Alex North

“Music for the movies is a director’s art more than a composer’s art.”

“The composer should have a musical point of view. The composer should be an integral part of the film-making process.”

“The whole experience with Kubrick was a great disappointment. I felt that my music for '2001' was among my best work.”

“I try to find the psychological and emotional core of the picture.”

“A film score should have a point of view. It should have a reason for being there.”

“I write music to help the story, to create a mood, to get under the skin of the characters.”

“The function of music is to help the audience feel, not think. It's an emotional art.”

“There’s no question that jazz has been a great influence on me.”

“I think a composer has to be a dramatist. He has to have a sense of theatre.”

“You have to be true to yourself and true to the material.”

“He should not be a stepchild, someone who is called in at the very end to write some music.”