Soundtracking With Edith Bowman

Following our chat with Clint in episode 52, we had a little snippet left over in which he talked briefly about his score for Loving Vincent. And given that it's out this week, we thought we'd publish it now. The conversation is accompanied by two of his cues from the movie, Marguerite Gachet At The Piano and Wheatfield With Crows.

It's been a while since we can recall such a keenly anticipated cinematic event, or one that has then gone on to exceed all our wildest expectations. But that is what our guest this week Denis Villeneuve has achieved with Bladerunner 2049. We discuss taking on the legacy of Vangelis - plus his trio of films with composer Jóhann Jóhannsson: Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival

Given how tragically hard we've found it to speak to women on this show, it's a genuine delight to welcome writer, director and producer Nancy Meyers to Soundtracking. Nancy is one of the grand dames of Hollywood. Having earned an Oscar nomination for her original screenplay for Private Benjamin in 1980, she's since been responsible for a string of commercial smashes, including The Parent Trap, Something's Gotta Give and The Holiday. Indeed, her second film as director, What Women Want, was at one stage the most successful film ever directed by a woman, taking in $183 million in the United States alone. Her latest project is Home Again, for which she assumed the role of producer for her daughter Hallie. The film is scored by John Debney, who features prominently in the Jon Favreau episode too. What with being one of the undoubted queens of the Rom-Com, Nancy has worked with several legendary composers over the years - from Bill Conti and Alan Silvestri to the inimitable Hans Zimmer. You'll hear

As drummer for one of the world's most successful, respected and critically-acclaimed bands, he's thrilled music-lovers across the planet for a quarter of a century. Now Philip Selway of Radiohead has turned his hand to film scores - taking charge of the music for Polly Steele's debut feature, Let Me Go. Based on the memoir of Helga Schneider, Let Me Go tells the story of a woman who discovers her mother had strong ties with the Nazis many years after she was abandoned by her as a child. It features four incredibly strong and well-drawn female characters - which inspired Philip's compositions in all sorts of fascinating ways. Philip is the first of our guests who spends most of his time being a rock-star - albeit a particularly humble and unassuming one. As such, he and Edith not only explore the specifics of his score for Let Me Go, but also the different creative challenges it posed to those he encounters in his day job.

We've had several polymaths on this show, from Jon Favreau to Matt Ross and Warren Beatty - who are as at home in front of the camera as behind it. And Stanley Tucci certaininly falls into that category - an actor, writer and director who's been involved with countless critically acclaimed works of film and television. Stanley's latest project is Final Portrait. Starring the sensational Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer, it's based on the true story of the time American journalist James Lord sat for world-renowned artist, Alberto Giacometti. Critics agree it's a charming delight - as do we! Given the 1960s Parisian setting, there were plenty of opportunities to play around with the idiomatic French music of the era. But Stanley was keen to avoid cliche, complimenting the familiar sounds of accordions and chanteuses with Evan Lurie's whimsical score. You'll hear plenty of examples of music from the film, as well as bits and bobs from Stanley's other films.

Following a string of seasoned moviemakers such as Luc Besson, Doug Liman and Steven Soderbergh, we bring you a relative novice this week in the shape of Benedict Andrews. At least - a novice in cinematic terms. For Benedict is one of the world's foremost theatre and opera directors, who makes the transition to the screen with psychological thriller Una. Given this is Benedict's first film, much of the conversation focuses on the differences between the mediums in which he's worked. It also gives us an opportunity to play you examples of music from his stage productions, including extracts from Alex Baranowski's smoky, cinematic score for Streetcar Named Desire, which starred Gillian Anderson. But there's plenty to discuss when it come to Una too. Starring the ever excellent Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn, the narrative centres on a woman confronting an older man about a illicit sexual relationship which took place in their past. The film is scored by Benedict's friend Jed Kurzel, whose work we discus

When Edith sat down with Steven Soderbergh, he immediately told her he'd been listening to our podcast by way of research. That unsettled her a little bit, but we hope you'll agree his homework served him well - such was the magnificence of his company! As a director, he's renowned for his expert use of both needle-drop and score - with Thomas Newman and Cliff Martinez two of his go-to composers. His latest project Logan Lucky sees him reunited with David Holmes, with whom he struck up a most fruitful relationship on Out Of Sight and the Ocean films. And it's with Logan Lucky we began - and David's Original Score Medley that features on the soundtrack to the film ...

From indie classics Swingers and Go to big budget blockbusters The Bourne Identity and Edge Of Tomorrow, Doug Liman is a director who makes a point of thrusting the viewer into the very heart of the action. His musical selections are central to the experience - as evidenced by the Oakenfold track which so memorably accompanied the exhilarating car chase in Bourne, and accompanies Edith's intro. Doug's latest film is American Made. It's based on the life of Barry Seal, a commercial pilot who became a drug smuggler in the 1980s and was recruited later on by the DEA to provide intelligence. The film is scored by Christophe Beck, who has very kindly sent us a couple of his cues from the film to exclusively feature in this episode. They're not available anywhere yet, so MASSIVE thanks to him. But as well as Christophe's original compositions, American Made also features a rip-roaring array of needle-drops from the 70s and 80s, including tracks by George Harrison, Talking Heads and the one which opens up th

It's fair to say Soundtracking might not exist without Clint. That's because the genesis of the idea formed when Edith saw him performing his film scores at the Largo in Los Angeles back in 2012. And 5 years later, here we all are! After his band Pop Will Eat Itself disbanded in 1996, Clint was introduced to the business when Darren Aronofsky asked him to score Pi. The pair have collaborated several times since - as part of total body of work comprising around 50 films. During the course of the conversation, you'll hear extended extracts of Clint's work on High Rise, Moon, Pi, Black Swan and Requiem For A Dream. But we begin in the iconic venue in which this interview took place - Air Studios in London - with the main theme from the very first score he recorded there ...

From short film Pioneer to romantic crime drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Disney epic Pete's Dragon, David Lowery has made a habit of examining the nature of identity, family and relationships from altogether sideways perspectives. It's an approach that's served him well - and one he uses to great effect again in his latest offering, A Ghost Story. A Ghost Story stars Casey Affleck as the spirit of a recently deceased man who remains in the house he shared with his wife, played by Rooney Mara. It's scored by Daniel Hart, who David has worked with on many occasions. Daniel's compositions for the film stemmed from a song he wrote for his band, Dark Rooms, and you'll hear plenty of it during the course of the conversation. Edith and David also discuss the music which inspired him as an aspiring director, and also what it's like to work with the great Robert Redford.

This weekend mark's our first birthday, and it occurred to us that we've been rather remiss in our formative year in not having featured a music supervisor. So we decided to put that right by speaking to Sarah Bridge, who came highly recommended by one of our previous guests, the Oscar winning John Ridley. As well collaborating with John on Sky Atlantic's TV series Guerrilla, Sarah has worked on a host of critically acclaimed productions including X + Y, The Sense Of An Ending and The Theory Of Everything. The latter was scored by one of her idols, Jóhann Jóhannsson. This episode features examples of his score, not to mention music by Max Richter, Femi Kuti, Keaton Henson and Irma Thomas. But we began by learning about the myriad facets to Sarah's role in the movie-making process.

When it comes to stylish movie-making, you can generally rely on the French. And one man with Gallic flair in abundance is Luc Besson. The genial Parisian has been involved in over 100 films as either a writer, producer or director - including much loved cult classics Nikita, The Big Blue and Leon. His latest project is CGI sci-fi epic Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, a sumptuous visual feast based on the comics he loved as a kid. Much of Luc's work has been scored by his longtime friend Eric Serra, of which more in a moment. But in the case of Valerian, he turned to Alexandre Desplat, just to shake things up a little bit ...

When we originally conceived the idea of a show about film music, one of the first names on our guest wishlist was Sofia Coppola. And we finally got our girl - with the supremely gifted writer / director joining Edith on the release of The Beguiled, which won her the Palme D'Or at Cannes. Sofia's pedigree is impeccable. Few directors in the history of cinema have used music more effectively than her father - who instilled in her from a young age a deep understanding of its potential. This has been reflected in her own work - from the anachronistic punk tracks she deployed in period drama Marie Antoinette to the dreamy electronica that so perfectly fitted the mood of Lost In Translation. Playing now from that film is Alone in Kyoto by Air, who would later provide the score for The Virgin Suicides. She's also married to Thomas Mars form Phoenix, who composed what little score there is for The Beguiled.

He's back! Having joined us to reflect upon his career to date in Episode 34, Edgar Wright returns to concentrate on his latest project Baby Driver, which has received widespread critical acclaim as it wows cinema-goers around the world. The film tells the story of young getaway driver Baby, who uses music to calm his nerves in the face of chronic tinnitus. As such, he's listening to his iPod throughout much of the narrative. It's an audacious premise which - while posing technical challenges - also gave Edgar the opportunity to share a wealth of sonic gems from his record collection. With 35 tunes in Baby Driver, there's certainly plenty to discuss - from the specific Jon Spencer track that inspired the movie 20 years ago to the structural delights of Barry White, Queen and Focus. It also features a personal favourite of Edith's, which seemed as good a place as any to start the conversation ...

One of the surprise cinematic hits of 2016 was the heart-wrenching coming-of-age drama Moonlight, which of course won Best Picture at this year's Oscars in unforgettable circumstances. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight presents 3 stages in the life of the main character Chiron as he struggles to deal with his sexuality and challenging social circumstances. It was beautifully scored by Nicholas Britell, who we're delighted to say is Edith's latest guest on Soundtracking - a weekly podcast about screen music. On the face of it, Nicholas's compositions follow orchestral conventions. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and one discovers all sorts of sonic tricks - including a technique borrowed from hip-hop called Chopped & Screwed, in which the original piece of music is slowed down, bent and overlaid to create something that sounds altogether different. Plenty, then, for Edith and Nicholas to discuss ...

There have been many great documentary makers over the years, but of those at work today one of the undoubted bosses is Nick Broomfield. Often controversial, always challenging, Nick has covered myriad subjects - from serial killer Aileen Wuornos and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss to Afrikaner nationalist Eugene Terre Blanche. He's perhaps best known for Kurt & Courtney, an incendiary investigation into the events surrounding Cobain's death - which Love was none too happy about. We do, of course, hear plenty more about that during the conversation. Now normally, we play relevant musical extracts throughout the entirety of the conversation, but given the nature of Nick's work, it's a more conventional interview on this occasion. But there's still plenty of music to discuss - not least because his latest project Whitney: Can I Be Me is all about Whitney Houston, who was found dead in a hotel room in 2012. Made in collaboration with filmmaker Rudi Dolezal, Can I Be Me is scored by Nick Laird-Clowse

Edith's latest guest is an unassuming delight - still early in her career but surely destined for great things (of which she's already achieved a fair few). Alice Lowe is actor, writer and now director, who has appeared in a host of critically acclaimed TV shows and films - including Ben Wheatley's Sightseers, which she co-wrote. Her mainstream directorial debut Prevenge is a black comedy about a pregnant woman who believes she is receiving murderous instruction from her unborn child. Alice enlisted electronic duo Toydrum to compose the score for the movie - with the pair delivering a suitably unsettling suite that reflects protagonist Ruth's psychopathic urges. We also hear about her love of Delia Derbyshire, David Lynch and the one and only Nik Kershaw.

One hardly needs an excuse to discuss the work of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, but it's always good to have one anyway. Australian director David Michod has employed the services of the ever-reliable duo for his latest project War Machine, which is exclusively available to watch on Netflix. It is a staggering score, of which you can hear plenty during Edith's conversation with David. They also discuss Antony Partos's contributions to Animal Kingdom and The Rover, which are equally magnificent.

Whatever you think about the Guy Ritchie canon, it's hard to dispute his flair for combining the visual with the sonic. From Lock, Stock ... and Snatch to Sherlock Holmes and The Man From UNCLE, the musical elements of his films often drive the narrative - through his ingenious use of needle-drops and bold score. Indeed, when it comes to the latter, he's collaborated with the great Hans Zimmer on more than one occasion, of which more during the conversation. His latest movie is King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword. Scored by Daniel Pemberton - who worked on The Man From UNCLE too - it also features British artist Sam Lee. As we'll hear, both rose to Guy's challenge of using the timeless tropes of folk music to create something at once medieval and modern. Guy is on typically mischievous form & we very much hope you enjoy the banter!

Over the course of the last twenty odd years, British director John Madden has brought us a string of critically acclaimed films which, pleasingly, have tended to do rather well at the box office too. Indeed, Shakespeare in Love not only landed seven Oscars, but also returned a tidy proft of over $250 million. And as we'll discover, it's John's view that you can't make a good movie without considerable help from a good composer. In the case of John, score dominates - since the kind of films he's made haven't generally required needle drops. So it is you'll hear extracts of Thomas Newman's score for the Best Exotic Maigold Hotel movies, Stephen Warbeck's work on Mrs Brown and Shakespeare In Love, and Max Richter's haunting suite for his latest film, the political thriller Miss Sloane ...