As a film composer, Andy Grush '00 doesn't find many opportunities to stretch out. Like many of his peers, Grush tends to pen a lot of pieces that can be counted in seconds, not minutes. But recently Grush and his writing partner Taylor Newton Stewart, collectively known as the Newton Brothers, created a six-minute composition that was set to play an important role at the end of new film Doctor Sleep, a big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel, out this month.
We loved it, [director] Mike Flanagan loved it, the producers loved it, the studio loved it, Grush said from Los Angeles. Then two days before the final print of the film, Mike said, What happens if we mute that music? You guys are going to murder me, but let's try it.' And so we tried it, and it did something good for the film.
Grush thought the piece of music was perfect, and he knew it wasn't perfect for the film. This hard-fought slice of wisdom has helped the composer understand his job in creating a film score.
We are not making an album; if we want to write an album we need to do that, he said. It's important to be collaborative and know [that] when you need to pivot with the director, you can.
It can be a little harder to score something funny or romantic. [With] horror you have a lot of room. I really like ballads, whether they come from a band or in classical music, so I feel at home in horror. Setting a mood is so important and music is always a key element in doing that.
-Andy Grush '00
Over the past decade, the Newton Brothers have become an in-demand team, scoring feature films and television series for USA, Hulu, and Netflix. But Grush almost missed his chance at Hollywood success. As a teenager, he spent hours playing music (he was a self-described classical nerd). But somehow, in the late 90s, he found himself in a finance job he didn't love and slipping into his mid-20s. For fun, he scored student films, not taking it too seriously. Then a friend and fellow composer, seeing Grush's skills, told him he needed to quit the office life and get serious about music.
I was 25 or 26 and applying to Berklee with all these people, young students, who were really talented, he said. I had some experience, but I had so much to learn. I needed to take a deep dive into the technology and everything else the school had to offer.
Study Film Scoring at Berklee
Learn the art, craft, and tools of scoring for a variety of media, with Berklees Film Scoring Department. Oddly enough, Grush's first credit came writing music on 2003 film Pauly Shore Is Dead. Looking at his current resume or his student work, he couldn't be further away from Pauly Shore humor (or that suit-and-tie finance job)-for one Berklee assignment, Grush found himself scoring a surf video with ominous music that might make viewers assume the wave shredder was about to be shredded himself by some Freddie Krueger of the deep. But in 2006, when he met Stewart, who was working for Hans Zimmer at the time, he found a collaborator who understood his dark leanings.
The Newton Brothers have become Flanagan's go-to team to score his horror masterpieces-the pair worked with the director from his breakthrough, 2013's Oculus, through current Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, as well as Doctor Sleep. With the duo also finding assignments scoring features about monster sharks, malicious spirits, serial killers, and other things that go bump in the night, they have become experts in the genre.
It can be a little harder to score something funny or romantic, he said. [With] horror you have a lot of room. I really like ballads, whether they come from a band or in classical music, so I feel at home in horror. Setting a mood is so important and music is always a key element in doing that.
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
Maleficent Composer: Every Note Points to the Story Geoff Zanelli B.M. 96 talks about his creative process, his deep love for fantasy films, and the importance of making mistakes.
In the Game Berklee Today
Spring
2019
Volume
30
Number
3
From Tower Records to Captain Marvel Pinar Toprak B.M. '00, the first woman to score a major Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, shared her creative process and the inspiration she found in old-school listening booths.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
How Shoegaze Lived, Died, and Came Back to Influence a New Generation If you like Coldplay, Beach House, or even the 1975, then you probably like shoegaze-even if you didnt know it.
Latest
Oh the Horror: Andy Grush '00 on Composing for Doctor Sleep The fim scoring alumnus explains why youll never hear the six-minute opus he wrote for the new adaptation of Steven Kings sequel to The Shining.
Dont Ask Ron Carter to Play a Root Note The legendary jazz bassist regaled a packed recital hall with stories about playing with Miles Davis and tips about his signature bass style.
Berklee Celebrates BMI Day with Special Guests, Scholarship Presentation Renowned composer Harry Gregson-Williams led a recording session, presented an award, and gave the keynote address for Berklee's annual BMI Day.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
01/07/2026
Nectar360, the Retail Media, Loyalty and Insights business of the Sainsburys Gro...
01/07/2026
9.2 million streams on RT Player between 11 and 28 June
Reach of 2.9 million viewers during Group stages of FIFA World Cup on RT 2
23 million video views acr...
30/06/2026
Could your journalism reach an international stage?
Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigi...
30/06/2026
As Brazil's only way for fans to see all 104 matches, YouTube channel proves the power of digital...
30/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
30/06/2026
New IR reverb engine, Juno-inspired chorus & more
The latest version of Rapid Flow's hardware-emulation synth plug-in expands on its predecessor with a ...
30/06/2026
Excels at heavy-handed VCA compression
For their latest release, Shy Audio have recreated the crunchy' sound of a rackmount compressor that found its w...
30/06/2026
Component scarcity drives cost increases
Shortly after Apple's CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that cost increases would soon be inevitable , the company hav...
30/06/2026
Statement regarding GetUp Save Our SBS' campaign
30 June, 2026
Media releases
The GetUp Save Our SBS' campaign is an independent initiative. SBS ...
30/06/2026
Hitachi and Bank Pekao S.A. have completed the installation of the first Hitachi...
30/06/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
MainStreaming, the award-winning and innovative Edge Video Delivery Network, today announced that it has been selected by ITV to support the delivery of ITVX, I...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
When Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! needed to upgrade their wireless communications system, they turned to Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless for their iconic televi...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
As a film composer, Andy Grush '00 doesn't find many opportunities to stretch out. Like many of his peers, Grush tends to pen a lot of pieces that can be counted in seconds, not minutes. But recently Grush and his writing partner Taylor Newton Stewart, collectively known as the Newton Brothers, created a six-minute composition that was set to play an important role at the end of new film Doctor Sleep, a big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel, out this month.
