Paramount Pictures has released a thrilling new trailer for director Edgar Wright’s THE RUNNING MAN.
Streamed live from New York Comic Con, the NYCC panel for The Running Man featured Glen Powell, Lee Pace, and Edgar Wright in a conversation about the making of the film, along with an early look at this fall’s adrenaline-fueled action thriller, arriving only in theaters this November 14.
In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Based on the novel by Stephen King, the score is from Oscar-winning composer Steven Price (GRAVITY, BABY DRIVER, THE WORLD’S END and the upcoming COYOTE VS ACME).
Wright shared this photo of himself and long time collaborator Price on Instagram.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 10: (L-R) Edgar Wright, Glen Powell and Lee Pace attend “The Running Man” New York Comic Con Presentation at the Javits Center on October 10, 2025, in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D takes viewers on a journey of a lifetime to explore the world of the magnificent blue whale, a species rebounding from its near extinction. Following two scientific expeditions—one to find a missing population of blues off the exotic Seychelles Islands, the other to chronicle whale families in Mexico’s stunning Gulf of California—the film transforms our understanding of the largest animal ever to have lived. From its almost incomprehensible size to its spectacular feeding habits; from the surprising role it plays in the health of our oceans to its awesome long-distance communications, the film provides an unforgettable window into the lives these animals live—and the extremes scientists must endure to study them. Joined by a cast of supporting characters—from dolphins and sperm whales to sea lions and orcas—the blue whale finally gets its star turn … in life size, on the giant screen.
Narrated by award-winning actor Andy Serkis (best known for his roles in the Lord of the Rings franchise and the final Star Wars saga) and accompanied by a powerful score composed by Academy-Award winner Steven Price (best known for his score in Gravity) heard through IMAX’s next-generation 12 channel surround sound system, audiences find themselves fully submerged in the underwater home of the blue whale. There, they will catch a glimpse of the day-to-day life of these gentle giants and the extremes and challenges scientists must endure as they research these incredible animals.
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure not only brings us never-before-seen blue whale footage, but also transforms our understanding of the entire species. Viewers will discover newfound hope in the future of our oceans through the return of the spectacular blue whale.
On May 25th 2023, the inspiring story of recovery and adventure about the largest animals to have ever lived made its global debut at the California Science Center IMAX Theater. Audiences witnessed their strong family bonds, their harmonious long-distance communication tactics, and the vital and surprising role these incredible animals play in the health of our oceans.
01. The Age of Giants (4:01) 02. Finding the Lost Population (2:49) 03. Lifeless Again (1:58) 04. Like the Sea Is Breathing (2:26) 05. Social Networks (3:13) 06. Nice and Fat (1:57) 07. 100 Miles In a Day (2:56) 08. In Luck (2:00) 09. An Unexpected Sight (2:43) 10. A Big Cloud (3:48) 11. The Inevitable (1:13) 12. Life Flourishes (2:25) 13. To Push for More (1:22) 14. A Narrow Window (2:19) 15. They Will Return (1:05) 16. Hope (3:29)
Steven Price is an Academy Award, Emmy and Bafta winning composer. In 2014, his groundbreaking score for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (interview) garnered wins in the Best Original Score category for the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Critics’ Choice Awards, along with ASCAP’s first-ever Film Composer of the Year award. Other prominent projects include Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho, Baby Driver, and The World’s End (interview), Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts, Warner Bros.’ blockbuster hit Suicide Squad, and the WWII epic Fury (interview), written and directed by David Ayer, and starring Brad Pitt.
Television credits include the BBC’s The Hunt, a landmark natural history documentary series for which Price won his second BAFTA Award, and Our Planet (Netflix), which earned two Emmy score nominations for the composer in 2019. Price also scored David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix) for which he won an Emmy and an ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award for Documentary Score of the Year in 2020. That year also saw Price venture into animation with Glen Keane’s Academy Award-nominated animated feature Over the Moon (Netflix) for which he received an Annie nomination for Best Music –Feature. Recent projects include Beast (Universal), directed by Baltasar Kormákur and starring Idris Elba, The Swimmers (Working Title/Netflix) and Michael Grandage’s My Policeman (Amazon Studios).
Here’s a first look at Focus Features’ upcoming movie LAST NIGHT IN SOHO.
Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller about a young girl, passionate in fashion design, who is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it appears, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences…
Focus Features will release LAST NIGHT IN SOHO in theaters on October 22, 2021.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma), Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Jo Jo Rabbit), Matt Smith (The Crown), Michael Ajao, Synnøve Karlsen, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, and Rita Tushingham.
The score is from Oscar-winner Steven Price (GRAVITY). He and Wright previously collaborated on BABY DRIVER, THE WORLD’S END (interview).
Edgar Wright and Penny Dreadful scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns co-wrote the screenplay, produced by Nira Park, Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Wright. Focus Features and Film4 co-financed the film.
Director Edgar Wright and actor Anya Taylor-Joy on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus FeaturesDirector Edgar Wright on the set of his film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features4139_D036_00251_R
Director Edgar Wright and Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features
“Set in 2038, “Archive” convincingly jumbles eras of futurism, as somewhat quaint old-school robotics give way to more uncannily sinuous forms. “Gravity” composer Steven Price’s score, meanwhile, blends sparse strings and glassy synths, reflecting the marriage of human touch and metallic industrial sheen in George’s mad-scientist meddlings.
Milan Records announces the release of ARCHIVE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®-winning composer STEVEN PRICE (Gravity, Baby Driver, Suicide Squad). Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Price for director Gavin Rothery’s sci-fi film starring Theo James.
From Vertical Entertainment, ARCHIVE is available now via virtual cinema, VOD and Digital.
Of the soundtrack, composer STEVEN PRICE says, “My favourite projects are the ones where the story leads me into new musical areas, and exploring the world of Archive, a movie where technology and humanity meet in a near future Kyoto, proved to be a brilliant challenge. I’d been looking for the opportunity to create a largely electronic score for the first time in a long while and the story of George Almore, his secretive AI project and the mysterious Archive let me do just that… The music follows the developments in George’s work as it progresses, and as he gets closer to achieving his hopes and dreams it was a lot of fun to blur the lines between the electronic and organic, trying to find the sound of his creations. From the moment I read writer / director Gavin Rothery’s ambitious script I wanted to be involved, and throughout the process he proved to be a great collaborator and true supporter of music. I’m looking forward to people experiencing the movie Gavin has created, and it was a real pleasure to be a part of it.”
“Archive was always going to need a killer score, but when I was writing the script, I had no idea how that was all going to happen,” says the film’s director and writer GAVIN ROTHERY, adding, “I wanted the film to be big and cinematic. But I also needed it to feel tight and personal. I wanted some parts to be epic and bold, but others intimate and close. Some parts needed energy and power but others needed space and quiet. Technology needed to fuse with humanity. And it all needed to feel unified and whole. Basically, as is probably true with most directors, I wanted everything. Steven gave me everything. He delivered the perfect score to Archive. I’m not quite sure how he does what he does. Maybe he’s a secret telepath. Maybe he’s from the future. Maybe he’s a robot. There is one thing that I am absolutely certain of is that he most definitely is. The best.”
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
The Sci-Fi movie Archive is set in 2038 and shows the fusion of technology and humanity. Watch the movie also to listen to the captivating score by @SteveBPrice! To listen to the whole soundtrack, click here: https://t.co/YyAJ4LtK61pic.twitter.com/AIf1j3XOzq
— Sony Music Soundtracks (@SonySoundtracks) July 16, 2020
Imagine a magical one-of-kind amusement park where gravity-defying rides thrill delighted crowds, the streets are with packed with colorful characters, and jaw-dropping attractions amaze visitors from all over the world. That’s exactly what 8-year-old math whiz and aspiring engineer June (voiced by Brianna Denski) has done. In the privacy of her bedroom, she and her mom (Jennifer Garner) have constructed Wonderland, a place where the carousel is made of airborne goldfish and the river rapids glow like 4th of July fireworks.
June has been building Wonderland for almost her entire young life, using her boundless imagination to create a park that will astound children of all ages. It’s run by chimpanzee impresario Peanut (Norbert Leo Butz), who creates a spectacular world of endless fun with a truly magic marker and the help of an animal staff inspired by June’s collection of stuffed animals. But when June’s mother becomes seriously ill, the girl abandons their creation, declaring herself finished with Wonderland forever. But the amusement park, it seems, is not yet finished with June. While wandering in the woods, she stumbles upon an enchanted clearing where Wonderland has come to life, along with her imaginary friends Boomer, the welcome bear (Ken Hudson Campbell); Steve, the safety specialist porcupine (John Oliver); Greta, the sensible boar (Mila Kunis); and maintenance beavers Cooper (Ken Jeong) and Gus (Kenan Thompson). But lately, a mysterious Darkness has descended over the park and, even more disturbingly, Peanut has gone missing.
With the park under attack by a horde of maniacally adorable Chimpanzombies, havoc and destruction reign. To save her brilliant creation, June sets out to find Peanut and uncover the mystery behind the Darkness before it destroys Wonderland forever.
An enchanting adventure that celebrates the power of family, imagination, teamwork and self-belief, Wonder Park is written and produced by André Nemec and Josh Appelbaum (Teenage Mutant Turtles franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) from a story by Robert Gordon (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Men in Black II).
One of the important elements for the filmmakers was finding a score as inventive as June herself to highlight the drama, design and vision of their film. They enlisted Steven Price, the Academy Award -winning composer for director Alfonso Cuarón’s groundbreaking space-flight film Gravity, to create music that would inspire the same sense of wonder June has instilled in her creation. WONDER PARK opens in theatres March 15 and in our fourth interview with the composer, I recently spoke with Price about his latest film.
June in a scene from the animated film, WONDER PARK by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies
Audiences have heard Price’s scores on countless films. From a crime thriller movie (BABY DRIVER), a superhero movie (David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD), a science fiction movie (GRAVITY – interview), a World War 2 movie (FURY – interview), and now his latest, WONDER PARK. “I’ve got young kids so it’s lovely to be able to work on something that they can pop into the studio to see what I’m working on, and this film is about imagination. It was so much fun to work on.” says Price. “I was dazzled by the amount of creativity that went into it. I tried to convert that feeling into music and immerse the audience in it. If we are in Zero-G Land, anything goes, so why should the music be conventional? I’m hoping the audience will feel like they are on the rides along with June.”
Price says he was keen to find a musical theme that would do justice to Wonderland and convey the excitement of being there. “It is the theme park of your dreams, the most incredibly exciting, friendly, imaginative place in the world,” he explains. “I used lots of bells and chimes and the whole thing feels really alive.” He adds, “there is a cue for “Fireworks Falls” that has the sounds of Fireworks. It’s a percussion track instead of a conventional orchestral cue.” Price says he went out on a cold November evening to a fireworks display to record the natural sounds of the explosions.
Wonder Park is also a story about a family facing uncertainty, so there was lots of potential for beautiful and emotional music as well. “It starts off being about June and her mom and the things they share,” says Price. “Their theme has a warm tone, but it passes from major to minor during the sadder moments. It guides us through the film as she works things out.”
Price, who had never scored an animated feature before, says he enjoyed the process of the medium. “One of the joys and challenges of animation is that there’s nothing in the frame that isn’t there for a reason,” he says. “My score has a certain structure and then I would add details as I noticed more and more things in the animation. The two things together became more than the sum of their parts.”
“To score an animated feature has always been an ambition of mine and recording at Sony Studios in Los Angeles was great fun,” says Price. “I’ve always been obsessed with the form, from the British stop motion stuff showing on tv during my own childhood to classic Disney, Pixar and beyond, and, after becoming a father this became something I shared with my kids, enjoying what has been a golden period of animated films together.”
This Humpback whale is feeding off Cape Town in November, Cape Towns summer. These whales are well known to feed on krill in the southern ocean, but off Cape Towns west coast, these whales feed on other species such as Euphoarsiids (E. Lucens), Hyperiid amphipods (Themisto gaudichaudii) and Mantis shrimps.
In addition to WONDER PARK, Price also worked on the upcoming Netflix series “Our Planet”. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this eight-part series will explore the unique and precious wonders of our natural world from the creators of the award-winning series Planet Earth. In partnership with World Wildlife Fund, Our Planet combines stunning photography and technology with an unprecedented, never-before-filmed look at the planet’s remaining wilderness areas and their animal inhabitants. The ambitious four-year project has been filmed in 50 countries across all the continents of the world, with over 600 members of crew capturing more than three and a half thousand filming days, and will focus on the breadth of the diversity of habitats around the world, from the remote Arctic wilderness and mysterious deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America.
Price says, “I couldn’t be more proud of that and was incredibly honored to be a part of it. It’s an amazing look at the state of the planet now and the challenges we face. The 8 parts take you the various environments and different parts of the earth and how everything connects. I hope people watch it and it makes a difference. It was huge passion project for everyone involved.”
Check out Dylan O’Brien in the action-packed “Get it Done” trailer for the highly anticipated AMERICAN ASSASSIN.
Starring Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Adkins, David Suchet, and Navid Negahban, AMERICAN ASSASSIN is directed by Michael Cuesta.
Based on the American Assassin novel in the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn.
AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War.
The score is composed by Academy Award winner Steven Price (Gravity, Suicide Squad, Fury, Baby Driver, The World’s End). The soundtrack will be released on September 15, 2017 by Varese Sarabande and may be pre-ordered on Amazon.
WaterTower Music has released a first track from the score to director David Ayer’s highly anticipated SUICIDE SQUAD, featuring the music of Academy Award-Winning composer Steven Price.
Price was tasked with navigating musically the colorful storyline of an assembled team of the world’s most dangerous Super-Villains and the emotional highs and lows they experience on an impossible mission.
“David’s film invited me to find a way to bring all of these incredible misfit outsiders together as a united force, with a thematic score that goes from moments of quiet emotion to huge action sequences,” explains Price. “The character’s themes interact and develop as the film progresses, and we witness the birth of the Suicide Squad. The score was a huge challenge, but a fantastic amount of fun to write!”
In 2014, his groundbreaking score for Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY (Interview) won the British composer not only the Academy Award but also the BAFTA, Critics’ Choice and Satellite Award, as well as ASCAP’s first-ever Film Composer of The Year Award.
Price previously worked with director Edgar Wright in composing the original score for the comedy THE WORLD’S END. (Interview)
He also scored FURY (Interview), the WWII epic written and directed by David Ayer, starring Brad Pitt; “Believe,” a drama series produced by Alfonso Cuaron and JJ Abrams for NBC; and the BBC’s “The Hunt,” a landmark natural history documentary series narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
The Suicide Squad: Original Motion Picture Score release date is Monday, August 8th, 2016 and can be preordered now atiTunes and Amazon.
1. Task Force X
2. Arkham Asylum
3. I’m Going To Figure This Out
4. You Make My Teeth Hurt
5. I Want To Assemble A Task Force
6. Brother Our Time Has Come
7. A Serial Killer Who Takes Credit Cards
8. A Killer App
9. That’s How I Cut and Run
10. We Got A Job To Do
11. You Die We Die
12. Harley and Joker
13. This Bird Is Baked
14. Hey Craziness
15. You Need a Miracle
16. Diablo’s Story
17. The Squad
18. Are We Friends Or Are We Foes?
19. She’s Behind You
20. One Bullet Is All I Need
21. I Thought I’d Killed You
22. The Worst Of The Worst
23. June Moone *
24. Did That Tickle? *
25. You Know The Rules Hotness *
26. Enchantress In The War Room *
27. Introducing Diablo and Croc *
28. Task Force X Activated *
29. Can Everyone See This Trippy Stuff? *
30. I Promised My Friends *
* Available on digital configurations only
From director David Ayer (“Fury,” “End of Watch”) comes SUICIDE SQUAD, starring Oscar nominee Will Smith (“Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), Oscar winner Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Focus”), Joel Kinnaman (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Oscar nominee Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”).
It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super-Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
Written and directed by Ayer based on the characters from DC, the film also stars Jai Courtney (“Insurgent”), Jay Hernandez (“Takers”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Thor: The Dark World”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors”), Scott Eastwood (“Fury”), Cara Delevingne (“Paper Towns”), Adam Beach (“Cowboys & Aliens”), and Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut.
The film will be released in 3D, and in 2D, and in select IMAX 3D theaters on August 5th.
Jerry Goldsmith, PLANET OF THE APES (1968) Nominee for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture
By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson
As 2014 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the best movie music from this past year. The backbone of any movie, audiences heard rocket engines roar, traveled through LEGO worlds and made spiritual connections all thanks to the musical vision of the composer.
In a mix that was soulful, haunting and fun, this year’s soundtracks covered a range of emotions, from light to dark, to atmospheric and assaultive.
Our Top 15 scores wouldn’t be complete without an honorable mention…
Michael Giacchino – DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
The story about the birth of a civilization and “restart” for the planet Earth was no more prevalent than with the emotional reality of composer Michael Giacchino’s score. Director Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes found its musical language through the empathetic sounds of the apes in the environment Caesar has created for them.
Making his fifth collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, composer Hans Zimmer steered clear of any musical expressions he’d explored in the past with the director, and invented a whole new palette for the film with the earthy yet elevating notes of an organ.
We went for a spectacular adventure on a journey into the universe and Zimmer’s score gave humanity’s mission to the stars a very primeval quality.
2. Alexandre Desplat – THE IMITATION GAME, GODZILLA and THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Three of the best scores this year, six-time Academy Award Nominee Alexandre Desplat’s music was heard by audiences throughout 2014.
Desplat developed one of his most unusual scores for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – one played entirely without traditional orchestral instruments. Instead, he brought in a host of Central European instruments, including balalaikas and the cimbalom, a type of hammered dulcimer common to Eastern European gypsy music.
With THE IMITATION GAME, the composer took us to the Bletchley Park codebreaking centre and inside the Enigma machine. Desplat may see his first Oscar win with his beautiful score to the Alan Turing biopic.
Lastly with the great force of GODZILLA propelling the action and keeping the tension high, Desplat made a big sonic impact with the music. “I’ve never done a monster movie before, so coming to this with more than a hundred musicians—double brass, double horns—allowed me to open the frame of my imagination to another territory, and that’s very exciting.”
3. Jóhann Jóhannsson – THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Filled with a charming score, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s music for director James Marsh’s THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING was a mix of orchestral instruments and synthesized sounds giving the story of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde an ethereal, lovely sound.
David Fincher returned again to work with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) for the surging undertow to GONE GIRL.
Trent Reznor said, “In terms of the palette of sounds what’s unique on this one is that we used a more organic, less synthetic soundscape. We didn’t want it to feel too slick so we used a lot of interesting homemade equipment. There are moments where the rhythm is just me tapping on a wooden box so it feels repetitive but drifts around a bit like a human heartbeat.”
5. Antonio Sánchez – BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Drums, cymbals, sticks, mallets and rods were used for the percussion heavy score in director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance. Four-time Grammy Award winner and composer Antonio Sanchez effectively sets the pace and rhythm to convey Riggan Thomson’s (Michael Keaton) tonal tightrope between comedy and pathos, illusion and reality.
Composer John Powell’s fantastic soundtrack on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 was filled with emotional triumphant orchestral pieces and a resounding chorus making it one of our favorites scores of the year.
7. Henry Jackman – BIG HERO 6, THE INTERVIEW and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Jackman had three big scores in 2014.
He composed a grandiose action score for North Korea’s favorite film – THE INTERVIEW. While building on his previous collaboration with Evan Golderberg and Seth Rogen on THIS IS THE END, Jackman scored the film as if it were a classic action-blockbuster to ground the film’s comedic moments. Jackman also created a score that celebrated the comic-book style action of BIG HERO 6, while weaving in the original music from American rock band Fall Out Boy.
But none was more epic than Jackman’s contemporary take on his superhero score for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Up next for Jackman is Kingsman: Secret Service and Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.
Just as Price did on his Oscar-winning score for GRAVITY, where the sounds of radio waves were incorporated into the score, the British composer was able to find a distinctive voice for the music of FURY by using unusual and unconventional instruments in a fusion with the orchestral, choral and solo writing featured throughout. The daunting sounds put the audience inside the WWII tanks alongside Brad Pitt and his crew.
Marco Beltrami’ s created a rustic sounding landscape in director Tommy Lee Jones’ THE HOMESMAN. Alongside his work on SNOWPIERCER, THE GIVER and THE NOVEMBER MAN in 2014, the Oscar-nominated composer’s score for THE HOMESMAN evoked the desolation of the homesteaders by drawing out the essence of the wind with an innovative wind piano that contained 175 feet long wires.
10. James Newton Howard – MALEFICENT and THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
The sweeping emotions and volatile moods of THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 and MALEFICENT are evoked not only in the performances and visual designs but in the music, which once again is driven by an original orchestral score from eight time Oscar nominee James Newton Howard. The music for both films cover the whole breadth of experience from scenes of epic action to moments of epic heartache and intimate poignancy.
Howard also composed the score for Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER and Edward Zwick’s PAWN SACRIFICE.
11. Hanan Townshend – THE BETTER ANGELS
Directed by A.J. Edwards, executive produced by Terrence Malick with a beautiful score by Hanan Townshend (TO THE WONDER), THE BETTER ANGELS music took a poetic approach to Abraham Lincoln’s childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana.
12. EDGE OF TOMORROW – Christophe Beck
The composer created a score that captured the suspense, the action and the fun of Cage (Tom Cruise) and Rita’s (Emily Blunt) extraordinary journey in director Doug Liman’s awesome EDGE OF TOMORROW.
Combining a rich orchestral score with familiar rock tunes, composer Tyler Bates’ score for director James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was one of the most popular of the year.
The soundtrack featured classic 1970s songs like Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc, Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” and The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.”
Bates also composed the score for the heart-pounding revenge thriller JOHN WICK starring Keanu Reeves.
Another beautiful score from composer Alex Ebert (ALL IS LOST), the haunting music for director J.C. Chandor’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR transported audiences into the treacherous yet stunning landscape of NYC, 1981. Ebert’s score uses piano, synth, and percussion to capture the tension and emotional pressure faced by Oscar Isaac’s Abel Morales, as he fights to protect his business and family.
Displaying his versatility, Ebert also recently composed the score for Disney’s animated short FEAST, which is currently being shown in theaters prior to BIG HERO 6.
Brick by Brick, composer Mark Mothersbaugh’s fun score for THE LEGO MOVIE
Filmgoers went along for the hilarious ride with Emmet, Wyldstyle, Vitruvius, Lord Business, Unikitty, Batman, Benny the Spaceman and Bad Cop/Good Cop and it truly was the most AWESOME time at a movie theater this year!
Listen as The Hollywood Reporter discusses with Marco Beltrami (The Homesman), Danny Elfman (Big Eyes), John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon 2), Trent Reznor (Gone Girl) and Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) the process behind scoring the top films of the year.
Director David Ayer’s gripping World War 2 film, FURY, is now in cinemas and took in $23.5M at the box office to claim the #1 spot this weekend.
Over the course of 24 fateful hours, five men of the Sherman Tank “Fury” – Wardaddy, the commander; Boyd Swan, the gunner; Grady Travis, the loader; Trini Garcia, the driver; and Norman, the assistant driver – take on 300 enemy German troops in a desperate battle for survival. Ayer’s movie resonates with common themes of brotherly love, friendship, and trust.
The closing night film at the BFI London Film Festival, Sony Pictures’ FURY stars Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood. FURY opens in UK cinemas on October 22.
The creative behind the scenes artists are cinematographer Roman Vasyanov, production designer Andrew Menzies, film editors Dody Dorn, ACE and Jay Cassidy, ACE, costume designer Owen Thornton, and composer Steven Price.
Price’s haunting score is filled with machine-like sounds, Germanic chants and intimate themes. Last year, I spoke with the Academy Award winning composer prior to the release of Edgar Wright’s AT WORLD’S END and Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY.
Just as Price did on his Oscar-winning score for GRAVITY, where the sounds of radio waves were incorporated into the score, Price was able to find a distinctive voice for the music of FURY by using unusual and unconventional instruments in a fusion with the orchestral, choral and solo writing featured throughout.
Having not slowed down since his Oscar win six months ago, WAMG recently discussed with Steven Price his work on FURY, collaborating with David Ayer and a trip to Downing Street.
WAMG: The last time we spoke at The Academy’s “Oscar Concert” you were Steven Price… composer. Now you’re Academy Award winner Steven Price.
I hope AMPAS continues every year with that concert.
Steven Price: That was one of the great memories for me from the week.
WAMG: Now you have FURY. I have to tell you, for those of us whose grandfathers served in WWII…
SP: I’m one of them too.
WAMG: It’s very personal. It’s very emotional.
SP: Absolutely! Certainly made me wish I had the presence of mind when they were around to ask them some questions. No one in my family ever discussed it.
WAMG: My grandfather was a survivor of a ship that was sunk in the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944, recovered, and then kept trudging along up to Battle of the Bulge.
SP: You can only imagine what they must have gone through. It was never discussed for the next 30 years, as in my granddad’s case. Definitely makes you think.
WAMG: From the first note of the score, you don’t pull any punches. Did you read the script beforehand?
SP: Once again, I was involved quite early on. I got some of the script when they just started shooting. It turned out they were filming 40 minutes away from where I live, so I was on set a couple of times. I was able to watch a couple of scenes being shot and spent a bit of time with David Ayer. We were discussing it in October of last year which gave me lots of time to do research and working out how I was going to help tell David’s story with the score.
WAMG: What did you think of the set and location where David Ayer was shooting?
SP: It was remarkable. The first time I went, they were doing long shots on the first big battle of the film. Basically what you see in the film is what I drove into. Huge, big tanks with the troops lined up behind them – it was like entering a war zone. The explosions were real. No CGI. It was a very weird thing I drove into.
You got a sense at what David was going for – a real authenticity. When I met the man himself, you got the sense of this being a very honest look at a very dark time in the War. He told me, as he was hitting his stomach, “I want to feel, I want to feel.” That was the agreement we had, music-wise, to help take you on that kind of journey. It was clear from the start that it was going to be quite an emotional score to do.
WAMG: World War II Soldiers were in the rain, mud, and sleep-deprived. 1940’s War Movies were almost too clean, too sanitized. FURY is definitely not.
SP: It’s really very brutal and visceral in many ways. Every now and then I would see a scene and think, “was that real – that guy getting run over by a tank?” Ayer’s research on the photography of the time was incredible. He’s kind of a huge expert on military history of that time anyway, so there’s nothing there that’s gratuitous really. FURY is a small window on how horrible it was. It was hell basically.
In the film, the American tank column faces their most deadly threat: a German Tiger tank – ultimate tank of war. A Sherman really stood very little chance against a Tiger – it’s set up as a formidable weapon.
On this film, Price had access to recordings made on the set, and later, weapons, and parts of the tank itself were called back into duty as percussion equipment in the studio.
WAMG: You can hear a lot of different elements with your score, including the tanks, the metal and even the dogtags.
SP: One of the crucial ideas behind the score was this was a war of mass mechanization where everyone was building these machines to kill. You were there to kill your opponents before they killed you with these tanks. Within those tanks were the humans trudging forward and the guys in Fury who had been working together and living together for 3 or 4 years, were exhausted and broken down. It was a way of finding music that encompassed all of that.
The music constantly grinds forward. There’s metallic, grinding noises and some were derived from actual source recordings off the tanks themselves.
Then you’ve got the choir which is constantly chanting in German. The idea being there, whilst three weeks away from the end of the War, you assume for the Allies, victory was in sight, when actually they were surrounded in Nazi Germany. They were totally unsafe every single moment. The choir is the embodiment of evil – chanting sometimes far away, sometimes close whispering – with the constant unsettling presence.
The orchestra is carrying more emotional ideas, more character themes. All of those ideas to give the sense of the hell they’re in, in the midst of exhaustion and constant motion.
WAMG: The echoes of that Germanic chanting are chilling. When did you decide to utilize that effective theme?
SP: That was quite early on. One of the cues halfway through the film, one where they’re travelling in the tanks to the next horrible thing, I wanted this sense of threat and exhaustion. I fell upon the idea of this inhuman chanting, followed by the idea that it could be this German chanting where they’re constantly singing and reciting extracts from the Lutheran Bible. It has lots of references to invasion and the pain of war, so it felt kind of timeless and accurate to what we were doing.
Really until we got to the recording session for it, I wasn’t totally sure it was going to work. But I got it all set up in the studio with big charts and all of these phrases that I had selected and literally going through it cue by cue. With each scene, for this one we’re going to use this bit, and we did this through the whole thing. There are no emotions in their voices – it was meant to sound like this machine.
The first moment that we did it, there was a shiver in the control room. It felt very unnerving. It became a feature of the score from then on.
WAMG: You added some beautiful piano solos in two tracks – “Wardaddy” and particularly my favorite “Norman”.
SP: That was one of the earlier themes I wrote.
WAMG: Both just about bring you to tears. These themes and their relationship are the soul of the film. Both tracks are so pure.
SP: A lot of the work on the film was their relationship and introducing them at the very start. We don’t know Wardaddy – he’s very cold and abstract. As we see more aspects of him, that develops. When we first meet Norman, his theme is this skittish kind of thing. He’s very unsettled. His eyes are flickering around all over the place. He’s landed in this place he never expected to be. It’s only later in the film that he develops more of a sense of where he is and it’s there that his theme evolves.
WAMG: FURY is the closing night selection at the BFI Film Festival. Plus you’ll be making a special trip.
SP: My wife and I are off to Downing Street, which is something I never thought I’d say, for an Academy Event to initiate the new members. It’ll be a bit weird being in the home of British government.
WAMG: What was Oscar week like for you both?
SP: It was a totally surreal experience. It’s a lot longer than what you see at home. We were told at the start, it would be two and a half hours before they call your category. As the time went on, it became more surreal and after two hours into it, it became more amusing. I’ve seen the clip when the announcement is made and I’m still not totally convinced it’s me. I have very little recollection of it.
WAMG: And then they swoop you back stage.
SP: The room for the photos was the most blinding room I’ve ever been in. The whole thing was such a wonderful experience and a very fun night.
Oscar winning composer Steven Price (Gravity) scores Columbia Pictures’ World War II epic FURY, in theaters October 17th, 2014. The film will be closing the 58th BFI London Film Festival this year.
Directed by David Ayer, FURY stars Brad Pitt as “Wardaddy,” a Sherman tank commander who must guide his men into the heart of Nazi Germany during the last month of World War II. The film features a star-studded cast, including Shia LeBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña and Jon Bernthal. Fresh off of his Oscar win for Gravity’s high-energy, out-of-this-world score, Price strikes a musical balance with an emotionally resonant, action-packed score for Fury.
The Fury Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available on Varèse Sarabande Records October 14th, 2014.
Steven Price was drawn to FURY in the script stages, sensing the power of the characters and their plight, and how it portrays the heroism of World War II veterans.
Price comments, “I sought to honor their bravery; to create a score that was honest and true. At the same time, for a film accurately portraying mechanized warfare, the score needed to be primal and guttural. We used armory and weaponry as instruments to give a sense of a constant grinding forward whilst the orchestra carried the emotion.”
Price utilized actual World War II weaponry, including a .50 caliber machine gun, along with a bag filled with dog tags, to create the industrial, treading percussion sounds that echo the bombast of tank warfare. Price wrote parts of the score with cellos and a small, intimate choir, to portray the inner angst and bond between the war-torn soldiers. The choir motif was used for high-energy battle scenes and calmer, as well as more introspective passages of the score, a humanism element in a score that seeks to portray the harrowing mechanizations of war.
Steven Price is an Oscar winning composer and musician who previously worked as an award winning music editor. Price won the Academy Award for Best Score for Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY. Price is currently nominated for both Discovery of the Year and Composer of the Year at the World Soundtrack Awards being held in Gent, Belgium in October.
Price has written additional music for films including Pirate Radio and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, collaborating with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Price also scored 2013’s THE WORLD’S END, directed by Edgar Wright, with whom Price collaborated with on Scott Pilgrim.
Price has also written music for several productions on major UK television networks as well as advertising campaigns in both the UK and the US. His accolades include the Film Critic’s award for his original Attack the Block score, for which he also received several film festival awards.
