“Look at all of you…it really is magical, isn’t it?” – John Williams
Beginning in 1981, John Williams has become an annual fixture at the Bowl—a nearly unbroken run of summers (sometimes with the LA Phil, sometimes with the Pops) where enormous crowds gather under the stars, in this scenic amphitheater just off the 101 freeway, to listen to his popular themes. Audiences swarm the place to hear Williams conduct his own music, consistently selling out the nearly 18,000-seat venue—even across three nights, “John Williams nights” have become a favorite staple of summertime in Los Angeles, a yearly tradition for local families and out-of-town fans.
In the last fifteen years it has become a ritual for audience members to bring glowing toy lightsabers and wave them in time to selections from Star Wars; last summer Williams got in on the act himself with a “duel” onstage with his co-conductor, LA Phil music director Gustavo Dudamel (a friend and unabashed Williams fanboy).
In the past few years, with the popularity of ComicCon and cosplay, fans have begun showing up in costumes of their favorite characters from the movies that Williams has scored.
The electric energy in every audience – of all ages is the kind of thing one would expect to see at a rock concert. Without fail, year after year, the Bowl fills to capacity with families and individuals who feel a profound emotional connection to the music of this unflashy, aging maestro, and they roar their love for the man and his music.
John Williams, now 93, may or may not have conducted his last concert at the Hollywood Bowl. He may or may not be there this weekend for the 3-night run – but make no mistake, get the orchestra on stage, with a Williams ICONIC set list, and the fans come in droves. For those lucky enough over the years to have seen Williams himself conducting, it is a magical experience. Even famed director and frequent Williams collaborator and boss, Steven Spielberg has gotten in on the action, one year being on stage at the Bowl to introduce film clips from some of the most famous films the two have done together.
A cherished Bowl tradition, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor David Newman salute one of Hollywood’s living legends with three performances of John Williams: Maestro of the Movies this weekend, August 22-24. Featuring some of the biggest hits and beloved classics of the silver screen, this all-Williams program also includes a spectacular selection of film clips—from Star Wars and Indiana Jones to Superman and Dear Basketball (in its entirety!)—on the Bowl’s big screens. So, fire up your lightsabers… and may the Force be with you!
Sony Music Masterworks today announces the release of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by composer Dan Deacon.
Available everywhere now, the album features an original score composed by Deacon for the final film in the Sony Pictures Venom trilogy. Combining dynamic, emotional orchestral movements with bold, action-packed synthesized sequences, Deacon’s score is the perfect musical accompaniment to the final chapter of the franchise. Venom: The Last Dance debuts in theaters nationwide today from Sony Pictures – tickets here.
Of the score, Dan Deacon says, “Comic books were core part of my childhood and some of my fondest memories of being a kid. I was 7 and an avid comic collector when Venom first appeared. I got immediately obsessed with him and the symbiote backstory. Returning bottles and cans for 5¢ each, I saved money to collect as many earlier appearances and key books as I could get my hands on, going back to Secret Wars #8. While scoring Venom: The Last Dance, it was a blast revisiting my old comics and collecting newer ones to get familiar with Venom’s more modern era, the other symbiotes, and new major foes. I did my best to do musical justice to all the beloved characters as well as the incredible work from the amazing filmmakers collaborating on this epic story.”
In addition to the VENOM score, he has an installment at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which will debut at an event on November 21. He had to closely study the different species at the aquarium and composed music that both characterized the inhabitants and considered each of their reactivities to different frequencies and sounds.
Deacon’s recent film scores include the Adam Sandler Netflix feature Hustle, directed by Jeremiah Zagar; the Hulu streaming series Wedding Season; the Netflix documentary King of Clones, directed by Aditya Thayi; and the Apple TV+ series The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield, Adina Porter, Clark Backo, and Samuel T. Herring.
Venom: The Last Dance director and writer Kelly Marcel adds, “Dan Deacon brought such a unique and compelling level of story to the score. I’m a massive fan of his and having him accompany our beloved Eddie and Venom on their final journey was a musical dream come true. Watching a live orchestra play his unforgettable pieces was an emotional experience I will cherish forever.”
VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
TRACKLISTING –
Knull’s Order
Area 51 to 55
Venom and Eddie At The River
Hanging Out at the Waterfall
Newsflash
Lab Battle
Remember Me
Sky Dive
Desert Walk
Frequent Flyers
Strickland Reprimands Paine
Sneaking Around
What Are You Doing Here
Request Permission
Say When
Phoning Home
Ramping Up
Strickland and Paine
General Bosco Banana Man
Explaining The Backstory
Crashing the Party
Following the Osprey
Safer Underground
Poking Around
Blasting Out
It’s Not Safe Here
Last Try
It’s a Showdown
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
Venom: The Last Dance stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu and Alanna Ubach. The film is directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. Based on the Marvel comics, the film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker. Executive producer is Joe Caracciolo Jr.
Venom: The Last Dance has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language. The film will be released in US theaters nationwide on October 25, 2024.
All photographs of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience at the Hollywood Bowl – Farah Sosa on behalf of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
WAMG was among a crowd of thousands Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl for the Global premiere of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience.
Over the Labor Day weekend, new and old fans assembled to relive iconic moments from the MCU, all accompanied by a live orchestra, stunning projection mapping on the Bowl shell, fireworks, surprises… And there were surprises!
Disney Concerts, Marvel Studios and the Los Angeles Philharmonic captivated the audience with the Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert experience. Conducted by LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, this momentous concert was an epic on-screen cinematic journey, covering 23 films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a single unforgettable experience, exclusively at the Hollywood Bowl.
Opening with the recognizable Marvel Studios fanfare, the evening began when president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige walked out on stage to introduce the event to a cheering crowd. As he spoke about the night ahead for fans, Feige concluded his intro by telling the audience, “as with all Marvel movies, be sure to wait for the very end of the concert for a surprise.”
He also presented conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who was wearing his own gauntlet, with his own Vibranium Baton.
The audience revisited the earliest days of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor as they discovered their place in the MCU—each accompanied by their unforgettable heroic music. Captain America, The First Avenger, had a wonderful musical number that replicated the film’s “Buy Bonds” scenes complete with dancers, the vibrant choir and fireworks. The song “Star Spangled Man” from beloved songwriters Alan Menken and David Zippel was a spirited crowd-pleaser.
The LA Philharmonic recaptured the excitement as Earth’s mightiest heroes joined forces for the first time and opened the door to the next wave of Avengers: Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and more. A poignant emotional moment was hearing the themes from Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man films, complete with a terrific montage of scenes.
Also filling the air with his acoustic flair was Massamba Diop, the Senegalese drummer who played the talking drum in Black Panther. Diop is a world-renowned master of the talking drum, also known as the “tama”. His complex and crisp compositions can be heard throughout the film’s score.
The Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t miss this party, either, dropping in to deliver a taste of their iconic mixtape backed by the LA Phil. In addition, the custom-curated live-to-film experience featured iconic songs from AC/DC (“Back in Black”), Blue Swede and Björn Skifs (“Hooked on a Feeling”) and James Gunn and Tyler Bates (“Guardians Inferno”).
The spectacle culminated in revisiting the ultimate trials of the Infinity Saga. The theatrics of the presentation was true Hollywood – they turned the awe-inspiring shell into part of the multimedia experience. It really became Thanos’ gauntlet filled with all six infinity stones.
Across its nearly two-hour run time, Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience showcased the scores of acclaimed Marvel composers, including Alan Silvestri, Christophe Beck, Danny Elfman, Henry Jackman, Lorne Balfe, Ludwig Göransson, Mark Mothersbaugh, Patrick Doyle, Pinar Toprak, Ramin Djawadi, Tyler Bates and Michael Giacchino.
Upon the conclusion of the night, Feige made good on his word. Composer Michael Giacchino came on stage wearing a light blue jacket with the Fantastic Four logo on his back. The crowd went wild when he announced he was surprising the night’s attendees with four minutes of his score for the upcoming movie. It was a moment of pandemonium for the fans.
From what was heard of the suite, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a 1960’s moog vibe! Directed by Matt Shakman and starring Marvel’s first family, Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing) the upcoming feature film sees Galactus and Silver Surfer target Earth for destruction. Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four: First Steps” hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
Once the final beat of the music was played, The Hollywood Bowl sent fans off with an amazing fireworks display and reminded all of us why Marvel’s Infinity Saga was a story filled with heart and one of epic proportions.
Contributed by Michelle McCue, Gary Salem, Marc Butterfield, Melissa Thompson
Comments Off on Kevin Feige Makes Surprise Appearance At The Hollywood Bowl and Michael Giacchino Wows Fans With 4 Minutes Of New Score for THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS During Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience
ALIEN: ROMULUS is the number one movie this weekend and estimates have it at $41.5M, the second highest opening ever in the 45-year old franchise, and a global take of $108.2 million (DEADLINE).
Audiences have been frightened, compelled, and thoroughly scared out of their wits.
“My ambition is for the generation who saw the original movie to love this film and for those who have never seen an ‘Alien’ movie to be introduced to this incredible universe through our film,” says director/co-screenwriter/executive producer Fede Alvarez. “With any horror movie, you want the people to be terrified and have an experience that leaves them breathless.”
With Alvarez’s attention to detail, along with the iconic eggs and facehuggers, the chestburster glistening in slime and goo and the terrifying Xenomorphs, is the brilliant score by composer Benjamin Wallfisch. His notable projects include “IT” and “IT: Chapter Two,” “Blade Runner 2049” (with Hans Zimmer), “Shazam!” “The Invisible Man,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Thirteen Lives,” “The Flash,” “A Cure for Wellness,” “Annabelle: Creation,” “King of Thieves,” “Hidden Figures” INTERVIEW (with Pharrell Williams and Hans Zimmer), and music based on Elgar’s Enigma Variations for “Dunkirk. His most recent project is “Kraven the Hunter,” directed by J. C. Chandor, to be released in the fall of 2024.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Benjamin Wallfisch attends the Alien: Romulus World Premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on August 12, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)
From the first scenes in ALIEN: ROMULUS the music will remind moviegoers of scores from the late 70’s and early 1980’s. As someone who grew up with the franchise since age 13, I can say musically he connects all the films from the series with startling cues to the emotional beats. Wallfisch reinvents without duplicating what came before and provides a very cohesive soundtrack. It’s just fantastic.
In addition to themes from PROMETHEUS written by Harry Gregson-Williams, Thematic Elements from ALIENS written and performed by James Horner and the ultimate sounds from Jerry Goldsmith’s score from ALIEN, there are even flourishes of DAS RHEINGOLD – ENTRY OF THE GODS INTO VALHALLA written by Richard Wagner. In May, another one of Goldsmith’s score could be heard in composer John Paesano’s score for KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. In our interview, Paesano said he paid homage to the 1968 PLANET OF THE APES with the familiar musical sounds that fans would get. Click here for more.
With present day movies, if you stay around until the end you will see in the credits all the names and members of the choir, conductors, musicians, orchestra, engineers and coordinators. It’s gratifying to see them receive their long overdue acknowledgement. The standout is the RSVP Voices who provide the chilling choral vocals.
Hollywood Records has released its newest episode of their music docuseries, The Big Score. In this episode, composer Wallfisch discusses the score.
Variety reported that the score from ALIEN: ROMULUS arrives digitally on August 16.
“The digital release includes 20 cues. The vinyl edition, to be released by Mutant on November 15, features alternate artwork and six bonus tracks. “
It’s been an honor of a lifetime to have been invited to be a part of this iconic franchise and collaborating with my good friend Fede Álvarez on the score for ALIEN: ROMULUS was beyond inspiring. He wanted to push all the limits whilst still writing a love letter to the… pic.twitter.com/L9468xko8U
“Alien: Romulus” opened exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024, and available in IMAX®, Dolby Cinema®, Screen X, 4DX, and premium screens everywhere.
“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.
Producer, Studio Personnel, Mixer: Benjamin Wallfisch Studio Personnel, Mixer: Eva Reistad Studio Personnel, Mixer, Recording Engineer: Rupert Coulson Studio Personnel, Mixer: Jason LaRocca Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Programming: Sturdivant Adams Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Programming: Steve R. Davis Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Programming: Jared Fry Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Programming: Tori Letzler Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Programming: Steffen Thum Associated Performer, Cello: Tristan Schulze Associated Performer, Performer: The Chamber Orchestra of London Choir: RSVP Voices Studio Personnel, Asst. Recording Engineer: Neil Dawes Studio Personnel, Asst. Recording Engineer: Martin Riley Studio Personnel, Asst. Recording Engineer: Jessi McDonald Studio Personnel, Engineer: Caleb Cuzner Studio Personnel, Engineer: David Neville Studio Personnel, Engineer: Kyle Waselewski Studio Personnel, Mastering Engineer: Reuben Cohen Studio Personnel, Mastering Engineer: Lurssen Mastering.
Drum & Lace, aka Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist, is an artist and composer from Florence, Italy. Her music has been described as being genre-fluid and having a “chameleon-like nature” (A Closer Listen), melding together sampled field recordings, lush layers of synths, chamber instruments and electronic beats. She draws inspiration from film music, music concrete and nature to create textural electronica, often blending unlikely sounds with one another.
Her feature-length film scoring credits include Netflix film “Night Teeth” (directed by Adam Randall), campy-thriller “Deadly Illusions” (directed by Anna Elizabeth James, Netflix), THEY/THEM (directed by John Logan) and the just released RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE. Television credits include AppleTV+ Original Series Dickinson (created by Alena Smith), seasons 3 and 4 of NBC Good Girls (created by Jenna Bans & Bill Krebs) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (created by Sara Goodman) for Amazon Prime Video.
Sofia recently discussed with WAMG her terrifying and thrilling score for Lionsgate’s COBWEB, how music and legendary film scores have played a big part of her career, and how she went about scoring for a film that goes deep into the “horror land of things.”
Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall – a tapping that his parents insist is all in his imagination. As Peter’s fear intensifies, he believes that his parents (Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr) could be hiding a terrible, dangerous secret and questions their trust. And for a child, what could be more frightening than that? The film is from writer Chris Thomas Devlin (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), producers Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen and directed by Samuel Bodin.
COBWEB is streaming now and will screen August 26 at FrightFest.
WAMG: I’m so glad to speak with you Sofia. I saw the film on opening weekend and oh my goodness.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Thank you.
WAMG: It’s really scary and I’m so glad that the trailer and the clips don’t give anything away.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Yeah, that was a really, like I mean, I had nothing to do with the trailers, but yeah, I’m so glad that they really played into the whole first half of it. But yeah, the last half, last third, nobody knows that’s coming.
WAMG: Before we get into the film, I want to back up quite a bit and I want to start off with how the name Drum and Lace came about.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Oh, my goodness. So, I, at the time, was living in New York City. I was recently out of grad school, and I was working for this sort of up-and-coming music marketing, music composition company. And I decided to leave because I finally felt comfortable enough to sort of go off on my own.
And at the time, the plan was to start scoring, doing things for fashion, and subsequently try to do film and TV. And then I was like, well, I need to come up with a name. And it was so hard that I think day after day I just kept scribbling down names and they were just so serious. And then I think I just wrote down Drum & Lace, it’s a play on drum and bass, and it was a style of music that I used to listen to when I was growing up. And I was like, oh, well, that’s kind of clever. And I was like, it kind of works and ties in with fashion stuff, so that’s kind of how it came about. That was ten years ago.
WAMG: Who are the influences on you as an artist, as a composer?
Sofia/Drum & Lace: I have a lot of influences that aren’t necessarily scoring related, I guess musically, I would say obviously Bjork and Radiohead. Definitely Aphex Twin and Telefon Tel Aviv. There’s this kind of very specific sort of electronic current which has always been what I listen to and what I sort of take from, even from my scores in terms of scoring.
I mean, when I was growing up, I feel like I always struggled to find composers that I really sort of related to. The one composer that I’m a huge fan of is Thomas Newman because the way that his music has moved me, literally, Finding Nemo, and I say this all the time, Finding Nemo is it gets me every time the low strings come in for Nemo, it’s so good. I would say those are sort of my references mean, I could just keep going forever. But I think that that’s a good sort of mixture of composers that I sort of look up to.
Netflix/Marianne – credit: Emmanuel Guimier
WAMG: I was reading Indiewire’s interview with the director of Cobweb, Samuel Bodin. And I had previously seen, before I knew this movie was coming up, the Netflix series Marianne.
I read it and thought, oh, my gosh, he’s doing this movie. This is great. And in the interview for Cobweb, he talked about American culture and not really knowing, as he called it, the reality of Halloween in the US. But he really did know about pumpkin patches and little kids in costumes and all of it. But your score and the music cues, the soundtrack, which I’ve been listening to over the weekend when the whole score dropped on YouTube and Spotify.
Your track titles are called “It’s Halloween” and “Pumpkin Patch” and “Cinnamon”. Your score so made me not like Halloween anymore because it’s so eerie. What did you discuss with him to where he said, “this is what I want it to sound like.” Because the strings the strings throughout it and these otherworldly eerie noises create an ominous mood.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: The process of working on this film was pretty long. I was brought on very early, before they shot, just because there used to be some on camera moments, so they needed music to be sort of ready when they were going to film. And Sam and I have talked about music ad nauseam because I think he’s such a horror lover and he has so many references, and he, I think, in his work, just wants to continue and sort of do the best that he can by the genre, but still honoring its themes. So, I think that there was a lot of conversation, especially in the first half, about it sounding more like a traditional score. So, we talked about traditional horror suspense scores.
We talked about John Carpenter movies, and we talked about Hitchcock movies and Bernard Hermann scores, Psycho and The Birds and something like that. And then another reference musically was created from M. Night Shyamalan’s “Lady in the Water” by James Newton Howard. There was this kind of history that he musically wanted to associate with the first part of the movie just because it had this kind of timeless fairy tale, dark fairy tale quality, and we had to get the sound right and also really not give anything away. That was the biggest thing. We couldn’t go too horror too soon.
So that was one of the biggest notes that even when we started scoring we thought, no, we’re getting too creepy too quickly. We have to wait. And it was hard for me because I was so ready to go there, so ready to go into the deep horror land of things, that it was kind of an exercise in restraint for me to be like, oh, but we’re still kind of in this mode which is sort of ambiguous. You don’t really know what’s happening. And the family is so strange. And I really do think as much as he doesn’t have firsthand account of what Halloween is like and it’s the same for me. I’m having Halloween experiences as I’m getting to see it for the first time now that I have a daughter and I’m not even in the US anymore. But I do think that his sort of idea of what Halloween is as a foreigner helps to make the film and the sound of the film even stranger because he didn’t want to fall into the tropes of Halloween, to kind of make it his own.
Woody Norman as Peter and Antony Starr as Mark in the Horror/Thriller film, COBWEB , a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Vlad Cioplea
Those are the conversations for the first half and for the second half, he was so open to just letting me do whatever. And the only note from him was, we need to go bigger, and we need to go bigger, we need to go bigger. And you’ve seen the film. Now, there are some moments that I’m like, I literally cannot get any louder. It’s still strict and there’s so many other elements, like the more guttural elements that you mentioned. One of them is manipulated, so they sound very throaty. Some of it is my singing into the microphones and distorting and pitching down. There’s a lot of these sort of roars of different instruments and different things that are a cello of doing the same thing and provides the sort of eeriness too. But yeah, the strings really do a lot of work.
WAMG: It’s really scary. It’s so eerie and as I was listening to it, and then when I went back and listened to it again, I was like, what did she do here? Is this instrument? Is it really strings? Is it just a lot of things, just regular objects just banging together. It’s just such a really rich mix of everything. To give it that sound, and it’s kind of a twisted Halloween. It’s Halloween, but it’s kind of a nightmarish Halloween.
But one of your outstanding good cues is the vocals on “The Girl” track. Because when you finally find out what the twist is in the reveal and you’re listening to this eerie, what sounds like a young girl with the vocals, how did you go about saying, this is where I put this in?
Sofia/Drum & Lace: The vocal stuff is some of the first demos that I ever sent Sam. And it was electric piano pieces and then the melody for the girl. And then there’s another one that shows up. I believe in “Carving pumpkins” or “Muffins for my Muffin”. Or there’s another couple of cues that have vocals.
And those two melodies, I literally sang into my phone the first time I resent them afterwards. But it was one of those I was so in the zone having read the script, and it’s just like the first thing that came out. And I think that we really wanted to play into the innocence and really wanted to play into this sort of like, what’s purer and more innocent than a single vocal minor melody?
My original idea was that I was going to take that and orchestrate it and then I think it was the editor, the film editor or the music editor, had placed in just the vocals, go a couple of places and we were like, oh, this works great like this. And most of them are very sort of like takes that I did not expect to be final takes. They were just kind of like to get the ideas down. And that they possess such a quality to them, so breathy and so whatever. And I was like, I don’t know what I was doing when I was singing these.
WAMG: You have composed for various different genres, but you also did the score for the documentary “First Monday in May. “ Do you approach it the same way because you’re trying to facilitate the story of the director? Or do you go, okay, got to switch gears from documentary or feature film and vice versa?
Sofia/Drum & Lace: I think ultimately the inspiration comes from the same place. And I think, as you said, it is just a matter of supporting pictures. I do think there’s genres that I prefer to do. And I have been enjoying myself a lot, like doing horror. I mean, I really think Cobweb might be my favorite score that I’ve ever worked on because I think it really just kind of fulfilled so many different things that I’ve been wanting to do.
But ultimately, I think if the story and if the film makes me feel in a certain way, then I’m happy to work on it. And the thought process, it all comes from just trying to serve picture. Of course, then figuring out the palette is a whole different thing. And working in documentary, for example, is so much more music and there’s so many limitations because a lot of time it’s underneath dialogue, whereas in horror, for example, it’s like you’re helping support picture, but you’re doing it in such an extra way because you’re also then supporting and anticipating scares and fights and suspense. So, I mean, I’d say it comes from the same place, but there’s definitely things that I prefer to do.
WAMG: I’ve only spoken with probably a handful of women composers. What’s it like to be a woman composer and what do you want to see happen in the industry?
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Even since I have started to compose for film, I think I’ve been seeing a shift. And I think the industry as a whole is trying to incorporate more diverse voices, whether it’s women or people of color or anyone that just hasn’t had a fit of status quo before. And I think what I would love to see is really I think people like women coaches, for example. We’re not asking to be given jobs because we’re women.
It’s literally this conversation about trying to just be allowed to be in the room, to be considered. So, it’s about leveling the playing field so that it’s like, we can be up for projects. And I’m 100% for the right composer for the right project. And that’s so subjective. But I think for so many years, people of color and women were sort of left outside of this glass house where it’s like you can see what’s happening, but you’re just not in the room.
I think through a lot of kind of groundbreaking and glass ceiling breaking, women that have come before me, they’ve sort of allowed for a lot more of us to be in the room and then to be up for bigger projects. And, I mean, being a woman, I try not to think about it just because I do really believe that it’s like, the right person for the right project. Of course, there’s times when I think that on the filmmaker side or on studio side, I feel like sometimes people do get lazy and it’s easy and I get it. It’s safe to hire people that you know will get the job done for a myriad of reasons. But I do think that it’s an exciting time for anyone who wants to try to be a composer and maybe not in this moment, with everything going on in Hollywood but in general, I think there’s a lot more opportunities for different types of people and I hope that it continues.
I really hope to see sort of in the next ten years women who are getting out of college or sort of like becoming adults that get into the field because that’s really where people were sort of shut off, was sort of like at the beginning phase.
WAMG: I love film scores. Since I was little, my mom would listen to her records, and they would be film scores. And I love to speak with new composers. I spoke with Transformers Rise of the Beast composer Jongnic Bontemps, who is the first person of color is doing a Transformers movie.
This is a historical thing for a movie and for the franchise. And then I was thrilled to see that you were doing Cobweb and you composed the score for it, so I totally agree with what you’re saying.
Does your schedule permit you to perform live? I read on your website you do concerts.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: I do when I’m not working on scores, I release music as well. In the past I’ve released a bunch of EPS and singles and then last year I put out my first full length record and now I’m currently working on my second full length.
But in between, I love performing. I feel like my first love is performance. And it’s fun because it’s a completely different type of release of energy and emotion. It’s really like during these hours I can just kind of be myself when I’m performing.
It’s always a nice challenge too because it’s really shifting gears. Scoring different types of film and TV is one thing, but then completely shifting and being like, okay, now I have to be socially front facing and put on a performer hat. But the best part about it is that the music that I release, that I write for myself, informs the films I end up scoring, if that makes sense. So, it’s like I’m able to express the genre that I like to work in and then as a result I can build a body of work that way. And then I get hired for things of talent that way. I don’t know. It’s been a nice sort of symbiotic relationship. And I get to test out a lot of stuff too. Like with my own records, I get to do things that I can’t do with scores. Often, it’s just another great outfit.
WAMG: Are you working on any movies right now?
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Well, I just finished working on another film, which is a completely different genre from Cobweb, but it’s a movie called Red, White and Royal Blue, and it is an LGBTQ romance. And it comes out August 11 on Prime Video. It’s an Amazon movie. Again, it’s a completely different genre, but it’s based on a book that is very successful and very popular. I’m hoping that a lot of people will see it and it’s a much more sort of like heartfelt score as opposed to obviously a horror one, but that’s coming out and then hopefully it’ll have a record out in 2024.
WAMG: This was a real pleasure getting to speak with you. I love COBWEB and your score just really elevated it and made it so much better.
Sofia/Drum & Lace: Thank you for watching the movie. Tell your friends. I feel like it has gone really under the radar, but I’m hoping people will get to see it.
Lakeshore Records is set to release Red, White & Royal Blue—Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally August 11 with an original score by Drum & Lace (AKA Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist). In addition, Lakeshore will release two singles from the project—the first available today, a version of the iconic ballad from Carousel “If I Loved You” performed by Vagabon (AKA Lætitia Tamko), and the second “Fruit (Red, White & Royal Blue Version)” by Oliver Sim who recorded the song with a full orchestra, on August 4. The Amazon Original directed by Matthew López (Some Like It Hot), streams exclusively and globally on Prime Video August 11.
Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the President of the United States (Uma Thurman), and Britain’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) have a lot in common: Stunning good looks, undeniable charisma, international popularity … and a total disdain for each other. Separated by an ocean, their long-running feud hasn’t really been an issue, until a disastrous—and very public—altercation at a royal event becomes tabloid fodder, driving a potential wedge in U.S./British relations at the worst possible time. Going into damage-control mode, their families and handlers force the two rivals into a staged “truce.” But as Alex and Henry’s icy relationship unexpectedly begins to thaw into a tentative friendship, the friction that existed between them sparks something deeper than they ever expected. Based on Casey McQuiston’s critically acclaimed New York Times best seller, Red, White & Royal Blue marks the screenplay co-writing and feature film directing debut of Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López (The Inheritance). The screenplay is co-written by Ted Malawer and the film is produced by Greg Berlanti, p.g.a. and Sarah Schechter, p.g.a.
Vagabon notes: “Composing a rendition of “If I Loved You” for Red White and Royal Blue was a exercise in discovery. I wanted to preserve the melodic information that makes this song from the 1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “Carousel” so special, while reimagining the instrumentation and arrangement. It was great to have the support and trust from Matthew Lopez and the entire team in this.”
Adds López: “Music has always been an important part of Red White & Royal Blue’s place in the world, and I knew that the movie would be no different. I’m excited to able to share these songs with the book’s fans and to bring the soundtrack to a global audience.”
Notes Drum & Lace: “With this score, I had a chance to really have the music lean into the emotional weight and importance of the story, as well as a chance to write thematically, giving each character their own sound and instrumentation. Working with Matthew Lopez (director) was a delight, his passion and dedication to the project and its story was incredible.”
Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Game Awards and Hayao Miyazaki’s films with Studio Ghibli.
Once again, the Hollywood Bowl is back to thrill audiences with evenings for the upcoming “Music from the Stage and Screen.”
The Hollywood Bowl 2023 season offers more than 20 classical programs including Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, returning for his 14th Hollywood Bowl season.
June 24: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 2 in Concert
The 2023 season offers the epic finale to the Harry Potter Film Concert Series with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 2, bringing the final chapter to the big screens as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performs the dazzling score by Alexandre Desplat
June 25: The Game Awards 10–Year Concert with Fireworks Celebrating the past decade of video game music and looking ahead to its future.
This special live concert event celebrates the unforgettable role music plays in video games. Lorne Balfe leads the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in music selections and suites from Arcane, Diablo, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy® XVI, God of War, Hades, Hogwarts Legacy, League of Legends, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Starfield, Star Wars Jedi, The Last of Us, and live performances by Gustavo Santaolalla and Tenacious D.
Saturday, July 8, 8PM (John Williams 100th date conducting the LA Phil)
Sunday, July 9, 7:30PM
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
John Williams, conductor
John Williams’ scores are instantly recognizable, filled with soaring melodies, poignant emotion, and thrilling moments. It’s little wonder that he’s long been considered the greatest composer in Hollywood history, having contributed to some of the biggest films of all time: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws, and so many more. Join John and his dear friend and colleague Gustavo Dudamel as they share the podium for three magical nights of movie music performed by the LA Phil, including selections with film clips.
August 3: A Live Presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey
As Warner Bros. celebrates 100 years of entertaining audiences around the world, the Hollywood Bowl will add a highlight to the yearlong celebration through Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. A landmark film in the 1960s, it has topped many critics’ lists for greatest film of all time. A key ingredient in Kubrick’s cinematic alchemy was his clever use of classical music, which forever changed and gave new meaning set against stunning celestial imagery. From the ethereal music of György Ligeti to Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra and Johann Strauss, Jr.’s The Blue Danube, watch and listen as the Los Angeles Philharmonic performs the score live to picture while the movie shows on the Bowl’s big screens.
August 4 and 5: Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert
Walt Disney Animation Studios has shown us stories that have defined our humanity and inspired the world to wish upon a star. Journey through the most iconic song and film moments of the studio’s treasured legacy live in concert, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Fantasia to The Little Mermaid to Encanto. Special guest artists join Thomas Wilkins and the LA Phil for an unforgettable experience under the stars, complete with magical film clips on the big screen.
September 1 & 2: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert
In the climactic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker joins R2-D2, C-3PO, and Princess Leia to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet. Watch the complete film unfold as David Newman and the Los Angeles Philharmonic performs John Williams’ legendary score live to picture.
Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration presents a journey through the world of one of the most celebrated figures in the history of musical theater, with guest vocalists and an orchestra bringing Stephen Sondheim’s most iconic songs to the stage (July 30).
On Aug. 24, composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi, best known as the musical mind behind nearly all of famed Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki’s films with Studio Ghibli, leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Debussy’s sea-inspired, impressionistic La mer and the symphonic suite from Hisaishi’s own evocative score to the landmark anime Princess Mononoke.
An audience perennial favorite and a highly anticipated Bowl tradition returns: Sing-A-Long Sound of Music, the annual special screening of the Oscar®-winning film with pre-show costume contest for audience members, will once again be hosted by the hilarious Melissa Peterman (Sept. 16).
Comments Off on The Game Awards 10–Year Concert, John Williams With The LA Phil, A Live Presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey And Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert Highlight The Hollywood Bowl 2023 Season
Calling all Movie Geeks. Love movie scores, especially the ones from John Williams? This Labor Day weekend the Hollywood Bowl is back with their Summer of Film Events as part of their 100 season celebration.
You know his scores the moment you hear it—and if you’re a fan of blockbusters, you’ve heard quite a few. Jaws, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones: He scored them all and so many more. On three nights at the Bowl, the LA Phil will perform some of his biggest movie hits, including selections performed with film clips. The Bowl will celebrate the master of cinematic scores September 2, 3 and 4.
Film presentations with live accompaniment by the LA Phil and Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will include screenings of Amadeus (August 23). Three Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90 nights (September 2, 3 and 4) will welcome John Williams and David Newman conducting the LA Phil. Black Movie Soundtrack returns for its fourth edition with bassist Marcus Miller leading a house band in the best music from the history of Black cinema, with Craig Robinson as host and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Thomas Wilkins (August 24). The annual Sing-A-Long Sound of Music returns with host Melissa Peterman (September 17).
Founded in 1919 and the summer home of the LA Phil since 1922, the Hollywood Bowl is Hollywood’s most enduring landmark – older than both Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (1926) and the Hollywood Sign (1923). In fact, the Bowl is almost as old as the Hollywood film industry itself.
Composers Robin Carolan (Tri Angle records) and Sebastian Gainsborough (Vessel) were given a task of epic proportions when director Rob Eggers (The VVitch, The Lighthouse) asked them to create the soundtrack for his ambitious and highly anticipated new film The Northman, releasing on April 22nd via Back Lot Music and physically on July 1st via Sacred Bones Records. The Northman, Eggers action-filled epic, follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder and stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
“Robert wanted the world of The Northman to feel harsh and uncomfortable, and for everything to feel like it was caked in mud and dry blood, so it was crucial for the score to mirror that” said the composers.
They needed to make a soundtrack that both honored the immense research that had gone into the authenticity of this Viking-era story and complimented the cinematic maximalism of the film for a modern audience. The artists stretched themselves to the depths of their creativity and the resulting album is a gorgeous sonic tableaux that places the listener right in the center of the film. Today they’re sharing a glimpse of the soundtrack with “Storm at Sea / Yggdrasill.”
While arranging the score, the composers consulted musician and ethnographer Poul Høxbro for inspiration and insight into the history of Viking music. Having backgrounds in left field electronic music, Robin and Sebastian felt liberated by the constraint of using a small selection of musical tools for this piece. “Electronic music has almost limitless potential when it comes to making sounds and that’s obviously an incredible thing, but you can also go down the wormhole and get lost in it sometimes. There’s no risk of that happening when you only have a few primary instruments to draw upon.” Robin remarked.
The composers utilized traditional instruments such as the tagelharpa, langspil, kravik lyre, and säckpipa to build the cinematic world of The Northman, but attempted to experiment with what they had as much as possible in order to come up with something that still felt left field leaning. “One of the pieces we wrote was intended to emulate the sound of a bullroarer; an ancient, relatively humble looking instrument used in sacred rituals, or in battle to intimidate enemies. It makes a really disorienting roaring vibrato sound and was capable of creating insanely low frequencies that could travel for miles. For this we attempted to do the same thing, but the twist being that we used a huge, 40 piece string ensemble in order to do so. Recording that made for a pretty mad, suitably unsettling experience.” Robin says when asked about one of the more unique aspects of the soundtrack. Everyone involved put so much effort into both their research and their creativity and this richness is evident in every track. The album as a whole is a cinematic masterpiece of sound and ambiance, both gorgeous and disturbing, like the film it so beautifully accompanies.
Focus Features will release THE NORTHMAN in theaters on April 22, 2022
Focus Features, in partnership with global gaming firm Loaded, announced Friday that it’s thinking differently about promotion for its upcoming movie The Northman, an action-filled epic from director Robert Eggers that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder.
The firms collaborated to create a custom, playable RPG based on the thematic direction of the movie as a way to drive engagement around the film’s April 22nd release, releasing a trailer and partnering with content creators from Twitch and YouTube to promote their first entry into the metaverse.
Top gaming content creators will play “Vengeance: Inspired by The Northman” live on their streams to preview the experience, which estimates a 20+ hour play time for completion of main and side quest storylines. The public can also play the RPG starting today, for free, by entering island code 6089-1011-3272 into Fortnite.*
Global gaming firm Loaded pitched Focus Features on building the experience back in December 2021and has been working with Team Unite to build “Vengeance” since shortly thereafter. Loaded supports a cadre of top brands with gaming strategies and campaign execution, as well as manages some of the biggest creators in the gaming industry.
“We love how forward-thinking Focus has been as a partner,” said Loaded VP of Creative, Ashley Hsieh. “For a lot of brands, the future is scary enough that they continue to do what has worked in the past. When we get an opportunity to partner with a group who is willing to really think about things from a new perspective, it allows us to approach the market from a new direction. These are the types of engagements that change the paradigm, and we’re so proud to have been able to design this experience on behalf of the great team over at Focus.”
Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Volume 2 (Episodes 9-16) is available now from Walt Disney Records. “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” debuted on May 4, with all Season One episodes now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
The second season of the critically acclaimed animated series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” will launch in 2022. Commenting on the second season announcement, executive producer Dave Filoni said, “The entire Lucasfilm Animation team and I would like to thank Disney+ and our fans for the opportunity to continue telling the story of the Bad Batch.”
Award-winning composer Kevin Kiner composed and produced all 37 and 38 tracks respectively on Volume 1 and Volume 2. Kiner said, “We’re proud to be completing the first season soundtrack of The Bad Batch with Volume 2! There are so many high points in here as the season builds to its finale that it’s impossible to mention all of them, but we’ve got the climax of the Cad Bane arc, the chilling turn of the Clones theme from heroic to villainous as the Empire uses the clones to tighten its grip on Separatist worlds. We’ve got Hera and Howzer, Gregor and Cid! Early Stormtroopers! Kamino!!! Of course, there’s the emotional climax of the season with the finale as Crosshair and the Bad Batch find themselves face to face once more, and we see the final fate of Tipoca City in a devastating sequence that was emotional to score. I hope you enjoy the music that I, along with Sean and Dean have had so much fun with! May the force be with you!”
Honored with multiple Emmy and Annie nominations, as well as 12 BMI awards, Kevin Kiner is one of the most versatile and sought-after composers in Hollywood. In creating intimate soloistic guitar music over the grim realities of the Juarez Cartel, to grand orchestral music for a galaxy far, far away, Kevin’s wide musical range has allowed him to take on such diverse projects as Netflix’s hit series “Narcos: Mexico,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” Showtime’s “City on a Hill,” AMC’s “Hell on Wheels,” CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” CBS’s “CSI: Miami,” and Netflix’s “Making a Murderer.” Kevin also scores Warner Brother’s “Titans,” and “Doom Patrol” with Clint Mansell.
The series follows the elite and experimental troopers of Clone Force 99 (first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch, as they prefer to be called — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew.
Courtesy – Los Angeles Philharmonic Creative Services
After a very long hiatus, the Hollywood Bowl is once again open and the slate of upcoming shows on the calendar is mighty impressive. From the LA Philharmonic, to jazz and rock concerts, and of course, the ever-iconic Hollywood Bowl fireworks!
Among the fan favorites on the list, Tinseltown is back for several movie-themed shows, including the Maestro himself, John Williams. Always a thrill to see in-person, Williams takes the podium to conduct some of his best loved movie scores including Star Wars, E.T., Jurassic Park and more.
This season also brings to screen, Marvel’s Black Panther in Concert – the first-ever presentation of any Marvel movie shown with a live orchestra. Another popular event that is also back on the schedule, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Concert.
Bring the family out for a magnificent night under the stars and an unforgettable experience. See you at the Bowl!
John Williams, the composer behind the emotional heartbeat of some of Hollywood’s most memorable films, returns to the Bowl for this beloved annual celebration of music from the movies. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted both by David Newman and Williams himself, performs a thrilling program of cinematic hits, including some selections presented with film clips.
Check out Williams conducting THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
Marvel Studio’s Black Panther in Concert
September 10th, 11th and 12th
In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what super hero films could be. Rolling Stone raved, “The film lights up the screen with a full-throttle blast of action and fun. That’s to be expected. But what sneaks up and floors you is the film’s racial conscience and profound, astonishing beauty.” Now, for the first time anywhere, you can relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while the LA Phil performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar®-winning score live to picture.
Relive the magic of Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with the score performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Watch Harry become a wiz at potions, win Felix Felicis, and uncover the meaning of Horcruxes!
Following the health guidelines set forth by the County of Los Angeles, the LA Phil’s Hollywood Bowl 2021 season (July 3–September 28) will be a majority vaccinated venue, with two sections reserved for non-vaccinated audience members with proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to attendance. Mask wearing will be required for all attendees. The Hollywood Bowl will continue to receive public health guidelines from Los Angeles County and as policies evolve over the summer, more information can be found here.
