Composer Interview: Joel P West (August 9, 2017)

Joel P West found an unconventional path to becoming a film composer. He burst onto the scene with his emotionally nuanced score to Short Term 12 with director Destin Daniel Cretton in 2013 while the both of them were kickstarting their careers. Fast forward 4 years later and we're honored to have Joel back on Film.Music.Media as a guest. We revisit his path to becoming a composer, a career that found him vs the other way around. Joel talks about learning different techniques and approaches with the films he's scored since the last time we talked. We dive into The Glass Castle and how he worked with director Destin Daniel Cretton to get the music to a place that emotionally supported the narrative without doing too much. Joel P West's unique voice as a storyteller comes from a background you wouldn't normally associate with a film composer, but he's proven his abilities time and again. It was a great and special experience to catch up with Joel since we interviewed him at the start of his career, and now get to explore how he's grown as a composer.

Interview Conducted By: Kaya Savas

Special Thanks: Joel P West Chandler Poling Adrianna Perez White Bear PR