DREW MIKUSKA - Animation / Fantasy Film Cues

DREW MIKUSKA - Comedy / Quirky Film Cues

DREW MIKUSKA - Suspense / Thriller Film Cues

DREW MIKUSKA - Drama / Atmospheric Film Cues

DREW MIKUSKA - Film Scoring Highlights Demo Reel

"HammerHelm" Original Videogame Score, Co-Scored with Composer Alex Ruger for SuperSixStudios, 2021

"Banished from your homeland for believing that dwarfs can live above ground, you decide to build a new town that will attract other dwarves who share the same vision. Become a leader and keep your townspeople safe and happy by completing quests, crafting items and fighting off enemies. The bigger your town, the bigger your adventure!"

"Overworld Combat" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Friend or Foe" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Tribes of the Desert" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Dwelling of the Lich" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Dwarf Haven" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Cavernous Plunder" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Vocation of Valor" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

"Dungeons Deep" - 'HammerHelm' Original Videogame Score

from Drew Mikuska's Senior BM Composition Recital
Flute - Emma McCartney
Clarinet - Daniel Park
Bassoon - Amber Wyman
Horn  - Dallin Taylor
Harp - Allison Allport
Piano/Celesta - Richard An
Violins I - YuEun Gemma Kim, Mina Hong, Tiffany Chung
Violins II - Roberta Yee, Maddy Manasse
Violas - Tim Richardson, Corinne Sobolewski
Violoncelli - Gabriel Martins, Mia Barcia-Colombo, Wells Lang
Double Bass - Michael Fortner
Conductor - Drew Mikuska

Program Notes:
My desire to include a Live-to-Picture Film Cue on my senior recital stems from a variety of factors.  As a student film composer, I unfortunately often do not have the access, time or budget to lead many live scoring sessions for the projects for which I write music.  Understandably, collaborating on these scores with the amazing musicians Thornton has to offer is a priceless opportunity, and wanted to be able to share that with you all today.  I re-scored a sequence from a film that has impacted me as both a composer & filmmaker: "The Brothers Grimm" is one of the first movies I remember seeing in theatres as a child where I really recognized the music during the experience and the impact it had on me as a viewer.  This scene in particular lends itself to writing a variety of colors & moods in the score and for lush, lavish orchestration due to the grandiose, fairytale nature of this film.

"The Brothers Grimm" (2016) - Live-to-Picture Film Cue for 17 Players

"Bruce Almighty," - Live Rescore, 29-Piece Orchestra - 2016 NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop

"Tom & Jerry" - Original Rescore - Warner Bros. Animation Style

"Tr!fecta Fiesta" - Original Score for Tr!fecta Sketch Comedy (90s Sitcom/Comedy/Kitsch)

"Ladybug Chase" - Original "Minuscule" Rescore, Live Percussion (Animation/Chase)

Recorded as part of the USC Screen Scoring Program
for Bruce Broughton's "Orchestral Scoring" Course
at The Bridge in Glendale, CA on January 14th, 2017
Conductor: Bruce Broughton; Concertmaster: Belinda Broughton
Scored for:
2.1.2.1  2.2.2.1  Pno/Hp  6.6.4.4.1
(originally a sketch for G. Schyman's "Videogame Scoring" Course)

"Welcome to Rapture" - Live "BIOSHOCK" Rescore, 36-Piece Orchestra (Fantasy / Mysterious / Dark)

"Close Encounters" - Live "XCOM" Rescore
12-Piece Sweetening Session
Flute, 2 Horns, Trumpet, Bass Trombone, Harp, 3 Violins, 3 Celli + Synth Mockup
from the USC Screen Scoring "Videogame Scoring" Class w/ Garry Schyman
Mixed & Recorded by Engineer Dan Blessinger

"Close Encounters" - Live "XCOM" Rescore, 12-Piece Sweetening Session (Action, Mysterious)

http://www.pausefest.com.au/program-2017/motion-response/item/210-pause2017-motion-response-laundry
http://www.laundrymat.tv/

Creative Direction: PJ Richardson and Anthony Liu
Direction / Concept Design / Animation: Brett Albert and Yang Liu
FX Animation: Alan Ng
Music: Drew Mikuska
Sound Design / Editing: Justin Freedman
Producer: Meredith Panicara

"In today’s world, there’s little separation between humanity and technology. It’s become an unmistakable force that’s ingrained in every part of our existence, often completely taking over until our former, technology-free selves are barely recognizable. We explore this relationship by focusing on a human entangled in wires, which act as living things themselves, trapping and surrounding the man who appears powerless to break free. As time reverses we see his true birth into existence, free of any technological burdens, as he becomes a transcendent being of pure energy and light."

"Motion Response" - Atmospheric String Cue for 'Laundry's' "Pause Fest" Animation

"Raiders of Los Angeles" - Demo Hybrid Synth/Strings Cue (Drama/Atmospheric)

Prelude to "Psycho" - Synth Mockup Demo

"Flipping Some Switches" - Original Film Score, 'The Light Fantastic' (Quirky, Comedic)

"The Talking Lamp" - Original Film Score, 'The Light Fantastic' (Quirky, Comedic)

"The Light Fantastic" - Original Film Score, 'The Light Fantastic' (Quirky, Comedic)

"Satan's in the House" - Live "The Gift" Rescore, 31-Piece Orchestra (Horror/Thriller)

"Battle of the Desert Drought" - Demo Orchestral Cue (Epic/Action-Adventure)

"Orc Battle" - Looping Videogame Combat Cue [with Intro & Outro] (Action/Epic)

for Artin Aroutounians film: "Frances and Yuri Ring in the New Year"
Recorded on May 1st, 2017 in the USC John Williams Scoring Stage
Conductor: Drew Mikuska; Engineer: Dan Blanck

Tenor Sax: Michael Blasky
Violin: Tiffany Chung
Viola: Ben Chilton
Cello: Sophie Mathieu
Bass: Max Kraus
Drums: Kevin van den Elzen

"The Broadcast" - Original Film Score, 'Frances and Yuri" (Jazzy, Comedic)

"New Year's Countdown" - Original Film Score, 'Frances and Yuri' (Jazzy, Dramatic)

Recorded as part of the USC Screen Scoring Program
for Bruce Broughton's "Orchestral Scoring" Course
at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage in Burbank, CA 
on May 6th, 2017
Engineer: Fred Vogler
Conductor: Drew Mikuska; Concertmaster: Belinda Broughton
Scored for:
2.2.2.2   4.3.3.1   Timp/2 Perc   Pno/Hp   12.10.8.6.4

"The Cherry Blossoms" - Live 'Planet Earth' Rescore, USC Masters Thesis, 64-Piece Orchestra (Epic)

Recorded as part of the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis
at the Newman Scoring Stage, 20th Century Fox Studios, Los Angeles, CA 
on July 31st, 2017
Engineer: Armin Steiner; Conductor: Drew Mikuska; Concertmaster: Belinda Broughton
Scored for:  2.2.2.2 4.3.3.1 Timp/2 Perc Pno/Hp 12.10.8.6.4

"To The Ball" - Live 'Cinderella' Rescore, ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop 2017, 64-Piece Orchestra

from David Mandell's film: "Tea Time with Mr. Patterson" (2018)

"Flashback Origins" - Original Film Score, 'Tea Time with Mr. Patterson' (Drama)

"Tea Time" - Original Film Score, 'Tea Time with Mr. Patterson' (Drama)

Recorded as part of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive with Angel Velez, Conrad Pope, Bill Ross
at the Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, CA 
on January 14th, 2018
Engineer: Scott Michael Smith; Conductor: Drew Mikuska; Concertmaster: Belinda Broughton
Scored for: 2.2.2.2 4.3.3.1 Timp/3 Perc Pno/Hp 12.10.8.8.4

"The Witching Hour," Live Orchestral Demo, Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive, 67-Piece Orchestra

"Sick and Whatever - Chelsea's Honesty" - Original Film Score, 'This is 25' (Drama)

"Boomerang Toast" - Original Film Score, 'This is 25' (Drama)

"This is 25" - Original Film Score, 'This is 25' (Drama)

Written as a Family-Adventure Demo to-Picture for an Ad Campaign

"Hijinx in Doubloon Lagoon" - Ad Campaign Demo (Family Adventure/Epic)

Came across this little cue/sketch while going through some old folders today; this was the first-ever cue I sequenced just for fun after getting Cubase and the Spitfire Orchestral series in 2014.  Much of the mixing/quality/orchestration/writing leaves much to be desired LOL, but listening back to this put a smile on my face!  There's still a lot of "me" here.

"Walking the Dog" - First-Ever Sequenced Cue (2014)

written for lead composer Steph Kowal for Amazon's Animated Children's Special 'Super Spy Ryan' (2020)

"Arcade Claw" - 'Super Spy Ryan' Additional Music (Animation, 8-Bit, Chiptune)

Drew Mikuska is a film and television composer living and working in Los Angeles, California.  Most recently, Mikuska finished orchestrating and conducting Anton Sanko’s score for the upcoming Netflix feature Fracture (2019). This is his second collaboration with Sanko as orchestrator; their work on Sanko’s score for French feature Amanda (2018) was nominated for “Best Score” at the César Awards earlier this year.  Currently, Mikuska is completing additional composing & orchestration work in television for composer Layla Minoui on Disney’s Vampirina, Anton Sanko on Freeform’s Siren, and Leo Birenberg on Adult Swim’s Tigtone. Recent selected credits include: additional writing, arranging and performing as a vocalist on Dreamworks’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for composer Sunna Wehrmeijer; additional writing on an upcoming Dreamworks series for composer Josh Moshier; and acting as scoring assistant for composer Patrick Kirst on Netflix’s hit The Kissing Booth.  Mikuska completed a Masters of Music in Screen Scoring in the Spring of 2017 at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music after finishing a Bachelors of Music in Composition at USC in 2016. During his time at USC, he was awarded the ASCAP Betty Rose Award & Scholarship, which is presented each year to an "outstanding, promising composer participating in The ASCAP Foundation Composer-in-Residence Program at the University of Southern California."  In addition, Mikuska has been selected to participate in a variety of prestigious professional scoring workshops.  He completed a fellowship in the 2018 Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive under the mentorship of Conrad Pope, William Ross and Angel Velez after taking part in the 2017 ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis, through which he was recognized with the ASCAP Foundation Michelle and Dean Kay Award for his achievements.  He also took part in the 2016 NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop.  During his time in LA, he also has had the privilege of writing for, assisting and interning for several other outstanding film composers, including Joe Trapanese, Jake Monaco, Peter Bateman, Gabriel Mann, Peter Golub, and at Remote Control Productions.  For more info, click here.  To listen to more original music in addition to the highlights below, click here.

Drew Mikuska

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