Thomas and Julia Newman: Emmy-Nominated Composers Continue Family Dynasty

Emmy Nomination for "Monsters: The Menendez Story"

• 🏆 Thomas Newman and his daughter, Julia Newman, have received an Emmy nomination for their collaborative score on Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."
• 📞 Julia described receiving the nomination news via text while Thomas, who had a feeling she'd text him, was at the gym.

A Legacy of Musical Talent

• 👨‍👧 The Newman family boasts a long lineage of composers, with Alfred Newman (Thomas's father) beginning his career in the 1930s.
• 🎶 Alfred Newman worked with legendary composers like Jerome Kern and George Gershwin before moving to Hollywood.

Julia Newman's Path to Composition

• 🎬 Julia Newman did not initially plan to enter the family business but started with short films to test her instincts and talent.
• 🎓 She attended USC's film program, which she described as a "trial by fire," leading her to seize opportunities in the industry.

Collaborative Creative Process

• 🤝 Thomas and Julia describe their collaboration on the series score as a "pretty cool" back-and-forth, working both together and separately.
• ⚖️ They aimed to be respectful of real-life events, focusing on the drama and perception of events rather than making musically insulting statements.
• 💡 Julia is noted for her tremendous creative spark and sense of harmony, surprising Thomas with her contributions.

The Art of Film Scoring

• 🎶 The process of scoring is not always tidy; composers explore the meaning of psychological horror and how music can evoke specific feelings.
• 🖼️ They measure how music makes them feel when paired with visuals, drawing connections between the relationship of music and drama.
• ✅ A specific musical piece, initially an offhand idea from Julia, was recognized by Thomas as a strong concept and ultimately used effectively in the series.