Composing For TV and Film

I write emotional and engaging music for TV & Film. I have produced and recorded music in a wide range of styles from intimate textural work, to epic orchestral arrangements.

In every film I have been involved in, I have found it essential that I fully understand the film, the narrative, and immerse myself into the emotions of the characters.

The film narrative unfolds over time, and the score needs to function as another character to support this.

As a composer, I like to be as involved I can in the whole process, and I want to over-communicate with people that I work with. I provide regular updates, samples of work, and progress updates as frequently as possible. That means you get feedback quickly, and should any tweaks be required you have plenty of time to make them.

Let’s Collaborate

I’ve been producing music for years and have written and collaborated with a variety of artists. I work with singers, songwriters, and bands in a variety of styles.

Artists have come to me with finished songs, but others with just lyrics or a vision of what they are looking to achieve, so we can write the music together.

Making music should always be fun, which is why I always create a relaxed and comfortable environment where we can be creative

The instrumentation you use will influence the feel and style of your music and so it must be carefully considered. My clients benefit from my knowledge as a composer, and multi-instrumentalist.

Spotting / Initial Discussions

The spotting session is a fantastic stage, as it initiates the collaborative process between the director and the composer. I’ve always found these discussions useful as it helps build new relationships, and provides a platform to have broader discussions about the film, storyline, characters, and the interlocking emotional narratives.

If there is visual content, I’ll usually watch the film with the director to make decisions and have conversations about the music. I like to discuss things like what scenes need music and talk about the emotions of the characters, as well as the general moods. From experience, I have found it useful to stay away from using technical musical language and stay close to talking about the emotional content.

The objective for me as the composer is to leave the session(s), with a comprehensive collection of spotting notes, as this is what I will be working from initially when creating the score.

Discussions With The Film Maker

During the initial stages, I like to spend time with the director to discuss their goals for the film. It’s important for me to get as much information at the start so that I can capture the emotion of the film with the music.

I also like to understand how they visioned the music, and how they are going to be using it throughout the film.

Brainstorming Ideas

I like to spend time planning, and researching ideas. I’ll spend time considering the instrumentation, tempo, and think about some ideas for the music.

Sitting at the computer and composing the first few notes is always the hardest part of the scoring process. However, doing the right research, preparation, and defining the sonic palette in the early stages removes the stress, and helps me feel relaxed right from the start.

It provides space for me to be more creative, to explore musical ideas, and eliminates the intimidating feeling that I need to write music for an entire film.

Sketching & Mock-Ups

I generally start by composing some general thematic material to help ground the director and me in a musical direction. Early in the compositional process, I prefer to explore thematical content for the characters and key events in the film. I have found it helps me give the director an overall sense of the music for the film and provides me strong foundations on which I can develop the rest of the score.

Work collaboratively throughout the lifecycle of the project is essential, and I, therefore, I have found it helpful that I provide regular mock-ups which are recorded using sample libraries of virtual instruments. I have detailed some of the sample libraries that I like to use, and these give a very accurate representation of what the score would sound like when we record actual instruments.

Once all the mock-ups are approved, I send all the relevant sections to my orchestrators who prepare the sheet music for the musicians to use at the recording studio. However, many projects don’t have a budget for this, so the next stage would be the mixing and mastering.

Recording & Mixing

One of my favourite stages of the film score is recording the instruments in the studio. There is always an atmosphere of excitement, and seeing the musicians play always is a fantastic experience.

Once mixed, the end results is a fantastic soundtrack that will work with the film narrative beautifully.

Regular Communication

I like to over-communicate with people that I’m working with. I provide regular updates, samples of work, and progress updates as frequently as possible.

This means you I feedback quickly, and should any tweaks be required you have plenty of time to make them.

By working in a collaborative way means that directors get the most of my experience, and we can share ideas. This ultimately leads to a smooth project and long-lasting relationships.