Be the most original version of YOURSELF
episode info
In Episode 5, director Olly Blackburn discusses the creative process, collaboration, and the fusion of music and film with composer Tyler Bates.
Best known for his orchestral and orchestral-rock scores for science fiction and horror films, Tyler Bates has also composed music for television and video game soundtracks, and has written, produced, and played guitar for rock acts including Marilyn Manson. After getting his start in independent film in the early to mid-’90s, Bates eventually began earning credits on major-studio releases like the 2000 remake of Get Carter, the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead, and his third film for director Zack Snyder, 2009’s Watchmen. The 2010s found Bates attached to such blockbuster hits as Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the first three John Wick films, Deadpool 2 (2018), and Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) — half of those with director David Leitch. In the meantime, he worked on television series including Californication, Marvel’s The Punisher, and the horror series The Purge; joined such video game franchises as Watchmen, Transformers, and Killzone; and played over 100 shows with Marilyn Manson before retiring from the band in 2018. Bates continued to work in the alternative rock sector into the 2020s, producing albums for Bush and Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell while turning out film scores for Clive Barker‘s Books of Blood (2020) and the slasher film X (2022). At the top of his field, Bates has composed music for commercial media projects that have produced over 5 billion dollars in revenue.
Olly Blackburn is an award-winning film director and screenwriter. He trained as a historian and after spending time as a journalist and copywriter found himself working in feature films, television, and commercials. His films have played at major festivals including Telluride, Sundance, Edinburgh, Austin, and London. In TV drama Olly’s work ranges from tough contemporary thrillers like Amazon’s The Widow and StartUp, to the human drama of Jack Thorne’s Glue and period pieces like Victoria and Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sanditon.
MusikMotion is a collaboration between MusikMotioin Labs and the University of North Texas College of Music showcasing the intersection of music and the moving image.
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Hello Mr. Bates! Overjoyed to listen and honored to have you on!
a.) For you individually, how important is having a “sonic brand” in your music for people to recognize you by? Is it something that influences your creative process?
b.) A similar question that hopefully isn’t the same, if you have time or are willing: have you ever felt pigeon-holed or type-casted in style as a composer? Would you personally find this as something to be embraced or something to be overcome?
Thank you