Chris Field (composer)

Chris Field is a Los Angeles-based composer, songwriter, producer and musician. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley, and played guitar in Los Angeles for groups among multiple genres including electric guitar, jazz, and rock music. He learned how to compose music by inputting compositions from Ludwig van Beethoven and Sergei Prokofiev into his computer. Through his music associates, he became acquainted with two friends who started X-Ray Dog, and he began to contribute musical compositions to this company. Field also works with Extreme Music, and through them, Field's music has been placed in numerous television shows. In December 2014, a part of Field's catalogue was acquired by BMG Chrysalis, with whom he continues to work, on major film and television campaigns.

Chris Field
Field in 2013
Born
United States
OccupationSinger/songwriter, composer, and musician
Known forTheatrical trailers; Album Producer
Spouse(s)Katie O'Brien Field
Websitewww.chrisfieldmusic.com

Field's music has appeared in the films, "Elle", "Tropic Thunder", "Dumb and Dumber To", as well as countless television shows. Field's work as a musical composer for movie theatrical trailers has included Valerian, X-Men, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, XXX, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Hotel Rwanda, Kinsey, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. His first contribution to a film trailer was for The Full Monty.

Field is the composer of "Gothic Power", which developed an international cult following. "Gothic Power" was the main theme for the trailer for The Lord of the Rings film series; this was later used as a trailer for a film within a film in a sequence for Ben Stiller's movie Tropic Thunder. The piece was internationally published by X-Ray Dog.

Field became recognized for having started a new direction in cinematic music. In 2014, Field's composition "Acts of Courage" was released on the album, This Is Epic Music, Volume I, through Imperativa Records, via iTunes and on CD. The album notes state that the piece "Gothic Power", written by Field in 1999, started a new direction in cinematic music that came to be identified as epic music. Through this album, by Imperativa Records, Field's trailer compositions became available for sale to the public for the first time. Field's catalogue of film trailer music has since become available for sale to the public on iTunes through X-Ray Dog.

Albums

Field released his second album "Personal Elegy", a rock album, in 2015. This album is classic rock, vintage rock, and retro seventies. The original music and lyrics are presented in a retrospective of classic rock styles, in high audio fidelity. The title track is in remembrance of actor Heath Ledger. This album is not available to the public but is for license only.

Field co-produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the jazz album "Distance Traveled", in 2014, for David Becker Tribune. This album is available for sale in digital format on iTunes, cdbaby, and Amazon.

Field's trailer composition, "Acts of Courage" was made available to the public, for sale for the first time on the album "This Is Epic Music, Volume I", through Imperativa Records, in 2014. Prior to that time, Field's trailer compositions were never made available for sale. Since that time, X-Ray Dog has released its catalogue of Field's music to the public for sale. In 2017, the pieces "Act of Courage" and "The Vision", respectively, reached the number 1 and number 9 positions for top sales in the X-Ray Dog catalogue on iTunes.

Field released his debut album, "Sub-Conscious" in 2006; it was made available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon.com, and for retail sale. It received a positive reception, and his song "Floating" from the album reached spot number eight in the New Age genre for iTunes in Luxembourg on July 7, 2011. Sub-Conscious was awarded Best Neo-Classical Album, 2006, by New Age Reporter.

Early life and family

Field was raised in the San Fernando Valley.[1] He played guitar in Los Angeles for a period of time as a young man.[1] He contributed to productions including electric guitar, jazz, and rock music.[1] He acquired his first computer about 1998, wherein he began to learn musical composition and production.[2] He experimented by taking compositions from Ludwig van Beethoven and Sergei Prokofiev, and inputting them electronically into his computer.[1] He noted in a 2006 interview that his wife Katie O'Brien Field helped with promotion of his music.[2]

Career

Film trailers

He met associate Mitch Lijewski through his guitar playing, and was introduced to Tim Stithem.[3] Lijewski and Stithem started X-Ray Dog and he started contributing musical composition through work with this firm.[1][3] Field has worked as a composer for theatrical trailers for films.[2] His trailer musical composition work has included films such as X-Men, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, XXX, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Hotel Rwanda, Kinsey, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.[1][2]

His first musical composition for a movie trailer was for the film The Full Monty; he worked on this piece with friend Mark Griskey who was a fellow composer at X-Ray Dog.[3] Field explained his thought process on the film trailer: "A trailer, is like a one-minute or whatever, mini movie that's got to have its own feeling and form to it — trailer music is very intense and gets right to the point. It sounds simple, but it's taken me some years to really figure out. I call it 'rock and roll orchestra' because it's got orchestral elements and, sometimes, a choir, but it also has a lot of rock elements like the drive, the drums and the way it just builds and builds."[1]

His musical composition piece "Gothic Power" was used in trailers for The Lord of the Rings film series.[3] The debut of the first trailer in theaters was quite popular with fans.[4] Subsequently, the piece was utilized by Ben Stiller in a fictional movie trailer for a film within a film in Tropic Thunder.[3] He composed a piece called "The Vision" which incorporated string music; it was utilized for the end of the trailer for the 2007 film Atonement.[3] Although uncredited on the film, Field's composition, "The Journey" is the music for the end credits of the movie The Secret.

Solo artist

Field released his second album, Personal Elegy, in 2015. This album is classic rock, vintage rock, and retro seventies. It is original music and lyrics, presented as a retrospective of classic rock styles, in high fidelity, recorded in Van Nuys, California. The title track is in remembrance of actor Heath Ledger. The track "Movin'", about being tired of being in the same scene, and needing a change, has been licensed for a number of major television shows and has become a fan favorite. The track "Start Again" has gained recognition on digital and broadcast radio.

Field released his debut album, Sub-Conscious, in 2006.[5][6] It featured orchestral music from the Northwest Sinfonia.[2] He created the album as a way to branch out from theatrical trailer composition into work as a solo artist.[2] Field utilizes Logic Pro and MIDI for his musical composition; after this process he delivers these files along with an MP3 to the individual in charge of orchestration, who uses Finale software to convert this to musical notation.[2] The album was made available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon.com, and for retail sale].[2]

The album received a positive review from Jamie Bonk of ZoneMusicReporter.com, who commented: "As far as debut albums are concerned, composer/producer/multi- instrumentalist Chris Field's Sub-Conscious is an outstanding record: great compositions and arrangements, first-rate performances and most importantly a defined point of view.".[2]

Sub-Conscious has since become a top seller and editor's pick in two categories on the cdbaby platform, with citations on the site as top seller editor's pick in both the Ambient and Neo-Classical genres at https://store.cdbaby.com/Picks/240 for Ambient and https://store.cdbaby.com/Picks/586 for Neo-Classical.

Discography
Track listing

All music is composed by Chris Field.

Sub-Conscious
No.TitleLength
1."Floating"3:33
2."Ave Maria"5:34
3."Five"6:07
4."Days"4:33
5."D&A"5:48
6."Blue"14:08
7."Mother"4:22
8."Sub-Conscious"5:29
Total length:49:34

Filmography

The following is a complete list of music Field has composed.[7]

Film
Year Film Role Director Studio
1997 The Full Monty Composer: Theatrical trailer Peter Cattaneo 20th Century Fox
1999 Pokémon: The Movie 2000 Composer: Theatrical trailer Kunihiko Yuyama Warner Bros.
2000 The Legend of Bagger Vance Composer: Theatrical trailer Robert Redford DreamWorks Pictures
2000 Meet the Parents Composer: Theatrical trailer Jay Roach Universal Pictures
2000 The Replacements Composer: Theatrical trailer Howard Deutch Warner Bros.
2000 X-Men Composer: Theatrical trailer Bryan Singer 20th Century Fox
2000 The Whole Nine Yards Composer: Theatrical trailer Jonathan Lynn Warner Bros. Pictures
2001 Black Hawk Down Composer: Theatrical trailer Ridley Scott Columbia Pictures
2001 Enemy at the Gates Composer: Theatrical trailer Jean-Jacques Annaud Paramount Pictures
2001 Gosford Park Composer: Theatrical trailer Robert Altman USA Films
2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Composer: Theatrical trailer Chris Columbus Warner Bros. Pictures
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Composer: Theatrical trailer Peter Jackson New Line Cinema
2001 Pokémon 4Ever Composer: Theatrical trailer Kunihiko Yuyama Miramax Films
2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Composer: Theatrical trailer Jay Roach New Line Cinema
2002 Gangs of New York Composer: Theatrical trailer Martin Scorsese Miramax Films
2002 The Hours Composer: Theatrical trailer Stephen Daldry Miramax Films
2002 K-19: The Widowmaker Composer: Theatrical trailer Kathryn Bigelow Paramount Pictures
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Composer: Theatrical trailer Peter Jackson New Line Cinema
2002 The Magdalene Sisters Composer: Theatrical trailer Peter Mullan Miramax Films
2002 Pokémon Heroes Composer: Theatrical trailer Kunihiko Yuyama Miramax Films
2002 Red Dragon Composer: Theatrical trailer Brett Ratner Universal Pictures
2002 Road to Perdition Composer: Theatrical trailer Sam Mendes DreamWorks Pictures
2002 XXX Composer: Theatrical trailer Rob Cohen Columbia Pictures
2003 Agent Cody Banks Composer: Theatrical trailer Harald Zwart Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
2003 Cold Mountain Composer: Theatrical trailer Anthony Minghella Miramax Films
2003 Daredevil Composer: Theatrical trailer Mark Steven Johnson 20th Century Fox
2003 Elf Composer: Theatrical trailer Jon Favreau New Line Cinema
2003 House of 1000 Corpses Composer: Theatrical trailer Rob Zombie Lions Gate Films
2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Composer: Theatrical trailer Peter Weir 20th Century Fox
2003 Old School Composer: Theatrical trailer Todd Phillips DreamWorks Pictures
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Composer: Theatrical trailer Gore Verbinski Walt Disney Pictures
2003 Seabiscuit Composer: Theatrical trailer Gary Ross Universal Studios
2003 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Composer: Theatrical trailer Jonathan Mostow Sony Pictures
2004 The Aviator Composer: Theatrical trailer Martin Scorsese Miramax Films
2004 Hellboy Composer: Theatrical trailer Guillermo del Toro Columbia TriStar
2004 Hotel Rwanda Composer: Theatrical trailer Terry George Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
2004 Kinsey Composer: Theatrical trailer Bill Condon Fox Searchlight Pictures
2005 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Composer: Theatrical trailer Nick Park and Steve Box DreamWorks
2005 War of the Worlds Composer: Theatrical trailer Steven Spielberg Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks
2006 Night at the Museum Composer: Theatrical trailer Shawn Levy 20th Century Fox
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Composer: Theatrical trailer Gore Verbinski Walt Disney Pictures
2007 Atonement Composer: Theatrical trailer Joe Wright Focus Features
2007 Beowulf Composer: Theatrical trailer Robert Zemeckis Paramount Pictures
2007 Into the Wild Composer: Theatrical trailer Sean Penn Paramount Vantage
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Composer: Theatrical trailer Gore Verbinski Walt Disney Pictures
2008 Changeling Composer: Theatrical trailer Clint Eastwood Universal Pictures
2008 The Duchess Composer: Theatrical trailer Saul Dibb Paramount Vantage
2008 Ghost Town Composer: Theatrical trailer David Koepp Paramount Pictures
2008 Quarantine Composer: Theatrical trailer John Erick Dowdle Columbia TriStar
2008 Stop-Loss Composer: Theatrical trailer Kimberly Peirce Paramount Pictures
2008 Valkyrie Composer: Theatrical trailer Bryan Singer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
2008 WALL-E Composer: Theatrical trailer Andrew Stanton Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Composer: Theatrical trailer Terry Gilliam Lions Gate
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Composer: Commercial preview, Super Bowl XLIII Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman Paramount Pictures
2010 Alice in Wonderland Composer: Theatrical trailer Tim Burton Walt Disney Pictures
2010 Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang Composer: Theatrical trailer Susanna White Universal Pictures
2010 Yogi Bear Composer: Theatrical trailer Eric Brevig Warner Bros.
2011 Cowboys & Aliens Composer: Theatrical trailer Jon Favreau Universal Pictures
2011 Immortals Composer: Theatrical trailer Tarsem Singh Relativity Media
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Composer: Theatrical trailer Bill Condon Summit Entertainment
2012 Men in Black 3 Composer: Theatrical trailer Barry Sonnenfeld Columbia Pictures
2012 Parental Guidance Composer: Theatrical trailer Andy Fickman 20th Century Fox
2013 Jack the Giant Killer Composer: Theatrical trailer Bryan Singer New Line Cinema
2013 This Is The End Composer: Theatrical trailer Evan Goldberg Columbia Tristar
2013 Romeo and Juliet Composer: Theatrical trailer Carlo Carlei Relativity Media
2013 Monsters University Composer: Theatrical trailer Dan Scanlon Buena Vista Pictures
2014 Monuments Men Composer: Theatrical trailer George Clooney Columbia Tristar
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Composer: Theatrical trailer James Gunn Buena Vista Pictures
2014 E-Team Composer: Theatrical trailer Katy Chevigny/Ross Kauffman Netflix
2015-present BMG/X-Ray Dog Composer: Theatrical/Television trailers International/Domestic Various

Video games
Year Game Role Developer Company
2004 Ultima X: Odyssey Composer, orchestral score Origin Systems Electronic Arts
2010 Lord of Ultima Composer EA Phenomic Electronic Arts
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See also

References
  1. Steinblatt, Jim (Summer 2006). "Picture This – Chris Field". Playback Magazine. ASCAP: The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. Bonk, Jamie (July 2006). "A Conversation With Chris Field". ZoneMusicReporter.com. Core Solutions, LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  3. Vilaghy, Gergely (August 7, 2009). "Interview with Chris Field". Trailer Music News. www.trailermusicnews.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  4. Hamm, Jennifer (January 13, 2001). "'Rings' vs. Rain – Frodo Fans Rally for Movie Trailer". Los Angeles Daily News. Los Angeles: MediaNews Group. p. 6. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  5. Sub-Conscious at AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  6. Field, Chris (March 14, 2006). Sub-Conscious. Tosca Road Inc.
  7. Field, Chris (2013). "Film Credits". Chris Field Music. www.chrisfieldmusic.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.

Further reading
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