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Robert Zemeckis and Alan Silvestri, 2000

"I enjoy wine but I don't get crazy about it. That's what I feel about film music. I enjoy it but I have other things in my life that I'm enjoying also. Wine is a symbol or an expression of the enjoyment of life and I think music is a very similar expression."
-- Alan Silvestri in 2002

In twenty short years, Alan Silvestri has transformed himself from a guitarist, drummer and arranger in various bands to one of the world's most in-demand film composers. Viewing composing from the perspective of a member of a sports team, and after composing several dozen scores for major motion pictures, Silvestri still creates music with the same zeal he had when he started in the business almost by accident. Through late night improvisation and a willingness to learn any genre of music, Silvestri continues to produce high quality scores and establish himself in Hollywood as a melody wizard and a musical chameleon. He has experimented with almost every type of film genre: comedy, action, romance, science fiction, animation, horror, drama, fantasy, western, thriller, slapstick, and adventure. His collaborators agree that it is truly remarkable that Silvestri is able to handle every genre exceptionally well. He instinctively has a deep understanding of what the core and emotion of a movie is and consequently produces music that fits perfectly within the film.

In his work, he possesses an exceptional talent for writing razor sharp, memorable themes and his sense of rhythm is even more remarkable. Silvestri is therefore considered to be the first choice for scoring comedies, which remain the most difficult film genre to score. His work in the action genre has demanded the same respect and attention as similar endeavors by legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith. His collaboration with director Robert Zemeckis is among the strongest in the industry, beginning in the mid-1980's with Romancing the Stone and Back to the Future and flourishing today. Silvestri continues to enjoy scoring film music, and he considers it a very important occupation, but there are certain limits to his workload. He is a man who can walk away from his studio and enjoy working with the tractor on his ranch, start a vineyard, or fly the skies of California. With a private pilot license, Silvestri often flies himself with his own jet plane to Los Angeles for sessions and meetings.