On 3/13/12, S. Massy <lists(a)wolfdream.ca> wrote:
[ ... ]
I would definitely echo the advice to check out the Oscar winners. On
top of that, I'd note that different composers who do a lot of film
soundtrack work tend to have a feel that carries across to most of the
movies they work on, even though they are not responsible for the mix.
Directors choose them (often) for this feel. So, one way to narrow
things down is to think about what "feel" you're looking for. a Danny
Elfman-scored film is always very distinct from a John Williams one,
even though they are both primarily orchestral composers. The same is
equally true of Badalamenti. Then consider someone like Cliff Martinez
who has scored most of Soderbergh's recent movies - another very
different tone to the whole soundtrack. Even though none of the
composers is sitting at a mixing console, you know when you are
listening to one of their soundtracks.