A Conversation with Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez began as a drummer for unconventional bands such as The Weirdos, The Dickies, Captain Beefheart & The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The desire to not wear a sock on his genitals at age 40 and an interest in new technologies led Martinez toward the world of film music. His first film was Steven Soderbergh’s first theatrical release (sex, lies, and videotape) and led to a longstanding collaboration with the director on films such as Kafka, The Limey, Traffic, Solaris & 2011’s Contagion.
Perhaps it is because of his time in the punk rock scene that Martinez’s scoring approach is nontraditional. His scores tend towards the sparse, utilizing a modern tonal palette to paint the backdrop for films that are often dark & psychological like Pump Up the Volume, Narc, Wonderland, Wicker Park, & Drive. Join Cliff as he discusses his body of work and techniques for keeping the sock from slipping off.
Moderator:
Brian Satterwhite, film music journalist, producer/host of Film Score Focus on KMFA, and film music Lecturer at the University of Texas.Cliff
Presenters
Brian Satterwhite is a professional film composer based in Austin, Texas. He holds a degree with dual majors in Film Scoring and Composition from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Brian has written scores for over one hundred short and feature films including SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH (2011), RICHARD GARRIOTT: MAN ON A MISSION (2010), ARTOIS THE GOAT (2009), QUARTER TO NOON (2008), THE CHILDREN'S WAR (2008), COWBOY SMOKE (2008), MR. HELL (2006), and the award-winning IMAX™ film RIDE AROUND THE WORLD (2006). Brian’s accolades include twelve gold medals and four silver medals from the Park City Film Music Festival.
Brian is on faculty at the University of Texas at Austin where he teaches a course on film music for the Radio-Television-Film Department. He's also the producer and host of the film music radio program “Film Score Focus” on 89.5 KMFA and is a highly regarded film music journalist who writes for several popular web sites including his own professional blog. He pens soundtrack album liner notes for major soundtrack labels and his work in the field of film music journalism has earned Brian membership into the prestigious International Film Music Critics Association.
Cliff Martinez began as a drummer for several bands during the punk era including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, and the Dickies. It was during his tenure with the Chili Peppers that Cliff began exploring the new technologies eventually guiding him towards film music. Martinez was hired to score Steven Soderbergh’s first theatrical release sex, lies, and videotape, leading to a longstanding relationship which includes Kafka, The Limey, Traffic, Solaris and 2011’s Contagion. His credits also include Narc, The Lincoln Lawyer and Nicolas Refn’s Drive.
Tuesday, March 13
