Carter Burwell

“Music is about the only thing left that people don't fight over.”

“The Coens have a very particular way of working. They're not very verbal. So they don't say much.”

“In the case of a film, you're obviously trying to make a film that is faithful to the film, that is appropriate to the film, that is not running counter to the film.”

“The music has to be a character in the film. It has to have its own personality.”

“The first thing that I always do is read the script. And I read it as a member of the audience.”

“It is not my job to be a marketing person. It is my job to make the film more itself. And that's what I love to do.”

“I'm not trying to write a hit. I'm just trying to write a good score.”

“I don't think you can be a composer and not be a film buff.”

“I think directors are used to seeing other people's films and then wanting that kind of music. It's a real rarity to have a director say, 'I have no idea what it should be.'”

“There's a great advantage to being a composer for a director who's also a writer, because you're working with the source.”