Steve Matthew Carter is a Nashville-based media composer working in film, TV and advertising. He most recently scored 2025's Gazer, a neo-noir, paranoid thriller directed by Ryan J. Sloan that premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and distributed by Metrograph Pictures.It's a creepy movie where the music takes you through all of the characters' emotions and leaves you terrified.It was a pleasure sitting down with him to talk more about his world.Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.comNFS: Could you describe your primary influences for your Gazer score?Steve Matthew Carter: Gazer’s score is rooted in 1970s jazzy paranoia mixed with more modern ambient textures. Taxi Driver and The Conversation were big influences. We chose saxophone to be a primary instrument in the score as an homage to Gene Hackman’s character Harry Caul, who iconically plays one in the film, but it’s never used in David Shire’s score. Director Ryan J. Sloan and I also spoke about Alan Pakula’s films of the 70s like Klute, All The President’s Me,n and The Parallax View. For some of the more modern influences, I was thinking about the textural work of Tim Hecker and Colin Stetson. I wanted Gazer’s score to have a certain lonely, inward energy with a blend of melody and ambiguity.NFS: I understand this film was a labor of love amongst you and several New Jersey natives. What was it like to make a film with such close friends in your home state?SMC: It was incredibly special. I’ve known Ryan and Ariella for years,...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday