Marcin Mazurek, composer

Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music?

There were a few key moments in my early life that shaped my career choice. My parents played a huge role in my musical upbringing and were always very supportive of me following this path. They would always listen to film music at home, and started taking me to piano lessons when I was three. Growing up just outside Kraków, I was fortunate to attend the Kraków Film Music Festival from its earliest days, and watching some of the most incredible films with live music made a huge impression on me. What was unique about the Kraków festival was that they hosted masterclasses with the most established film composers, and I remember being fifteen, sitting in the room with maybe twenty other people, listening to geniuses like Howard Shore and Alexandre Desplat share behind-the-scenes stories from their work on film scores. It all sounded incredibly fascinating and inspiring.

Who or what have been the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer?

I went through several phases of inspiration, but the earliest one I can clearly remember was Two Steps From Hell. Their epic sound, full of rhythm and rich orchestrations, had a huge impact on me. I vividly remember hearing their music for the first time during UEFA Euro 2012, hosted by Poland and Ukraine, when the players walked out onto the pitch. I felt their music completely transformed the space, creating an aura of magic and excitement. Two years later, The Grand Budapest Hotel came out, and I remember admiring the soundtrack for its unique instrumentation, which gave the film a very specific charm and seamlessly supported the storytelling. These early influences are what I remember most, as they first drew me into film music. When I transitioned from composing for myself to scoring my first short films, I had to adjust from the big, epic sound to something more subtle, and often experimental. Around that time, I found inspiration in Aránzazu Calleja’s experimental score for The Platform. In recent years, Volker Bertelmann’s work has definitely been very influential to me. I deeply admire his way of creating textures and how he approaches tension-building.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

A career as a film composer today is undoubtedly a challenging one on many levels. It’s not the most stable, and equally, there are moments where there’s just too much to do at once. Being mostly freelance means you also have to handle your own marketing, manage contracts, and deal with all the logistical aspects alongside composing. Musically, I think the greatest challenges for me were a few projects where the director and I just weren’t on the same page. Each of those situations became a valuable learning experience and taught me something new. On some projects, we unfortunately parted ways, and equally, I think on one or two, I just about managed to salvage things by prioritising clear communication. I’ve always deeply cared about every single project I’ve been involved with, but probably didn’t always know how to navigate the process the right way. Ultimately, I think it all comes down to establishing good and clear communication. Most composers would be able to write most things if enough time is given and enough discussions take place. I still may not have all the answers, but I’m certainly far ahead of my former self’s understanding of how things work, and hopefully have developed some tools to better know what to do if visions don’t fully align.

What are the special pleasures of working on film scores?

The best feeling, by far, is the exact moment when things start falling into place and the directors begin to feel the music is working for their film. That’s when the real fun begins, when they approve of what you’re creating and there’s time to explore different nuances and dive into discussing precise notes. Sometimes that happens on the first draft, when they’re like ‘Wow, that’s great!’ Other times it takes a few more rounds. But as long as there is good communication, I’m always happy to keep refining things to ensure we achieve exactly what the director imagined.

Of which works are you most proud?

I like to see each of my works as unique and special in their own ways and styles. Perhaps I’m not the biggest fan of some of my older pieces, as I hope I have improved since, but nevertheless, some of them are a little nostalgic for me. With the more recent ones, I don’t really have personal favourites, but since I work in the film world, I’m perhaps a little more proud of my scores for films that gained recognition. I’m really happy with what we achieved on Rock, Paper, Scissors. It was a fantastic collaboration, and I can only speak highly of the atmosphere within the team throughout that project. It was very inspiring to be united behind such an important cause. It was great to receive the Hollywood Music in Media Awards recognition and to win a BAFTA with the team. A lot of the score ended up in the film, and I think it works really well to support the story. Similarly, Bunnyhood was a fantastic collaboration, and it took us all the way to Cannes! I really enjoyed being pushed outside of my usual comfort zone and finding a unique sound for that film.

How would you characterise your compositional language/musical style?

Retrospectively, I’ve covered quite a lot of different styles in my scores: westerns, jazz, horrors, synth-based music and large orchestral sound as well. I like to see myself as a filmmaker first and a composer second, so understanding the story and smoothly navigating the scoring process with directors becomes a priority. I can quite easily adjust the style and instrumentation, as long as a good process is in place and the direction is clear. That way, I might be writing a light-hearted piece for a comedy in the morning, and in the evening, exploring new ways to notate an extended technique for a Penderecki-inspired avant-garde orchestral composition. I’m definitely unafraid of experimentation and always try to find something unique in each project that can be represented in the score, making it special and specific to that film.

How do you work? What methods do you use and how do ideas come to you?

Intuition plays a big role for me. I used to think a lot while composing, consciously analysing and debating many choices, but now, I usually just feel what should go where. I often compare my current process to painting, with one difference: I can easily erase what I don’t like. I always start with a blank canvas, trying out a few things until something clicks. Once I commit to the first layer, it becomes about adding more layers and shaping the piece further. From there, I either strip back a few layers, refine what’s there, remove what doesn’t work, or, if the whole thing isn’t right, I try to recognise that and start again from scratch. Luckily, complete rewrites happen to me less often these days, and I’ve come to really trust where the process leads me.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

I think success is built from many small milestones that you reach as you grow, like your first short film, your first feature, a premiere at a certain festival, or winning a certain award. All of these add up to something meaningful, and perhaps the more of them you achieve, the closer you are to success?

What advice would you give to young or aspiring composers?

I still consider myself a young composer, but there are so many things I wish I could tell my younger self about the industry, how to approach scoring, and navigate collaborations. Everyone’s path is different, so advice can vary a lot, but one thing I think everyone would agree with, and something I try to remind myself of on every project, is that ultimately a film composer’s role is to serve the film. The music itself is not the priority, and it’s so important to keep this in mind. If something sounds ‘cool’ but doesn’t serve the picture, you should completely remove it from that scene. Try it elsewhere, or save it for another project. Of course, it’s fun when a film asks for an epic cue and there’s a lot of space for music, but equally, if there isn’t, that’s the job, to sometimes write less exciting things that support the film. A different case is when a director thinks the music doesn’t work, but you genuinely feel it does. Yes, ultimately you need to work to their vision, but if they hired you, it’s also your role to challenge them when necessary and not be afraid to express your opinion, as long as you’re doing it in a respectful and collaborative way. If you genuinely believe that a cue works well, and it doesn’t come from a place of ego, then you should definitely ‘fight’ for it. But if you express that view and the director still feels differently, then absolutely it’s their film and it’s your role to realise their vision.

What’s the one thing we are not talking about in the music industry which you really feel we should be?

It’s an interesting question, because, at least with my close composer friends, I genuinely feel we discuss all aspects of the industry. Especially in the UK, people seem very aware of the challenges the industry and those working in it face. From many panels I’ve attended in the past few months, it’s clear that important conversations are happening. And of course, ‘important’ can mean different things to different people. So this might be a slightly unconventional answer, but I truly believe that most people in my generation of composers are open to these difficult discussions and aware of many nuances that previous generations might not have been. I like to be optimistic!

What next? Where would you like to be in 10 years time?

A lot can happen in ten years! Ten years ago, I had only just started showing interest in composition. In ten years, when I’m 37, I don’t know, I would like to be a hot name in composing! I’d want to have a few features and maybe a series under my belt. People always say to aim high, so perhaps an individual Oscar? An Emmy would work too! Those are, of course, distant goals, but I like working hard towards them every day. I enjoy having this mixed approach, where I aim high but remain grateful for the small everyday successes. Every project that someone trusts me to score has a special place in my heart.

marcin-mazurek.com