“Audiences, meet Antonio Sánchez, the other star of Birdman.” – Vanity Fair

Alejandro G. Iñárritu contacted friend and jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez in January 2013, inviting him to compose the score for Birdman. Drum sections comprise the majority of the score, and Iñárritu explained the choice by saying they helped to structure scenes and that “the drums, for me, was a great way to find the rhythm of the film… in comedy, rhythm is king, and not having the tools of editing to determine time and space, I knew I needed something to help me find the internal rhythm of the film.” Iñárritu also wanted a score that “wouldn’t cater to an audience’s expectations,” which the drums, being more abstract, provided. Sánchez summarized the process by saying, “The movie fed on the drums and the drums fed on the imagery.”