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James T. Sale

James T. Sale

Composer · Born January 9, 1967 (59) · Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Iranian-American James T. Sale was born in Washington D.C. to music-loving parents who introduced him to classical and modern orchestral music and film music. James began drums lessons through the DC Youth Symphony at Roosevelt High School in 1978. In 1981 he began school at St John's College High School, and all-male military college prep. In 1988 James enrolled in the Film Scoring Program at Berklee College of Music in Boston. At Berklee he studied Composition and Orchestration with a major in Film Scoring. There he studied composition with Boston composer Thomas McGah. In addition to studying Film Scoring, James studied conducting privately with noted conductor David Callahan, conductor of the Brookline Symphony in Boston and a former student of Leonard Bernstein. James also studied percussion with Dean Anderson, Principal Percussionist of the Boston Ballet. After moving to Los Angeles in 1992 he began paying his dues, working as a librarian and copyist for Suzy Katayama at the Sony Music Library. Eventually he started work as an orchestrator and conductor for Bill Brown, Mike Reagan, Tim Jones, and Lee Holdridge. During this time James worked on many award-winning video games such as God of War I + II, Golden Compass, Lineage 2, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth, and Captain America: Super Soldier to name a few. James began writing music for feature films in 1995 with The Cheshire Cat and worked on his own until becoming Mark Mothersbaugh's head writer, orchestrator and conductor after working with Mark on Herbie:Fully Loaded in 2005. James co-wrote music for top-grossing films such as Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 1+2, The LEGO Movie, Hotel Transylvania 1+2, 21+22 Jumpstreet, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipwrecked and Road Chip, as well as Safe with Jason Statham and Last Vegas. In 2014 James began a fruitful collaboration with director Sean Hanish with Return to Zero. He then scored Sister Cities in 2016 continuing with Saint Judy which released in 2019. In Early 2020 James completed a concert piece called Dark Music for Bass Clarinet and Small Orchestra. He is an avid Washington DC sports fan supporting all the teams.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
January 9, 1967 (59)
From
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are James T. Sale's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Horror4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 5th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
26%
Bonds
19%
Morality
13%
Society
13%
Power
12%
Self
9%
Ideas
7%
Survival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 13 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 11 · Intense 7

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 3

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

A split, not a type: Casual 10 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
7
Hopeful
6
Melancholic
5
Absurd
5
Other
14

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous6

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 T. Sale's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James T. Sale's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits 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

36 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page.

  • Making Megaforce(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Darkness of Man(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • In The Middle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Idaho Fallen(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Finding Mr. Divine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Acts of Violence(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Saint Judy(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Surviving Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Sister Cities(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Return to Zero(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Lego Movie(2014)

    Additional Music · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2(2013)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Frankenstein Theory(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • JFK: A President Betrayed(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • 21 Jump Street(2012)

    Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Just Wright(2010)

    Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Ghosts Don't Exist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Composer

  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs(2009)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Haunting of Molly Hartley(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Taking 5(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Music Within(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Everest: A Climb for Peace(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Composer

  • Decadent Evil(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Moreau's House of Pain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • Broken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • Birth Rite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • Frozen Impact(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Bleed(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Deathbed(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Manna from Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Composer

  • Terminal Error(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Coyote Ugly(2000)

    as Finale Club Drunk

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Coping(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Skiptracer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles from 1994 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)

$15M worldwide

Highest rated

Music Within (2007)

Midcredits 79th

Most popular right now

Darkness of Man (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 30: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleMusic25 of 30: 24 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score17thOther crew5 of 30: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s16 · 1 acting · 15 crew2010s10 · crew2020s3 · 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 Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James T. Sale's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 26; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 36th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 26 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · composer

Everest: A Climb for Peace (2007)

94th percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers (2024)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 42/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 52, detractors 30. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; 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 Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove 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.

Is James T. Sale's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 27 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does James T. Sale work with?

People who share at least 2 of James T. Sale's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sean Hanish shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles