Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? My father Peadar Mercier played the Irish percussion instruments, the

Interviews with musicians, composers and conductors
Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? My father Peadar Mercier played the Irish percussion instruments, the
Have the confidence to go for it. Do not let preconceptions stop you pursuing what it is you want to do. There are no rules.
I love collaboration – when it works, it’s a wonderful feeling. I love the combination of ideas and opinions that result in a score you may otherwise never have written, work that is more than the sum of its parts. Of course, it can come with challenges, when you know the music isn’t quite working, or you don’t see eye to eye with your director or producer, but in my experience at least, it does seem generally to work well in the end.
I work best alone with no distractions. My studio, computer and music software (Logic Pro) plus library of sounds and samples – these are my only tools. Curiously, most inspiration enters my mind when I’m not working (there’s a conundrum). Thereafter it’s a race against time to record these ideas somehow so that they’re not lost forever!
When composing for film, it’s a challenge because you are writing music that has to satisfy both yourself, but most importantly the film director. The music needs to tell the story and the film is so dependent on the music to do this.