Tim Greiving

The composer passed away a little over a year ago. Two final works, a film score for The Magnificent Seven and a horn concerto, prove that his emotional approach to storytelling endures.

British composer John Powell swore off working on action movies for years, unsettled by their violence. The latest in the Bourneseries, for which he's scored every film, marks his return.

When tapped to write the score for the Ghostbusters reboot, composer Theodore Shapiro knew the trick to getting laughs: a soundtrack of serious music.

When a film starts, "you have anywhere from two to 10 seconds to get the audience's attention," score writer Bear McCreary says. He gained this and other advice from his mentor, whom he met by chance.

Burwell has scored 16 movies for the Coens, but his work on Hail, Caesar! — as well as Todd Haynes' Carol, for which he's nominated for an Oscar — presented a few brand-new challenges.

Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's last film, Birdman, sparked Oscar controversy with its spare music. The Revenant features a swirl of sounds, anchored by the work of Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Writing music for The Good Dinosaur was a seven-month journey for brothers Mychael and Jeff Danna, not all of it glamorous.

Four different composers have scored the Mission: Impossible stories on the big screen. All have had to contend with the iconic music Lalo Schifrin wrote for the TV series.

If you see blockbuster films this summer, chances are you'll hear Oscar winner Michael Giacchino's music. Soon, he'll help audiences return to the island of resurrected dinosaurs in Jurassic World.

The show's distinctive score is the work of Jeff Beal, who ushers viewers into its clandestine, manipulative and sometimes violent world by breaking a few musical rules.