Visiting Practitioners- Lindsey Wright
Lindsey Wrights presentation was particularly useful to me because they work as a composer for film and television, and they outlined the experiences of a composer. They described their process from start to finish, how they draw inspirations from the material, how they transcribe this into musical expression, and the processes of re-editing and the relationship between the composer and director.
Similar to my own interests, Wright described how they merge traditional orchestra score with experimental methodologies. One of the most useful concepts Wright touched on was the idea of frequency occupation, something I was unfamiliar with. This is the consideration of which instruments and textures to use in order to avoid butting against important aspects of the sound design. The example Wright provides is her process of scoring a documentary about DB Cooper, in which there were many talking head style interview cutaways. In order to preserve the clarity of dialogue, Wright would transition from Violins, and guitars, to low frequency synthesiser sections when the dialogue came in. This would maintain the narrative intensity and pacing. This is a very important consideration which I maintain throughout my work.
Something else that made this talk particularly stand out to me was the fact that Wright and I had common musical influences, namely Keaton Henson and Angus McRae. It gave me an interesting insight into the type of productions draw this kind of musical palette.
Wright also talked about the importance of balancing individual works with film productions. The way she discussed her work ‘Lines’ expressed a sort of resetting philosophy, engaging in work inspired only by yourself as an exercise in creativity. This is something that I also find, and a practice I will maintain throughout my working life.
Lastly, it was interesting to hear a composer breakdown the exact sonic qualities to consider when scoring, and the categorisation of these qualities, this categorisation influenced my approach to composition. Wright described them as such:
- Timbre
- Constant motion
- Cyclical Layers
- Texture
- Rhythm
- Harmony
- Instrumentation
- Structure
- Slides
- Bass
- Space and Depth
Wright provided me with an insight into the possible pathways into professional composition, namely maintaining relationships with independent film makers and building your portfolio through working on small films. Through this gradual progression it is possible to eventually land in larger productions once you have proved your abilities.