Jake Bradford-Sharp, composer

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

Since I can remember, I have always wanted to play the drums. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to join a band at 16 and go on tours. The experience was fantastic! Over the years of touring and working in bands, I fell in love with film music, the intricacies of it, and the act of scoring. I then got involved with a few old school friends’ film projects, and I was convinced that was a world I wanted to be in. Alongside composing, I love performing, and so on every film scoring or production music project I work on, I perform every instrument that I can, myself.

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

I’ve had many significant influential milestones since I started working in film and tv, but I guess my earliest one would be both The Imitation Game by Alexandre Desplat and The Social Network by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Both absolutely blew my mind! More recently, I’ve been absolutely loving David Fleming’s score to the Mr & Mrs Smith series, and Andrew Carroll’s The Resort score. I love the textures created in both scores, blending strings and orchestral arrangements with a plethora of electronic sounds.

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

Breaking into the film scoring world was my first big challenge; with no direct access ‘in’, I spent a long time sending many, many ‘cold-call’ emails and replying to so many ads looking for composers. I got a few jobs at first, but they were few and far between. Eventually, I started getting more yesses than nos, but that brought on another big challenge: trying to keep up the momentum. After getting the first few films under my belt, I wanted to move directly onto the next, and the next, but that was proving to be tricky. I quickly learnt that the industry doesn’t quite work that way! But that’s when production music, live performance, session work, and other music-related works come into it. Being able to adapt to working in different genres, styles, and with different sounds was something that really helped me stay productive and creative between big film projects.

What are the special challenges and pleasures of working on film/tv scores?

I love scoring to picture, and the real special challenge is always hitting the cues. When something happens on screen that you want the score to follow, you need to figure out exactly how to hit that mark. My drumming & music performance background helps with that, but it’s always a challenge. Such a pleasure when it hits right though!

The big payoff is hearing your work in context on the big screen! I’ve had that absolute pleasure a handful of times now, and I’m so excited for the next time that opportunity comes around.

Of which works are you most proud?

I’m proud of all my work, but my debut feature film score for Midnight Taxi is up there! I remember I randomly got a Google Alert one day that essentially said “thriller feature film looking for a composer” and I applied immediately! I had already written an album called Dark Future, which was somewhat along the lines of what the directors, Sam and Bertie Spiers, were looking for. After sending them some select tracks from Dark Future and some other related works, we had a call to discuss the film, what they want, and what I could deliver. A few days later, they called and offered me the job! It was such a huge risk from them, as I had never scored a feature at that point. But I’m so incredibly thankful they did! The score also led me to be signed and represented by the UK Film and TV Music agency – Lesley Jackson (composer agent) said the Midnight Taxi clip was “a fantastic calling card”. And for all of that, I’m very proud of the Midnight Taxi score!

How would you characterise your compositional language/musical style?

I like hybrid scores; blending electronic and organic sounds, and incorporating sound design/textures into my work. For example, in Witness To A Murder, Pt. 2 (https://open.spotify.com/track/6B7OnWwU9tAqB7jMdoKKAP?si=0e66f6c441fa4b04) on the Midnight Taxi score, I combined a sample of a low growl of a tiger (around 50 Hz) with a synth bass – I think using Arturia’s Mini V – and played a lot with filters (using Filter Freak by Soundtoys) to create this deep, ominous, and tense, organic-meets-electric sound. I also sampled the heavy, nervous breathing of Eddie, the protagonist, and used that as a higher pulsing layer. So I guess I would characterise my musical style as hybrid and/or experimental.

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

I try to stick to a fairly strict schedule, when I can. My week is generally pretty packed with things to work on; however, almost everything I pack into my week has the option to move around somewhat, so I can prioritise things with strict deadlines when they come in. I dedicate Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to music work – be that scoring, writing, recording, mixing, or mastering. I tend to perform with a house band here in London an average of once a week, too, so that keeps me playing between touring commitments throughout the year.

Ideas come to me all the time, but I get true inspiration from playing. Be it drums, guitar, bass, keys, messing around with plugins and samplers, or various other instruments I have lying around in my studio. I start a score by selecting a ‘voice’ to use, and then build from there. Every project starts with a new instrument!

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

Being able to do what you love for a living and simultaneously enjoy life as it comes is my definition of success.

What advice would you give to young or aspiring composers?

Stay organised! It’s imperative to keep everything organised and ensure to back up your projects, files, sounds, and everything you can! I’ve had projects that have been finished for the best part of 2 years, come back and ask for something to be sent over to them – a new stem or cutdown of a track, for example.

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

How to correctly approach people (directors, producers, production libraries, etc.) with whom you want to work, and how to successfully expand your visibility to your intended audience. There are plenty of social media ‘workshops’; how to grow your numbers, etc., but that doesn’t necessarily translate to work or income. It’s something that I think many people would find useful, particularly those who didn’t attend film or music school, or those who don’t have the contacts or a way into the industry. There doesn’t seem to be much conversation about this, outside of the old “pay us and we might play you” situations. It’s tough to get your foot in the door of the music industry, so having more talks with clear and concise advice – particularly focusing on the film and composing to picture part of the music industry – I think, would be great.

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

I would love for my next 10 years to be a nice balance between scoring pictures, touring with my bands, and on my downtime, travelling.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sharing life with the ones you love, and being loved.

What is your most treasured possession?

I have a few very personal treasures, but one that comes to mind is my grandad’s old Harmony acoustic guitar.

What is your present state of mind?

Happy, optimistic, and determined.

jakebradford-sharp.com

Photo credit: Kristina Sarkisyan