Trent Reznor Scoring David Fincher's 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

When it comes to his music, Trent Reznor is usually bold and resolute. But when David Fincher asked him to score his movie, 'The Social Network,' the Nine Inch Nails mastermind admitted he was reluctant to do it.

"I can tell it would be a great film," Reznor told an audience Friday at New York's TimesCenter as part of the New York Times' Arts and Leisure Weekend. "I didn't think I could do it ... because it didn't feel like an obvious film to score."

Both Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross were nominated for a Golden Globe for their soundtrack to the film. In an interview with New York Times pop music critic Jon Pareles, Reznor discussed his direction for the project and how he worked with David Fincher. "My strategy was Atticus and I just sat ... [and tried to] be very cerebral and think about what we're trying to accomplish," he revealed.

At the event, Reznor presented an original cut of the movie's opening credits in which the music was an Elvis Costello song. He later showed another cut of the opening credits, this time with his own haunting piano score, which evoked a different mood. "I had goose bumps, and I felt, 'Wow, I did that,'" Reznor said of seeing an initial screening of the film that featured his music.

With this success, more film scoring is in Reznor's future. At the event, Reznor announced that he would also be scoring the music for the upcoming adaptation of Stieg Larsson's 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' which will also be directed by Fincher. Reznor said the parameters for scoring that film will be "all based on performance, nothing programmed."

Aside from talking about his work on 'The Social Network,' Reznor also touched upon various aspects of his career, such as the 1999 Nine Inch Nails album 'The Fragile' -- "[Producer Alan Moulder and I] both look at that record ... the experience of doing it was one of the best times in our lives," he said --as well as Nine Inch Nails' break from touring, and his current project How to Destroy Angels.

Reznor also spoke about the early years of Nine Inch Nails that included the 'Pretty Hate Machine' era. "I look back fondly at those first few years." he said. "I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't know if I had anything to say...And now we're here."