May 2023
Hollie Buhagiar is a multi award-winning Gibraltarian composer based in London, who specialises in crafting bespoke scores for film, TV and Theatre. Throughout her career she has been hailed for her ability to create fascinating scores that approach traditional composition from a contemporary and distinct perspective. Hollie’s recent works can be heard across Film4, Netflix, Sky, Channel4, BFI, Tate, VICE and BBC. Her projects have received critical acclaim winning various prestigious awards including a BAFTA.
The joy Hollie finds in creating music just radiates from her words here. Read on…
MASA: What inspired you to become a composer, and how did you get started in the industry?
HOLLIE: It’s safe to say I’ve been captivated by music in some way shape or form since the dawn of time and space. From a very young age I tried my hand at a lot of different instruments and was fascinated by them all. I think this was the initial spark that led me to follow a career path in composition. That being said, I definitely discovered film accidentally, I was studying the more technological side of music production and writing personal projects when someone approached me about music for moving image. As soon as I tried my hand at it, it was the most visceral lightbulb moment for me that I could have ever imagined. My mother is an incredible painter and the visual arts had always been such a strong presence in my life thus far that it turned out to be the perfect marriage of all that I’d held dear. In hindsight it’s a surprise to me that I hadn’t thought of it sooner!
MASA: What are you currently working on?
HOLLIE: I’m working on a few different pieces and gearing up for a TV series at the moment. As we speak I’m near completion on a wonderful fiction feature called ‘Lady Parts’. It’s a comedy based on the writer’s personal experiences with Vaginismus. The score is WILD and I’m having the greatest time experimenting and throwing the wackiest ideas at the film to see what it likes best. It’s been a brilliantly explorative journey. I’m also in the thick of writing my debut album.
MASA: All so exciting. Can you tell us about a project of recent years that you're particularly proud of, and what made it stand out to you?
HOLLIE: I’m extremely lucky to say that there have been a lot of projects I’ve scored that have made me extremely proud - it’s actually proving quite hard to choose. I am very fond of an episode that I scored titled ‘CRADLED’ for Channel 4’s anthology series ‘On The Edge’. Directed by Chlöe Wicks and featuring the marvellous performance of Ellora Torchia, it tells the story of a mother who we discover has postpartum psychosis. It’s a piece that really deeply moved me and touches upon a subject matter that I’d seldom seen discussed through film. I gravitated towards film and TV through wanting to collaborate and create stories that deserve to be heard, stories that might hopefully change people's hearts and minds in some small way. This piece is such a vivid example for me as to why I do what I do. It was an amazing experience that further ignited an already burning passion for this industry.
MASA: Wonderful. Next could you walk us through your creative process when scoring a project, perhaps using a recent project as an example?
HOLLIE: My creative process I would say is quite fluid and varied. Each project is inherently different and requires its own unique approach. That being said, I would say conversation and communication is always the starting point. One of the greatest joys of this industry is its collaborative nature, and so, meeting with the director and team to discuss the direction of the film and to make sure that we’re on the same wavelength is absolutely key. The goal is to really understand the intention and narrative as deeply as possible. Sometimes this will happen before or after reading a script, seeing a treatment, or even an edit of the piece itself. Beyond this, once I sense I have a strong understanding of the project, I tend to go off and begin to form some sketches and rough ideas based on what my instinctual response is to all that I’ve been given. Sometimes these are to image, often they are not, this mainly depends on what stage I’m joining the project (I very much enjoy writing to script where possible) and how each director prefers to work. I recently scored the documentary feature ‘Women Behind the Wheel’ directed by the formidable duo that is Catherine Haigh and Hannah Congdon. With this score for example, we began mid-way through the edit. Due to the nature of the piece; being a film where the two are seen driving across Central Asia’s Pamir Highway, music was very much working in unity with the sounds in the space and of the car itself. Everything written was in reference to how it could balance most effectively against sound and so in this case, it absolutely made most sense for me to begin during the edit. It was an added treat to be able to have the music and edit respond to each other and in so doing, truly inspire and entwine. After the sketches are sent across, they will be discussed in depth and with this information I then go on and score several key scenes that will inform the majority of the piece, progressively scoring other moments in the film until completion.
MASA: How do you balance your personal style and vision with the needs and expectations of the project you're working on?
HOLLIE: I would say at this stage, those that work with me do so because they enjoy my approach. That being said my style isn’t necessarily rooted to a specific genre, more in what drives and excites me musically. In that respect I would say it can often be quite eclectic. I’m very much inspired by the nuances that each piece inherently brings and love existing outside of any type of comfort zone. In hindsight that’s where my best work has been formed. With regards to my vision, really this is sculpted together with the director’s. After a certain point I find it’s hard to know which elements originated from whom and I find that to be part of the most thrilling aspect of collaboration. All of my soundtracks have been sparked from the director’s vision. My expectations for each project don’t truly manifest until those conversations have been had and we’re deep in the process. In my mind, we’re working to discover what’s best for the film and after a certain point the piece tends to have its own vision that it guides us to.
MASA: What challenges have you faced as a female composer in a male-dominated industry, and how have you overcome them?
HOLLIE: I’ve moved through the industry with the mentality of striving to be the best in the room for the role and being hired entirely off of my own merit. If I’m honest in my mind I’ve tried to avoid dwelling on the fact that my being female might be a deterrence or complication. I suspect it’s for self-preservation that I’ve done so. There’s an amazing female composer community out there though and after a lifetime of not sharing my experiences out of fear of not being understood, or even perhaps the worry of being misunderstood, being surrounded by incredible female composers and discussing our experiences has really opened my eyes to the difficulties we have all faced as women. From entering studio spaces that I’ve hired and finding myself entirely underestimated by their teams through to constant digs and jokes. I’ve found myself in dangerous situations too, especially when I first started out and this happens across the board in all roles in the industry, to the point where myself and others would send our locations to each other when we had business meetings for peace of mind. Personally, I decided some time ago that this path is what brings me joy and I will not allow anyone but myself to take it from me if I so choose to. Community is everything, representation is everything and I hope one day I might be able to help the lone woman that sits in a room of 50 men studying music tech (which was my experience) feel as though she belongs and is welcome.
MASA: Can you share any advice or words of encouragement for other women who are interested in pursuing a career in composing?
HOLLIE: Good question. I would say, don’t let the projections of others impact you, if this is what you love, let that be the guiding force. As much as it’s great to see the industry making moves to change, there will be that person that does not want you to take up the space that you so rightly deserve and only you can give them the power to make you feel less than. Don’t give them that luxury and invest your energy where possible in your craft and in those that will build you up. I would also say do feel free to get in touch, I would be very happy to have a deeper conversation and help where I can!
MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?
HOLLIE: To put it simply, I am always on the hunt for something that is new and inspires me in some way, shape or form. Whether it’s sonic curiosities or a magnificently crafted theme, what I’m mostly looking for is what excites me and hearing the love of the craft through your creation. We are so fortunate to exist in an industry that has an abundance of talent and this is what I’ll be on the lookout for. Something that carves itself across the project wonderfully and moves me deeply.
Find out more about Hollie and her work here
