David Fleming is an American composer. He works in the production of music for films, television, and interactive media.
David Fleming | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York, United States |
| Genres | Film score, electronic, ambient, Piano |
| Occupation(s) | Film composer |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | www |
Career
editEarly career
editDavid Fleming studied musical education at State University of New York at Purchase. From there he started his career in New York advertising companies, creating music for ringtones and liquor commercials. He won the BMI Foundation's Pete Carpenter Fellowship and moved to Los Angeles where he began writing music for major films.[1]. Some of his early credits include work on franchises like the Transformers, X-Men, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
2017–present
editIn 2017, Fleming co-composed the BBC series Blue Planet II (2017) alongside Hans Zimmer, starting a collaborative relationship that saw Fleming contribute to films like The Lion King (2019), Dune (2021), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).[2] Their work on Blue Planet II earned the score award nominations with the Jerry Goldsmith Awards and the International Film Music Critics Awards.[citation needed]
Fleming co-composed the original score for the television series The Last of Us (2023–present) with Gustavo Santaolalla. Fleming's work was inspired by real-world sounds within a decayed civilization.[3] He largely worked on action-heavy music for the series, such as a large action sequence in the fifth episode. Like Santaolalla, he wanted to keep his score minimalistic and exercised restraint to match series co-creator Craig Mazin's goal of "having the viewer feel that they're part of the scene rather than be observing the scene".[4] He selected specific instruments that paired appropriately with Santaolalla's work; rather than using a generic drum, he wanted one with "personality, whether it be a rusty barrel or like cracking wood or bowing, rusty metal".[4]
In 2024, Fleming scored projects including Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jim Henson Idea Man, for which he was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series[citation needed] and Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special, respectively.[5] On June 7, 2024, Fleming performed his work to Mr. & Mrs. Smith at the Deadline Sound & Screen TV Event at Royce Hall at UCLA. Lead actor Donald Glover guided Fleming's score to focus on trust and the relationship between the characters.[6] For Jim Henson Idea Man, Fleming wanted to carry the spirit of Jim Henson through the score.[7] He also composed music for the film Damsel (2024).[citation needed]
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | Category | Production(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFMCA Awards | 2017 | Best Original Score for a Documentary Film | Blue Planet II | Nominated | [8] |
| Jerry Goldsmith Awards | 2018 | Best Documentary Score | Nominated | [9] | |
| ASCAP Awards | 2024 | Composers' Choice Awards | The Last of Us | Nominated | [10] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Pending | |
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Jim Henson Idea Man | Pending | [5] |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America | Alexis Ostrander | |
| 2012 | Revenge for Jolly! | Chad Harbold | |
| 2015 | The Perfect Guy | David M. Rosenthal | Composed with Atli Orvarsson |
| 2020 | Hillbilly Elegy | Ron Howard | Composed with Hans Zimmer |
| 2021 | South of Heaven | Aharon Keshales | |
| The Unforgivable | Nora Fingscheidt | ||
| 2023 | Americana | Tony Tost | |
| 2024 | Damsel | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | |
| Jim Henson Idea Man | Ron Howard | ||
| Alto Knights | Barry Levinson |
Additional music
edit| Year | Title | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters | Tommy Wirkola | under composer Atli Orvarsson |
| A Single Shot | David M. Rosenthal | under composer Atli Orvarsson | |
| Evidence | Olatunde Osunsanmi | under composer Atli Orvarsson | |
| The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones | Harald Zwart | under composer Atli Orvarsson | |
| 2014 | Son of God | Christopher Spencer | under composers Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe |
| Divergent | Neil Burger | under composer Tom Holkenborg | |
| Transformers: Age of Extinction | Michael Bay | under composer Steve Jablonsky | |
| 2015 | Last Knights | Kazuaki Kiriya | under composers Satnam Ramgotra and Martin Tillman |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Dave Green | under composer Steve Jablonsky |
| 2017 | Transformers: The Last Knight | Michael Bay | under composer Steve Jablonsky |
| What Happened to Monday | Tommy Wirkola | under composer Christian Wibe | |
| 2018 | Believer | Don Argott | under composer Hans Zimmer |
| 2019 | X-Men: Dark Phoenix | Simon Kinberg | under composer Hans Zimmer |
| The Lion King | Jon Favreau | Arranger "Never Too Late", Producer "Be Prepared" | |
| 2020 | Wonder Woman 1984 | Patty Jenkins | under composer Hans Zimmer |
| 2021 | Dune: Part One | Denis Villeneuve | under composer Hans Zimmer |
| 2022 | Top Gun: Maverick | Joseph Kosinski | under composers Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, and Hans Zimmer |
| The Son | Florian Zeller | under composer Hans Zimmer | |
| 2023 | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret | Kelly Fremon Craig | under composer Hans Zimmer |
| 2024 | Dune: Part Two | Denis Villeneuve | under composer Hans Zimmer |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-2023 | Chicago Fire | 197 episodes additional music |
| 2014-2015 | Chicago P.D. | 7 episodes additional music |
| 2017 | Blue Planet II | 7 episodes |
| 2022 | The Night Logan Woke Up | 5 episodes |
| 2023 | The Last of Us | 2 episodes, 7 episodes additional music |
| 2024 | Mr and Mrs Smith | 8 episodes |
References
edit- ^ Palrowitz, Darren (February 2, 2024). "Composer David Fleming On "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Hans Zimmer & More — "Paltrocast" Exclusive". Medium.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sundance 2023 Composer Spotlight: David Fleming". ASCAP.com. January 1, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Minsker, Evan (February 27, 2023). "HBO's New The Last of Us Season 1 Soundtrack Released: Listen". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Shachat, Sarah (March 14, 2023). "'The Last of Us' Score Finds Meaning in Silence". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Creative Arts Emmys Music Nominations"
- ^ Jackson, Destiny (June 10, 2024). "'Mr. & Mrs. Smith's David Fleming Says Just One Word Became Foundation For Series' Musical Theme – Sound & Screen TV". Deadline.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Richlin, Harrison (May 29, 2024). "Watch Ron Howard and Team Behind 'Jim Henson Idea Man' Discuss the 'Genius' Behind 'The Muppets' and 'Sesame Street'". Indiewire.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ https://filmmusiccritics.org/awards-archive/2017-ifmca-awards/ "2017 IFMCA Awards"]
- ^ XIII Jerry Goldsmith Awards – Winners
- ^ "Scores for ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Last of Us,’ ‘Only Murders’ Win the Composers’ Choice Vote at ASCAP Screen Music Awards"
External links
edit