Television

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Score Album
The Walking Dead Score Album
22 October 2017
Tonight, the Season Eight premiere of The Walking Dead airs on AMC, marking my 100th score for the series’ 100th episode. This season promises “all out war,” as Rick and his armies battle to free themselves from the iron-fisted rule of Negan and his Saviors. These upcoming episodes will live up to this promise, and more, as they deliver all the intense action, drama and revelations...
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The Walking Dead Season 6
The Walking Dead Season 6
11 October 2015
The Walking Dead returns to AMC tonight, for the premiere of its sixth season! I am incredibly excited for fans to see and hear what’s coming, because I think this is probably our strongest season yet.  The creative model for this series has been to reinvent itself every eight episodes, with each run taking on a unique tone, and following our characters on a specific...
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The Walking Dead: Season 4 Begins
The Walking Dead: Season 4 Begins
13 October 2013
After a thrilling third season, “The Walking Dead” returns for a fourth season! The third season finale built to a climactic confrontation between Rick and The Governor, each the leader of their own ragtag armies. For that episode, I pulled back on some of the horrific and dissonant elements in my score and pushed for a more thematic approach, composing an elegant...
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The Walking Dead: Welcome to the Tombs
The Walking Dead: Welcome to the Tombs
01 April 2013
The third season of “The Walking Dead” followed sweeping new story arcs, brought our heroes to the brink of desperation and introduced new players on both sides of a classic showdown between good and evil. To keep pace, I expanded the sound of the score from the earthy, intimate timbres of the first two seasons.  Tonight brings us “Welcome to the Tombs,” the final episode in...
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The Walking Dead: Made To Suffer
The Walking Dead: Made To Suffer
03 December 2012
The first half of “The Walking Dead” Season 3 draws to a close with tonight’s epic Made to Suffer. In addition to writing score to bombastic battle cues and gut-wrenching emotional moments, I contributed a piece of source music for the first time in this series. The cue, my arrangement of a two-hundred year old English lullaby called “Bye Bye Baby Bunting,”...
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The Walking Dead: When The Dead Come Knocking
The Walking Dead: When The Dead Come Knocking
26 November 2012
Until now, the third season of “The Walking Dead” has been structured as two parallel stories: Rick and his crew at the prison, and the Governor and his crew at Woodbury.  In last week’s Hounded, that boundary was finally broken. Tonight, in When the Dead Come Knocking, these two worlds are irreversibly careening towards one another and inevitable conflict. The...
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The Walking Dead: Killer Within
The Walking Dead: Killer Within
04 November 2012
Tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead”, Killer Within, is among my favorite hours of television I’ve ever scored.  This episode also contains one of the more challenging cues I’ve ever had to write in my career.  I detail the process of writing it and the various themes I used in this week’s video blog.  But, be warned… MAJOR SPOILERS...
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The Walking Dead: Walk With Me
The Walking Dead: Walk With Me
28 October 2012
This week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” introduces us to the screen version of one of the most memorable characters from the comic, The Governor.  Tonight’s video blog is all about how I wrote his theme: SPOILERS BEYOND: “Walk With Me” lays the groundwork for the major story arcs of the season. This episode is important not just because...
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The Walking Dead: Sick
The Walking Dead: Sick
21 October 2012
SPOILERS BEYOND: The last two minutes of the season premiere left us with some pretty jarring cliffhangers: Herschel had his leg chomped on by a walker, chopped off by Rick and then Daryl discovers that the prison has human survivors. Picking up immediately where we left off, Seed, starts with an adrenaline-laced scene as they rush to treat Herschel. (more…)
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The Walking Dead: Seed
The Walking Dead: Seed
14 October 2012
The wait is finally over!  The third season of AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead” begins tonight! I don’t want to give away some of the surprises in the premiere, so I’m welcoming you guys back with a relatively spoiler-free video blog about the score. This season you will hear new sounds and themes, in response to the new characters and locations....
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The Walking Dead: Beside the Dying Fire
The Walking Dead: Beside the Dying Fire
19 March 2012
MEGA-SPOILERS AHEAD: “Beside the Dying Fire”, the Season 2 finale of “The Walking Dead,” is the biggest episode of the series thus far in every sense.  It features the most action, the most zombies, main characters slaughtered, a highly-anticipated new character introduction, and was viewed by over 9 million people last night, making it the most watched...
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The Walking Dead: Better Angels
The Walking Dead: Better Angels
12 March 2012
“Better Angels,” the penultimate episode of “The Walking Dead” season two is the most emotionally gripping and thematic score I’ve ever written yet for this series.  The episode was ripe with creative opportunities: stunning revelations, long character arcs resolved, as well as intimate character moments and a thrilling new threat around the corner....
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The Walking Dead: Judge, Jury, Executioner
The Walking Dead: Judge, Jury, Executioner
04 March 2012
In tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Judge, Jury, Executioner, Carl takes his first steps to controlling his own destiny, and his choices impact the group in unexpected ways.  The episode gave me an opportunity to write Carl his own theme, as detailed in this week’s video blog: MAJOR SPOILERS BEYOND: The Carl Theme is used to underscore his flirtations...
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The Walking Dead: 18 Miles Out
The Walking Dead: 18 Miles Out
28 February 2012
In tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” 18 Miles Out, the brewing conflict between Rick and Shane finally erupts.  There are zombies everywhere, but the real tension comes from these two friends battling one another in the midst of the mayhem.  I strove to keep the score out of the way, to allow the incredible performances from Andrew Lincoln and Jon Bernthal...
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The Walking Dead: Triggerfinger
The Walking Dead: Triggerfinger
20 February 2012
In Triggerfinger, the threat facing our heroes in “The Walking Dead” continues to expand beyond the realm of the undead.  Despite the external threats from other humans, we also get the sense that the greatest growing danger may in fact be coming from Shane.  For that reason, you will hear new developments tonight in the Shane Theme, as detailed in the video blog:...
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The Walking Dead: Nebraska
The Walking Dead: Nebraska
12 February 2012
“The Walking Dead” returns to close out an amazing sophomore season with tonight’s episode, Nebraska.  This week’s video blog discusses a new character theme heard in Nebraska, Herschel’s Theme: This scene is one of the most powerful in the episode because it gives us a glimpse into Herschel’s conflicted past, and without using a single...
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The Walking Dead: Pretty Much Dead Already
The Walking Dead: Pretty Much Dead Already
28 November 2011
I’m a bit late posting this week’s blog entry because I needed some time to absorb the episode’s impact, and to get fan reactions before I offered my own commentary.  Because the music I wrote for Pretty Much Dead Already is some of my most powerful yet for “The Walking Dead,” I didn’t want to trivialize it by cutting it up into excerpts,...
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The Walking Dead: Secrets
The Walking Dead: Secrets
20 November 2011
Tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Secrets, allowed me to further explore the exotic folksy instrumentation of the score.  One of the instruments I featured was the hurdy gurdy, as detailed in this week’s in-depth video blog: The hurdy gurdy was not the only unusual instrument I used for this score.  I also wrote for Paul Cartwright on the electric...
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The Walking Dead: Chupacabra
The Walking Dead: Chupacabra
13 November 2011
SPOILERS BEYOND: This week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Chupacabra, is one of my favorites because it lets us really explore Daryl, one of my favorite characters.  He is ever determined to find Sophia out in the woods and continues to search for her on his own.  Unfortunately, he accidentally falls into a ravine where he is stabbed by one of his own arrows...
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The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose
The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose
06 November 2011
SPOILERS BEYOND: A significant subplot in Cherokee Rose involves our heroes discovering a zombie floating in a well and fishing it out.  This was my only chance for intense action scoring this episode, so I wrote a heart-pounding percussion piece featuring Jonathan Ortega on exotic stringed percussion instruments, as featured in this week’s video blog: The autoharps,...
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The Walking Dead: Save The Last One
The Walking Dead: Save The Last One
30 October 2011
SPOILERS AHEAD: This week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Save The Last One, focuses on the group’s efforts to save Carl’s life.  The story follows two different narratives.  The first takes place at the farmhouse where Rick and Lori wait with growing impatience while Herschel tends to his wounds.  The second storyline follows Shane and Otis as...
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The Walking Dead: Bloodletting
The Walking Dead: Bloodletting
24 October 2011
This week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” finally takes us to Herschel’s farmhouse, a location that fans of the original comic book have been waiting for. Carl’s life hangs in the balance, so the entire score is infused with a tense, percussive backdrop that increases intensity throughout the episode.  One of the most featured instruments this...
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The Walking Dead: What Lies Ahead
The Walking Dead: What Lies Ahead
16 October 2011
Tonight is the long-awaited return of “The Walking Dead” for its second season.  What Lies Ahead is an appropriately-titled episode because this season will build on the momentum and character arcs established in our six-episode first season, and also expand into new settings, new trials and new characters.  Similarly, my original score is rooted in the stylistic...
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The Walking Dead: TS-19
The Walking Dead: TS-19
05 December 2010
Tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” TS-19, brings the first season to an exciting conclusion.  To celebrate the completion of our first season, I’m doing something I’ve never done before!  We’ve been collecting little snippets from our video blogs that have been hitting the proverbial cutting room floor, and tonight I’ll share...
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The Walking Dead: Wildfire
The Walking Dead: Wildfire
28 November 2010
The “Walking Dead” blogs thus far have focused on my creative process and the instrumentation.  But, bringing a score from imagination to reality requires the time and energy of many other people on the music team.  They are integral to the creation of the score, and work tireless hours to ensure my ideas are translated to the final recording (and frequently improve...
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The Walking Dead: Vatos
The Walking Dead: Vatos
21 November 2010
Tonight’s episode of “The Walking Dead” proved to be my biggest challenge yet on the series.  There were so many opportunities to create a dark, rich and bottom-heavy sound, I decided to make our string ensemble even more unusual.  I wrote the score for Vatos with an orchestra made up entirely of celli and a single contrabass, as shown in this week’s...
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The Walking Dead: Tell it to the Frogs
The Walking Dead: Tell it to the Frogs
14 November 2010
Some of the most unique and characteristic sounds in “The Walking Dead” score come from bluegrass instrumentation, including electric banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, dobro and guitars.  This week’s video blog focuses on these unusual instruments and how I use them in the score: Ever since my first meeting with producers Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd, I knew...
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The Walking Dead: Guts
The Walking Dead: Guts
07 November 2010
This week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” appropriately entitled Guts, expands the cast and the world of the series.  Rick encounters a group of survivors, some of whom are more helpful than others, and we experience some intense action scenes as well.  The music, too, develops and the orchestration has become more layered.  This week’s blog video takes...
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The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
01 November 2010
Tonight, celebrate a spooky Halloween with the world premiere of my newest series, THE WALKING DEAD.  Welcome to the first of six in-depth video blogs that will go online with each new episode.  The first focuses on the piece of music that I’m sure you all noticed tonight, The Walking Dead Main Title: (more…)
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Battlestar Galactica

Outlander

Bear @GoogleTalks
Bear @GoogleTalks
26 March 2010
A few weeks ago, I was honored with an invitation to speak at Google, as part of their @Google Series.  The entire presentation is now available in HD on YouTube, or you can see it right here: For the presentation, Raya Yarbrough interviewed me about my early musical life, career, creative process, influences and turn ons… well, musical turn ons anyway. Like most music...
Read More
New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
05 November 2009
There are some new cool documentaries out there worth pointing out. First up: GameTrailers.com has a Dark Void Character Development Diary: This is a wonderful look at the evolution of the characters in the game, told by the producers and developers themselves.  There’s an interesting comparison between typical blank-canvas videogame archetypes and actual, interesting...
Read More
R.I.P. Sarah Connor
R.I.P. Sarah Connor
18 May 2009
She could escape annihilation from bloodthirsty cyborgs, but apparently not the broadcaster’s axe. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been cancelled. Of course, I’m disappointed, even though the writing has been on the wall for quite some time.  The ratings slipped throughout Season 2, and we didn’t pass the “Friday Night Death Slot”...
Read More
CD Signing This Weekend!
CD Signing This Weekend!
09 December 2008
I’ll be celebrating the release of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles soundtrack in style this weekend with a signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank!  Also available from La La Land Records will be the recently released Eureka and Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back soundtracks.  If you’ve never been there, Dark Delicacies is a blast… a horror-themed...
Read More
Terminator Soundtrack Release Date!
Terminator Soundtrack Release Date!
24 November 2008
It’s finally official!  My soundtrack for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles goes on sale December 2nd!  (Perhaps a perfect holiday gift for any sci fi fans you know??) The behind-the-scenes details of this album held us up for a while, but I’m thrilled to report that the discs are off to the manufacturers and are being prepared for distribution...
Read More
Terminator: SCC - La Llorona
Terminator: SCC - La Llorona
10 November 2008
SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, aptly titled Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today, is a particularly unusual story.  The plot is fractured into multiple accounts of the same narrative from the perspective of each of the major characters, the location was unique and, above all, the story culminates in the death of a principle character,...
Read More
Terminator Picked Up For Full Season!
Terminator Picked Up For Full Season!
18 October 2008
It’s finally official!  FOX has picked up the remainder of season 2 for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, allowing us to complete a full 22-episode season.  Our ratings have been low this fall, so I’m glad that FOX understands how incredibly competitive our time slot is.  I can only assume that impressive downloads and DVD sales must have been a factor.  Read...
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Bruce Broughton Interview: Scoring for Animation
Bruce Broughton Interview: Scoring for Animation
28 September 2008
This entry is the first in what I hope will become a continuing series of interviews with industry professionals.  Rather than comprehensive, career-spanning interviews, I will focus on one project or aspect of a person’s career that relates to an experience of my own.  Loyal readers can enjoy in-depth detail, and I have the chance to learn something professionally valuable. ...
Read More
Terminator:SCC - "Ain't We Famous"
Terminator:SCC - "Ain't We Famous"
15 September 2008
LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD: I don’t know if my brutal schedule will allow for me to write about every episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles this season, but tonight’s Automatic for the People features outstanding pieces I can’t resist sharing.  This week, I wrote lovely score cues for new plot lines and characters, but it was actually the “source”...
Read More
Terminator:SCC - "Samson and Delilah"
Terminator:SCC - "Samson and Delilah"
08 September 2008
Bear and Shirley in the studio, recording vocals for “Samson and Delilah”  “If I had my way… I’d burn this whole building down”  The second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles began with a bang tonight.  As the series composer, I returned to the smashing metal percussion and electric string quartet textures of the Sarah Connor musical soundscape....
Read More
Two New Soundtrack Albums!
Two New Soundtrack Albums!
13 June 2008
Great news!  Warner Bros. and La La Land Records have come together to release my soundtrack album for “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season One.”  This will include all the best musical moments from the first season, featuring all the metal-smashing-percussion and electric-string-quartet you can handle!  The album release date has not yet been...
Read More
Themes of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
Themes of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
03 March 2008
        In honor of tonight’s 2-hour season finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I present a quick look at the major thematic elements that comprise the score.  Sarah’s Theme         This is the most frequently used theme in the series, and not coincidentally, also the longest and most developed.  Most of my themes (both in T:SCC and BG) tend to be...
Read More
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
13 January 2008
      Tonight and tomorrow are the two-night premiere of Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the newest series to showcase my original score.  I’m not going to spoil any plot points here, but just give a quick introduction to the music of the series.         I got involved with Sarah last summer.  I was still deep in the throes of finishing Eureka, and...
Read More
BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
03 August 2007
     Wow! I knew it would take me a while to get back to this blog, but I never thought it would be 5 months! After finishing the intense Bob-Dylan-inspired Galactica season finale, I think I needed a little time off. So here’s what’s new…      I will begin scoring the two-hour straight-to-DVD movie, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, next week. I’m looking...
Read More

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Bear @GoogleTalks
Bear @GoogleTalks
26 March 2010
A few weeks ago, I was honored with an invitation to speak at Google, as part of their @Google Series.  The entire presentation is now available in HD on YouTube, or you can see it right here: For the presentation, Raya Yarbrough interviewed me about my early musical life, career, creative process, influences and turn ons… well, musical turn ons anyway. Like most music...
Read More
New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
05 November 2009
There are some new cool documentaries out there worth pointing out. First up: GameTrailers.com has a Dark Void Character Development Diary: This is a wonderful look at the evolution of the characters in the game, told by the producers and developers themselves.  There’s an interesting comparison between typical blank-canvas videogame archetypes and actual, interesting...
Read More
R.I.P. Sarah Connor
R.I.P. Sarah Connor
18 May 2009
She could escape annihilation from bloodthirsty cyborgs, but apparently not the broadcaster’s axe. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been cancelled. Of course, I’m disappointed, even though the writing has been on the wall for quite some time.  The ratings slipped throughout Season 2, and we didn’t pass the “Friday Night Death Slot”...
Read More
CD Signing This Weekend!
CD Signing This Weekend!
09 December 2008
I’ll be celebrating the release of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles soundtrack in style this weekend with a signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank!  Also available from La La Land Records will be the recently released Eureka and Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back soundtracks.  If you’ve never been there, Dark Delicacies is a blast… a horror-themed...
Read More
Terminator Soundtrack Release Date!
Terminator Soundtrack Release Date!
24 November 2008
It’s finally official!  My soundtrack for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles goes on sale December 2nd!  (Perhaps a perfect holiday gift for any sci fi fans you know??) The behind-the-scenes details of this album held us up for a while, but I’m thrilled to report that the discs are off to the manufacturers and are being prepared for distribution...
Read More
Terminator: SCC - La Llorona
Terminator: SCC - La Llorona
10 November 2008
SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, aptly titled Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today, is a particularly unusual story.  The plot is fractured into multiple accounts of the same narrative from the perspective of each of the major characters, the location was unique and, above all, the story culminates in the death of a principle character,...
Read More
Terminator Picked Up For Full Season!
Terminator Picked Up For Full Season!
18 October 2008
It’s finally official!  FOX has picked up the remainder of season 2 for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, allowing us to complete a full 22-episode season.  Our ratings have been low this fall, so I’m glad that FOX understands how incredibly competitive our time slot is.  I can only assume that impressive downloads and DVD sales must have been a factor.  Read...
Read More
Bruce Broughton Interview: Scoring for Animation
Bruce Broughton Interview: Scoring for Animation
28 September 2008
This entry is the first in what I hope will become a continuing series of interviews with industry professionals.  Rather than comprehensive, career-spanning interviews, I will focus on one project or aspect of a person’s career that relates to an experience of my own.  Loyal readers can enjoy in-depth detail, and I have the chance to learn something professionally valuable. ...
Read More
Terminator:SCC - "Ain't We Famous"
Terminator:SCC - "Ain't We Famous"
15 September 2008
LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD: I don’t know if my brutal schedule will allow for me to write about every episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles this season, but tonight’s Automatic for the People features outstanding pieces I can’t resist sharing.  This week, I wrote lovely score cues for new plot lines and characters, but it was actually the “source”...
Read More
Terminator:SCC - "Samson and Delilah"
Terminator:SCC - "Samson and Delilah"
08 September 2008
Bear and Shirley in the studio, recording vocals for “Samson and Delilah”  “If I had my way… I’d burn this whole building down”  The second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles began with a bang tonight.  As the series composer, I returned to the smashing metal percussion and electric string quartet textures of the Sarah Connor musical soundscape....
Read More
Two New Soundtrack Albums!
Two New Soundtrack Albums!
13 June 2008
Great news!  Warner Bros. and La La Land Records have come together to release my soundtrack album for “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season One.”  This will include all the best musical moments from the first season, featuring all the metal-smashing-percussion and electric-string-quartet you can handle!  The album release date has not yet been...
Read More
Themes of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
Themes of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
03 March 2008
        In honor of tonight’s 2-hour season finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I present a quick look at the major thematic elements that comprise the score.  Sarah’s Theme         This is the most frequently used theme in the series, and not coincidentally, also the longest and most developed.  Most of my themes (both in T:SCC and BG) tend to be...
Read More
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
13 January 2008
      Tonight and tomorrow are the two-night premiere of Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the newest series to showcase my original score.  I’m not going to spoil any plot points here, but just give a quick introduction to the music of the series.         I got involved with Sarah last summer.  I was still deep in the throes of finishing Eureka, and...
Read More
BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
03 August 2007
     Wow! I knew it would take me a while to get back to this blog, but I never thought it would be 5 months! After finishing the intense Bob-Dylan-inspired Galactica season finale, I think I needed a little time off. So here’s what’s new…      I will begin scoring the two-hour straight-to-DVD movie, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, next week. I’m looking...
Read More

The Cape

The Cape Soundtrack CD
The Cape Soundtrack CD
20 September 2011
On September 27th, La La Land Records will release a 2-CD limited edition soundtrack of my fully orchestral score for The Cape.  The first 150 orders through the label’s website will be signed!  The sale begins next Tuesday at 1pm Pacific Standard Time.  The autographed copies will go fast, so check early in the day. A digital release is scheduled for later in the year. This...
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The Cape: Looking Back
The Cape: Looking Back
28 February 2011
In tonight’s blog entry, I look back on the remarkable experiences I had recording my score for “The Cape” each week with world-class musicians.  At our largest orchestra session, for last week’s The Lich Part 2, these musicians surprised me by presenting me with a beautiful award for “outstanding contributions to the art of film scoring”...
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The Cape: The Lich, Part 2
The Cape: The Lich, Part 2
22 February 2011
This week’s episode of “The Cape,” The Lich Part 2, picks up right where last week’s left off.  However, this story feels grander, darker and more epic than last week’s setup episode.  So, I went from the smallest orchestra I’ve ever used on “The Cape” to the largest, as you will see in this week’s video blog: The average...
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The Cape: The Lich, Part 1
The Cape: The Lich, Part 1
14 February 2011
A perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the score to this week’s episode, The Lich Part 1, is the darkest and most horrific I’ve written yet for the series.  Surprisingly, the brooding clusters and searing atmospheres were achieved with the smallest orchestra I’ve ever used on “The Cape:” Instead of our typical 60-piece ensemble, The...
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The Cape: Goggles and Hicks
The Cape: Goggles and Hicks
07 February 2011
This week’s adventure pits The Cape against two oddball assassins named Goggles and Hicks.  The story poses the age-old question: why do assassins always try to kill you on your day off?  I wrote a theme for them featuring the tuba, as you’ll see in this week’s video blog: SPOILERS BEYOND: The majority of this week’s score is built around variations of The Goggles Theme:...
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The Cape: Dice
The Cape: Dice
31 January 2011
This week’s episode of “The Cape” features one of the most exotic orchestral scores I’ve written yet.  I explored new textures and colors with the ensemble and found sounds I’d never created before: dreamy atmospheres, rumbling thunder, shimmering glass and roaring waves.  All of this was accomplished using traditional orchestral instrumentation,...
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The Cape: Scales on a Train
The Cape: Scales on a Train
24 January 2011
When Vinnie Jones’ character Scales was first briefly introduced in the pilot, I accompanied his grand entrance with a rockin’ metal / electronica theme.  With such little screen time I really didn’t have the chance to develop his theme much beyond that.  When I saw the title of Scales on a Train I knew right away I’d be incorporating his theme into...
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The Cape: Kozmo
The Cape: Kozmo
17 January 2011
SPOILERS AHEAD: This week’s episode of “The Cape” introduces the previous owner of the cape, Gregor Molotov.  He did not use the cape for good, however.  He is a criminal and murderer, and has spent the past twenty years in Russian prisons.  From the beginning, I knew he required a villainous musical theme. The Carnival of Crime and Max Malini Themes both...
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The Cape: Pilot / Tarot
The Cape: Pilot / Tarot
09 January 2011
Superhero adventures have been an essential part of my creative life for as long as I can remember.  I grew up consuming Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Justice League, The Tick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men and Watchmen.  Some of the earliest music I ever wrote was inspired by the brassy fanfares of John Williams’ Superman and Danny Elfman’s Batman Themes. I always suspected...
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The Cape Main Title
The Cape Main Title
06 January 2011
Here it is!  I’m thrilled to bring you guys an early listen to my epic main title theme music for “THE CAPE:” (more…)
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Da Vinci’s Demons

Da Vinci's Demons: The Final Season
Da Vinci's Demons: The Final Season
23 October 2015
Tonight, the third and final season of Da Vinci’s Demons begins on STARZ, and all episodes will be available to Starz subscribers to stream from Starz Play and Starz On Demand. I’m excited to announce that my score for the third season is coming soon, to both physical and digital retailers. I am thrilled that fans will finally have the chance to experience this...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Sins of Daedalus
Da Vinci's Demons: The Sins of Daedalus
05 August 2014
This summer has been a whirlwind, with so many exciting events occurring in succession that I can hardly keep track of them all. In the craziness, my final blog entry for Da Vinci’s Demons Season Two was put on the backburner and I let it sizzle there a bit too long. Though the episode aired months ago and a DVD release is likely months away, I’m still going to blog about it,...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Enemies of Man
Da Vinci's Demons: The Enemies of Man
12 June 2014
In the epic penultimate episode of Da Vinci’s Demons Season 2, “The Enemies of Man,” our heroes return to a Florence overrun by the mercenaries of Duke Federico, and struggle valiantly to take back the city. The demands on the score this week were tremendous, because there was so much narrative packed into a single episode – battles, revelations, betrayals, lovers, celebrations...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Fall From Heaven
Da Vinci's Demons: The Fall From Heaven
19 May 2014
“The Fall From Heaven” concludes this season’s Peruvian story arc while setting in motion events that will have major ramifications for the rest of the season and beyond. The episode also presented my final opportunity to incorporate unique South American instrumentation and vocals into my score this season. It’s not as if I ever hold back anyway, but I definitely pulled out...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Vault of Heaven
Da Vinci's Demons: The Vault of Heaven
17 May 2014
“The Vault of Heaven” is the third episode of Da Vinci’s Demons set in Peru, and really turns up the action. The requirements of the score were intense, as I had to follow Da Vinci through various successive traps and increase the suspense with each one. SPOILERS BEYOND: At the beginning of the episode, Ima clearly wants to enter the Vault of Heaven alongside Da Vinci, to recreate...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Rope of The Dead
Da Vinci's Demons: The Rope of The Dead
07 May 2014
Scoring “The Rope of The Dead” presented a welcome opportunity to explore and expand upon the new musical ideas I’d introduced with the last episode, “The Sun and The Moon.” Like “The Ends of The Earth,” this episode presents our primary characters undergoing similar experiences. In this case, each character faces a test and is helped by visions. This narrative twist pushed...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Sun and The Moon
Da Vinci's Demons: The Sun and The Moon
04 May 2014
“The Sun and The Moon” was the most ambitious score I have composed yet for Da Vinci’s Demons. As Da Vinci sets foot on the new world, the score needed to tell us he is in a completely alien environment, meeting a foreign culture. I had a year and a half to mentally prepare, because Da Vinci’s voyage to South America was hinted at as far back as the second episode of...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Ends of the Earth
Da Vinci's Demons: The Ends of the Earth
28 April 2014
In “The Ends of the Earth, ” all our protagonists are on journeys. Da Vinci and Riario travel aboard ships bound for the new world, while Lorenzo and Piero trek undercover to Naples. Lucrezia’s journey is into the past, as we flashback to the tragic events that defined her relationship with Sixtus and Riario. SPOILERS AHEAD: The primary story arc in “The Ends of the Earth”...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Voyage of the Damned
Da Vinci's Demons: The Voyage of the Damned
15 April 2014
In “The Voyage of the Damned,” all our characters embark on the journeys that will define their arcs this season. Da Vinci’s epic journey begins in a bustling fish market in Pisa. To help establish this world, I added the sounds of street musicians playing a traditional song on lutes, “Propignan de Melyor.” Later in the episode, you will hear a small band playing “Schiarazula...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Blood of Brothers
Da Vinci's Demons: The Blood of Brothers
05 April 2014
SPOILERS AHEAD: Narratively speaking, “The Blood of Brothers” is the true first season finale. The story of the Pazzi conspiracy is concluded, and our main characters say goodbye before the start of a long journey that will bring new story. Musically, the score reflects these ideas. Themes pertaining to the Pazzi and Medici families are featured prominently, providing triumph...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Blood of Man
Da Vinci's Demons: The Blood of Man
30 March 2014
Season two of Da Vinci’s Demons has launched on Starz. Hear exclusive score clips from the new season in my new video blog, which also features a conversation with series star Tom Riley! During the first season of Da Vinci’s Demons, I introduced about a dozen character themes, set in a soundscape built from both Renaissance and contemporary instrumentation. Leonardo had...
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Holiday Gift Guide 2013
Holiday Gift Guide 2013
29 November 2013
Happy Holidays, everyone! Hoping to make your holiday shopping a bit easier, I’ve compiled all the records and merch that I’ve put out this year into one blog entry. Any soundtrack geek on your ‘Nice’ list will dig this stuff. And geeks on your ‘Naughty’ list as well!  🙂 T-SHIRTS: I’m thrilled to announce that Sparks & Shadows...
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Da Vinci's Demons - Collector's Edition CD
Da Vinci's Demons - Collector's Edition CD
21 October 2013
I am proud to announce the second physical CD release for Sparks & Shadows: “Da Vinci’s Demons” Original Television Soundtrack, Collector’s Edition. The two-disc limited edition album is available starting TOMORROW, OCTOBER 22, through Amazon.com and other digital retailers. The first 360 orders through La-La Land Records’ website will get...
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I Won An Emmy!
I Won An Emmy!
18 September 2013
I won an Emmy on Sunday night, for my “Da Vinci’s Demons” Main Title Theme. I’m still so overwhelmed by this that I can barely process it. If I didn’t have this winged golden lady sitting on my table right now, I’d hardly believe that it happened at all. At Sunday’s award ceremony, I almost felt like I was watching my speech from an...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Lovers
Da Vinci's Demons: The Lovers
11 June 2013
To celebrate the final first-season episode of “Da Vinci’s Demons,” I sat down with the visionary series creator / director / writer / executive producer David S. Goyer to discuss my music for the show: Scoring a series as thematically layered as “Da Vinci’s Demons” is a daunting task. I have to write dozens of themes. Each must serve the creative needs of the scene at hand,...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Hierophant
Da Vinci's Demons: The Hierophant
31 May 2013
“Da Vinci’s Demons” returns after a week-long hiatus, and what a big week it is. I’m thrilled to say that my original score has been released digitally by Sparks & Shadows!  This marks the first time in my career that a television album has been released while the episodes are still airing. This has always been one of my dreams and I’m very excited that everyone at...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Devil
Da Vinci's Demons: The Devil
19 May 2013
My recent video blogs have detailed how I dove headfirst into the sounds of Renaissance and used period-appropriate instruments and performance practices to evoke the era.  Going one step further, I actually used compositions from the time period in my score. (If Lorenzo de Medici were to travel through time and watch this series, he would recognize his own theme as the one...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Tower
Da Vinci's Demons: The Tower
12 May 2013
During the past four video blogs, I’ve detailed the main themes of my “Da Vinci’s Demons” score and introduced several essential instruments, including the Calder Quartet, choirs, and percussion. At last, my new video blog highlights the soloists and their instruments that give my score its distinctly Renaissance flavor: SPOILERS AHEAD: The first few episodes...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Magician
Da Vinci's Demons: The Magician
04 May 2013
Tonight’s episode of “Da Vinci’s Demons” introduces a new theme, for the titular magician, Cosimo de Medici.  His theme features a variety of new percussion sounds, expanding on the percussion I’ve used thus far for The Turk.  Tonight’s video blog details how percussionist M.B. Gordy and I discovered the right instruments to use for this...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Prisoner
Da Vinci's Demons: The Prisoner
27 April 2013
The third episode of “Da Vinci’s Demons,” called “The Prisoner,” allows the series to explore the Gothic horror genre. The spooky imagery of a damned convent is accompanied by ethereal female vocals that take center stage in the score.  Tonight’s video blog introduces a few of the vocal ensembles you will be hearing during the first season: MAJOR...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Serpent
Da Vinci's Demons: The Serpent
22 April 2013
One of the great joys of scoring “Da Vinci’s Demons” is that it allows me to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians.  This week’s video blog introduces you to four who are essential to my score, The Calder Quartet: SERPENTINE SPOILERS BEYOND: If you missed my blog entry for the first episode of this remarkable series, catch up on it here.  The...
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Da Vinci's Demons: The Hanged Man
Da Vinci's Demons: The Hanged Man
13 April 2013
This month, my sweeping score for “Da Vinci’s Demons” is finally unleashed upon the world, with the premiere of the series on STARZ in the United States, and the international premieres following this week. Dive right in to my epic score with the Main Title track, which is already available as a digital single from iTunes and Amazon, courtesy of my new label Sparks & Shadows....
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Black Sails

Black Sails - Season One Thoughts
Black Sails - Season One Thoughts
17 March 2014
The first season of Black Sails has come to a close and I admit I’ve fallen behind on my weekly blogs keeping up with the twists and turns, both narrative and musical. Here are my final three video blogs for the season, presented in a single blog entry. First up, “Singers of Sails” introduces our pirate choir bellowing out a rowdy rendition of the theme in...
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Black Sails - Piano Man
Black Sails - Piano Man
23 February 2014
When looking for the musical soul of a new project, I frequently turn to unusual instruments. When you listen to Black Sails, one of the sounds that forms the foundation of the score is actually an instrument we are all familiar with: an upright piano. Along with my engineer Steve Kaplan and piano tech Doug Lacy, I put this piano through the paces, as you will see in my fifth Black...
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Black Sails - Hurdy Gurdy
Black Sails - Hurdy Gurdy
16 February 2014
If you’ve been reading my Black Sails blogs, you’ve heard a lot about the hurdy gurdy.  So what, exactly, is this weird instrument and how does it work? Check out my fourth Black Sails video blog and get to know the most important instrument in the score: I never imagined that the hurdy gurdy would become an essential sound for any score, and I had fun exploring the various...
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Black Sails - The Trio
Black Sails - The Trio
10 February 2014
The third episode of Black Sails has aired, and so I’ve posted my third video blog! This one introduces Ira Ingber (guitars, slide guitar), Paul Cartwright (fiddle, mandolin) and Ed Trybek (ethnic guitars), or as I like to call them, The Trio: Episode III introduces a new character, Mrs. Barlow. To underscore her scenes, and the narrative thread she will come to represent,...
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Black Sails - Bodhrán & Bones
Black Sails - Bodhrán & Bones
04 February 2014
The second episode of Black Sails has aired, and I’ve released my second video blog! Allow me to introduce Bruce Carver and Brad Dutz, the percussion duo who bring the sublimely clackity rhythmic intensity to my score, playing Bodhrán & Bones: Percussion tends to be a defining sound for all my scores. But, this particular combination for Black Sails was a creative risk...
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Black Sails - The Sound of Sails
Black Sails - The Sound of Sails
28 January 2014
Today, Sparks & Shadows has released my soundtrack for Black Sails, the ambitious new pirate drama from Starz and Michael Bay that premiered last weekend. To celebrate the release, I have posted my first in a series of eight video blogs chronicling my voyage on this unusual series. This week’s vlog, “The Sound of Sails,” offers a glimpse of the unorthodox recording sessions...
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Comic Con 2013 Schedule
Comic Con 2013 Schedule
15 July 2013
Entertainment Weekly just broke the news that I am the composer for ABC’s highly-anticipated series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for Writer / Director / Executive Producer Joss Whedon. Readers of my blog know that superhero stories and their scores have had a tremendous impact on my life ever since I was a kid. I grew up with “Batman: The...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Saying Goodbye
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Saying Goodbye
19 August 2020
Saying goodbye is always bittersweet. With this week’s broadcast of the series finale of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., my seven-year journey on the show comes to a close. To commemorate this milestone, I produced a video blog that paints what I hope is an emotional picture of what it felt like to be in the room during the weekly orchestra sessions for this beloved show. Back...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Maveth
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Maveth
09 December 2015
Last night, the epic mid-season finale of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. broadcast, featuring shocking narrative twists. The episode concluded with a beautiful extended sequence that clearly required a special piece of music, one I called “Crossing into Darkness.” Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at me conducting the mammoth 90-piece orchestra during...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 3 Begins
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 3 Begins
28 September 2015
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. blasts back to the airwaves tonight! In Season Three, S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to build upon its roster of fascinating characters and satisfying storylines, to be one of the most richly-layered series around. In many ways, the series has reinvented itself this season, pushing the edges of its superheroic and science fiction genre boundaries,...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2 Begins
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2 Begins
24 September 2014
 Tonight, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for a second season, and with it, my orchestral score blasts back into your speakers. I had an incredible experience scoring the first season, because I got to work with insightful producers and brilliant musicians, to create a score that was both retro cool and edgy. If you missed my video blogs last time around, I think “Looking...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Looking Back at Season 1
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Looking Back at Season 1
16 May 2014
The first season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has finally come to a conclusion, wrapping up what has been the most ambitious season of television I have ever been involved in. The sheer scope of this project was daunting: to score 22 episodes in 22 unique orchestral sessions, with orchestras ranging from 55 to 95 players, at the best sound stages in Los Angeles,...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Cellist
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Cellist
23 April 2014
In last night’s new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson must defend his former flame from a super-powered stalker. As we have known for a while, he used to date a cellist. At last we get to meet her and hear her play! In my new video blog, go behind-the-scenes to the recording session where we recorded the virtuosic cello solo for this uniquely musically-themed...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Turn, Turn, Turn
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Turn, Turn, Turn
09 April 2014
(artwork by Mike Del Mundo) Last night’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. directly ties in with the storyline of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, allowing our series to connect with the Marvel cinematic universe more closely than ever before. All the clues and hints that have been dropped throughout our first season pay off as we finally reveal the identity of...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Well
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Well
19 November 2013
While every episode of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has made reference to the Marvel cinematic universe, tonight’s “The Well” is the first to directly pick up directly after the events of one of the theatrical films. In the episode, the team must stop a rogue group of anarchists who have discovered ancient Asgardian artifacts that give their holder...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Hub
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Hub
13 November 2013
Tonight’s episode, “The Hub,” focuses on the battle to destroy the Cylon Resurrection Hub, but also on Laura Roslin, who… wait a minute… wrong series, same name.  🙂 The episode called “The Hub” from “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” dives into the show’s spy-genre roots — Ward and Fitz go behind enemy lines...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - FZZT
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - FZZT
06 November 2013
In this week’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” video blog, we meet a handful of the amazing musicians who play in the orchestra each week. I’ve worked with these players for years, and their sound is an essential part of how I express my ideas. “Super Musicians” is the second in a recurring video blog segment called “Agents of BEAR”… “FZZT,”...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Girl in the Flower Dress
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Girl in the Flower Dress
22 October 2013
Anyone who’s heard my music for “Battlestar Galactica” knows I enjoy writing for ethnic instruments. In this week’s episode of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” our heroes travel to Hong Kong, giving me the perfect opportunity to introduce Chinese instrumentation into my score. I reached out to Jeremy Zuckerman, one of my favorite...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Eye-Spy
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Eye-Spy
14 October 2013
Last week’s video blog focused solely on me and my healthy creative process, so this week’s introduces three members of my production team, without whom my scores would not be possible.  This is the first in a series of recurring segments called “Agents of BEAR.” Tonight’s episode: “The Music Team.” It’s fitting that this week’s video blog introduces my orchestrators and mixing...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Asset
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Asset
08 October 2013
In this week’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” video blog, I reveal my typical routine  scoring an episode of  this series.  If you’ve ever wondered what its like to be a professional composer, I think this video will answer all your questions: SPOILERS AHEAD: In “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Episode 3, called “The Asset,” Coulson and his team must rescue S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Dr. Franklin...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - 0-8-4
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - 0-8-4
01 October 2013
The second episode of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” called “0-8-4-,” follows our heroes to Peru to track down the object of unknown origin hinted at the end of the pilot.  The episode expands our knowledge of some of the main characters and features substantially more action than the pilot, which made the score a unique challenge. It is common for a series to take a few...
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Pilot
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Pilot
24 September 2013
Tonight’s video blog takes us to the first recording session for my symphonic score to “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” The Marvel cinematic universe is one of the most ambitious and successful superhero franchises in the modern era, having leapt off the comic book page and into cinemas with 2008’s “Iron Man” and subsequently changing the cinematic...
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Comic Con 2013 Schedule
Comic Con 2013 Schedule
15 July 2013
Entertainment Weekly just broke the news that I am the composer for ABC’s highly-anticipated series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for Writer / Director / Executive Producer Joss Whedon. Readers of my blog know that superhero stories and their scores have had a tremendous impact on my life ever since I was a kid. I grew up with “Batman: The...
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Defiance

Holiday Gift Guide 2013
Holiday Gift Guide 2013
29 November 2013
Happy Holidays, everyone! Hoping to make your holiday shopping a bit easier, I’ve compiled all the records and merch that I’ve put out this year into one blog entry. Any soundtrack geek on your ‘Nice’ list will dig this stuff. And geeks on your ‘Naughty’ list as well!  🙂 T-SHIRTS: I’m thrilled to announce that Sparks & Shadows...
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Defiance: Soundtrack Album
Defiance: Soundtrack Album
17 June 2013
My second “Defiance” album is available now on iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers!  This record contains songs and score from the SyFy television series, and acts as a companion piece to the videogame album released in April. The “Defiance” television soundtrack is unlike any other record I’ve ever released, because it includes a substantial number of songs in addition...
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Defiance: TV Series
Defiance: TV Series
16 April 2013
“Defiance” is a science fiction epic that sprawls across two mediums: an MMO video game from Trion Worlds that debuted earlier this month (see my previous blog entry), and a series on SyFy that premiered last night. Both the game and the series take place in the same fictional universe: a future Earth that has been invaded and terraformed by a group of alien races...
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Defiance: Video Game Soundtrack Album
Defiance: Video Game Soundtrack Album
03 April 2013
This month brings us the long-awaited rollout of the groundbreaking multimedia science fiction epic “Defiance.”  Developed from the beginning as both a SyFy television series and an immersive videogame from Trion Worlds, “Defiance” marks the first attempt to debut a franchise of this scale in two unique formats. The game and the series take place in a future Earth, terraformed...
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Black Mirror

Black Mirror and Chance
Black Mirror and Chance
23 October 2016
I have two new projects hitting streaming platforms this week, Black Mirror on Netflix and Chance on Hulu. These two projects mark my first foray into streaming series. Before I dive into them, I want to step back and look at the seismic shifts in the television industry that made these series possible. By scoring the 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot, I entered the television...
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Human Target

International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda in July
International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda in July
06 May 2011
The 7th International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda has just announced my participation in their renowned festival, from July 18th to 24th, in Spain. I was nominated for four of the festival’s Goldspirit Awards, including BEST COMPOSER and BEST SCORE.  I am truly honored to be awarded BEST TELEVISION SCORE for my work on “Human Target.” I will take...
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Human Target Soundtrack Album
Human Target Soundtrack Album
18 October 2010
(The Human Target 3 CD set, click image to embiggen!) This week, my “Human Target” soundtrack is finally released!  More than two hours of score are available for download from iTunes, courtesy of WaterTower Music.  La La Land Records has released a limited edition 3 CD deluxe set, featuring 62 tracks totaling nearly 4 hours of music.  In addition to an hour of exclusive...
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First Emmy Nomination!
First Emmy Nomination!
08 July 2010
[media id=23 width=445 height=255] My theme for Human Target has been nominated for Outstanding  Original Main Title Theme Music! Awesome! Its an honor to be on a shortlist with so many wonderful composers.  (See the nominees.) There was some debate within the Academy earlier this year to eliminate this category altogether, so I’m also pleased that it still exists at...
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Human Target: Christopher Chance
Human Target: Christopher Chance
14 April 2010
Tonight’s episode of “Human Target,” Christopher Chance, is the season finale.  It answers many questions that have arisen throughout the series, and asks new ones as well.  The episode is the culmination of my thematic approach to the series.  Characters we see for the first time, such as Katherine and the Old Boss,  already have their own firmly established...
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Human Target: Trumpet Soloist Revealed!
Human Target: Trumpet Soloist Revealed!
13 April 2010
The shocking truth is finally revealed!  See who is really playing the trumpet solos for “Human Target:” The final “Human Target” episode and blog entry of Season 1 are coming tomorrow night.  Stay tuned! -Bear
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Human Target: Victoria
Human Target: Victoria
07 April 2010
SPOILERS BEYOND: This week’s episode of “Human Target,” Victoria, chronicles Chance as he protects a princess from an assassination attempt by her jealous husband. The episode opens as Chance flies into New York city by helicopter and gets in a limo taking him to the British embassy. Inspired by the grand-scale cinematography, I wrote an opening cue that could...
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Human Target: Tanarak
Human Target: Tanarak
31 March 2010
SPOILER WARNING: Tonight’s episode of “Human Target,” Tanarak, chronicles Chance’s adventures on a small mining island in northern Canada.  A doctor named Jessica Shaw (a distant cousin of Kendra Shaw perhaps?) is the target of an assassination attempt because she knows the corporation is storing deadly toxic chemicals in the mines.  Relatively light...
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Bear @GoogleTalks
Bear @GoogleTalks
26 March 2010
A few weeks ago, I was honored with an invitation to speak at Google, as part of their @Google Series.  The entire presentation is now available in HD on YouTube, or you can see it right here: For the presentation, Raya Yarbrough interviewed me about my early musical life, career, creative process, influences and turn ons… well, musical turn ons anyway. Like most music...
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Human Target: Corner Man
Human Target: Corner Man
24 March 2010
SPOILERS GALORE: In tonight’s “Human Target,” Corner Man, Chance travels to Brussels to compete in an underground fight club.  Relatively light on mythology and backstory (compared to last week’s densely layered Baptiste), this score focuses on the intriguing Eva Kahn (“Galactica” vet Grace Park) and the brutality of the combat sequences. Like...
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Human Target: Baptiste
Human Target: Baptiste
17 March 2010
SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s “Human Target” is what I like to refer to as a “Mythology Episode,” because it expands beyond the adventure of the week to the larger story of Chance’s past.  This narrative arc has been woven throughout the entire series, but generally limited to passing lines of dialog.  Until now, no episode has dedicated more screen time to the broader plot...
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Human Target: Salvage and Reclamation
Human Target: Salvage and Reclamation
10 March 2010
SPOILERS BEYOND: The most recent episode of “Human Target,” Lockdown, allowed me to expand my compositional technique.  I made a conscious effort to write music with more layers and activity, that made better use of the diverse instruments within the orchestra.  The resultant score was more dynamic, effective and genuinely orchestral.  For Salvage and Reclamation,...
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Human Target: Lockdown
Human Target: Lockdown
18 February 2010
SPOILERS AHEAD: Lockdown was the most challenging episode of “Human Target” yet. Like most, it has enough action scenes to be its own little feature film. However, I also stretched myself creatively and found new ways of approaching composition and orchestration, refining general musical philosophies and techniques that proved incredibly effective.  In fact, this...
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Human Target: Run
Human Target: Run
11 February 2010
SPOILERS RUNNING AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of “Human Target,” Run, pits Chance against corrupt cops out to get a DA who would expose them.  The score introduces a new theme and provides several epic action and dramatic cues. Every episode’s opening title card features a unique orchestration of the Chance Theme.  After last week’s exotic boys choir...
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Human Target: Sanctuary
Human Target: Sanctuary
04 February 2010
SPOILERS AHEAD: The gentle refrains of a boys choir float down, as if from a celestial balcony, as we are transported to a monastery in the mountains. The opening ten seconds of Sanctuary promise something special, and the rest of the episode does not disappoint. Here, the mythology behind the main characters is explored further and the score bursts across the episode with...
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Human Target: Embassy Row
Human Target: Embassy Row
26 January 2010
This entry presents my first official VIDEO BLOG: SPOILERS AHEAD: Embassy Row shows Chance’s search for a spy who killed his former colleague Danny.  In the process, he fights henchmen, rouge double agents, jumps a motorcycle over armed guards and joins forces with a sexy government agent.  All in a day’s work for Christopher Chance! (more…)
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Human Target: Rewind
Human Target: Rewind
20 January 2010
SPOILERS AHEAD: Human Target‘s second episode airs tonight, now in its regular Wednesday timeslot.  Rewind takes Chance from a speeding train to a crashing jet, and also allows Chi McBride’s Winston to get involved in the action.  The pilot was scored with a pretty large orchestra, and surprisingly, Rewind was recorded with an even bigger ensemble.  As a result,...
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Human Target: Pilot
Human Target: Pilot
17 January 2010
[media id=23 width=445 height=255] Tonight the series Human Target premieres on FOX, featuring my original score and Main Title Theme.  This score is arguably the most ambitious, audacious and shamelessly romantic of my career to date.  Unlike anything I’ve done in the past (and 99.9% of everything on television), it is recorded every week with a full orchestra of live musicians. ...
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January Premieres: Human Target, Dark Void & Caprica
January Premieres: Human Target, Dark Void & Caprica
11 January 2010
Next week is a good time to be a fan of big, kick-ass orchestral Bear McCreary scores, because I have (count’em) three new scores premiering in a single week, each recorded with a full orchestra!  And all three projects have sweeping character themes woven into the music, featuring some of the best melodies I’ve ever written in my life. First up… SUNDAY JAN....
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Human Target Screens Today
Human Target Screens Today
25 July 2009
The cat’s out of the bag:  I am scoring FOX’s comic book action series HUMAN TARGET.  I’ve already completed music for the pilot, with a full orchestra recorded at the Warner Bros. Scoring Stage.  The score is epic, bombastic and, above all, tons of fun (I’ll put up audio clips in the coming weeks).  I think that any soundtrack, BSG or general Bear fans...
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Eureka

"A Very Eureka Christmas" Album & Holiday Goodies!
"A Very Eureka Christmas" Album & Holiday Goodies!
20 November 2012
Looking for a way to get in the holiday spirit this year?  Here’s some music to throw in your digital stockings!  First up, a soundtrack album for fans who’ve been especially good this year… I’m excited to partner with Back Lot Music for the digital release of “A Very Eureka Christmas.” This album contains my original scores to the two “Eureka” holiday...
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Eureka: Just Another Day
Eureka: Just Another Day
17 July 2012
Tonight marks the end of a big chapter in my career – the series finale of “Eureka.” “Eureka” was a genre-bending series, held together by a uniquely charming combination of comedy, emotion, tension and deeply involving characters. A smartly written piece of speculative fiction, it boasted storylines grounded in scientific reality, but never allowed the science to bog down...
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Eureka: Do You See What I See?
Eureka: Do You See What I See?
07 December 2011
It’s time once again to get in the holiday spirit with a new “Eureka” holiday special! Everyone involved with this episode knew it would be difficult to top last year’s O Little Town (a processs I chronicled in a previous entry), but I believe we managed to take this series, and perhaps holiday specials in general, to a whole new level of ass-kickery...
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Eureka: O Little Town...
Eureka: O Little Town...
07 December 2010
Just in time to get us in the holiday spirit, a very special episode of “EUReKA” premieres tonight. O Little Town… is a holiday special in the grand tradition of television Christmas specials (ok, not the STAR WARS one!) and provided many incredible musical opportunities for both songs and score, original music and adaptations of seasonal classics.  However,...
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New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
New Docs: Dark Void, T:TSCC & Eureka
05 November 2009
There are some new cool documentaries out there worth pointing out. First up: GameTrailers.com has a Dark Void Character Development Diary: This is a wonderful look at the evolution of the characters in the game, told by the producers and developers themselves.  There’s an interesting comparison between typical blank-canvas videogame archetypes and actual, interesting...
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My "Eureka" Soundtrack Is Finally Out!
My "Eureka" Soundtrack Is Finally Out!
25 August 2008
My soundtrack CD for Sci Fi Channel’s Eureka ships today!  After a long wait, it is finally available from La La Land Records, the label that also released my Battlestar Galactica albums. Whether or not you’ve seen Eureka, this CD is worth checking out.  The music is a totally unique and twisted blend of folk, blues and zydeco with 80s New Wave synths, 8-bit and...
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Two New Soundtrack Albums!
Two New Soundtrack Albums!
13 June 2008
Great news!  Warner Bros. and La La Land Records have come together to release my soundtrack album for “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season One.”  This will include all the best musical moments from the first season, featuring all the metal-smashing-percussion and electric-string-quartet you can handle!  The album release date has not yet been...
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BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
BG3 / WT2 Album Updates
03 August 2007
     Wow! I knew it would take me a while to get back to this blog, but I never thought it would be 5 months! After finishing the intense Bob-Dylan-inspired Galactica season finale, I think I needed a little time off. So here’s what’s new…      I will begin scoring the two-hour straight-to-DVD movie, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, next week. I’m looking...
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