Terms of Art: Film Composer Lingo with Carter Burwell

Even if you don’t know Carter Burwell‘s name, you probably love his music. He’s scored nearly all of the Coen Brothers’ films, and has worked with Martin McDonagh, Todd Haynes, Charlie Kaufman, and Spike Jonze. As part of our Terms of Art series, Burwellwalked Kurt through some of his favorite lingo from the film music world: how “temp music”threatens to makeall film scores to sound the same, how “ironic scoring” allows him to bring something new to a finished picture, and how he knows right from the initial “spotting” session if he’ll be compatible with a director’s style.