CULTURE
Composer Jessica Rose Weiss on scoring Hayley Kiyoko's debut feature, the intimacy of working with a musician-director, and what it means to build a world out of someone else's DNA.
FEATURE
Eric André had a Berklee degree, a pile of voice memos, and no script. Prateek Rajagopal had the range to meet him there. What they made had nothing to do with film.
A BLANK FILM SERIES
The Newton Brothers: Coffee, Comics, and the Art of Making Noise for a Living
Andy Grush and Taylor Stewart are two of the most in-demand composers working right now. Across Daredevil: Born Again, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, a new Stephen King adaptation with Mike Flanagan, and the launch of their own instrument, the Newton Brothers are operating at full stretch and somehow making it look effortless. We spent a few hours in the studio with the composers on a rare rainy day in Los Angeles.
INTERVIEW
The Pitt barely has a score, and that's the point. Gavin Brivik talks about contact mics, deathly silence, and the song that broke through.
FEATURE
There's something immediately disarming about Cassie Kinoshi. She joins the call from Berlin with the kind of warmth that makes you feel like you've already met, smiling before the pleasantries are done, quick to laugh, entirely unpretentious about any of it
ISSUE 20 OUT NOW
CULTURE
What happens when the music that made a show leaves with the person who made it?
CULTURE
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Colin Stetson reveals how he defies cinematic conventions with found sounds and experimental electronica…
OPINION
When pop stars score films, the conversation follows them. The composers who actually wrote the music are rarely part of it.
CULTURE
The Basque composer's Bilbao studio is part archive, part instrument: vintage synths, pianos, a reel-to-reel he can't quite give up, and a comfortable sofa…
FEATURE
The Instinct-Driven Soundworld of Kelsey Lu
In a time of constant noise and relentless productivity, Kelsey Lu offers an alternative: deep listening. Not just to music but to herself, to the world around her, and the subtle rhythms of personal transformation.
Latest in Composer Culture
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![A man dressed casually with a beanie, sunglasses, and sneakers crouching on one knee holding a coil of audio cables in front of a vintage stereo system, all set against a plain white background.]()
Nightmares on Wax’s Lifelong Sound System
“I thought it would be really cool to present this music like a radio show, like the pirate stations I was involved in when I was younger.”
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![A young man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer, dark pants, and black boots, standing against a plain background, looking directly at the camera. The image is in black and white.]()
An Interview with Jung Jae-il
“Collaborating with orchestras has made me much more attentive to the importance of scores and precision.”
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![Group of people in a recording studio, with two men standing in front of a mixing console, and others seated or standing around them, some with headphones.]()
Jeff Russo on Scoring Alien: Earth and What’s Made This His Most Defining Year
“Working on Alien: Earth over the last four years has really shifted how I look at trying to tell a story with the combination of sounds and music.”
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![A woman with blonde hair wearing a yellow leather jacket looks to the side at night, standing near a car with a group of people in the background, some of whom are standing near a fence, with city lights visible in the distance.]()
Dave Porter Returns: Scoring Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus
Dave Porter’s music has been the soundtrack to Vince Gilligan's TV shows since day one, Breaking Bad. With the enrapturing new show Pluribus, Porter has been given the gift of a completely blank canvas to paint on.
FEATURE
The composer behind Midsommar, Beef, and Anemone on what it takes to move across the world for a hunch, survive imposter syndrome at the highest level, and finally stop second-guessing yourself.
FEATURE
Composer Carlos Rafael Rivera reflects on scoring Hacks from the beginning and what Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels taught him about comedy, composition, and the music that lives beneath the joke.
Latest Interviews & Features
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![Two men are standing next to a grand piano on a stage or recording studio, looking at sheet music or notes. One man is wearing a light-colored shirt, and the other is wearing glasses and a darker shirt. The scene is warmly lit with a dark background.]()
5 Questions with the Chan Brothers
The Vancouver-based composing duo on genre-jumping, cultural roots, and the music that costs something to make.
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![Black and white photo of a man with dark hair and a sweater, sitting in front of a large bookshelf filled with numerous books, appearing to be in a library or study.]()
The Brontë Sound That Modern Cinema Keeps Recreating
From Newman to Sakamoto, cinema keeps returning to Brontë country, and so do its composers.
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![A vintage electronic music synthesizer setup including a keyboard, a modular synthesizer with various knobs and sliders, and colorful patch cables attached.]()
5 Studio Staples with Dan Deacon
So what defines a cutting-edge composer’s studio staples? Exclusively for The Blank Mag, Deacon shares what these essentials are…
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![A woman dressed in vintage clothing, including a long coat, gloves, and a cap, walking on a wet street at night near a vintage car that appears to be damaged or burnt in a dark, atmospheric setting with brick walls and sparks or debris in the air.]()
Director Tom Harper & Composer Antony Genn On Scoring Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Director Tom Harper and one of two composers, Antony Genn, on the sound of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, and why perfection bores them to tears…
