There is a very specific style to the films from Nick Broomfield, he’s brave and funny and as I discovered very much lets the film lead the narrative. A total joy to sit and listen to his stories, I hope you enjoy hearing them in this weeks new episode.
I have been desperate to share this one with you. Been a huge fan of Alice for many years. Her work on Sightseer both writing and starring is incredible. Her directorial debut film, ‘Prevenge,’ which she also wrote and starred in whilst 7 months pregnant is brilliant. Welcome to Soundtracking Alice, it was a joy to sit down and chat with you.
I remember watching Animal Kingdom and being really impressed with everything about the film. David Michod was someone I wanted to see and hear more from. Then came, ‘The Rover,’ a dystopian tale of survival with fantastic performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson and perfect scoring from Antony Partos. When I heard David had teamed up with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to work on his new film, ‘War Machine,’ I immediately started hyper ventilating. Thankfully that subdued by the time I got to sit down with David.
Look up the word Geezer and you more than likely find Guy Ritchie under it’s definition. I find him utterly tantalising and fascinating and very very funny. It was a lot of fun to catch up with him and talk about King Arthur Legend Of The Sword and working with Daniel Pemberton again.
John Madden is a hugely successful film maker, his 1999 film Shakespeare in Love won 7 Oscars. One of those was for best Original Music for Stephen Warbeck. And Stephen is just one of a number of fantastic composers that John has worked with over the years. A relationship he feels it utterly central to the film making process.
When you list the films that Michael has worked on over the years, not only is it hugely impressive but vastly diverse. A gentle and charming man to spend with who talked with such warmth and enthusiasm about his work. As we hit our 40th Episode of Soundtracking, it’s an honour to share it with such a talented man.
If anyone knows how to use music to maximum effect on screen it’s James Gunn. For James is the man behind both Guardians Of The Galaxy films, which are as celebrated for their hugely successful Awesome Mixes as his sharp, fun and witty interpretation of the Marvel franchise.
I say it at the start of this weeks podcast that he needs no introduction, Mr Warren Beatty. He’s been in the industry for such a long time but from the very start saw the importance to be part of the production, not just in it. We only really skimmed across his massive body of work but It’s a start. I hope you enjoy.
It was hard to know where to start with Writer, Producer, Director John Ridley, he’s a creative carousel. An award winning one at that. His new project Guerrilla was a pretty good place to start, that led onto so many wonderful insights and opinions. I hope you enjoy listening.
It was an honour to have Ben Wheatley as our first ever Soundtracking guest in August last year. His new film, Free Fire, is fantastic, it’s funny, loud, and packs a punch in more ways than one. He’s also pulled in Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury to do the score, just one of the things we caught up about.
I am so thrilled that Stephen Woolley is our first Producer for Soundtracking. He tells great stories and has been doing that for 3 decades in the films he’s producer, directed and exec produced. We only really scratched the surface with this chat, so I look forward to part 2. In the meantime this is a fabulous listen.
To be honest the man needs no introduction, especially when it comes to films and music, he’s a bit of a master. This is Part 1 of Edgar Wright, a retrospect as such. Part 2 will come later this year when he releases his new film Baby Driver. In the meantime sit back and enjoy. It’s a brilliant ride.
What a fantastic texture of films Bill Condon has worked on over the years. He had a very clear and specific vision of how he wanted to approach remaking the Disney Classic, Beauty And The Beast. That involved bringing the original composer along for the ride. Having worked on everything from Dream Girls to Gods and Monsters, Bill also delves into his back catalogue to share his musical experiences.
I remember watching The Kings of Summer when it was released a few years back and feeling excited and thoroughly entertained by what Jordan Vogt-Roberts had created, but also what the future held for him as a film maker and me a film fan. Wait till you see what he has done with Kong! It’s like being on a roller coaster and in his own words, as ‘weird’ as he could make it. I hope this is the first of many of our chats.
It became pretty evident early on that this was going to be a fun and interesting chat. James Mangold exuded enthusiasm and wonderful stories as we sat down to talk movies and music. Walk The Line, Cop Land, Girl Interrupted and now Logan, just a snapshot of some of his incredibly diverse work. I hope you enjoy listening to James as much as I did chatting to him.
He’s ranked as the 10th highest grossing director in the world, he’s also collaborated with some mighty fine composers. Gore Verbinski is not short of something to say about music, film and composers. As his new film A Cure For Wellness is released in cinemas, I had the pleasure of spending time with Gore to sit down and chat film and music.
Oscar winning director Ang Lee has the most bombastic body of work and it’s almost impossible to predict what he will do next. It was a total joy to sit down and chat with him about his work and the place that music has in it. His infectious enthusiasm is quite exceptional and his love of music obvious.
Mike Mills is a very personal writer / director, so much of himself and his experiences flow into his films, be it Beginners or his new one 20th Century Women, both portraits of his parents. The music in all of them flows like the perfect playlist, which I think is aided by Mike’s phenomenal work in music videos over the years. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.
He’s not made that many films but the ones he has made are memorable, important and brilliant. Jeff Nichols is a joy to talk to and his enthusiasm for his craft is infectious. Midnight Special was one of my favourite films of 2016 and his new film Loving is touching, devastating and very tender and gentle. I think I could listen to him talk all day long.
I’ve been waiting a long time for this one and we only just, scratched the surface. Danny Boyle releases T2 Trainspotting 20 years after the first film had a life changing affect not just on those who starred in it but for the generation of film fans like me who fell in love with Renton, Spud, Begbie & Sick Boy. And there’s those songs! I hope this is the first of several chats I can have with Danny about his work and love of music in his films.
In our 2nd La La Land episode of Soundtracking I chat to Damien Chazelles friend, former room & band mate and composer Justin Hurwitz. A total gent and a joy to spend time with, I hope you enjoy this musical journey into how the pair have brought us such memorable productions over the last few years.
In my humble opinion this man has created a masterpiece. La La Land is an exceptional piece of work, a film I will be watching for years, decades to come. All the pieces of this musical jigsaw make up the complete picture, the songs, the cast, the script, the performances, the ending. His previous film Whiplash, a personal love letter to Jazz made such a lasting impression. I hope you enjoy our chat into his fascinating and fantastically creative musical mind.
To say John Michael McDonagh loves music, both as a companion and a tool in his film making, would be an understatement. When I was lucky enough to chat to him back around the theatrical release of his latest film, War On Everyone, he came armed with lists and notes on music. A pleasure to spend time with him, a pleasure to witness his passions.
This is our first new episode of a new year and from an astounding director, Juan Antonio Bayona. I remember the lasting impression The Orphanage had on me, how moved I was by The Impossible. His new film, an adaptation of the award winning Patrick Ness novel, A Monster Calls is outstanding. I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I enjoyed talking to him.
