A new year brings new excitement about new movies and TV series, with new scores from composers both new and well-known. It can be difficult to know what a composer is working on so far in advance — since they're sometimes not brought in until the last few weeks of post-production — but in some cases we know.
The big name in movie music this year will be Michael Giacchino, who is the most-sought big-budget composer right now, scoring everything from the new Star Wars to the new Jurassic Park to the latest offering from Pixar. Beyond those much-anticipated releases, a significant batch of new movies and TV series, with composers attached, are worth getting excited for. Here are my top ten, with examples of the composers' previous work.
1. Heather McIntosh: Z for Zachariah
A new film from the director of Compliance, which put McIntosh on the film-composer map in 2012, has an exciting premise — it's set in a post-apocalyptic future — that could offer a lot for the music. The last couple years have provided McIntosh many opportunities, and with at least four films featuring her work wrapping up in 2015, we could be hearing a lot from her.
2. David Holmes: I Am Belfast
Many know the work of David Holmes through the Ocean's trilogy and Haywire. He's done much more than that and is currently collaborating with Mark Cousins on a film that's been in the works for a while, but looks to be finished this year.
3. Thomas Newman: Spectre
Newman's work is a gold standard among film composers; he has an ability to apply his unique signature to almost any film. In 2012 he was brought into the Bond family with the opportunity to score Skyfall and created a stunning work. He returns this year with Spectre.
4. Miriam Cutler: The Hunting Ground
After years of post-production, Kirby Dick's new film The Hunting Ground is having its premiere at Sundance 2015. With it comes another work from Miriam Cutler, whose work in documentary cinema is wide-ranging and always significant.
5. Dave Porter: Better Call Saul
With this Breaking Bad spin-off set to premiere, it was revealed recently that Porter will also be joining the crew. His attachment brings new hope for Better Call Saul to become a valuable show in its own right rather than just a money grab. In 2013 I spoke with Porter about his Breaking Bad score.
6. Jeff Danna: Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Also premiering at Sundance 2015 is the first official documentary about Kurt Cobain. Montage of Heck is scored by Jeff Danna, who is not a household name, but has done some incredible work for films like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and the 2006 film version of the video game Silent Hill, whose score is one of the things I have always remembered.
7. Johann Johannsson: Sicario
2014 brought us the score to The Theory of Everything — winner of last night's Golden Globe for best original score — among many other great works by Johannsson. In 2015 he will again unite with Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve for Villeneuve's next film Sicario.
8. Fernando Velazquez: Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak is Guillermo del Toro's new film, and the addition of Velazquez provides great hope that this may be in keeping with the quality del Toro's fans expect.
9. Joe Kraemer: Mission Impossible 5
Who would think there'd be a reason to be excited about Mission Impossible 5? But, with Christopher McQuarrie of The Usual Suspects fame directing and regular McQuarrie contributor Joe Kraemer composing the score, this film just became very interesting. Their magnificent work together on The Way of the Gun is still underrated and with all the controversy surrounding Jack Reacher in 2012, many forgot that the score by Kraemer was actually a standout.
10. Lisa Gerrard: Jane Got a Gun
The always impressive Lisa Gerrard has a new score coming out, for the film Jane Got a Gun by director Gavin O'Connor. Based on years of great work her reputation precedes her, and this new score should be significant.
Garrett Tiedemann is a writer, filmmaker and composer who owns the multimedia lab CyNar Pictures and its record label American Residue Records.
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