ASCAP Screen Music Awards Honor Hans Zimmer as Box Office Champ, John Powell as Composers’ Choice
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A week after ASCAP gave out its pop awards, the performing rights organization rolled out another round of kudos with the ASCAP Screen Music Awards for composers, announced online Tuesday morning as the kickoff to a two-day online event taking place in lieu of the org’s usual black-tie dinner in Beverly Hills as a result of ongoing quarantining.
Hans Zimmer won the trophy for top box office film for scoring the blockbuster remake of “The Lion King.” In television, the award for most performed themes and underscore went to David Vanacore, whose most-heard work of the year included “Survivor” and “Deal or No Deal.” Siddhartha Khosla, of “This Is Us” fame, won for top network television series.
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Although those awards represent acclaim represented in sheer commercial numbers, ASCAP also polls its composer and songwriter members to give out three peer-voted awards. In the Composer’s Choice categories, John Powell won film score of the year fo r”How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” Bear McCreary was voted TV composer of the year. Gordy Haab was honored in the voting for video game score of the year for “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.”
Over the coming three days, ASCAP will be putting up video content of acceptance speeches or other contributions involving winners. The org said that Pinar Toprak, among the top box office winners, will be seen giving a tour of her home studio on ASCAP’s social media channels.
While most of the awards-related content will be on the PRO’s socials, some will appear on a separate ASCAP Experience: Home Edition website on the last day of the three-day event, such as a live Q&A with Zimmer that will appear Thursday.
Other themes and underscore winners included Michael Giacchino, Cat Gray, Jared Gutstadt, Russell Howard, Didier Lean Rachou, Ed Robertson, Mark Snow, Zimmer and Joel Beckerman.
Among the additional top television series winners who’ll accept or appear on video are Dan Foliart (“The Conners”) and Bruce Broughton (“The Orville”).
Ruth Barrett will pick up the award for top cable television series for PBS’s “Victoria” via video as well.
“We are faced with a challenging moment right now,” ASCAP board chairman and president Paul Williams said in a video introduction to the awards rollout. ” But we believe that your music, and the stories accompanied by it, will meet this moment by giving us hope and inspiring change.”
The special ASCAP Experience: Home Edition programming Thursday will include “Maverick: Hans Zimmer in Conversation with Mitchell Leib,” Walt Disney Studios’ head of music, and “This Is Us: A Conversation with Siddhartha Khosla,” with Chris Sullivan, one of the stars of “This Is Us.”
A complete list of 2020 winners can be found at www.ascap.com/screenawards20.
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