Bear McCreary

Performer

Bear McCreary

Composer in the Nutevio catalogue.

Born
17 February 1979
Age
47
Active
2004–present
Known for
Composer
View filmography
  • Composer · 51
  • Actor · 2

The essay

Reading Bear McCreary

Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.

Why this filmmaker matters

Bear McCreary has 0 scores in the Nutevio catalogue. Emmy Award winning composer Bear McCreary was first launched into pop culture with his groundbreaking score to the hit series Battlestar Galactica, that was lauded by Variety as “the most innovative music on TV today.” It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR). Io9.com ranked McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of All Time, and recently WIRED Magazine declared him one of only five “Secret Weapons” of the television industry. McCreary was recently voted “Composers’ Choice Composer of the Year – Television” by his peers in ASCAP, the first award of its kind. Bear has conducted orchestral performances of his music throughout North America and Europe, appearing at Fimucité in Tenerife, and the International Film Music Festival in Úbeda, Spain. In July 2014, his music was performed by the L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Master Choraleat the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Attending the prestigious Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Bear completed degrees in composition and recording arts. However, his professional training came from film music legend Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mocking Bird). Bear was one of Bernstein’s select protégés, and learned the tools of the trade working with and orchestrating for the maestro. Bear spent his childhood immersed in film and television music; he is delighted now to contribute back to the genres that inspired him.

Signature style

The recognisable elements are visual style, rewatchability, originality. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same eye, re-tuned for different registers. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is staged.

Legacy

McCreary set terms other filmmakers now work against: the structures, the pacing and the refusal to explain. Awards bodies have often been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.

Best known for

Catalogue work still being written up by our editors.

From the library

Complete credits

Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.

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Frequent collaborators

Canonical people credited alongside this name across multiple titles.

Genre profile

  • Horror19
  • Thriller13
  • Comedy10
  • Mystery8
  • Science Fiction7
  • Fantasy6
  • Action4
  • Adventure4

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Reference

Quick facts

Born
17 February 1979
Age
47
Active
2004–present
Scores composed
0
In the Nutevio catalogue
Known for
Composer
scored score
6.5
Nutevio editorial metric
Collection appearances
0
Across the library
Films rated 8+
0