite the nomad, setting up shop in places like Vancouver, LA, London, and the South of France.  While his portfolio is diverse, his big love is animation, and his work can be heard in hit shows like Sonic Boom, Tree Fu Tom, and George of the Jungle, among many others.  He also has a considerable list of credits in video games, and scored the first of the hugely successful Splinter Cell series, and would later work with the legendary Tommy Tallarico.  We talk about his humble beginnings in a non-musical family, how he got his first commercial credit at the age of 14 and a recording contract at 16, how he builds relationships and asks for what he wants.  As Michael says: “Just buy the lunch!”.  Indeed, this is a masterclass in creative business for the screen composer that’s sure to inspire you to think much, much bigger.

www.michaelplowman.com

 "Your voice is precious and important, and needed. There are great stories out there that deserve your insight, your value." 

For Amritha Vaz, the path to becoming a screen composer was full of twists and turns. Her musical family’s ties to Bollywood had her immersed early on, but after a severe case of tendonitis cut a potential career as a violinist short, she pursued the academic path, earning degrees in poli-sci,international development, law, and more. She studied Indian classical music in India, did international development work in Sierra Leone, and finally ended up in Vancouver where a chance meeting with Mychael Danna prompted a move to LA to become his assistant. Amritha is now firmly on her own musical journey, blending the rich music of South Asia with electronic and Western classical orchestral sounds. We talk about her enchanting work on the AppleTV+ docuseries Home, and the colorful musical tapestries of Mira, Royal Detective, which she scores for Disney Junior. She also describes navigating being a visible minority in Hollywood, the challenge of finding work-life balance, and why she feels hopeful despite the current state of the world. 

www.amrithavaz.com 

"Film music always walks a fine line of needing to not draw attention to itself and away from the film and yet to also give voice to the soul of the film. Some of what I consider to be my best music cues rarely make it to my demo reel because the music sounds incomplete without the cadence of the dialog and sound fx."

Judith Gruber-Stitzer is wonderfully articulate about how music affects moving images and narrative, and yet her approach is often very intuitive.  She started her journey in New York and Jersey learning harmonies by ear from her brother’s Doo-wop group before moving to Montreal to work with poet-singer Marie Savard and the band Wondeur Brass. She eventually became one of the National Film Board of Canada’s most prolific composers, scoring Oscar nominated films Animal Behaviour, Wild Life and When The Day Breaks (which also own the Palme D’Or at Cannes), among many others.  Judith is quick to point out that she does more than animation, and indeed her resume boasts many live action projects including two films by the legendary Robert Altman.  We discuss her work with that iconic director, as well as her perspectives on working both as a composer and sound designer on projects, her take on how rhythm affects audience perception, and what it means to be a woman in an industry still dominated by men.

http://www.gruberstitzer.com