Biography
Film composer David Tobocman is an avid and talented
musician, but more importantly, he’s interested in the art of making great
movies. “I think of music in film much the way that I think of light or color;
music is one of many elements that fuse together to form the context that
allows the characters to communicate emotion and purpose. My role as composer
is to provide the subtext that allows the director and the characters to communicate
a world of meaning with a limited amount of images and dialog.”
David’s most recent release is the independent film
Los Jornaleros, which is currently appearing in major film festivals
worldwide. The story of three Mexican immigrant brothers who struggle to
survive in the modern jungle of Los Angeles, the score ranges in style from
intimate traditional guitar melodies to suspenseful contemporary synthesizer
and orchestral textures. “As the brothers become more and more acclimated
to life in America, the simple guitar-based textures give way to more complex
orchestration and modernistic shadings; it’s a subtle but effective device
that underpins the characters’ growing sophistication and complexity.”
Previous to Los Jornaleros, David was the composer for
the CBS dramatic series Family Law. Additionally, he has been a contributing
composer for numerous other popular TV shows including 3rd Rock from the
Sun, That 70s Show, and The Larry Sanders Show. In all,
he has participated in the scores for over 20 films and 10 TV series.
David has composed scores for VH-1 Films’ They Shoot
Divas Don’t They and Charles Busch’s Hitchcock-meets-Gigdet spoof Psycho
Beach Party, both of which are heavily influenced by suspense Film Music
pioneer Bernard Hermann, an idol of the composer. “His willingness to commit
to extremes in texture, harmony, and rhythm is what makes Bernard Hermann
so compelling. His films are overflowing with such urgency and personality
that the audience is immediately invested in a high stakes game whether it
is an intimate, personal story or a broad tale of international intrigue.”
In addition to scoring, David Tobocman has played on,
written for and produced albums for such a diverse range of artists as LL
Cool J, Adam Sandler, Cher, Liza Minnelli, Donna Summer, and a Grammy-nominated
all-Gershwin album for Michael Feinstein. “Diversity is my thing. I have a
music degree in Jazz Arranging, I’m a pianist, I play Heavy Rock guitar, I
have written two string quartets and a symphony, I know the ins and outs of
Country Music and Folk, and I also specialize in Hip Hop and Funk. What I
enjoy about writing Film Music is how it necessitates fluency in so many styles
simultaneously. Where styles and genres begin to blend is where things start
to get interesting.”