April 2021

Lindsay is a versatile British composer creating evocative and emotional scores across all genres of film, television and games. Her work combines contemporary classical instrumentation and traditional practices with modern electronics and experimental techniques, culminating in an original and unique sound palette for every score.

She recently scored the HBO/BBC feature documentary The Mystery of D.B. Cooper with Tim Atack; the BBC documentary series Inside Monaco and the BBC series 21 Again. She also scored the upcoming BFI-backed coming-of-age short drama Pop; the acclaimed short documentaries Entitled and Dark Matter as part of Channel 4's Random Acts; and BAFTA-winning director Caroline Bartleet's short drama The Bind for BBC Films. Her work in advertising includes the latest British Airways online and broadcast media campaign,Take Off to the People and Places You Love.

Lindsay has worked extensively in the music department on high end television and film projects, contributing additional music for Stan Lee's Lucky Man; Sky Atlantic's The Tunnel; and feature film The Aftermath, starring Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård. Lindsay is the music editor for the third and fourth series of Netflix's multi-award-winning drama The Crown. Alongside her colleagues, she was nominated for the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing in a Comedy or Drama Series. She was also the music editor for the Amazon Studios drama series The Feed; and the upcoming Netflix feature The Forgotten Battle.

As well as writing for media, Lindsay is developing her work as a solo artist, with an upcoming EP release coming soon.

Read on to learn more…

MASA: We’d love to hear a little about your musical background and career path so far…?

LW: I grew up playing the viola in orchestras and chamber ensembles before picking up the bass guitar and singing in bands as a teenager. I was very lucky to have a fantastic local music service that enabled me to try a bunch of different things - I took harpsichord lessons for a while, jazz improv, African drumming… I was encouraged by my teachers to explore all different kinds of music which led me to wanting to write and record my own stuff. I did an undergrad degree in Music Technology at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which helped hone my engineering and producing skills, as well as exploring both more traditional and electroacoustic composition. I then was fortunate enough to be accepted to the National Film and Television School and pursue what I really wanted to do, which was write music to picture.

After graduating, I managed to land a few jobs assisting and music editing for more established composers, which led to some additional music opportunities and a broader education on how the industry operates. I slowly built up my portfolio of work as composer across all formats and genres and I’m very lucky to have worked on some brilliant projects and with some amazing collaborators so far in my career.

MASA: You recently co-scored, with Tim Atack, the HBO/BBC feature documentary, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, that looks at this well-known case, largely regarded as the greatest unsolved heist in American history. How did you end up working on this with Tim? And what did the process of co-composing look like?

LW: Tim is one of the brilliant composers on the roster of my agency (Manners McDade). He was looking for someone to come aboard DB Cooper and our agent put me forward and we went from there! It was a really wonderful collaboration - Tim had already written some of the cues and themes for the film, so we spotted the rest of the film together and decided who was going to tackle what. We would largely get on with our own sections, but then send ideas back and forth and make suggestions for things that could be strengthened. It was a really organic process and I think it worked well in that we both had similar ideas for how we should approach the tone and style of the film - where to encourage the sense of mystery, where to pull back and focus on the emotion of the people, etc. The film used visual re-enactments of the various interpretations of the events, as well as recounting the experiences of the flight crew who were hijacked and the family members of those who were suspects, so it was important to be sensitive to their stories as well as highlighting the absurdity of it all.

MASA: You’ve scored a number of commercials. Have you got a favourite, in terms of your input?

LW: Writing something original and for such a short format is always daunting, but taking something that is already well known and so connected to a brand and putting your own spin on it is even scarier! I think my favourite so far has been reworking the iconic British Airways ‘Flower Duet’ for one of their campaigns last year. The original piece has been so intertwined with the branding of British Airways, but being given free rein to push it in a new direction was a fantastic challenge. I wanted it to have a constant feeling of motion and energy underneath the beautiful melodic vocal lines. I combined staccato strings with contemporary pulsing synths elements, which I hope gives it a sense of build and momentum.

MASA: Would you say you have a signature style? And do you have a genre you’re particularly fond of working on?

LW: I think a signature style is something I’m still working on. At the moment I’m happy with building an interesting and diverse body of work, and maybe looking back on what I’ve done in a few years time, something will emerge that I can identify as a signature sound. That being said, as a viola player, I love using chamber strings (both traditionally and with more contemporary techniques), and as a music tech nerd I love recording weird and wonderful sounds and mangling them into something unexpected.

Genre wise, I love doing anything that has a good narrative and interesting characters. Dark dramas, oddball comedies, gritty documentaries, creative animations… I like trying new things and constantly learning about how music can enhance visual media. I’d love to score a video game some day and explore non-linear narratives, too.

MASA: How do you find scoring for commercials and scoring for TV/film differs?

LW: I think both have their particular challenges. With film and television, you have so much more time to establish ideas and ease into the soundtrack somewhat. With commercials, you have to be immediate with your sound and tone straight away. But inversely, it can be hard to figure out how to do more than just ‘tread water’ under a long scene in film and television, and sometimes in commercials it can be hard to get an idea to work musically as well as narratively when you have such little time for it to exist.

MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What do you feel makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?

LW: I think what I’m looking for is a balance between originality and how music and sound complements what it’s accompanying. There are times to be bold and adventurous, but there are also times to be subtle and supportive. There are times when you need to go with something expected and typical, but how can this be made slightly more unique and interesting? There are times when the emotion and drive of a piece is completely reliant on its music and sound - how is this handled in a way that is appropriate yet interesting? The craft and artistry of music and sound, its importance in the media and the creators that bring it to life should be celebrated, and I’m very excited to see and hear all the work that is going to be submitted for consideration for this year’s awards.

MASA: Thank you so much Lindsay for chatting to us. It’s been fantastic hearing about your career path to date and your approach to composing.

Visit Lindsay’s website here: www.lindsay-wright.com