Composer
Website: jscottfriedman.com
Most recent: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
Jonathan Scott Friedman’s musical voice as a composer developed primarily from two early influences: obligatory childhood piano lessons that introduced him to the classical world of Beethoven and Chopin, and an older brother’s collection of ’90s hip-hop tapes. He graduated from NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and went on to compose music for films including 2015’s French Dirty and more recently, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, a remake of the 1991 dark comedy.
“I love the challenge of something new or that I wouldn’t have expected, which is not necessarily the stuff I like to watch. Part of the fun of being a composer is similar to being an actor in that you have to spend time immersing yourself in some kind of environment and new mindset. That’s fun,” Friedman says. “And I think it’s key to get involved in the creative trenches as early as possible. If I can help filmmakers avoid using a temp score, that’s my goal.”
Like many film composers, he’s had a long-term creative partnership with one director, working with Wade Allain-Marcus for 20 years. The benefit in that is being able to take risks as a composer that he wouldn’t in a new partnership. “I can try things and know [Allain-Marcus] won’t judge me or get me fired,” he says. “Through that process, we can hone the film’s vision and musical direction together and establish a creative shorthand when you work with someone over the course of decades.”
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is available for streaming.
“There’s so much talent out there, it’s tempting to want to be like other people and even get discouraged by how good someone is. But there’s room [for you],” Friedman advises aspiring composers. “The key is to keep figuring out and refining that thing you think you’re uniquely good at."
