Though you might not realize it, you're probably familiar with the work of Mark Orton.
The Oregon film composer has been scoring films since 2001, creating music for films like the Academy Award-nominated drama “Nebraska” and contributing to LAIKA’s “Boxtrolls.”
“You put the right theme, the right music behind it — it can be exciting, it can be reflective, it can be all these things,” Orton said while watching a clip of a documentary he’s currently working on.
In the run up to working with Hollywood directors, Orton was a successful musician and composer whose music is often heard NPR. His former band Tin Hat Trio released seven albums. Their music was periodically discovered by directors who found the work perfect for film.
Most recently Orton got a chance to compose a completely new score for Buster Keaton’s "The General," which screened at the Hollywood Theatre on both the film’s and the theater’s 90th anniversary.
The Buster Keaton Society of Cottage Grove, where the silent gem was filmed, said Buster would have been proud.