We explore the role of music in shaping cinematic storytelling, and how rhythm, sound, and silence make up an essential language across different film traditions. Our guests Suad Bushnaq, Ben Frost, and Gustavo Santaolalla reflect on their creative processes, the relationship between image and sound, and how they approach composing for diverse narratives and emotional landscapes. They also discuss collaboration with directors, cultural influences in their work, and the evolving role of film scores in contemporary cinema.
We explore the role of music in shaping cinematic storytelling, and how rhythm, sound, and silence make up an essential language across different film traditions. Our guests Suad Bushnaq, Ben Frost, and Gustavo Santaolalla reflect on their creative processes, the relationship between image and sound, and how they approach composing for diverse narratives and emotional landscapes. They also discuss collaboration with directors, cultural influences in their work, and the evolving role of film scores in contemporary cinema.
00:00 Introduction
02:47 Beyond a Single Label
10:11 Composing from the Page
11:54 When the Sounds Become Iconic
14:08 The Alchemy of Collaboration
19:16 Trusting the Vision
22:41 Finding Beauty in Inexperience
24:48 The Soul of Creation vs. The Machine
31:42 Narratives Beyond the Expected
38:00 The Weight of Choice
45:51 Carving Silence and Sound
50:56 The Geometry of Scoring
54:08 Immersive Worlds and Digital Agency
59:47 A Sonic Signature
01:00:40 From the Theater to the Screen
01:04:15 A Live Performance
Ben Frost is a composer, sound artist and stage director born in Melbourne and based in Reykjavík. Over the past two decades, he has developed a practice encompassing studio recordings, performance, installation, and collaborations in dance, theatre, and film. Albums include ‘Theory of Machines’ (2007), ‘By the Throat’ (2009), ‘Aurora’ (2014) and ‘Scope Neglect’ (2024). Screen credits include ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Palestine 36’, ‘Raised by Wolves’, ‘1899’ and ‘Dark’. A Rolex Arts Initiative protégé of Brian Eno (2011), he collaborated with Richard Mosse on ‘The Enclave’, ‘Incoming’ and ‘Broken Spectre’, and wrote the operas ‘The Wasp Factory’ and ‘The Murder of Halit Yozgat’.
Connect with Ben Frost 👉 https://instagram.com/ethermachines
Gustavo Santaolalla is an internationally acclaimed Argentine composer, producer, and musician. A two-time Academy Award winner for ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2006) and ‘Babel’ (2007), he has also received a Golden Globe, two BAFTAs, two Grammys, and 19 Latin Grammys. As one of the most influential producers in the Spanish-speaking world, he has shaped Latin American music through over 100 albums. He founded Bajofondo, a collective blending tango, electronic, and Río de la Plata traditions. In audiovisual culture, he’s known for scoring ‘The Last of Us’ video games and HBO series. Currently, he is touring globally with the Ronroco Tour, celebrating 25 years of his iconic album ‘Ronroco’, which launched his cinematic music career.
Connect with Gustavo Santaolalla 👉 https://instagram.com/gustavosantaolalla
Suad Bushnaq is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Jordanian–Canadian composer of Bosnian, Palestinian and Syrian roots, praised by Hans Zimmer as an ‘incredible artist’. With 12 wins and 15 nominations, honours include two Hollywood Music in Media Awards, four Canadian Screen Award nominations and two Canadian Screen Music Awards. Recent highlights include the BAFTA/Emmy-winning ‘Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough’ (CASMA winner; HMMA nominee), Yunan (Berlinale), Hobal and the Syrian series ‘Al Batal’ (CASMA winner). She also scored Egypt’s Oscar submission ‘Flight 404’ and Iraq’s ‘Hanging Gardens’. A McGill graduate and CFC/Cannes alumna, she has 60+ credits and teaches worldwide.