Nathan Johnson

Biography

Nathan Johnson, born on August 4, 1976, in Washington, D.C., is a highly acclaimed American film composer, director, and producer. Known for his distinctive and often unconventional approach to film scores, Johnson has carved a niche for himself by blending traditional instrumentation with unique and sometimes found sounds.

Early Life and Artistic Development:

Johnson grew up in Colorado and later lived in England before settling on the East Coast of the U.S. His musical journey led him to form the band The Cinematic Underground, which significantly influenced his entry into film composing. He's also a multidisciplinary artist who works as an art director with The Made Shop, a design firm specializing in graphic and architectural projects. This diverse artistic background contributes to his innovative approach to film music and visual storytelling. He is also the cousin of renowned writer-director Rian Johnson, with whom he has frequently collaborated.

Career in Film Scoring and Directing:

Nathan Johnson's breakthrough as a film composer came with his cousin Rian Johnson's neo-noir film Brick (2005). For this critically acclaimed score, he famously used unconventional audio sources like filing cabinets and cheese graters alongside organic instrumentation, establishing his unique sound.

He continued to build on this distinctive style in subsequent collaborations with Rian Johnson, including:

• The Brothers Bloom (2008)
• Looper (2012), for which he utilized field recordings of industrial sounds and tuned treadmills, earning him the IFMCA Breakthrough Composer of the Year award.
• Knives Out (2019)
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), which won him the IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Comedy Film.
• The upcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
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Beyond his work with Rian Johnson, Nathan has also composed for films like Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut Don Jon (2013), Michael Cuesta's Kill the Messenger (2014), and Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley (2021). He also scored the TV series Poker Face (2023) and Mr. Corman (2021).

In addition to composing, Johnson is also a director, having helmed numerous music videos for artists like Son Lux and Lucius, often employing a meticulous, hand-crafted stop-motion aesthetic. His video for Son Lux's "Change Is Everything" won the UK Music Video Award for Best Alternative Video (budget) in 2015.

Nathan Johnson's consistent ability to push creative boundaries in film music and his versatility as a multidisciplinary artist have cemented his reputation as a unique and celebrated talent in the industry.