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 ...
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...
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.
