Interview: Alexander Bornstein Talks Composing TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON and More

Alexander Bornstein has composed scores for a wide variety of projects including Pitch Perfect 3 and The Boys. His latest work is Transformers: War for Cybertron, the upcoming series from Hasbro, Netflix, and Rooster Teeth. I had the privilege of asking Bornstein some questions about creating scores, music, and more. Fans will be able to listen to Bornstein’s score when War for Cybertron premieres on Netflix on July 30.

Tommy: Alex, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. You've worked on a lot of projects for a lot of different people. You've worked on Agent Carter, Pitch Perfect 3, The Boys, and so much more. How did your experience on Transformers: War for Cybertron differ from previous projects?

Alexander: On those aforementioned projects, I collaborated with the head composer (in this case Christopher Lennertz). On Transformers, I was the only composer working on the show so all of the thematic content, sound design, and musical architecture I got to solely design and create. It was a very daunting challenge for a franchise as well known and loved as this one, but extremely exciting creatively!

Tommy: Most composers have a signature that tells the audience the score is from them. What would you say is your musical signature?

Alexander: That’s a hard question since there’s usually not much time on projects to be so introspective about your own signature styles/sounds. If push came to shove, I do think I tend to always favor a blend of organic solo textures and electronic instruments on all projects, rather than taking a strictly ‘orchestral’ or ‘electronic’ approach. Hopefully that hybrid approach is evident in a score like 'First to the Moon' or the electronic/organic dichotomy on my album Schematic.

Tommy: What are some of the musical themes or cues that listeners should be listening for?

Alexander: I’m really excited for people to discover the themes in Transformers: War for Cybertron. There are three principal themes for the Autobots, Deceptions, and Cybertron itself. These themes make up the musical bedrock of the show, and get developed differently as they pertain to different characters. Also, the Deception theme is actually the second part of the Autobot theme just with different chords. Hopefully this creates some musical and dramatic continuity—despite this brutal conflict, all these characters are Cybertronians just with entirely opposing philosophies regarding what's best for their planet.

There are also various sub-themes that appear as well--for instance, Elita-1 has a theme I'm really happy with.

Tommy: Is there a particular piece, it can be from outside Transformers, that you are exceptionally proud of or think was exceptionally brilliant or clever?

Alexander: A very fond musical memory of mine is a cue called “The Good Earth” from First to the Moon: The Journey of Apollo 8. The instrumental soloists added a layer of nuance and musicality that completely elevated the cue beyond my wildest imagination, and the storytelling from the astronauts discussing seeing Earth from deep space was a very moving experience for me. As much as I was happy with the resulting cue, I almost felt like I was in the way!

Tommy: What are your top three film/television scores?

Alexander: Tough question! I think the three that have stayed with me the longest are Back to the Future, Robocop, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That third place spot is a revolving door though, and it’s sometimes The Rocketeer, the original 1954 Godzilla, or Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Tommy: Is there a band or singer that you would love to work with?

Alexander: My background is in Jazz piano so it’d be amazing to work with Norah Jones or Jane Monheit. Being able to write a piece for a group like Snarky Puppy or the Joshua Redman Quartet would also be as exciting as it would be intimidating!

On the electronic side, I’d love to work with Com Truise or Röyksopp.

Tommy: Do you have any other upcoming projects that fans should keep an ear out for?

Alexander: Earthrise, which continues the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy, is coming soon from Netflix!

Tommy: If you could work on anything as your next project, what would it be?

Alexander: I would love to work on anything in the Star Trek or Godzilla franchises!