The Production Music Association (PMA,) the leading advocacy group for the global production music industry, has announced that renowned film composer Tyler Bates (“Deadpool 2,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “John Wick”) will be the keynote speaker for the 5th annual Production Music Conference, to be held September 26-28 at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, CA.
The keynote session will take place on September 27. Jon Burlingame, a leading writer on the subject of music for films and television, and a contributing writer for Variety, the New York Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post and the Hollywood Reporter, will interview Bates during the session.
“Tyler Bates is one of the preeminent composers for major motion pictures in the world today,” said PMA chairman Adam Taylor. “His remarkable success across a diverse range of successful film, TV, and videogame projects is truly impressive.”
Said Bates, “My heart is in absolutely everything I do. Whether it’s rock or a score, I do my best to always explore new ideas. My primary goal as an artist is to connect with people, understand my collaborators, and hopefully translate that understanding into re-telling an emotion. I’m really excited about the prospect of making more interesting art.”
A highly sought-after composer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, Bates has become not only an artisan at architecting music for film, television, and video games, but an in-demand multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. Through the 1990s, he logged 1,200-plus live shows in his bands, including Pet, released on Igloo/Atlantic records, under the guidance of Tori Amos, before segueing into the world of film score. He started to make waves by creating the menacing audio backdrop for the popular Zack Snyder “Dawn of the Dead” reboot in 2004, followed by his soundtrack for the filmmaker’s “300,” which remains one of the 21st Century’s biggest-selling score albums. His oeuvre next expanded to include “Watchmen” and “Sucker Punch,” both helmed by Snyder, along with several collaborations with Rob Zombie, including “The Devil’s Rejects,” “Halloween” and “Halloween II,” and the film “Killer Joe,” directed by Academy Award® winner William Friedkin.
By 2017, Bates’ vision would audibly enhance two of the most successful franchises in recent memory: Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “John Wick.” In addition to composing for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & Vol. 2” and winning a BMI Film Music Award for the first, he co-wrote and produced a fan favorite “disco version” of “Guardians Inferno” [feat. David Hasselhoff], performed the second installment’s score at the 2017 MOSMA Festival in Spain, and crafted the music for the Disney California Adventure attraction “Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout!”
Meanwhile, “John Wick: Chapter 2” represents the nexus of his work as a composer, performer, and songwriter. He penned the closing credits tune “A Job To Do” alongside legendary Alice In Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and performed on-screen during the climactic “Rock Opera” sequence, rocking a guitar-viol onstage with Le Castle Vania and Nostalghia.
The animated TV series “Samurai Jack” offered a similar experience. After overseeing score production for that series with composers Joanne Higginbottom and Dieter Hartmann, Bates took the stage to perform a suite of the score at a sold-out Ace Theatre concert. In addition to “Samurai Jack,” his other TV credits include Showtime’s “Californication,” Audience Network’s “Kingdom,” WGN America’s “Salem,” and more. In the video game arena, his projects have included “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” “God of War: Ascension,” “Army of Two 40th Day,” and “China’s Crossfire.” Along the way, he wrote a theme for his favorite NFL team the Tennessee Titans, even performing the “Star-Spangled Banner” solo guitar in the rain during a Thanksgiving 2015 game.
2014 saw the birth of a powerful partnership for Bates with Marilyn Manson. After meeting on a “Californication” performance, Bates went on to co-write and produce the 2015 epic, “The Pale Emperor.” A runaway worldwide success, it crashed the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 at #6, and earned widespread critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone hailing it as the “#1 Metal Album of 2015.” Stepping into the spotlight as the band’s lead guitarist, he dedicated over a year to touring in support of the album on the headline “Hell Not Hallelujah Tour,” an arena run with Slipknot, and various festivals worldwide. In 2017, Bates and Manson once again joined forces in the studio for the follow-up, “Heaven Upside Down,” followed by a world tour.
Most recently, Bates handled music for the smash hit “Deadpool 2,” and the action thriller “Atomic Blonde” starring Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron. For the latter project, he also produced Health’s cover of “Blue Monday” and re-invigorated and revitalized Ministry’s “Stigmata” with Marilyn Manson for key sequences in the film. His music was also heard in “The Belko Experiment” as well as “The Public” and “24 Hours to Live,” while his voice permeates Netflix’s “The Punisher” and season 2 of “The Exorcist.” Bates’ music will also be heard within the upcoming feature film “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More