Christophe Beck

In an unprecedented short time span, composer Christophe Beck has scored numerous films in virtually every genre. His talent is evident in a wide range of features from the classic teen comedy Bring It On and the film adaptation of best-selling novel “Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy,” to the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, The Hangover. Beck’s credits include Burlesque, Waiting for “Superman,” Red, Due Date, Date Night, What Happens in Vegas, Fred Claus, Charlie Bartlett, The Seeker, Year of the Dog, We Are Marshall and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Beck’s road to film scoring was circuitous. The Montreal native started piano lessons at age five and, by age 11, he was writing music for his first-ever band, Chris and the Cupcakes. During high school, Beck studied the flute, saxophone, trombone and drums, and performed in rock bands.

While studying music at Yale University, Beck had an epiphany: “I discovered my talent for composing was far greater than my talent for performing.” He wrote two musicals with his brother Jason (aka Chilly Gonzales, the Berlin-based hip-hop recording artist), as well as an opera based on “The Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Upon graduation from Yale in 1992, he moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California’s (USC) prestigious film scoring program, where he studied with composer Jerry Goldsmith. Beck was immediately attracted to the creative challenges unique to the marriage of music and picture. A personal recommendation from the legendary Buddy Baker, the head of the USC music department, led to his first assignment at a Canadian television series called White Fang. Soon thereafter, he was asked to score a new television series for Joss Whedon, based on the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Beck received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Drama) for his work on Buffy, after which he decided to leave television and pursue film work.

Beck had his concerns about the transition: “It was actually quite terrifying and things were slow during that first year, but I had faith in my abilities and it didn’t take too long for things to start rolling.” Beck’s attitude and unique talents set him apart from many composers working today. “I pride myself on being very accommodating to the needs of the film and its creators. Each score I write, I try to make better than all the rest that have come before.”

Imagine Entertainment