The City of Bristol in the South West of England is a verified hive of creativity, in fact, we’ve spoken with two other Bristol-affiliated artists for our Meet the Minds series in recent months. This month, we sit down with the award-winning film composer Emma Abrams to discuss her musical background, creative process and how studying and networking in Bristol helped to kickstart her career.
“I don’t feel like a complete novice anymore”
So who is Emma Abrams, and what does she do?
“I'm Emma Abrams and I create music for film or any projects that use visuals — whatever I can get involved with! I've been making music for about 10 years and working in film for six of those — I don't feel like a complete novice anymore. It's fun, I've always loved it. I loved drama at school, so after I started making music I sort of fused the two creative practices together by making music for film.
“It all happened quite naturally. One of my school teachers said I should try and make more film-based music, more expressionist. I tried it out, really enjoyed it and just stuck with it! I ended up going to uni to study Music and Sound for Film and TV.”
“I use a lot of strings, woodwind and brass in my compositions now”
We asked Emma whether she had a traditional musical background, or if she was approaching film composition from more of a movie enthusiast's perspective.
“I’ve played the flute since I was about eight years old. Although I’ve always made up little tunes on the flute, I never used to record it or write it down. I discovered Sibelius during secondary school, which is more of a scorewriting program than a traditional DAW.
“It really helped though because I did music theory as I was growing up and I liked the whole notation and orchestral aspect of it. I guess I’ve stuck with the whole orchestral side of things - I use a lot of strings, woodwind and brass in my compositions now. Going to university got me into the more electronic and sound design side of music production, which I love to use in my work now. Orchestral music will always feel more like home to me, though.”
“Seeing my music on a film I’d never seen was so weird”
In any creative field, securing your first opportunity can be a challenging task. We asked Emma how she approached this challenge.
“Although I was interested in making music for film, I never really did it until I went to university, I just knew that I wanted to. I started out by making music for myself that I envisioned being in a film or a TV program. I started rescoring existing films which I built into a portfolio, which helped me to secure my first opportunities composing for new films.
“The first film I was involved with from the start was called The Box Version Three, with some guys from a filmmaking university in Bristol called Screenology. That was really fun - it was an electronic score which was very different to what I’d done previously. Seeing my music on a film I’d never seen was so weird.”
“I said yes to the challenge and I’m so glad I did”
For her composition work on A Ghastly Murder, Emma won an award for the Best Music In Short Film category at Canada’s Bridge Fest. Emma tells us how she landed the opportunity.
“I got involved with A Ghastly Murder through a friend of a friend. It was a producer who was looking for a composer. I was a bit sceptical because it was a silent film, which was a completely new experience for me. The prospect of making music throughout the entire length of the film was pretty intimidating, but obviously I said yes to the challenge and I’m so glad I did.
“Once I had an initial motif that the director and I both agreed on, I had a lot of motivation and new ideas formed quicker. I repeated the same motif in different variations to help tell the story. I always feel slightly self-conscious about my work, as I worry it isn’t what the director or producer wants. Having a range of diverse sketches from the beginning means we can explore what they like and dislike.
“Emotion and pace were the main elements I wanted to capture in the film score. Because there was no dialogue, I wanted the music to do the narration. The strings were used to communicate the horror and danger in some scenes. At other times, strings were used as a percussive element.”
“You’re essentially composing for a genre and making it fit”
We were interested to know what Emma is working on currently, as well as if she’s got her sights set on any particular kinds of work in the future.
“At the moment I’m working on a few films. One is called Archer, directed by Jack Twell, and the other is called Under Twister Ground, directed by Jason Murgatroyd. One of those jobs came off the back of A Ghastly Murder, as the director of that is one of the producers in this new project.”
“For one of the films, I was recommended to the producer by a mutual friend. They needed some music for their project and my name came up. The last project is being produced by a friend I made at university. He’s started to make films again so he’s gotten me involved with one of those.
“I recently applied to do some music for a game recently. I think it’s quite similar to making music for film in a lot of ways, as you’re essentially composing for a genre and making it fit. I’ve not done that yet but I think it would be really fun.”
“The way I work completely depends on when the director brings me on board”
And what about her approach to starting compositions?
“The way I work completely depends on when the director brings me on board. If they've already made the film and ask me to compose the music last minute, I’ll make a few drafts and send it back to them with different versions. Then they can tell me what they like and what they don’t like, and we refine the composition that way.
“I prefer to be brought onto a project from the start so that I have a vision of what the film will look like before it’s been produced. This gives me a bit more time to share some sketches with the director. I usually send directors up to five sketches to get the correct sound for the main theme. They’ll let me know if they like it, or of course, if they hate it, then we’ll go from there. I’ll get rough versions of film edits from the director that I can work with until the final version is ready.
“Generally, I start my compositions by writing something on a piano, or just experimenting with different instruments or sound design processes in Logic Pro to see what I can come up with.”
“I just can’t listen to myself play an instrument, it’s a bit embarrassing!”
Given her background as a flautist, we wondered whether Emma incorporates real orchestral instruments into her compositional process.
“I’ve recorded myself playing instruments in the past, but it sounds weird, kind of like listening to yourself speaking. I just can’t listen to myself play an instrument, it’s a bit embarrassing! For orchestral instruments, I tend to stick to Spitfire Audio stuff as they seem to have the crispest-sounding orchestral sampled instruments. I particularly like the Originals Firewood Piano.”
“For one of the projects I’ve worked on, we were trying to record a flugelhorn player but unfortunately, the budget didn’t allow for that in the end. I did record a string quartet for one of my university projects, and I managed to incorporate some of those recordings in one of the scores I’ve worked on since. I would love the opportunity to record more real instruments in the future.
“For scores that are more electronic, I try to come up with unique sounds using soft synths and a range of sound design techniques. I’m a big fan of granular synthesis, I really like that sound. I use a plugin called The Mangle by Sound Guru, but I don’t think they sell it anymore.”
“You’re kind of tying the audio in more closely with what’s happening on-screen”
The use of foley is crucial for creating a sense of immersion in film and TV, and we were keen to know whether that’s something Emma’s responsible for in her work.
“In terms of foley, that’s usually the responsibility of the sound guy. They take care of the foley and sound effects, although I do sometimes incorporate foley into my scores.”
“For example, if there’s a forest scene in a fantasy film, I might include some branches or twigs snapping so you’re kind of tying the audio in more closely with what’s happening on-screen. I’ll sometimes record those sounds myself, or I’m not against using a sample if I find the right one.”
“I don’t want to completely copy their style or sound too much like them”
We asked Emma to share some of her main influences when it comes to music for film and TV.
“I try to make my work sound unique in its own right, but the main composers that I love listening to are Thomas Newman and Alexandre Desplat. I find that if I listen to them while working too much then my own compositions start to sound too much like them.
“I don’t want to completely copy their style or sound too much like them, although that would be amazing! So I try and stick to the visual side of the project I’m working on as inspiration. I also ask the director to provide some references for any music that inspires them, which can help to steer my own compositions a bit more.”
“it’s always rewarding in the end”
We were interested to learn what the most difficult parts of the job are.
“I guess the main challenge is making sure the director or producer is happy. If we don’t agree on how something should sound or where it should fit in the project, it can knock me off track a bit.
“I start second-guessing my work and my judgement, but that can usually be fixed by communicating with the director a bit more, or just getting on with it. Working through those kinds of hurdles can be tedious at times, but it’s always rewarding in the end.”
“The more people you talk to, the more likely you are to find people that like your music”
Emma was kind enough to share her advice for anyone trying to get into the world of composition for film and TV.
“I’d advise people to build up your network and gain as many connections as you can. The more people you talk to, the more likely you are to find people who like your music or the way you work. Build your network, connect with people and try to shove your music in their faces. Someone will eventually invite you to be a part of their project.”
🍿 You can check out Emma’s website to keep up with her upcoming projects.
