I haven't worked with Basil in a long time. I did some synthesizer programming for him. I also did some orchestrations on a couple of his scores. I've had a more creative collaboration with Mark Isham, a good friend. I've worked on a number of scores with him both as synthesist and composer.
Every project is different.
I look for colors, themes and musical styles that I think will bring out the best qualities in that particular film. Synthesizers add a lot of energy to a score, which is good for an action film. But some wonderful scores are done just with orchestra. The best is to blend them both. I have little interest in that.