The art of the film score

Guests: Troy Herion, Michael Phillips

Close your eyes and think of the shark from Jaws. Are you hearing the slow ba-dum, ba-dum? How about the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? Are you able to divorce high-pitched violin stabs that from the terror you felt the first time you saw it? A good score can make or break a film. Today on the show, we’re going to talk about the art of scoring films, what makes a good score, and some of the best composers to have taken up the form. And because the Academy Awards are this Sunday, we’re going to discuss this year’s nominees for Best Original Score. Joining us is TROY HERION, a composer who has written for film and theater, and by MICHEAL PHILLIPS, film critic for the Chicago Tribune who is part of an ongoing radio project called “The Film Score” for WFMT in Chicago.