Finneas O’Connell (FINNEAS) and Alfonso Cuarón share the process of crafting DISCLAIMER*’s score. All chapters of DISCLAIMER* are now streaming on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER* is a gripping psychological thriller in seven chapters, starring Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. Written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, DISCLAIMER* is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets.
As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The ensemble cast includes Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, Hoyeon, and features Indira Varma as the narrator.
Hailing from Apple Studios, DISCLAIMER* is co-produced by Esperanto Filmoj and Anonymous Content. Cuarón executive produces for Esperanto Filmoj alongside Gabriela Rodriguez. In addition to starring, Blanchett serves as executive producer. David Levine and the late Steve Golin executive produce for Anonymous Content. Academy Award winner Emmanuel Lubezki, Donald Sabourin and Carlos Morales also executive produce. Renée Knight serves as co-executive producer. Lubezki and Academy Award nominee Bruno Delbonnel serve as directors of photography. The score is composed by multiple Academy and GRAMMY Award winner Finneas O’Connell.
DISCLAIMER* is a gripping psychological thriller in seven chapters, starring Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. Written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, DISCLAIMER* is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets.
As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The ensemble cast includes Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, Hoyeon, and features Indira Varma as the narrator.
Hailing from Apple Studios, DISCLAIMER* is co-produced by Esperanto Filmoj and Anonymous Content. Cuarón executive produces for Esperanto Filmoj alongside Gabriela Rodriguez. In addition to starring, Blanchett serves as executive producer. David Levine and the late Steve Golin executive produce for Anonymous Content. Academy Award winner Emmanuel Lubezki, Donald Sabourin and Carlos Morales also executive produce. Renée Knight serves as co-executive producer. Lubezki and Academy Award nominee Bruno Delbonnel serve as directors of photography. The score is composed by multiple Academy and GRAMMY Award winner Finneas O’Connell.
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MusicTranscript
00:00I met Alfonso when I was on tour with Billy.
00:03He'd brought his daughter to see a show.
00:05I walked backstage and he grabbed my arm
00:07and he was like,
00:08the sound at the end of the song,
00:09Hostage, what synth are you using?
00:11And I was like, oh my God.
00:13I know Finneas for many, many years.
00:15He's this incredible artist and musician.
00:19And we always had a conversation about music.
00:21I really tried to treat Alfonso
00:24like I would treat the artist in a room
00:26if I were producing an album.
00:27To me, it's a conversation.
00:29I'm articulating their vision,
00:30what they feel that serves the scene the best,
00:32and we're trying to achieve that together.
00:34Don't you think that the first part
00:36should be more restrained?
00:37Yeah, it should be quieter.
00:39If it starts softer,
00:40then it gets to where it goes.
00:44It was really important to Alfonso
00:45to have different musical vocabularies
00:48of each character.
00:49That's to say, the textures and style.
00:53He loved the idea of the quartet,
00:55so Cate Blanchett's character, Catherine,
00:57whose theme was largely a string quartet
00:59and the primary instrument was cello.
01:03And it's this melancholic,
01:05kind of tender piece.
01:09Were you taking my picture?
01:11To me, it was about marrying
01:13that emotional context to the music.
01:15For example, Alfonso wanted the Italy scenes
01:18to be romantic and fantastical
01:20and loved the idea of old-school Italian songs.
01:24And we have a vocalist singing this melodic motif.
01:27The music is way more heightened
01:29and more exuberant.
01:31You're hearing this super romantic,
01:34lavish composition,
01:36and as the audience,
01:37you want to believe so badly
01:39that this is how everything went.
01:43Photographs are not reality.
01:45They are a fragment of reality.
01:48As the show kind of converges
01:49and you watch this intense scene
01:51that's these characters having
01:52this big, epic confrontation.
01:54So I wanted to start to meld
01:56these little haunted motifs
01:58of Catherine's character,
01:59like a really twisted, demented version
02:02of the Italy love theme
02:03in this whole tapestry.
02:05You watched him.
02:07You did nothing.
02:08I am not finished!
02:11You love to hate Catherine's character
02:13through the whole show.
02:14And when you get to the end,
02:15you can't believe it.
02:17To me, that was a big challenge.
02:19How do I compose this music
02:20for this character
02:21that the audience is making the villain,
02:23the narration is making the villain,
02:25and not tipping the scale.
02:28It was a fun process to compose for.
02:32I think the pieces are really beautiful
02:34and they dance with the visuals.
02:39I'm very blessed that
02:40Finneas accepted to do the show.
02:43Anyone would be lucky to have
02:44Alfonso as a collaborator.
02:48There will be no more secrets.
02:55© transcript Emily Beynon