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BAFTA Winners 2015
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced the winners of the 69th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2015.
In the Best Original Score category composer Ennio Morricone won the award for his score for director Quentin Tarantino’s critically acclaimed brooding western The Hateful Eight. Morricone was not present at the ceremony, but sent a message to BAFTA, which was read by presenter Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje saying:
“I am sorry I cannot be there in person in London. I am conducting a concert in Dublin tonight, including the score for The Hateful Eight. My sincere thanks going to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for this honour. I want to thank Quentin Tarantino, the entire team and the Weinstein Company for having invited me to be a part of this film. Collaborations with great directors like Quentin have given me creative pleasure over the 55 years since I wrote my first film score. At 87 years old it is gratifying that my work is still deemed relevant. Thank you.”
The other nominees were Jóhann Jóhannsson for Sicario, Thomas Newman for Bridge of Spies, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto for The Revenant, and John Williams for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
IFMCA Award Nominations 2015
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED; OCTOGENARIAN VETERANS JOHN WILLIAMS AND ENNIO MORRICONE LEAD THE FIELD, MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS FOR MICHAEL GIACCHINO, LATE JAMES HORNER
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2015, for the 12th annual IFMCA Awards. The most nominated composers are industry veterans John Williams and Ennio Morricone, as well as Michael Giacchino, and the late James Horner.
83-year old John Williams receives four nominations, all for his score for the smash hit sci-fi adventure “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” directed by J. J. Abrams, which is nominated for Score of the Year, Best Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror score, and Film Music Composition of the Year. Williams also receives a personal nomination as Composer of the Year. Williams has previously been nominated for 31 IFMCA Awards, winning on 12 occasions, including Score of the Year for “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005 and “War Horse” in 2011. Read more…
Movie Music UK Awards 2015
I feel like I say this every year, but narrowing down my choices for the best scores of 2015 has been harder than ever. It’s been a wonderful year for film music – I managed to experience well over 400 scores this year, both by watching movies and listening to their soundtracks independently, and the quality of music being written in all corners of the world just gets better and better.
This year, I have nominated works from France, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Norway, Portugal, and Spain, as well the USA and the UK, proving once again that if you look outside the mainstream, you can still find a lot of outstanding music being written for smaller-scale projects all across the world.
My choices for the best of the year range from major Hollywood blockbusters and art house dramas, to broad comedies, classic fairytales, and science fiction adventures that take you beyond the stars – so, for your reading and listening pleasure, I present the 2015 Movie Music UK Awards! Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2015
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2015.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- CARTER BURWELL for Carol
- JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON for Sicario
- ENNIO MORRICONE for The Hateful Eight
- THOMAS NEWMAN for Bridge of Spies
- JOHN WILLIAMS for Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This is the first Oscar nomination Burwell, the second Oscar nomination for Jóhannsson, the 13th Oscar nomination for Newman, and the 50th Oscar nomination for Williams, who previously won in 1971 for Fiddler on the Roof, 1975 for Jaws, 1977 for Star Wars, 1982 for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and 1993 for Schindler’s List. Morricone has previously been nominated for five Academy Awards, but has never won a competitive Oscar, although he did win an Honorary Award in 2007 “for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music”.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- AHMAD BALSHE (BELLY), STEPHAN MOCCIO, JASON DAHEALA QUENNEVILLE and ABEL TESFAYE (THE WEEKND) for “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey
- STEFANI GERMANOTTA (LADY GAGA) and DIANE WARREN for “Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground
- ANTONY HEGARTY and JOSHUA RALPH for “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction
- DAVID LANG for “Simple Song #3” from Youth
- SAM SMITH and JAMES NAPIER for “Writing’s On the Wall” from Spectre
The winners of the 88th Academy Awards will be announced on February 28, 2016.
Golden Globe Winners 2015
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have announced the winners of the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2015.
In the Best Original Score category legendary composer Ennio Morricone won the award for his score for The Hateful Eight. Morricone was not present at the ceremony, and his award was accepted by the film’s director, Quentin Tarantino. In his acceptance speech, Tarantino said:
“Thank you! Wow, this is really cool. Do you realize that Ennio Morricone – who, as far as I am concerned is my favorite composer, and when I say favorite composer, I don’t mean movie composer, that ghetto, I’m talking about Mozart, I’m talking about Beethoven, I’m talking about Schubert, that’s who I’m talking about – and Ennio Morricone has never won an award for any one individual movie that he has done. He has in Italy! But not in America – and this is I know not America, it’s the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – but, I have to say – please wrap it up, I will – I have to say that I directed the movie that the great Ennio Morricone, at 87 years of age, did an original score for and won the Golden Globe. For Ennio, and his wife, I say thank you, and grazie. Grazie!”
The other nominees were Carter Burwell for Carol, Alexandre Desplat for The Danish Girl, Daniel Pemberton for Steve Jobs, and Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto for The Revenant.
In the Best Original Song category, the winners were Sam Smith and James Napier for their song “Writing’s On the Wall” from the James Bond movie Spectre.
The other nominees were Justin Franks, Andrew Cedar, Charlie Puth and Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa) for “See You Again” from Furious 7, David Lang for “Simple Song #3” from Youth, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Ali Payami and Tove Nilsson for “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades Of Grey, and Brian Wilson and Scott Bennett for “One Kind Of Love” from Love and Mercy.
BAFTA Nominations 2015
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 69th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2015.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON for Sicario
- ENNIO MORRICONE for The Hateful Eight
- THOMAS NEWMAN for Bridge of Spies
- RYUICHI SAKAMOTO and ALVA NOTO for The Revenant
- JOHN WILLIAMS for Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This is the second BAFTA nomination for Jóhannsson; the 6th BAFTA nomination for Morricone (who won the award every time he was previously nominated: for Days of Heaven in 1979, Once Upon a Time in America in 1984, The Mission in 1986, The Untouchables in 1987, and Cinema Paradiso in 1999); the 5th BAFTA nomination for Newman, who won in 1999 for American Beauty and again in 2012 for Skyfall; the 3rd BAFTA nomination for Sakamoto, who won in 1983 for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence; and the 16th nomination for Williams, who has won on seven previous occasions: for Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1978, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, Empire of the Sun in 1988, Schindler’s List in 1993, and Memoirs of a Geisha in 2005.
The winners of the 69th BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 14, 2016.
Golden Globe Nominations 2015
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2015.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- CARTER BURWELL for Carol
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Danish Girl
- ENNIO MORRICONE for The Hateful Eight
- DANIEL PEMBERTON for Steve Jobs
- RYUICHI SAKAMOTO and ALVA NOTO for The Revenant
These are the first major film music award nominations for both Pemberton and Noto, although Pemberton has received two BAFTA nominations for his work in video games. Noto is the stage name of German musician and artist Carsten Nicolai, an influential experimental electronic composer who has worked with Michael Nyman and Blixa Bargeld, among others.
This is the 2nd nomination for Burwell, the 8th nomination for Desplat (who won the Globe in 2006 for The Painted Veil), the 9th nomination for Morricone (who previously won Globes for The Mission in 1986 and The Legend of 1900 in 1999), and the third nomination for Sakamoto (who previously won Globes for The Last Emperor in 1987 and The Sheltering Sky in 1990).
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- JUSTIN FRANKS, ANDREW CEDAR, CHARLIE PUTH and CAMERON THOMAZ (WIZ KHALIFA) for “See You Again” from Furious 7
- DAVID LANG for “Simple Song #3” from Youth
- MAX MARTIN, SAVAN KOTECHA, ILYA SALMANZADEH, ALI PAYAMI and TOVE NILSSON for “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades of Grey
- SAM SMITH and JAMES NAPIER for “Writing’s On the Wall” from Spectre
- BRIAN WILSON and SCOTT BENNETT for “One Kind of Love” from Love and Mercy
The winners of the 73rd Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 10, 2016.
James Horner, 1953-2015
Composer James Horner has been killed in a plane crash. Horner died when the single engine S312 Tucano plane he was piloting crashed in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara, California. He was 61 years old.
James Roy Horner was born in Los Angeles in August 1953, the son of Harry Horner, an Oscar-nominated Hollywood production designer and occasional film director who emigrated from Austria. He attended high school in California and Arizona, but spent most of his formative years living in London, where he attended the Royal College of Music, and later completed his PhD at UCLA in Los Angeles. After scoring several short film projects for the American Film Institute in the late 1970s, and spending several years teaching, Horner joined the staff at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, scoring several low-budget genre films, including the popular Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), and working with soon-to-be Hollywood bigwigs such as director James Cameron and producer Gale Ann Hurd.
Horner launched into the big time in 1982 with his score for the critically acclaimed and commercially popular science fiction sequel Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and from that point on Horner quickly rose to become one of the most in-demand composers in Hollywood. In the 1980s and 90s Horner became known for his grand, large-scale, emotional orchestral works; he scored a succession of box office hit movies including 48 HRS. (1982), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), The Pelican Brief (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Apollo 13 (1995) and Ransom (1996), and wrote enormously popular scores for films such as Krull (1983), Cocoon (1985), Willow (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994) and Braveheart (1995), culminating in the massive Titanic in 1997, which remains one of the biggest-selling orchestral score albums of all time. Following the turn of the millennium Horner’s career continued apace, with scores for further box office successes such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Avatar (2009) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) amongst his efforts. Read more…
Academy Award Winners 2014
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the winners of the 87th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2014.
In the Best Original Score category French composer Alexandre Desplat won the award for his score for directed Wes Anderson’s quirky period comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel. In his acceptance speech, Desplat said:
“Merci. Merci beaucoup. Wes [Anderson], you’re a genius. This is good! You offered me a great view from the Grand Budapest. Thank you. It’s been a beautiful decade for me in Hollywood. I’ve worked with great directors and producers, and I’m very grateful. I need to thank Laura Engel, Mark Graham, Katz, my Greek mother. Solrey [Lemonnier], I met you long ago, for my first session, you played a violin, and you made everything happen for me. So, this is for you. Thank you”
The other nominees were Desplat again for The Imitation Game, Jóhann Jóhannsson for The Theory of Everything, Gary Yershon for Mr. Turner, and Hans Zimmer for Interstellar.
In the Best Original Song category, the winners were John Legend and Lonnie ‘Common’ Lynn for their song “Glory” from critically acclaimed civil rights film Selma.
The other nominees were Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois for “Lost Stars” from Begin Again, Glenn Campbell and Julian Raymond for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me, Shawn Patterson for “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie, and Diane Warren for “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights.
IFMCA Award Winners 2014
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2014 IFMCA AWARDS; HANS ZIMMER, ALEXANDRE DESPLAT TAKE TOP HONORS
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2014, in the 2014 IFMCA Awards.
The award for Score of the Year goes to composer Hans Zimmer for his work on the Christopher Nolan-directed epic science fiction odyssey “Interstellar”. IFMCA member James Southall called the score “one of the most impressive creations of Zimmer’s career” and felt that the film “inspired him to create something unusually personal and about which he is understandably proud,” while IFMCA member Kaya Savas called Interstellar “one of Hans Zimmer’s finest accomplishments as a composer”. This is the third IFMCA Award of Zimmer’s career, and the first time he has been awarded Score of the Year.
French composer Alexandre Desplat was named Composer of the Year, for his astonishingly accomplished work on a half dozen scores spanning multiple genres; his work in 2014 included the blockbuster monster movie “Godzilla,” director Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” the critically acclaimed biopic of British code breaker Alan Turing “The Imitation Game,” and the George Clooney-directed WWII drama “The Monuments Men,” all of which were nominated in their respective genre categories. The score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was also named Best Score for a Comedy Film. These are the tenth and eleventh IFMCA Awards of Desplat’s career, and it marks the fourth time he has been named Composer of the Year, following his previous wins in 2006, 2007, and 2010. Read more…
BAFTA Winners 2014
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced the winners of the 68th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2014.
In the Best Original Score category composer Alexandre Desplat won the award for his score for director Wes Anderson’s critically acclaimed quirky comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel. In his acceptance speech, Desplat said:
“Thank you. Merci beaucoup, I am very moved and honored to be here. It all goes back to Wes [Anderson]. Wes is unique. His world looks like nobody else’s. He is not here tonight but I am sure he is watching TV. I am not sure actually. But we will send him a video. There are many people involved, of course, the great musicians, Mark Graham, my agent Laura Engel, but I would like to share it with the best musician I have ever met, Solrey [Lemonnier], this is for you.”
The other nominees were Jóhann Jóhannsson for The Theory of Everything, Mica Levi for Under the Skin, Antonio Sanchez for Birdman, and Hans Zimmer for Interstellar.
IFMCA Award Nominations 2014
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED; COMPOSERS JAMES NEWTON HOWARD AND ALEXANDRE DESPLAT DOMINATE
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2014, for the 11th annual IFMCA Awards. The most nominated composers are American James Newton Howard and Frenchman Alexandre Desplat.
Howard received seven nominations, including nods for Score of the Year, Composer of the Year, Best Action/Adventure/Thriller score, and Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror score, all of which were split between his two main works of 2014: the action adventure sequel “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I,” and Disney’s reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty story, “Maleficent”. Howard also received an unprecedented three nominations in the Film Music Composition of the Year category, including one for the song “The Hanging Tree,” which he co-wrote with Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, and Hunger Games book series author Suzanne Collins, and which was performed by the film’s lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Howard has previously been nominated for a total of 23 IFMCA Awards, winning six of them, including Score of the Year in 2006 for “Lady in the Water”. Read more…
Movie Music UK Awards 2014
It’s been an outstanding year for film music in 2014. I managed to get experience over 350 scores this year, both by watching movies and listening to their soundtracks independently,and I strongly feel that the soundtrack industry is thriving. Looking at the big picture, on a global scale, outstanding music is coming from all corners of the globe: this year, I have nominated works from China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, and Venezuela, as well the USA and the UK. If you look outside the mainstream, you can still find a lot of outstanding work being written for under-the-radar projects that demand our attention.
As such, narrowing down my choices for the best of the year has been a very difficult task – one of the most difficult in recent memory. However, I’ve finally been able to put everything into some sort of logical order – so, for your reading and listening pleasure, I present the 2014 Movie Music UK Awards!
Academy Award Nominations 2014
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2014.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Grand Budapest Hotel
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Imitation Game
- JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON for The Theory of Everything
- GARY YERSHON for Mr. Turner
- HANS ZIMMER for Interstellar
These are the first Oscar nominations for Jóhannsson and Yershon, although Jóhannsson won the Golden Globe earlier this year for The Theory of Everything. These are the 7th and 8th Oscar nominations for Desplat, and the 10th Oscar nomination for Zimmer, who previously won in 1994 for The Lion King.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- GREGG ALEXANDER and DANIELLE BRISEBOIS for “Lost Stars” from Begin Again
- GLEN CAMPBELL and JULIAN RAYMOND for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me
- JOHN LEGEND and LONNIE LYNN (COMMON) for “Glory” from Selma
- SHAWN PATTERSON for “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie
- DIANE WARREN for “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights
The winners of the 87th Academy Awards will be announced on February 22, 2015.
Golden Globe Winners 2014
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have announced the winners of the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2014.
In the Best Original Score category Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson won the award for his score for The Theory of Everything. In his acceptance speech, Jóhannsson said:
“Well, this is a great honor. When you’re given material like The Theory of Everything to work with it feels like my job is very easy. A great script, wonderful performances, and all expertly directed by James Marsh who I want to thank especially for inviting me to be a part of his team. I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press, I want to thank Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, Working Title, Universal, Focus Features, my wonderful team, Tim Hughes, and Kevin Korn and all at GSA, my family in Iceland and Denmark, and I want to share this with the musicians and technicians who helped create the score. Thank you so much.”
The other nominees were Alexandre Desplat for The Imitation Game, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Gone Girl, Antonio Sánchez for Birdman, and Hans Zimmer for Interstellar.
In the Best Original Song category, the winners were John Legend and Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. (aka Common) for their song “Glory” from the civil right drama Selma.
The other nominees were Elizabeth Grant (aka Lana Del Rey) for “Big Eyes” from Big Eyes, Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler and Will Gluck for “Opportunity” from Annie, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye for “Mercy Is” from Noah, and Ella Yelich-O’connor (aka Lorde) for “Yellow Flicker Beat” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I.
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