BESPOKE COMPOSITION
This was where it all began for me and is what I still do primarily. I have written to picture for around ten years and counting and continue to write for TV, Film, Commercials, Video Games along with other commissions. Many people assume that writing to a brief is something of a hindrance, but I have increasingly grown to love having guidelines to work within and revel in the collaboration that this brings about.
SOUND DESIGN
As my music drifted further away from traditional scores, I found myself accidentally within the realm of sound design. Seldom using traditional instrumentation and also working very closely to the picture, often frame by frame, allows me to transition when required into musical sound design and, when called upon, more traditional sound design. I pride myself in marrying audio with visual, often in minute detail.
AUDIO INCEPTION AND BRIEFING
One of the most important skills I have picked up over the years is translating the words of clients from adjectives to actual musical language. Taking and writing briefs is something I pride myself on and being able to bridge that gap between ideas and a tangible product is something I excel at. My time working at Amber Music alongside seasoned Production Producers allowed me to pick up the skills from both sides of the table and gave me invaluable insight into the process, right from the outset of my career.
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
Producing timescales and sticking to them, spotting sessions, cue-sheets, the process between DAW to Orchestrator and back, working with live musicians, the mixing and mastering process – the nuts and bolts of the audio process are all things I have managed and kept as a cohesive whole throughout my projects, both long and shortform.
AUDIO EDITING, REPAIR
I have cut together many album promos and teasers for major record labels (Island, Universal, Warner). Creating a sense of flow and seamless transition between disparate tracks, as well as finding a satisfying beginning, middle and end when somtimes given as little time as fifteen seconds is something I do often. On longer projects I have created full sets for fashion shows with a genre and theme in mind, blending together with the finesse of a DJ but with a level of client input and meticulousness not afforded to live DJing.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION
When I joined the industry, working to tape was something that was an aspiration but not a practical reality. Working with digital for all of my career and seeing dwindling recording budgets meant that emulating the sound of a real orchestra without a single live musician was a necessity. I often get called upon to take productions and ‘spruce them up’ with additional production to either emulate a more realistic feel or just to add another layer or two as a second pair of ears. Collaboration is something I have always found very fruitful.