There were few films as polarizing to audiences and critics this year as Nicolas Winding Refn’s “The Neon Demon.” However, this writer was still haunted by the visual and musical wonder for weeks after first seeing it at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. As awards season heats up Amazon Studios smartly wants to give one man responsible for that experience, composer Cliff Martinez, his due.
Martinez film scores are less prolific than some of his contemporaries, but its remarkable that the man behind the music of “Traffic,” “Solaris” and Refn’s own “Drive” hasn’t earned an Original Score nomination yet. Especially since genre pushing peers such as Jóhann Jóhannsson, Steven Price and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have recently found themselves in the Oscar spotlight. This year’s race appears wide open though and ‘Neon Demon’ may turn out to be an unexpected breakthrough for Martinez.
READ MORE: Oscar Winners Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross Scoring Peter Berg’s ‘Patriots Day’
Amazon Studios has provided The Playlist with an exclusive featurette that finds both Refn and Martinez discussing the music behind the movie. Refn dives into the “end of disco” dance influences while Martinez notes his director kept “moving the music into the foreground,” something he was always taught not to do when scoring a movie. It’s a great reminder of just how integral Martinez’s work was to the film and that if you haven’t downloaded the official soundtrack already you probably should.*
*A soundtrack that features Sia’s stunning “Waving Goodbye” that in a perfect world would be a Best Original Song nominee, but faces an uphill battle competing against Sia’s other contender “Try Everything” from “Zootopia.” Oh, and also is featured over the closing credits which never helps either.
Academy and guild members should also pay attention to the Cinematography, Production Design, Makeup and Hair, Costumes and Sound of ‘Neon Demon.’ They deserve real attention.
As you ponder those possibilities, check out the exclusive video below.
Gregory Ellwood’s Current Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture
Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing – Coming Soon
Cinematography – Coming Soon
Animated Feature Film – Coming Soon
Foreign Language Film – Coming Soon
Documentary Feature – Coming Soon
Original Score – Coming Soon
Original Song – Coming Soon
Costumes – Coming Soon
Makeup and Hairstyling – Coming Soon
Visual Effects – Coming Soon
Sound Mixing – Coming Soon
Sound Editing – Coming Soon
For more Oscar and industry insight follow Gregory Ellwood on Twitter @TheGregoryE.