Carter Burwell

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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 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.”

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