Killer Whale VS Killer Shark!

Just finished scoring the 3rd instalment of the Killer Whale vs Great White shark shows for the National Geographic Channel, and once again working with the awesome Emma Rigney directing and Steve Lipton editing. Such an informative show, make sure you check it out to find out who the ultimate apex predator of the ocean is. Gotta give a shout out to Jay Olszewski too for the amazing job on the mix; you da man, Jay!

10 Animals that Will (Might) Kill you! 2 x 1 hour shows for Nat Geo

Since late September, I’ve had the pleasure of scoring a 2 part series for Nat Geo called “10 Animals that Will (Might) Kill you”. It’s a fantastic idea for a show, detailing animals that we may encounter in the wild (or not so wild) and how they may possibly be a threat to us, and so great to be working with Ralph Quattrucci editing and Emma Rigney steering the ship. I love how the main thrust of the narrative is how these animals would hardly ever attack humans if we just left them alone to live within their ecosystems, it’s only when we try and have them as pets or infringe upon their habitats that we humans could be hurt or even killed by them. Great point to push in our ever-expanding world.

The show actually started out as a 1 hour, “20 Animals That Will (Might) Kill you”, but there was so much to be said about the animals in question that it was turned into 2 X 1 hour shows. With the tempo of the show dictating quick cutting by Ralph, it’s jam packed with music literally from the start.. and doesn’t stop to hold its breath until the final frame. Full on! But in a good way.

It might seem as if I’m on a break…

… but no way am I taking some time off right now. On the contrary, things are getting super hectic with a complete overhaul/rebranding of my site, a new showreel to feature on there, and a commission to write 100 tracks for a bespoke music library for the venerated Off The Fence Production company! Yeah, it’s all kickin’ off. I’ve also had the honour of being invited to attend this year’s Ivor Novello Awards in that there London at the end of this month, so am really keen on getting the website up and running and lookin’ ace by then. Wish me luck!

Attenborough & the Sea Dragon, now on iPlayer!

Hey people,

So the show I was working on for the BBC was this.. Attenborough & the Sea Dragon. It’s a fascinating show about the discovery of the fossil of an Ichthyosaur, a sea dwelling dinosaur that would roam the seas in search of prey. Except that the creature appears to have been horribly massacred by a much larger sea predator. Tune in to iPlayer to find out more, with Big Dave. Here’s the trailer

Enjoy!

Good news!

So I’ve just been commissioned to score a BBC1 1 hour special which will probably be broadcast late this year/early next year. It’s top secret but I can reveal it will involve these two things :

1. A dinosaur
2. David Attenborough

I feel so honoured and stoked to be working on this!! From what I’ve seen it’s going to be a killer show, a sortof murder mystery investigation taking place in the present day but examining clues from aeons ago. Will let you all know nearer the time the broadcast dates, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Wildscreen Awards.. we only gone and won!

The Wildscreen Panda Awards are the highest international accolade in the wildlife film and TV industry, often described as the ‘Green Oscars’, and are presented every two years to celebrate and honour outstanding achievement in the craft of natural world filmmaking and storytelling. The team I worked with on “Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur” were up for an award, which we didn’t win unfortunately. After the interval, we all came back in and sat down to watch the second half of the awards ceremony (presented by the main man himself, David Attenborough!). The MC started talking about a show that rocked the Jury’s world, a show full of innovation and a fantastic bit of storytelling.. He was only talking about our show! And so we were awarded the Jury’s Special Prize, which was incredibly moving and awesome. Hats off to everyone involved especially Charlotte Scott for her tireless work and enterprise in making this show happen. This was by far the proudest moment of my career as a composer. Thanks everyone!

Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur – Check it out!

Been so busy finishing up another job I completely forgot to write about the broadcast of this amazing show I worked on that was aired on BBC1 on the 26th January and will be aired on PBS in the States on the 17th February. This is probably the biggest show I’ve ever worked on.. in my life. I’ve worked with Attenborough before on a few BBC Wildlife on One programmes, namely the one about Crabs (Claw Wars – watch a clip here) and the one about Cane Toads but this was a much bigger deal. A one-off show about the biggest dinosaur ever found on planet Earth with Sir David not only narrating it but actually going to Patagonia to get stuck in.. amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed working on this, it was a real challenge for me on many levels but ultimately very rewarding.. plus I got to go and record and mix some musicians in Jim Barr’s studio which was an awesome thing in itself. Overall I’m very pleased with the music and will be posting some up on my soundcloud as soon as I can get access to my studio again which should hopefully be next week.
You can still catch it here in the UK and here in North America, check it out!

Deadly Instincts – 6 part series on National Geographic Channel

So the big job I was talking about in my last post was this… Deadly Instincts! I worked on this throughout the summer and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, though quite stressful at times since it required a LOT of music… 4 and a half hours of it in the end. Got it done though and the results look awesome. I have to give a big shout out to the crew at Plimsoll Productions who gave me the opportunity to work on this, an incredibly creative and professional bunch : Grant Mansfield, Martha Holmes, Ben Holder, Kirstine Davidson, James Reed, Bobby Sheikh, Rama Bowley, Paul Kiff, Lena Ordyk, Zoe Brandon, and all the people at Films@59. Thanks! This is going out in the States on October 11th, and then will hopefully be coming to Europe after that and it’s narrated by Huey Morgan from the Fun Loving Criminals!!

Brazil Ride for Travel Channel and BIG NEWS

The last few months have been spent working on some personal projects with some friends, some live music that I hope to take out onto the stages of Bristol very soon. I’ve also been to Brazil to record some sounds and get a feel for the music for the upcoming 6 part series of Tough Rides : Brazil for the Travel Channel, which I’m very excited about!! I absolutely love Brazilian music, stemming from my dad playing it around the house when I was growing up. Though I discovered an artist I’d never heard about while I was out there and totally fell in love with his music.. check this out. Amazing or what?? Marcos Valle.. incredible.. He’s playing at Ronnie Scott’s in London in June if any of you are interested! While I was in Brazil I pitched for a job and was offered another BIG job which I won’t talk about until negotiations are complete. The pitch was intense, working on a laptop in 35 degrees heat when I would have rather been at the beach.. but I got it! However I won’t disclose what that is either until negotiations are complete for that too.. it’s proving rather difficult.. Thanks, hope you’re all well!

My music’s on the One Show.. BBC1!

So, apart from composing for various productions this year, I’ve also been composing for a brand spanking new Music Library company that’s based right here in Bristol. It’s called Lucky G and is the brainchild of Dan Delor and Rob David (Bunkersonix) and Giles Luckes (one of the BBC’s go to editors). I’m very happy to announce that one of the tracks I have with them was used on the One Show, BBC1’s topical primetime show, and you can check it out here (it comes in at 01:23). Result!