Music for Film and Video Games
Video Games
I have been playing video games since I was six - my first console was a second hand PlayStation 1 - and from those early days, I found myself entranced by the music that was in those games. The poignant and action packed orchestral soundtrack of Michael Giacchino’s Medal of Honor; Jessica Curry’s heartbreaking music to Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture; the thematic genius of Gareth Coker’s Ori And The Blind Forest. All of these have left a profound impression on me, deepening my conviction that video game music really is as important as story or visual aesthetic.
Aside from the composition and production of music for video games, I also have a working knowledge of implementation via Wwise and FMOD.
Case Study #1 - Fantasy Roleplay
In this compositional exercise, I wrote some music that may well be heard by a campfire in a fantasy roleplaying game. I wanted to set the scene for respite or a reunion, a place where the adventurer can rest and recuperate.
The footage I used in this example is from Baldur's Gate 3, which is the property of Larian Studios.
Case Study #2 - City Builder
The bustle of the city and the beating heart of its transport links, inspiring players to keep building - this is what I set out to write with this track, showing what I may write if I was asked to compose music for a city building game.
The footage I used in this example is from Transport Fever 2, which is the property of Urban Games and Good Shepherd Entertainment.
Case Study #3 - Horror
I’m not a big disciple of horror films or games (I’m a bit too easily scared), but that also gives me the sensitivity to know what to do to heighten tension when it needs it. I take my cues from Jason Graves’ Until Dawn, and also Stephen Deutsch’s understated yet chilling soundtrack to the 1976 BBC adaptation of The Signalman.
In this exercise, I am scoring a scene and a cinematic from the 2014 game Alien: Isolation. It goes from the tension of exploring a deserted spaceship to the terror of a xenomorph encounter, finishing with a brief cinematic that leaves more questions than answers.
The footage I used in this example is from Alien Isolation, which is the property of Creative Assembly and SEGA.
My demo showreel, showing tracks I wrote as exercises in three genres: Fantasy Roleplay, City Builder Simulator, and Horror.