Tom Holkenborg (Composer: Army Of The Dead | Justice League)

Tom Holkenborg has proved his versatility across many genres, and his most recent projects showcase his abilities to craft narratives from big action set pieces down to nuanced emotional character arcs. While Tom has been a guest on Film.Music.Media in the past, this is our first All Access and we take the time to dive into Army Of The Dead, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Godzilla vs. Kong.

Tom takes us through his thoughts and emotions when he finally learned that Zack would be returning to finish his vision of Justice League. Tom tossed out all his initial work and started fresh for Justice League, and he takes us through how exactly he mapped out and structured his approach in tackling this 4-hour epic.

Tom also discusses working with Zack Snyder again for Army Of The Dead and how the film and score may play with expectations and provide some fun surprises for the action-horror zombie heist flick.

We also touch on Godzilla vs. Kong and how Tom’s love for the entirety of the Godzilla franchise helped him shape his own take on the two titular screen monsters. We discuss the trick to scoring massive action fights, creating momentum through music, and how he approached each of them thematically to give unique musical identities.

Tom also discusses where he sees himself currently in his career, and how his curiosity and thirst for knowledge has become almost an addiction that keeps him busy outside of his music career. Tom shares about learning new languages, perfecting a cup of coffee, and working on his culinary skills among many other things that help keep him craving to learn new things. We also chat about how his popular Studio Time series got started, and why he dedicates tons of time to providing knowledge for free to those who are interested.

Tom’s passion for music, instruments, and gear shine through his warm personality. He’s one of the most creative minds in the industry, and it’s always an honor to have him sit down and share some stories and insight.