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James Newberry

James Newberry

Composer

James Newberry is an award winning film composer who has worked with numerous creative filmmakers and storytellers. His approach to scoring to picture and unique voice can be heard on various features, Oscar-eligible short films that have reached top-tier film festivals around the world (Sundance, SXSW, NYFF, Tribeca, etc.), television series, and more.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Composer
Titles
15 on Motif · 41 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 20% in 30 days

What are James Newberry's films like?

Across their 11 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
32%
Survival
21%
Morality
18%
Society
14%
Bonds
10%
Power
3%
Ideas
2%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Contemplative
6
Dread
3
Melancholic
4
Hopeful
4
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Newberry's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (4).

Subscription and free streaming for James Newberry's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

41 credits, 15 with a Motif page.

  • Natchez(2025)

    Composer

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Is This Thing On?(2025)

    Composer

    Motif score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Barron's Cove(2024)

    Composer

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Row of Life(2025)

    Composer

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Enigma(2025)

    Composer

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Presumed Innocent(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · Additional Music

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • The Mission(2023)

    Additional Music

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Stroll(2023)

    Composer

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Catching Lightning(2023)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • The Game God(S) (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • Day 9 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • Tokyo Vice(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · Additional Music

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • We're Doing Good (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • The Unkind(2021)

    Musician

    Motif score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Driven(2022)

    Composer

    Motif score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Wolfgang(2021)

    Composer

    Motif score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Parousia (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    Composer

  • Victim No. 6 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    Composer

  • The Lady and the Dale(2021)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • Remember When (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Bite Size Halloween (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • Dying in Your Mother's Arms (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Homegoing (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Con Esperanza (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Cybolica (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • They Look Like Trees (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Let Me Play (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Pier Kids (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Light My Fire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Luba (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Dark, Deadly & Dreadful(2018)

    Composer

    Motif score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Frederik Remembers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Composed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Mordeo: Insatiable Hunger (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Where There's Smoke (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Who's Afraid of the Octopus Man? (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • One Good Pitch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Search Party (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Walk for Me (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Entropic (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Bandito (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 37 titles from 2015 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Is This Thing On? (2025)

$10M worldwide

Highest rated

Natchez (2025)

Motif 97th

Most popular right now

Is This Thing On? (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music36 of 37: 36 only music, 0 with another role · typical Motif score80thOther crew1 of 37: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s16 · crew2020s21 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Newberry's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Motif score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · composer

Driven (2022)

86th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Row of Life (2025)

Motif 99th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 57/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 61, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does James Newberry work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Newberry's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Danny Bensi shares the most, 4.

Directors

Composers and editors

Producers