Jeff Russo is one of the most talented musicians and composers working in the industry today. His list of credits in the last 9 years is loaded with successful TV series and movies. In the last 2 years alone his has composed for the series Bull, Legion, Counterpart, Star Trek: Discovery, Lucifer, and his Emmy winning work in Fargo. It was an honor chatting with him one afternoon in his office while he was taking a break.
Matthew Toffolo: Where were you born and raised? Was music something you always saw yourself doing as a career?
I was born and raised in New York City. As far as I can remember, I loved music and it became apparent to me that this was something I always wanted to do – to be a musician. From middle school on I was always playing in bands. It’s something I was better at than other things. I was better at music than math or science for example. And I loved it too! It was obvious very early on that this was what I was going to do.
Are you from a family of creative people and musicians?
My dad was in fashion. He died when I was very young so I’m not all that familiar with what exactly he did. My mom was a homemaker. Not a huge fan of music, but very supportive in my passion for it.
So you’re in high school – where did you think you were headed as a musician?
I always wanted to be in a Rock Band. Rock and Roll was my drive! I was in a band for 25 years. Only 9-10 years ago did I change careers and think about composing.
What was your first composing job? And how did you get the job?
In 2006, my band took a break from playing and I had to figure what I had to do with my life. A good friend of mine, Wendy Milette, was working on a couple of television shows and asked me to come by. I watched what they did for a bit, and then they asked me to come to work. Watching what they did got me intrigued and eventually they asked me to write music cues for them and from there I was hooked. I worked for them for about a year and a half and eventually I got hired as a composer for my first job which was a TV show called THE UNUSUALS. Then things took off from there.
Noah Hawley was the showrunner of that show, and also the showrunner/creator of the TV series FARGO. So you guys have a relationship?
Yes. Great one. He called me up in 2013 and said he’s doing a series based on the FARGO movie and told me I’m on board. Then we got to work.
How did you prepare for doing that show? Did you go back and watch the original film?
I didn’t see a need to. I just read the scripts and looked at the emotional places in the script. Saw that the same tone was involved.
You were nominated for an Emmy for best music composition for the first two years, and eventually won the Emmy last year for your work in season 3. What is the Emmy winning experience like?
It’s a feeling is disbelief. The Emmy sits on the shelf in my office and it’s a crazy reminder. The feeling going up there and accepting the award is hard to describe. That moment – incredible. People will now say to you, “You’re an Emmy winner”. People have that in their minds from now on. My peers acknowledged me. It’s an honor.
What are you currently working on right now as we speak?
Season #2 of LEGION. And a Mark Wahlberg film coming out this summer (MILE 22, directed by Peter Berg). It’s been a lot of fun working on that film.
Besides the films you’ve work on, watch move have you watched the most time in your life?
Empire Strikes Back. I’ve seen it over 40 times.
Is there a type of project that you would like to work on that you haven’t yet?
I’d like to work on a Western.
What advice do you have for people who would like to work as a composer some day in the industry?
Most important thing is for someone to create their own voice. We are all unique and original in our own way so we all have a voice. Find it. It’s the only way to move forward.
Submit your CRIME short story to the festival here, and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
Accept only stories that fit into the CRIME genre. A mystery story is a type of fiction that involves a crime or other event that remains a mystery until the end of the story. The main character, often a detective, works to solve the mystery by: Finding clues, Examining motives, Identifying suspects, and Using logical deduction.
Get FULL FEEDBACK on either the 1st chapter or entire novel book from our committee of Professional Writers, and Writing Consultants. Get your novel performed by a professional actor at the festival.
NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.) 1) Full Feedback on your script 2) Actors performance video reading of your script 3) Blog interview promotion. 4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show
Deadline for FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival:
Spelonk unfolds in a dystopian Cape Town in the year 2044, a world ravaged by climate collapse and social upheaval. At its heart is Dante, a disillusioned bounty hunter, grappling with the moral dilemmas of his task to hunt rebels fighting over scarce water supplies. His fateful encounter with Ophelia, a rebel leader with secrets that could change the world, sets the stage for a thrilling, emotional journey of redemption and revolution.
Inspired by South Africa’s “Day Zero” water crisis, the film’s themes resonate globally, addressing pressing issues like climate change, resource inequality, and moral leadership in times of crisis. Spelonk blends local folklore, steampunk aesthetics, and intense action to craft a narrative that is both culturally authentic and universally relevant.
Director Statement The world of Spelonk is one which we seldom see on screens. The beautiful Cape Town that we know and love, is transformed as the backdrop of the futuristic apocalyptic film. The population has been broken into tribes, clans, groups of people that stay together to survive, based on functional needs. Spelonk draws inspiration from diverse African cultures, languages, and topical matters. I love the African patterns, colours, and designs. Ancient weapons, diverse fighting styles, unique costumes and rich folk tales are the things I’m working with to create the distant world of Spelonk. It is exciting to create this action-packed futuristic movie, showing for the first time post-apocalyptic South Africa.
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ELIZA, 11min., USA Directed by Bianca Roth After hitting rock bottom, 23 year old MIA, updates her home AI system to help turn her life around. What start out as small “life improvements” slowly begin to control her.
C-grade SF Movie, 3min., South Korea Directed by Sangwook Ahn Scoffing at prophecies of alien invasion, it wasn’t a grand space fleet that drove humanity to the brink of extinction. It was the cataclysm of Earth itself – skies choked with volcanic ash, mutant viruses running rampant – and the AI’s ruthless biochip surveillance network strangling survivors in ruined cities.
The Dandelion Girl, 19min., Canada Directed by Rogan Loves Mark, a middle-aged man encounters a young, mysterious woman, while staying at his cabin, who claims to be a time traveler from the future. Over the course of a few days, Mark and the young woman, Julie, begin to form a budding romance with one another. Mark is unhappy in his life, in a stale marriage, where he goes through the motions of living and work.
The Red Market, 9min., USA Directed by Christopher Matthew Spencer Zephyr Sage, drowning in debt, turns to the Global Organ Donor Exchange to sell his body parts. Facing ruthless creditors and a manipulative loan shark, Hyacinth, he treads a perilous path where each choice could cost more than money.
The Voice of Fear, 5min., Brazil Directed by Henrique Arruda In how many worlds has your fear trapped you? This film may not give you an answer, but it’ll show you some of mine.
Harry loves Sandy and has planned “the big date” to propose, but between his twin, her twin, the guys from the Bobcat rugby team, Roxie, Linda, and One Eye’d Jacks, the world seems against it. Comedy.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
Physical therapist Harry Goodman meticulously plans a romantic evening to propose to his intelligent and vivacious girlfriend Sandy. But what should be a seamless night of fine dining and heartfelt commitment rapidly unravels into chaos as meddling rugby teammates, flirtatious coworkers, a jealous bouncer, and an unexpected armed robbery sidetrack every effort. With the engagement ring left behind and a police chase unfolding,
Harry and Sandy must navigate misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and family dysfunction—all while questioning how well they truly know each other. A raucous romantic comedy that careens through slapstick, screwball, and sincere emotional beats,
The Big Date asks whether true love can survive a night gone completely off the rails.
Submit your FAMILY film for FREE and get your film showcased on the Film Festival platform http://www.wildsound.ca for 48 hours. Award winners after the festival too!
NOW offering guaranteed acceptances for all submissions in 2025.
A showcase of the best of new family-driven movies and screenplays in the world today
FILM FESTIVAL:
Another option to submit: Each submitted film is guaranteed acceptance.
1) Screening #1, where you will also obtain your audience feedback video.
2) Screening #2 virtually on the streaming service WILDsound TV (optional)
3) Podcast interview at WILDsound Radio on ITunes
4) Blog interview promoting you and your film.
SCREENPLAY FESTIVAL:
1st Tier: FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay
2nd Tier: Garner a best scene of screenplay performed by professional actors and made into a promotional video.
Then (Tier #3), we will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your script.
Then after that (Tier #4), we will set up a podcast interview on our popular iTunes show where will we chat with you about the process of how the film was made.
So excited to be part of this festival. They were very helpful and encouraging. I especially love the feedback section and how quickly they communicate with you so you are right on top of it all. The festival offers valuable extras designed to boost your film’s visibility and reach a wider audience. It has so far been a very positive experience and highly recommend them. Thank you,
We feel greatly honoured to have been selected by Crime/Film Festival and granted an award. The whole experience was awesome and the Festival Team is really fantastic. Thanks again for your consideration and support
What a wonderful experience! The audience feedback was thoughtful and positive and the communication from the festival was top notch. The festival goes above and beyond in providing opportunities for exposure and promotion.
Michael Simmonds is a wealth of knowledge when he chats about his love of cinematography. He is a man who is constantly looking into the future and only looking back when inspiration is needed. He is a rare talent who is able to move seamlessly from documentary to TV to feature films. It was an honor to chat with him.
Matthew Toffolo: What are the biggest things you learn when you work on documentaries that help you when making live action feature films and TV shows?
Michael Simmonds: There are many ways to approach shooting a Verite documentary. Sometimes you need a complete and editable scene every ten minutes. Meaning, you are constantly getting CU’s, inserts and establishing shots over and over again, regardless of what is happening. Or you can approach a doc like you would going fishing–you stay back with the camera and drift around until something interesting happens and let that lead the way for the camera.
Shooting a documentary makes you figure out coverage really quickly. All storytelling needs to have shot size variation to show the audience what is “important”. Verite documentary is basically filming a live event. The people move around and interact with other people and space and you have to make visual sense out of it for the audience. In narrative you can use this technique by blocking a scene as an “event” and keeping the blocking of the actors “loose”. This works well in chaos scene with lots of people. The actors perform the “event” and the camera films the scene like a doc, meaning there is no formal shot list or “plan”.
PHOTO: Michael DP’d the landmark film “Project Nim”:
MT: Out of all of the projects you’ve worked on, what film are you most proud of?
MS: I only focus and think about whatever I am currently prepping or shooting. I try my hardest and show up to set with all the energy and focus I can muster each and everyday. As for the final product, I often joke that I would enjoy filmmaking just as much even if the camera was never recording. The finished film is of little interest to me aside from a sense of curiosity…
As for “what of my work can I watch and enjoy”; that would be “Plastic Bag”. It’s a short film about the life of a plastic bag. It’s a lot of fun to watch and I have fond memories of making it. The filming of it involved lots of throwing bags into the air and shooting leaf blowers at them, it was ridiculous so we laughed a lot.
MT: You DP’d the entire 2nd season of Vice Principals. I heard that most scenes were improved by the actors. How is that experience working on a set where you don’t know what’s going to happen take after take?
MS: I don’t think most of the scene were improvised. It wasn’t like a Judd Apatow film where you can feel the dueling two camera set up and the actors riff off each other. VP had very tight scripts and David Gordon Green would create film level blocking. The actors definitely added to the dialgue, but not any more or less than other projects I have been involved with. On a comedy, even if the actors improvise, its in regards to dialogue and not their actual movement, so it does not effect me. I alwas operate with headphones on so I can hear the actors perfectly and I can anticipate their movement.
Photo: Danny McBride vs Walton Goggins in “Vice Principals”:
MT: Do you have a Director of Photography mentor?
MS: I would have and currently would want a DP mentor but unfortunately I never had one. Amir Naderi was a director I worked with early on who taught me about composition and framing. He has a very sharp eye and was always pushing for a perfect take. Ramin Bahrani and I would discuss story structure endlessly and I still read Alexander Mackendrick’s “on filmmaking” every year. Understanding story is the foundation to understanding how to film a scene.
I learn more and more about lighting on every job. In my opinion lights are the hardest medium to work with. They are like painting with water color paint. You never really know what they will do. There are so many variables that will effect the way they function in the photography.
MT: What do you look for in your director?
MS: I want a good collaborator in a director, someone who is not afraid of communication. Good ideas come from lots of ideas. Although a director needs a “vision” they also need to explore all possibilities in a scene. They must be a leader and exciting, but egoless. Their decision process should not be based on fear, which is rare. Most people make decisions based on fear, which makes for a weak film. Bold choices make good films.
MT: What do you think a director looks for in their cinematographer?
MS: Fuck if I know…!
It’s a myth that directors alone choose a D.P. or make any big hiring decision alone. A director might push for someone they have worked with or they could advocate for someone they want to work with but all decisions usually have to go through a producer, financier or studio. Usually a director would be given a list of people to choose from… Of course on more “auteur” films this is not the case.
How do you get on that list that gets handed to the director is a whole other question…
MT: Ideally, how much preparation do you like to do before you begin principle photography? Do you like working with storyboards?
MS: Prep depends on the scope of a film. Nerve needed lots of prep due to the logistics of the stunt sequences. You need a storyboard since so much of that work is a “cheat” and takes place in a “fictional” space. By fictional space I mean that the space as presented on the screen does not exist in the real world. For instance a snorkel lens shot that feels “inside” Dave Franco’s helmet does not need to be filmed on park ave south. A storyboard also lets you understand what shots need the actual actors opposed to the stunt people.
A good stunt sequence is a lots of micro stories that fold into each other and those have to be mapped out.
White Girl didn’t need any storyboards since the film didn’t require cheating any spaces or stunt sequences… the front door to the protagonists apartment was actually the real front door… A film like white girl doesn’t even require a shot list. We would block out a scene and film it as a moving master and then do some pick up shots for specific moments.
Photo: David Franco and Emma Roberts in “Nerve”:
MT: Where do you see the future of camera/lighting technology in film?
MS: Although there is a romance and nostalgia for film negative, digital imaging has really improved lighting for movies. We are much more comfortable with underexposing now than in the past. Of course Savidis, Khondji and Willis did great underexposing and making bold lighting choices, but now you see modestly budgeted TV shows that look bold and interesting.
Focus pullers often use large HD monitors to pull focus which has allowed for super shallow depth of field that didn’t exist when I started out.
I have no idea where imaging will be in 10 years but the technology has been a mixed blessing with lots of advantages.
Although there is a lot of new technology coming out for camera support, no one product has replaced an older one. The movi did not replace the steadicam and the steadicam did not replace the dolly… its just more tools to use.
MT: What film, besides the ones you’ve worked on, have you seen the most times in your life?
MS: Probably something like RepoMan or something culty like the Warriors. Or maybe Wong Kar-Wai’s Fallen Angels since it was such a game changer in how movies looked. I am often going back to watch Danny Boyle’s work. I truly believe he is the best populist filmmaker working right now. He isn’t scared of technology and he is keeping up with how people currently read images…. Currently I’m not interested in filmmakers that are referencing the past.
But when I am in a hotel room I like to watch something like Runaway Train.
MT: Where did you grow up? Did you always want to be a cinematographer?
MS: I grew up in Scarsdale, NY. It’s a suburb 30 mins from the city.
Most filmmakers have a romantic story about a super 8 camera etc… My history wasn’t like that. My eyes have always been super sensitive to light. I get migraines in the sun and I was always particular about lighting in rooms, even at a young age. I was strict about when a household light would be turned on and which ones. I also liked to boss my friends around…. These qualities probably lead me to my profession.
Around the age of 18 I wanted to go into filmmaking. I started out at Hampshire college but there wasn’t enough of a focus on commercial filmmaking, so I transferred to a school of visual arts and started to focus on cinematography.
Before that I wanted to be in a rock band…. But I didn’t like staying up late and carrying equipment. Little did I know that cinematographers stay up all night and have a heavy camera on there shoulder all the time!
_____ Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK DAILY Festival held online and in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go towww.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.
Submit your Literary Fiction Short Story to the Festival here and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
“Graphic Novel” isa format, not a genre. Graphic novels can be fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy, or anything in-between. Graphic novels are similar to comic books because they use sequential art to tell a story. Unlike comic books, graphic novels are generally stand-alone stories with more complex plots.
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.) 1) Full Feedback on your script 2) Actors performance video reading of your script 3) Blog interview promotion. 4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show
