Mark Kermode's Surround Sound
The Stories of Movie Music
Published on 11. September 2025
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-4472-3056-4 (ISBN)
Description
'Brims with enthusiasm and joyful insight' - Richard Ayoade
'Witty and wise . . . an entertaining and assorted history' - Empire
How can a film score make you cheer, shiver, cry or punch the air?
How do directors communicate their musical vision to composers?
And when does a soundtrack take on a life of its own?
Award-winning film critic Mark Kermode and radio producer Jenny Nelson embark on a full-throttle trip down the glorious rabbit hole of film composition to answer these questions and more.
Celebrating the emotional connection that audiences form with film music, exploring the evolution of film scoring from silent films to the present day, and examining how what we hear has an impact on what we see, Mark talks to some of his favourite composers and delves into the movie music he loves.
Including interviews with extraordinary talents from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood to Oscar-winning composers Rachel Portman and Howard Shore, and the stories behind iconic soundtracks such as Jocelyn Pook's Eyes Wide Shut, Michael Kamen's Brazil and Vangelis's Blade Runner, Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is a thrilling take on how great scores are brought to life on the silver screen.
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Jenny Nelson is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She produced Mark Kermode's film music show at Scala Radio from 2019-24, and in her previous role as Executive Producer at Classic FM she wrote a book about creative collaborations between film directors and composers. Jenny has hosted panels about screen music at London's Southbank Centre and Abbey Road, and is a former trustee at the Cambridge Film Festival. Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is her second book.
'Witty and wise . . . an entertaining and assorted history' - Empire
How can a film score make you cheer, shiver, cry or punch the air?
How do directors communicate their musical vision to composers?
And when does a soundtrack take on a life of its own?
Award-winning film critic Mark Kermode and radio producer Jenny Nelson embark on a full-throttle trip down the glorious rabbit hole of film composition to answer these questions and more.
Celebrating the emotional connection that audiences form with film music, exploring the evolution of film scoring from silent films to the present day, and examining how what we hear has an impact on what we see, Mark talks to some of his favourite composers and delves into the movie music he loves.
Including interviews with extraordinary talents from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood to Oscar-winning composers Rachel Portman and Howard Shore, and the stories behind iconic soundtracks such as Jocelyn Pook's Eyes Wide Shut, Michael Kamen's Brazil and Vangelis's Blade Runner, Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is a thrilling take on how great scores are brought to life on the silver screen.
------------
Jenny Nelson is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She produced Mark Kermode's film music show at Scala Radio from 2019-24, and in her previous role as Executive Producer at Classic FM she wrote a book about creative collaborations between film directors and composers. Jenny has hosted panels about screen music at London's Southbank Centre and Abbey Road, and is a former trustee at the Cambridge Film Festival. Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is her second book.
Reviews / Votes
Wonderfully enjoyable and informative . . . opens up a different way of listening and appreciating . . . a superb account, at once lucid and complex. -- Richard Dyer * Literary Review * A celebratory tour d'horizon of film music history that covers an enormous range, from the popular to the classic to the bracingly avant garde . . . Excellent. * Sight and Sound * Movie music may be an essential component of cinema but it often gets overlooked. [Mark Kermode's Surround Sound] gives it the focus it deserves, revealing the stories and the people behind your favourite film scores. -- Nick de Semlyen, author of <i>The Last Action Heroes</i> Part memoir, part detailed examination of the essence of film music, Mark Kermode's Surround Sound goes way beyond the usual suspects to explore the music of many half-forgotten and less mainstream composers. I learned a lot. -- Anne Dudley, Oscar-winning composer of <i>The Full Monty</i> Another witty and wise affair . . . an entertaining and assorted history of music and sound in cinema. * Empire * A fascinating read for every film music enthusiast. Thoroughly enjoyable and amusing. -- Rachel Portman, Oscar-winning composer of <i>Emma</i> Passionate without being didactic . . . reminds us that cinema is an art form for the ear as well as the eye. -- Richard Ayoade Turns up the power of movie scores . . . a must-have for cinephiles and music fans. * The Irish Times * A treasure-trove of quotes and anecdotes a perfect place to start if you want to discover new films, scores and soundtracks. * Shortlist * Typ-ic-ally enthralling and com-pre-hens-ive . . . a gold-mine for soundtrack obsess-ives and new-comers alike . . . a com-puls-ively read-able book that moves with the propul-sion of John Wil-li-ams's Jaws while exhib-it-ing all the breadth of Miklos Rosza's Ben-hur. * BBC Music * An accessible, unpretentious examination of the evolution of film music . . . and what makes the book truly satisfying is that it gives the full picture of the process of film composition (pun intended), for better or worse. * The Sunday Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 217 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
489 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4472-3056-4 (9781447230564)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
Picador
€25.49
Available for download
Person
Mark Kermode is a film critic, writer, broadcaster and musician. He is the co-presenter of the Sony podcast 'Kermode and Mayo's Take', and the BBC Radio 4 programme 'Screenshot'. He is the author of several books on film and music including Hatchet Job and How Does it Feel? He is co-founder and double-bassist of the skiffle & blues band The Dodge Brothers, who (with pianist Neil Brand) provide live accompaniment to silent movies. Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is his seventh book.
Jenny Nelson is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She produced Mark Kermode's film music show at Scala Radio from 2019-24, and in her previous role as Executive Producer at Classic FM she wrote a book about creative collaborations between film directors and composers. Jenny has hosted panels about screen music at London's Southbank Centre and Abbey Road, and is a former trustee at the Cambridge Film Festival. Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is her second book.
Jenny Nelson is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She produced Mark Kermode's film music show at Scala Radio from 2019-24, and in her previous role as Executive Producer at Classic FM she wrote a book about creative collaborations between film directors and composers. Jenny has hosted panels about screen music at London's Southbank Centre and Abbey Road, and is a former trustee at the Cambridge Film Festival. Mark Kermode's Surround Sound is her second book.