During lockdown in 2021, an old school friend of mine named Max Rawicz got in touch with me through instagram. We kept in touch loosely over the years, I was aware of the fact that he now worked as a cameraman out in Australia. Him and his friend (business partner) Anthony Ross (together Two Cooks Creative) were looking for a composer for a short film they were looking to make:
THE WILD HAGGIS - A Scottish woodsman is driven mad in his hunt for the wee beastie that attacked him one night in the Highlands.
After reading the script and talking to Anthony and Max I knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of this project. I felt very lucky to have the opportunity to work with these guys on such an ambitious film with an incredibly original subject.
Anthony's knowledge of music and indeed film music is second to none which made the collaboration even smoother for me as the composer. We looked to best to get some inspiration - Bernard Hermann, Wagner, Howard Shore, Prokoviev, James Horner etc.
The film is almost entirely narration with much of the story showing scenes from the protagonist's past. During the spotting session (when the composer goes through the film to sketch out where music is needed) I quickly realised that most of the film would need music. Over approximately 4 weeks between March and April 2022 I scored the entire film. As the film is a period piece, I wanted to draw inspiration from the classic composers by using big main themes, leit motifs, rich harmony and rhythm, large orchestration and so on.
After doing the rounds at multiple film festivals worldwide, the entire film is now available to watch on youtube. I hope you enjoy!