Music composition for the screen

I begin by meeting with the director to discuss the vision for the project. Once I receive the first cut of the film, I watch it to understand the story, pacing, and emotional arc.

I then map out the musical cues and start developing themes, textures, and ideas. After creating some initial music, I share it with the director and editor and refine the approach based on their feedback.

Once the direction is agreed upon, I compose the full score to the picture. After approval, the music is recorded with live musicians—either in a studio, remotely, or in my own workspace—and then mixed to integrate seamlessly with the dialogue and sound design.

The big screen (film) versus the small screen (TV)

Creatively, the approach is very similar. My role as a composer is to support and enhance the emotion and drama and to create an atmosphere.

I would say a big difference involves time management. A film is a single, linear project, allowing me to focus on one music cue at a time. A TV series is much more complex. I might finish composing one episode and move on to the next, only to receive feedback on earlier episodes that requires revisions. As a result, it can be difficult to maintain forward momentum while constantly juggling ongoing changes.

Scheduling also has to be incredibly precise, with multiple deadlines for each episode covering composition, revisions, recording, mixing, and delivery to the dub. More often than not, that means working weekends and late into the night to keep everything on track.

Composing The Moonwalkers

I have always wanted to compose music for a space-related project, having been fascinated by the night sky since childhood. So when I was offered this commission, I jumped at the chance. The Moonwalkers is an immersive show at Lightroom in London, which is now touring internationally to places such as Seoul and Amsterdam, and is on permanent loop at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Scoring The Moonwalkers was the experience of a lifetime. Little did I know that composing the score meant recording the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, collaborating closely with Tom Hanks, and meeting the Artemis II astronauts. In October, the score will be performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London—a dream come true.

I wrote a piece called Return to Earth for The Moonwalkers immersive show, and it has become one of my favourites. The archive footage and audio recordings of the astronauts returning home from the Moon are incredibly powerful and moving. They speak so eloquently—almost like poets—describing what it’s like to see Earth from space and what home means to them. Listening to them unlocked my creativity, and the music poured out of me with surprising ease.

Hearing this piece performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was a real privilege. There is something magical that happens when music and visuals come together, and this moment in the show never fails to move me. Even now, it brings a tear to my eye because the scene captures such a profound sense of hope for humanity.

The BSN Experience

I was at the BSN for all of Senior School (Years 7 to 13) and loved my time there. It was the early 1990s when strong youth subcultures prevailed, and music and fashion played a big role in shaping our identities.

My strongest memories are of the incredible school musicals, performances in the ‘new’ the music building, and the Christmas “Hearing Aid” concerts, where pupils (and teachers!) performed with their bands, and were allowed to make a lot of noise!

I also loved our very last day of school when we camped out in tents on the school fields and, I believe, set a tradition for years to come!

It was a special school, and I am still friends with so many former classmates (and teachers!). Even after years—or decades—apart, there remains a strong bond through our shared experience at the BSN.

Andrew Wright (“Mr Wright”) was a key figure in supporting my musical journey. He spotted that I enjoyed composition from early on and was always encouraging me. He had the foresight to hire a talented American composer, Vanessa Lann, who was studying in Amsterdam at the time, to give his A-Level pupils regular composition lessons.

Vanessa opened my eyes to the world of composition and contemporary music, making it feel accessible, exciting, and fun. She showed me that it was possible to make a living as a composer and, perhaps just as importantly, that women composers actually existed!

When I was deciding whether to pursue composition as a career, Vanessa and Andrew helped me to weigh up the pros and cons, and encouraged me to take the leap. Their guidance and belief in me played a significant role in setting me on my path.

My Big Break

 After graduating from the Royal College of Music, I rather naively assumed that my first job would simply fall into my lap. When that didn’t happen, I took on a day job to support myself financially and continued working on my music in the evenings (scoring a lot of shorts and student films for free to practice and gain experience).

My big break came when I entered and won a one-off BBC ‘New Talent, New TV Composers’ competition. The prize was a commission to score a BBC Natural World film called White Falcon, White Wolf—essentially my dream job. From there, more opportunities came my way, and my career gradually gained momentum. What started as a single commission soon snowballed into a steady stream of work.

Industry Challenges

It is an incredibly competitive and oversaturated profession, and as a freelancer, maintaining a steady income can be challenging. You also have to wear many hats. Not only are you a composer, but you are also your own agent, publisher, lawyer, publicist, and personal assistant. Especially when starting out, you have to find your own work, negotiate budgets, understand contracts, and promote yourself and your music. It can feel like a full-time job in itself, leaving less time for the actual composing.

Another challenge is balancing the many opinions involved in the creative process while maintaining your own artistic integrity. Navigating those competing voices can be just as demanding as writing the music itself.

Looking ahead, AI is likely to be one of the biggest challenges facing composers. It is already being used to create music for advertising and production libraries, and I expect its use will expand into television and eventually film. As a result, there may be fewer opportunities for human composers in an industry that is already highly competitive.

Advice for Aspiring Composers

I will pass on the advice my music teachers gave me: that being a composer is not an easy career path. In many ways, it is less of a ‘career’ and more of ‘a way of life’—one that can be all-consuming. Music lives in your heart, so it is not something you can simply switch off. When you are faced with relentless deadlines and expected to be creative on demand, maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be challenging, particularly when raising a family. It’s also highly competitive.

That said, if composing is what your heart truly wants and needs and, like me, you cannot imagine doing anything else, then my advice would be to work hard, stay dedicated, and go for it.