Episode 10: Director Tate Taylor on Danny Elfman, Thomas Newman, James Brown and The Girl On The Train

2016-10-07

In his brief directorial career, Tate Taylor has brought us three very different films requiring three very different soundscapes. First up was his Oscar-nominated Civil Rights drama The Help, set in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962. It is a deeply personal film for Tate and awash with the music of the time - including Ray Charles, Mavis Staples and Johnny Cash. It also saw him collaborate with Thomas Newman for the first time on the score. Then came the James Brown biopic...

In his brief directorial career, Tate Taylor has brought us three very different films requiring three very different soundscapes.

First up was his Oscar-nominated Civil Rights drama The Help, set in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962. It is a deeply personal film for Tate and awash with the music of the time - including Ray Charles, Mavis Staples and Johnny Cash. It also saw him collaborate with Thomas Newman for the first time on the score.

Then came the James Brown biopic Get On Up - with track after glorious track from The Godfather of Soul. Produced my Mick Jagger and again scored by Thomas, it was built around an incredible performance by Chadwick Boseman in the lead role.

Now we have his take on Paula Hawkins' international bestseller The Girl On The Train – a psychological thriller featuring suitably claustrophobic sonic undertones. Danny Elfman provides those in spades, and you'll hear plenty of his score in this episode.

We also get the story behind Thomas's score for The Help, and of course have the opportunity to play lots and lots of James Brown.

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