Renny Harlin
Millennium
Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev
A rogue insurgent assassinates foreign journalists and makes it look like the CIA is responsible. Coaxed out of retirement to clear the agency’s name, a deadly operative must confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
The Bricklayer stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) and Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries.
Directed by Renny Harlin who has directed numerous action classics such as Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and Deep Blue Sea.
Eckhart is also not a stranger to action films, having previously played an American president in peril in both Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. He also portrayed an alien-fighting U.S. soldier in Battle: Los Angeles, and among his most iconic roles is likely that of the villainous Two-Face in Christopher Nolan’s ‚The Dark Knight‘. Dobrev is best known for her roles on the television series The Vampire Diaries.
„The composition and execution fit the series perfectly, but the score retains a distinct character and voice that elevates it in a rare feat of complementary memorability.“
Vehlinggo
Will be released in the beginning of 2024 and made available on all major platforms.
The music features recordings of a lush orchestra, enriched with propelling synths and driving beats.
„A good theme is key for any film or series and Liaison and The Unfamiliar composer doesn’t disappoint on The Bricklayer, offering a swirling crescendo that leans heavily into his expert blend of the synthetic and the organic to present a memorable, minor-key theme.“
Vehlinggo
„Mair had to symphonically connect suspense-strewn storylines and personal interactions involving secret service agents.“
Variety
People Magazine
„Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev Go on a Manhunt in Action-Packed thriller The Bricklayer“
the full reviewVariety
„Whether it was characters being chased or those such as mercenary Cassels and agent Green in a romantic embrace, Mair built subtle, lush musical themes and noise-filled ambiance that could turn on a dime in accordance with whatever tragedy or violence might befall them.“
the full reviewVehlinggo
„Ultimately, Mair’s Liaison score is a stunning body of work that is as rewarding on its own as it is when it serves to bring out the intricacies of a fascinating story.“
the full reviewSledgehammer Games
Activision
David Swenson
Modern Warfare III continues one of the best-selling video game series of all time by hearkening back to a beloved earlier entry. The first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (note the Roman numerals in the 2023 iteration) was released in 2011 and was co-developed by Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward; both studios are collaborating once more on the new release. Following 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III marks the first time the franchise has launched a direct sequel in back-to-back years.
„Walter is a veteran of film, television, and video game work alike, with a knack for the type of hybrid electronic and orchestral scoring that Call of Duty is known for.“
Screenrant
Released on all major platforms. Check out the full soundtrack here
Call of Duty takes a darker turn with ‘Modern Warfare III’. The story offers unexpected twists and the music had to capture a wide range of emotions and also hit hard. Over the past months Walter has been recording soloists and the London Contemporary Orchestra at AIR Studios and treated the recordings with effects that reflect his style as a composer. The score makes use of expressive electronic sounds including some modular synth madness from his collection.
In collaboration with the game director, audio director, music director and music producer of MW III, this video gives an in-depth look into the scoring process and the many elements involved to create the music for this thrilling title.
In creating the original score for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Walter was tasked with balancing the franchise’s legacy with gameplay innovations and storytelling development. Walter fused electronic and traditional orchestral instruments, blurring organic and industrial musical styles for an emotional backdrop. Collaborating closely with the London Contemporary Orchestra at Air Studios (London), he experimented with unique sounds like strings played with guitar picks and brass instruments distorted through analog effects. He also worked closely with solo instrumentalists to enhance the score’s emotional depth. To ensure an immersive experience, Walter collaborated with Sledgehammer Games and Spider Farm Productions, creating an adaptive soundtrack that responded to players‘ styles and gameplay pace. This meticulous attention to detail and passion for innovation resulted in a gaming experience steeped in Call of Duty traditions and worthy of the Modern Warfare title.
„Games in the Call of Duty series have always boasted a musical score by a top-tier composer, with Hans Zimmer and Brian Tyler involved on previous entries. Screen Rant is excited to announce that the composer tapped for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is none other than Walter Mair, whose recent work includes the multilingual Apple TV+ thriller Liaison.“
Screenrant
Screenrant
„Walter is a veteran of film, television, and video game scoring alike, with a knack for the type of hybrid electronic and orchestral scoring that Call of Duty is known for.“
the full reviewComingSoon
„The initial concept was to record textures and patterns with the London Contemporary Orchestra, treat these through the modular synth rig, add a rich electronic soundscape and write strong themes on top that connect us with Captain Price, Makarov and Farah.“
the full reviewStephen Hopkins
Apple
Eva Green, Vincent Cassel
Liaison is a high-stakes, contemporary thriller exploring how the mistakes of our past have the potential to destroy our future, combining action with an unpredictable, multilayered plot where “espionage and political intrigue play out against a story of passionate and enduring love.”
Starring César Award winner Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan,” “Westworld”) and BAFTA Award winner Eva Green („Casino Royale“, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”). Additional cast includes Peter Mullan (Ozark), Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Call My Agent!), Laetitia Eido (Fauda).
Liaison is directed by Emmy Award winner Stephen Hopkins (“24”. „Lost In Space“). The series is executive produced by Gub Neal (“The Fall”), Jean-Benoît Gillig („L’Emprise”), Sarada McDermott (“Bridgerton”) and Edward Barlow.
„The composition and execution fit the series perfectly, but the score retains a distinct character and voice that elevates it in a rare feat of complementary memorability.“
Vehlinggo
Released on Lakeshore Records and available on all major platforms.
Check out the soundtrack here
Two exclusive behind-the-scenes videos were made to give insight into the scoring process. These videos contain interviews with director Stephen Hopkins and show some of Walter’s production techniques and highlight the creative process from electronic sound experiments to orchestra recordings at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios London.
„Whether it was characters being chased or mercenary Cassel and agent Green in a romantic embrace, Mair built subtle, lush musical themes and noise-filled ambiance that could turn on a dime in accordance with whatever tragedy or violence might befall them.“
Variety
„A good theme is key for any film or series and The Bricklayer and The Unfamiliar composer doesn’t disappoint on Liaison, offering a swirling crescendo that leans heavily into his expert blend of the synthetic and the organic to present a memorable, minor-key theme.“
Vehlinggo
„Mair had to symphonically connect suspense-strewn storylines and personal interactions involving French secret service agents and Syrian families in flight from harm.“
Variety
Stylist Magazine
„Liaison: Eva Green’s slick new French thriller series needs to be on your must-watch list“
the full reviewVariety
„Whether it was characters being chased or those such as mercenary Cassels and agent Green in a romantic embrace, Mair built subtle, lush musical themes and noise-filled ambiance that could turn on a dime in accordance with whatever tragedy or violence might befall them.“
the full reviewVehlinggo
„Ultimately, Mair’s Liaison score is a stunning body of work that is as rewarding on its own as it is when it serves to bring out the intricacies of a fascinating story.“
the full reviewHwang Dong-Hyuk
Netflix
Lee Jung-jae, Greg Chun
Squid Game was „No. 1 in the world, like everywhere in the world,“ Sarandos, who is also the head of content at Netflix, said Monday at the Code conference in Los Angeles.
The Korean series is already set to be Netflix’s biggest non-English show „for sure,“ co-CEO Ted Sarandos says. But Squid Game also has a „very good chance“ of being its most popular series, period.
Synopsis: Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes. A survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
Walter was first asked to contribute to the score by licensing some of his music through his publisher Universal Music. He was then tasked to write tracks and additional arrangements specifically for the series. The music was also used in several marketing campaigns accompanying NETFLIX’s new smash-hit series.
To capture the unnerving vibe of the series Walter employed a large selection of drums and ‚found sounds‘. From big-scale taiko drums to re-amped finger snips, no percussive instrument was too large or too small to add to a dense soundscape.
For the more etherial and atmospheric soundscapes Walter used his large scale modular synth rig. Adding vintage effects helped blend sounds and ingest an emotional component that describes the desperation of the characters in the show.
“The dystopian Netflix hit taps South Korea’s worries about costly housing and scarce jobs, concerns familiar to its U.S. and international viewers.“
New York Times
“Squid Game on track to become NETFIX’s biggest ever show“
VICE
FORBES
“It’s a strange, violent, disturbing adventure, and if that sounds like something you’d like, I can’t recommend Squid Game enough.“
the full reviewPop Culture
“Squid Game is smart, well-written, and has a talented cast that takes an often violent story and makes it emotionally resonate.“
the full reviewTime Magazine
“A twisty, fast-paced, action-packed show whose episodes end in killer cliffhangers-in other words, the ultimate binge bait.“
the full reviewPolygon
“Squid Game marks its own territory, first with its especially savage premise and the constant tension around life-or-death scenarios, and second, by focusing on each character’s decisions, as they struggle to choose between survival and humanity.“
the full reviewS. K. Dale
Millenium Films
Megan Fox, Callan Mulvey
Starring Megan Fox (Transformers) and Callan Mulvey (300, Batman v Superman), Till Death tells the story of Emma (Fox), who is left handcuffed to her dead husband as part of a sickening revenge plot and must survive two hired killers on their way to finish the job
The film is being produced by Jeffrey Greenstein & Yariv Lerner who produced ‚Hellboy‘, ‚Rambo‘, ‚The Expendables‘. And David Leslie Johnson who wrote ‚Aquaman‘ and ‚The Conjuring 2‘, edited by Sylvie Landra – ‚The Fifth Element‘, ‚Leon: The Professional‘.
For the music Walter commissioned the build of unique sounding instruments including water-phones and a contra-hurdy. The latter is a ‚Frankenstein‘ of an instrument, borrowing the large corpus and strings from a double bass (contra bass) whilst the strings are being moved by small motors built into the corpus of the instrument which can be found in the body of a hurdy-gurdy. This creates some overtone-rich sounds that lend themselves towards dark and sinister tones that are so important for this film.
The soundtrack was released through Millennium Media Records and is available on all major platforms.
Check out this link to listen to the full soundtrack
For the action sequences and faster paced scenes Walter recorded an array of percussive instruments as well as beats and patterns produced with his extensive modular-synth setup.
The emotional component comes from recording strings and intimately arranged solo performances on cello and violin. To transition from the more engaging and warm scenes into menacing and foreboding sequences the live recordings were treated with analog and digital effects.
“Megan’s gritty performance will leave you on the edge of your seat right up until the very end.“
Deadline
„Fox in pure, wicked magnetism“
The New York Times
Variety
„Involving high-security safes, handsaws, and precariously thin ice over the lake — Dale’s direction and Fox’s commitment go a long way toward making “Till Death” a glossy, entertaining movie.“
the full reviewThe Hollywood Reporter
„A high-concept horror-thriller, is beginning to shoot, marking the first U.S. production since the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.“
the full reviewBloody Disgusting
“Till Death tells the story of Emma (Fox), who is left handcuffed to her dead husband as part of a sickening revenge plot and must survive two hired killers on their way to finish the job.”
the full reviewCollider
“When we first read this concept on the Blood List, it immediately grabbed our attention. It’s a fun, suspenseful ride that’s going to shock and satisfy audiences worldwide – and we couldn’t be more excited for Megan to bring this to life.”
the full reviewDeadline
„Till Death is the third collaboration between Screen Media and Millennium after last year’s The Outpost, which was a bright spot for theaters and drive-ins during the pandemic last summer when all major chains were closed.“
the full reviewHenk Pretorius
Dark Matter Studios
Jemima West, Christopher Dane
‘Babadook meets Pet Sematary’ that’s how the press responded to The Unfamiliar and its sinister music. The soundtrack has just been released on Lakeshore Records
A British Army doctor comes back from a war, thinking that she has PTSD only to discover that there is a more daunting malevolence at work making the life that she knew unfamiliar.
The music incorporates original Hawaiian instruments, combined a bespoke instrument ‚The Octo Bass‘ – a custom made double bass twice the size of an orchestral double bass. Metal tubes and chains were attached to the corpus and strings to produce dark and evolving textures. Tracks like ‚Sacrifice‘ feature a live recorded string orchestra and string quartet for the more intimate and emotional scenes in the film.
“Deeply unsettling in the way it manipulates acoustic and organic sounds into something twisted and otherworldly“
Vehlingo
On the soundtrack you will hear a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments. I was working with sound mangler and performance artist Thomas Mertlseder who created unique sounds across a broad selection of instruments.Most of the live recorded instruments were run through modular synth setups and treated with transducers and resonators to produce dark and evolving textures.
The music also incorporates original Hawaiian instruments and haunting vocals performed by Anna Wolf. Tracks like ‚Sacrifice‘ feature a live recorded string orchestra Famesproject and string quartet for the more intimate and emotional scenes in the film.The Music is available on all major platforms including iTunes and Spotify
Two scenes from the film: ‚Sacrifice‘ and ‚The Incident‘
The Independent
“Fans of the genre can expect ‘uniquely twisted’ viewing experience”
the full reviewCinema Smack
“Legitimate scares coupled with unique ideas and great acting, especially from Jemima West, makes for recommended viewing when it comes to The Unfamiliar.”
the full reviewKiller Horror Critic
„The Unfamiliar is a masterclass in tension building. From formatting to sound design to scene-stealing, off kilter kids, this movie knows how to keep us off balance.“
the full reviewRuiari Robinson
Jim Uhls
Weta Workshop
Developed by Jim Uhls who wrote the script for FIGHT CLUB, this epic sci-fi movie is currently in production and will see its theatrical release in late 2022. The picture provided is not the actual footage of the film but was made available from the short film ‚The Leviathan‘, which is also produced and directed by the Academy Award-Winning team behind ‚District 11‘. The post production team includes the stellar visual effects company WETA (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones).
The soundtrack features an eclectic mix of live recorded instruments and an a broad selection of synths and electronics, treated with effects. The strings were recorded at Air Studios. By utilising the technique of ultra-close mic-ing the movement of each single string was captured. This resulted in a very detailed, yet intimate sound that is responsible for the hyperrealism of the sound of the music. As can be heard in the track ‚Main Theme‘.
„The strings were recorded through the analog desk and recorded onto tape machine to capture the most organic of sound.“
Air Studios
Ryan Gosling
Warner Bros.
Eva Mendes, Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan
This intense thriller is about a single mother who is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town. ‘Lost River’ premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Music written by Johnny Jewel (producer of The Chromatics) with additional score by Walter Mair. More of Walter’s original music can be heard on the limited LP release ‘How To Catch A Monster’.
The New York Times: Score 8/10
“Lost River” ponders people and places left behind in the name of progress. Slyly political, it observes the mortgage crisis through a warped looking glass. The cinematographer, Benoît Debie, finds a perverse beauty in the decline.“
the full reviewLos Angeles Times: Score 7/10
„Turns out Lost River is indeed a mess, but it’s the best mess possible, an evocative grab-bag of images and moods with a heartfelt sincerity and conflicting impulses of romantic melancholy and hardscrabble hopefulness.“
the full reviewNetflix
James Gay Rees, Paul Martin
Netflix
Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a gripping, high-octane 10 part series, which for the first time in the sports history a series has been given exclusive and intimate access to the greatest racing championship in the world.
This series is executive-produced by Academy-Award winner James Gay Rees (Senna, Amy) and Paul Martin for Box to Box Films.
Formula 1 has opened its doors to give unprecedented access to the top drivers, team principals and owners. The series also takes time away from the circuit to provide a unique insight to the teams and the people that make the championship what it is.
„Netflix’s new hit series … fast paced and captivating.“
Wired
Wired
„More than any other viewing experience, the series manages to capture the true drama of F1, shining a light on the stories – personal, political, technical – that make the sport so high-octane.“
the full reviewThe Artsdesk: Score 5/5
„Drive to Survive does what racing fans have been crying out for … a thrilling documentary series wreaks havoc in the paddock“
the full reviewThe Week: Score 5/5
„With so many interesting characters and subplots the racing is almost just a backdrop. And any of the action that is shown comes via lots of never-seen-before footage and camera angles not used during the regular season broadcasts. Seriously, it’s gripping stuff.“
the full reviewAutosport: Score 5/5
„Gritty yet cinematic Netflix F1 series … The whole show has a cinematic-style that looks beautiful and is worth hooking up to surround-sound speakers. Each on-track shunt is accompanied by a deafening deep bass thud.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„Netflix’s F1 series offers a captivating, candid glimpse behind the curtain.“
the full reviewActivision
Walter Mair
Tencent
Activision Blizzard’s new game “Call of Duty: Mobile,” enjoyed the “largest mobile game launch ever”, The Verge
The game breaks records with 100 million downloads in its first week.
Call of Duty: Mobile was nominated for a BAFTA Award and wins ‚Best Mobile‘ at The Game Awards, ‚Game of the Year‘ at the 2020 #PGAwards.
Walter’s music for the game won numerous awards including a gold-award at the 2020 Telly Awards and a nomination for ‚Best Original Dramatic Score‘ at the #AcademyOfVideoGames.
To get more insight into the scoring process behind the game check out the article in Pocketgamer. The magazine exclusively premiered the main theme of the full soundtrack.
Gamezebo: Score 10/10
„It’s a huge thumbs up from us for Call of Duty Mobile. This release very much blurs the lines between console and mobile, feeling every bit the huge profile console release on our phones.“
the full reviewDestructoid: Score 8.5/10
„It looks good, it plays great, and its pick-up-and-play nature makes it the exact type of game I want to boot up … Now give me that zombies mode.“
the full reviewGamespot: Score 8/10
„…is like a greatest hits tour of the best aspects of the series‘ console multiplayer. It features the most popular game modes and some of the best maps from Modern Warfare and the first two instalments of Black Ops, faithfully recreated to give you the same sight lines and choke points you’re familiar with. It looks great, too.“
the full reviewPocketgamer
„Call of Duty Mobile composer Walter Mair shares insight on his approach to the main theme.“
the full reviewSpencer Brown
Stigma Films
Georgina Campbell, EamonFarren
Thriller starring Black Mirror’s Georgina Campbell and The Witcher’s Eamon Farren.
The pair will star in T.I.M (Technologically. Integrated. Manservant), from writer-director Spencer Brown. The film is described as an „intelligent and timely thriller which explores the unhealthy relationship we have with modern day technology.“
T.I.M. follows Abi (Campbell, who is currently starring in Barbarian), a robotics engineer, as she moves to the countryside to work for a tech firm that’s developing an A.I. manservant: T.I.M. She is hoping the new job will be a fresh start, allowing her to rebuild her relationship with her husband following his affair, and start a family. As a perk of the job, Abi is given her own prototype T.I.M. She’s thrilled. After all, they’re meant to change your life. However, T.I.M. quickly becomes obsessed with her. He will do anything he can to take her husband’s place, using his access to their data to manipulate her into thinking her husband is straying again. What hope does trust have against an intelligence that can deep fake your voice, access your bank account, control the locks on your smart home and take control of your driverless car?
Soundtrack released on all major platforms. Listen to the full soundtrack
Composing the score for T.I.M required taking the listener on a journey through two sonic landscapes which had to exist both separately, but also intertwine as one.
One sound world is an organic palette of sounds, featuring small string sections, delicate textures and emotive piano recordings processed with unique analogue FX to support the healing love story throughout the film.
The latter world is an exploration of brooding modular synthesis, twisting and detuning as the music progresses to showcase the development of the lead character, “TIM”, as he develops human like emotions becoming sinister in his jealousy.
The two worlds intertwine to show TIM’s disruption in the relationship. The organic string textures become detuned and percussive, whilst the aggressive TIM motifs support the foundations below, often taking over the melodies in later parts of the score.
“Georgina lights up the screen with her amazing presence and subtlety … Eamon completes the central trio with a brilliant AI performance that showcases his truly world-class talent.““
Digital Spy
„Eamon in pure, wicked magnetism“
The New York Times
Digital Spy
„Georgina lights up the screen with her amazing presence and subtlety, Mark wins our hearts with his humour, depth and humanity and Eamon completes the central trio with a brilliant AI performance that showcases his truly world-class talent.“
the full reviewCult Films
“T.I.M. delves into our fear of A.I. — tech companies racing ahead, wanting to be first to market, when even they admit they don’t know exactly what they’re unleashing on the world. And whether it will destroy us.”
the full reviewTom Green
House 337
Stink Films
The Royal Air Force (RAF)) aims to leave the atmosphere and viewers gasping for breath in a Hollywood blockbuster-style ad.
The work conveys the variety of roles that new recruits can take on – from piloting a fighter jet and coordinating the action in Space Command mission control, to working as a cook in a busy kitchen or as a medic assessing someone’s fitness.
The film’s message is that all the jobs that prospective RAF recruits can fulfil, however ostensibly dramatic or mundane, can help the RAF protect the nation from threats, in this instance a collision between a satellite and space debris.
In addition to the TV campaign the commercial was mixed in Dolby Atmos and can be seen in all major cinemas across the UK
Stunning visual effects and grade were created by The Mill (Les Miserables, Snow White and The Huntsman, The Chronicles of Narnia). The extraordinary mix was created by Phil Bolland at SineAudio.
Campaign Magazine„The composition and execution fit the series perfectly, but the score retains a distinct character and voice that elevates it in a rare feat of complementary memorability.“
James Nunn
Altitude Film Entertainment
Holly Earl, Jack Trueman
Directed by James Nunn (One Shot, Tower Block), the film follows a group of spring-breakers enjoying a weekend in Mexico. After a big night of partying on the beach until dawn, the friends steal a couple of jetskis and take them out to sea, but end up in a horrific head-on collision.
After one of the jetskis sinks, the group finds itself stranded two miles from land on one remaining, broken-down jetski, and struggling with a badly injured friend. With no clear way home and predators circling in the choppy waters below, the true horror begins.
Holly Earl (Doctor Who, Beowulf) and Thomas Michael Flynn (Bridgerton) star in Shark Bait. The film is produced by Andrew Prendergast and Chris Reed who produced the hit-movies ’47 Meters Down‘ and ‘The Courier’.
For the soundtrack Walter worked with the London Contemporary Orchestra (Radiohead, ‘Alien Covenant’, ‘Susperia’) to create 1000 bars of unique sounding rhythmical patterns and textures.
Walter would then process parts of the recordings with modular synths and analog effects. A variety of dark and haunting textures were created using a selection of synths. The final stage was the recording of a large-scale orchestra to add size & weight to the score and enhance the main themes.
The below Making-Of video gives insight into the whole scoring process: from the LCO performing avant-garde playing techniques to the large orchestra recording sessions and creative sound mangling.
The soundtrack was released on Lakeshore Records and is available on all major platforms
For the action sequences and fast-paced scenes Walter recorded an array of percussive instruments as well as beats and patterns produced with his extensive modular-synth setup. These were blended with the orchestral performances to add to a pulsating and forward-moving soundtrack.
„Shark Bait has amazing music and I can’t wait because music gets me into it even from an acting perspective.“
Holly Earl – lead actress
“A nail-biting ride that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very last minute.”
Bloody Disgusting
“Shark Attack Carnage!“
Deadline
„With its unexpected twists and turns, Shark Bait has the DNA to become the next guilty pleasure that speaks to everyone’s desire not to get devoured.“
JoBlo
„Holly Earl in pure, wicked magnetism“
The New York Times
Eye For Film
„With its glossy photography, conventionally attractive stars and pulsing soundtrack, Shark Bait is aiming to thrill … it delivers well in the action scenes and, critically, presents the shark as an animal with a mind of its own rather than just a generic monster, making this a psychological as well as a physical battle between predator and prey.“
the full reviewBloody Disgusting
„There’s enough of an upswing in Shark Bait to inspire hope for the future. Nunn oversees enough bloody gore and special effects competency to rise above other indies that mistake Steven Spielberg’s Jaws for splish-splashy child’s play.”
the full reviewGary Freedman
Independent Films
Martin Freeman
The true story of Jack, the “soldier dog”, who became a WWI hero. Lying wounded, he reflects on mankind, having witnessed the horrors of war versus his love for Arthur, his handler. ‚Jack‘ won multiple Awards at international film festivals including the Clermont International Film Festival in 2021. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Black Panther) beautifully conveys the inner voice of ‚Jack‘.
The above clip shows a small section of the film.
To capture the setting of World War I, Walter opens the score by utilising eerie textures recorded on violin, viola and cello. The strings perform extended playing techniques that can best described as Scandinavian ’noir‘ soundscapes, creating a strong sense of longing and dread. A memorable melody performed on piano forms the foundation of the soundtrack as it transcends from a lighter, heart-felt opening sequence of the dog training camp into the dark awakening at the trenches. For the more intimate sounding string recordings Walter worked with Joni Fuller who has made a name for herself performing beautiful lyrical motifs as well as creating darker and haunting textures, all performed live on various string instruments.
The score also uses woodwinds to support strings by adding the sound of a warm wave weaving in and out of certain cues.
For the saddest moment in the film a piano would have been too big, too important in sound. The recording of a harp played very quietly & faint produced just the right amount of ‚moving air‘ this scene required.
„… with an evocative and brilliantly executed soundtrack by composer Walter Mair“
mubi.com
“A heartfelt story until the very last minute.”
MUBI
Anthony Wonke
Trombone Productions
Dazzler / Sky
From Emmy and triple BAFTA-winning director Anthony Wonke comes the biographical documentary charting the life and career of renowned jockey Frankie Dettori.‘
DETTORI is the exhilarating, tub-thumping celebration of inspirational jockey Frankie Dettori, the rock star of racing and one of the most decorated sportsmen of all time. In the twilight of a controversial and turbulent career, illuminated by stunning victories and his raw charisma, and defined by a complex relationship with his driven father, Frankie’s story thrusts us into the high-stakes world of horse racing as never seen before.’
From his strict upbringing in Italy to his early years in England Frankie himself opens up about the difficulties and challenges he faced in order to become one of the greatest jockeys in the history of horse racing.
This is obviously a film for racing fans to savour, but the content of director Anthony Wonke’s documentary proves an enthralling insight into the mind of a top sportsman, who has endured titanic struggles and triumphant comebacks as he continuously pushes himself to new heights of success. Like Frankie Dettori himself, this big screen film is wonderful entertainment.
„Emotional documentary clears every hurdle“
The Guardian
The Guardian
„Director Anthony Wonke picks a beautifully clear path through the blizzard of life events and intra-family strife; it can’t have been easy.“
the full reviewRacing Post
„I feel emotionally put through the wringer – Frankie’s new film hits the mark“
the full reviewLBB
„… a brilliant history packed with intrigue and romanticism. Dig deeper and we find it has the potential to be so much more – a story about what makes us human, the things we can achieve and what keeps pushing us forward.“
the full reviewMatt Smith
Lorton Entertainment
Amazon
ROONEY is a captivating feature length documentary with unprecedented access to the life and career of a global sports-star and England’s greatest ever striker. Directed by BAFTA winning Matt Smith.
ROONEY follows the journey in the career of English football great Wayne Rooney, from his professional debut at the age of 16 to becoming Manchester United and England’s all-time top scorer.
Starring: Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Rio Ferdinand, Arsene Wenger and many more.
„Emotional documentary clears every hurdle“
The Guardian
The Guardian
„Documentary cements Wayne Rooney’s status as a sporting great and a family man, along with a healthy dose of public humiliation“
the full reviewMair invites us into his London studio that’s packed with instruments and machines to show off his custom-made “Frankenstein instrument”, and to elaborate on his strive to find and create sounds that have never been heard before.
Composer Walter Mair makes extraordinary sounds. Designing unique and unsettling music for Till Death, Crash Bandicoot, and Call of Duty using modular synths, unusual instruments, and NI gear.
Martin Bennett
TATA motors
Mustard Berlin
For this global campaign visionary director Martin Bennett created a film set in the near future, heralding in the launch of a new vision for TATA Motors. The TATA AVINYA, the first steps on a new journey for an electric and affordable future, redefining the future of mobility.
This project a huge team effort and many people made this project come to life: Stunning visual effects and grade were created by The Wash. This film was a virtual production shooting at MARS LED Volume. Woking closely with VP specialists Quite Brilliant the team crafted four realistic environments with a subtle near future twist.
The soundtrack of the film should be a fusion of cinematic and ambient sounds and reflect the 4 main locations including the rocky desert. It is important for the music to sound graceful, elegant and sophisticated. The music should feel contemplative, positive and reflective. But also needed a sense of curiosity, a mode of optimism with a rising crescendo.
Walter produced the track with electronic instruments and organic textures that were recorded live. Including some faint singing and expressive vocal recordings performed by Veronika Vitazkova and Patricia Schuh. The live recordings were then treated with analog and digital effects to reflect the visuals of the film. The electronic sound designer Thomas Mertlseder added sonic soundscapes. The soundtrack was then mixed in Walter’s Soho studio.
Director: Martin Bennett
Producer: Keiko Nagai
Editor: Pete Lurie
Production Manager: Catarina Viana
Art Dept: Dangerous Minds
Set Build: This is XYZ
Music Composer: Walter Mair
„A very sleek car launch with an equally spectacular film that astonished the audience“
The Economic Times
Anthony Wonke
Partizan
DAZN
From BAFTA and EMMY winning director Anthony Wonke, the film documents the rise of Neymar Jr. from Santos, Brazil following in the footsteps of the all time great soccer player Pele who rose to prominence playing football for Brazil.
In a country where football is a religion, the time had come for a new hero – and it was Neymar Jr. who became the heir to the throne. Follow the incredible journey of a man who would go on to defy all odds, and capture the hearts of the nation.
Starring: Neymar, Pele, Romario, Ronaldo and many more
Soundtrack to be released soon …
„Emotional documentary clears every hurdle“
The Guardian
Broadcast Now
„A cinematic experience with Neymar himself and South American football heroes.“
the full reviewTom Green
New Commercial Arts
Stink Films
Music composition and production for a global new campaign for Vodafone ‘The Irrepressible Girl’.
Live recorded 30-piece string orchestra, featuring a virtuoso cello performance by Tina Guo (Inception, Wonder Woman).
Agency: New Commercial Arts
Director: Tom Green (Monsters: Dark Continent)
Production: Stink Films
Stunning VFX and grade by The Mill (Les Miserables, Snow White and The Huntsman, The Chronicles of Narnia) and sound mix by Wave Studios
Music supervision: Lelandmusic
James Kermack
Featuristic Films
Moe Dunford, Kate Dickie
Starring Moe Dunford (Vikings), Kate Dickie (The Witch) and Camille Rowe (Now Is Everything) in James Kermack’s action thriller.
When a special police task force kick open the doors of elite underground fight den – Club Knuckledust, they find seven levels of hell, filled with the dead bodies of countless fighters, assassins and goons. Only one man, beaten to a pulp, barely breathing, is still alive: Hard Eight. With a shady Government official en route to take him away, Chief Inspector Katherine Keaton and her team have ninety minutes to interrogate Hard Eight to find out if is the lone survivor or a multiple murderer. With lies flying from everyone’s mouths and corruption becoming apparent, Keaton starts to wonder „Who is the real criminal?
In addition to writing the score for the film Walter was asked to produce songs for two of the main characters. Walter teamed up with actor and singer Christy O’Donnell with whom he produced the song ‚Harmony‘. The second song ‚Time To Fight‘ was a collaboration with Chris Pichler who also performed the rap-vocals for this energetic track, with lyrics written by James Kermack. The song was used for ‚Hard Eight‘ to provide the character with an epic entrance.
The soundtrack is available on all major platforms click here
„… ? ?????? ?????????? ???? ? ????? ?? ???? ????? …“
365 Flicks
“Knuckledust is a smart and gritty film that has the potential to become an iconic reference of the action-thriller genre.“
Sergei Bodrov – Venice Film Festival jury
Screenjabber
„A synth heavy soundtrack rounds it out and gives some real depth, which makes it feel like a very different proposition from the average British film about an underground fighting ring“
the full reviewUK FIlm Review
„It is a laser-guided missile of masculine energy focused squarely on the pleasure centre of your brain“
the full reviewNerdly
„Drawing on all the best parts of Richie, Rodriguez or Tarantino… I think James Kermack has done something special here“
the full review6 Soundtracks You Need to Experience Right Now: A simple string instrument becomes a sinewy, grotesque iteration of itself. Percussion comes in blasts and splatters that stick to your skin like bloods-strewn molasses. Just sit back and be enveloped by this deeply off-putting and eminently engaging score.
Metal tubes and chains were attached to the instrument’s body and strings to produce dark and evolving textures while some of the more intimate and emotional scenes in the film were live recorded with a string orchestra and string quartet.
Biffy Clyro
Warner Music
Amazon Originals
The chart topping rock band Biffy Clyro have released a special, orchestral version of their song ‚Space‘, available on Amazon Music. The Scottish trio headed back to Abbey Road, where they worked on their most recent Number One album, A Celebration Of Endings, to reimagine the song.
“We’re delighted to bring Space to life in a completely different way with a new orchestral arrangement by Walter Mair and the addition of the choir, especially in such a special setting as Abbey Road.“
Simon Neil in NME magazine
Music orchestrated/arranged and produced by Walter who also performed the piano and can be seen in the video. With additional orchestration by Matt Hawken and score prep/copying by Tristan Noon. Conductor for all sessions was Matt Dunkley (James Bond: No Time To Die, Black Swan). Music recorded and engineered by Abbey Road’s Paul Pritchard (Bastille, Ed Sheeran, David Bowie) and assisted by Christopher Parker (Woodkid, Goldfrapp, Liam Gallagher).
„Biffy Clyro share grand new version of ‘Space’, featuring a 40-piece orchestra and choir“
Kerrang
Kerrang
„Delighted to bring Space to life in a completely different way with a new orchestral arrangement by Walter Mair and the addition of the choir”
the full reviewNME
„Biffy Clyro share grand new version of ‘Space’, featuring a 40-piece orchestra and choir“
the full reviewAbbey Road Magazine
“We’re delighted to bring Space to life in a completely different way with a new orchestral arrangement by Walter Mair and the addition of the choir…“
the full reviewMair’s score uses a ridiculous range of organic and electronic sounds, deriving its unique audio from “tons of vintage and analogue effects”, “modular synths” and, er, seashells.
Max Newsom
Lionsgate
Judd Nelson, Kristin Sophusdottir
Written and directed by Newsom, ‚Iceland Is Best,‘ stars Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Kristin Sophusdottir, Tom Maden (13 Reasons Why), Atli Óskar Fjalarsson (Jitters), Alfrun Laufeyjardottir (Case), Mikael Kaaber (Metalhead), and Helena Mattsson (Seven Psychopaths).
ICELAND IS BEST tells the story of Sigga, a 17 year-old girl trying to leave home in Iceland, and make her way to California.
The music was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded in the pristine Air Edel Studio. To capture the more intimate vibes of the music a string quartet was recorded directly to analog tape.
During the scoring process Walter had the pleasure of working with the fantastic Icelandic artist & singer Jófríður Ákadóttir and the Swedish popstar Frida Sundemo. Veronika Hanl is the featured solo clarinettist. She also created the beautiful and haunting woodwind textures that captured the Icelandic landscape so beautifully.
Watch or Pass
„As the tagline of this film says, sometimes it is the journey that is important and Iceland is Best is definitely a fun journey. Iceland is Best has a quirky cast of characters, a dry comedic style, and plenty of dreamers in this voyage of discovery and self realization.“
the full reviewWashington Post
„Beautifully shot English-language drama about an Icelandic teenager (Kristin Audur Sophusdottir) from a remote fishing village who dreams of moving to California to write poetry.“
the full reviewUniversal Music
Walter Mair
Seventh Sense
This concept album was written by Walter. Recorded at the iconic Air Studios in London, the album explores the evolving journey from delicate, organic orchestration, through electronic textures, into high intensity, powerful trailer music.
Music performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra, recorded at Air Studios by Nick Wollage (Captain America, Star Wars). Music production and mastering by Universal Music.
Additional writing and orchestration by Matt Hawken. Score prep and copying by Tristan Noon.
The music was used in international film and TV campaigns including Steven Spielberg’s ‚The Post‚ (Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep).
Anthony Wonke
Something Originals and Partizan Films
Discovery
From Emmy and triple BAFTA-winning director Anthony Wonke, The Man Who Walked Around the World is an exploration of what it takes to become an icon in popular culture. The documentary looks at the rise of Johnnie Walker; from playing a part in some of history’s most notable events, to being immortalised on screen by Hollywood filmmakers, sung about by stars, and celebrated by novelists.
A young Scottish boy starts blending whisky in a grocer’s shop in 1820, little did he know the result would go on to become one of the world’s most recognised brands.
Never heard before stories, archival footage and in-depth conversations give an insight into how sheer determination and a pioneering spirit took whisky from a small town in Scotland, to having a spot reserved in almost every bar around the world.
„To come from nothing and make something of ourselves – that’s iconic in itself“
Cappadonna, Wu-Tang Clan
„You’ve got to think about it as a movement, as a part of culture“
Sir John Hegarty
The Sunday Post
„That’s what makes it so powerful – it’s not a history lesson, it’s a story for where we are today and what we need to go forward.“
the full reviewThe Edinburgh Reporter
“This is the story of Johnnie Walker but it’s more than just a story about whisky, it’s about culture and the universal need to be able to look to the future with hope. That’s what makes it so powerful – it’s not a history lesson, it’s a story for where we are today and what we need to go forward.”
the full reviewLBB
„… a brilliant history packed with intrigue and romanticism. Dig deeper and we find it has the potential to be so much more – a story about what makes us human, the things we can achieve and what keeps pushing us forward.“
the full reviewJ. Bollmeyer
Dignity Films
Tommy Flanagan, Tom Sturridge, Stacy Martin
Suffering from a massive career disappointment, London architect Carl Walters travels to the grand dunes of the Namibian Desert to escape. However, he finds himself stranded alone in the middle of nowhere, waiting for a ride that never comes. To survive, you need to act.
Original music written by Walter Mair and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studio One by Chris Bolster (12 Years a Salve, Foo Fighters) and mixed at Abbey Road’s Penthouse Studio by Geoff Foster (Inception, Interstellar).
Recording of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road – Studio One
NME
„…it’s great, in some quite unexpected ways: it’s a warm, affectionate and fun of drama.“
the full reviewThemovieDB
„3 Way Junction sets aside action and drama for mood and the inner drama of a character’s life.“
the full reviewToys For Bob
Activision
Walter Mair
The soundtrack was released by Toys For Bob and Activision and can be streamed on Youtube: https://youtu.be/s7gd6AxaOTM
Exclusive new behind the scenes video to get a feel for what it was like to write the music. The video shows a glimpse of the many recordings that went into writing and producing the music for Crash 4. With live recorded bone flutes, seashells, percussion, modular synths and many more instruments.
Walter Mair’s music does a great job of highlighting where you are and what you’re going through. Crash has always had plenty of attitude but It’s About Time takes it to another level.
Gamereactor
Mair’s score uses a ridiculous range of organic and electronic sounds, deriving its unique audio from “tons of vintage and analogue effects”, “modular synths” and, er, seashells.
Forbes
The game’s story sees both Crash Bandicoot and his sister Coco facing against their old nemesis Doctor Neo Cortex as he sets forth on a new scheme to conquer a multiverse of dimensions scattered across time and space.
Playstation Universe: Score 9.5/10
„Crash Bandicoot 4 is a masterpiece in almost every aspect of the experience it offers. The excellent N.Verted mode, tough Flashback levels, extra characters, objectives to hunt down, collectibles to collect, and engaging campaign and bosses come together to provide one of the best platforming games … is nothing short of an essential experience for everyone.“
the full reviewDestructoid: Score 9/10
„Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a strong return for the series, and a showcase of what might have been if we got a true follow-up to Crash 3. I sincerely hope that Activision entrusts Toys for Bob (and Vicarious Visions) with the keys to the Crash kingdom from here on out. I wanna see more of the little guy.“
the full reviewGameSpot: Score 8/10
„It’s an injection of new ideas into now-classic gameplay that surprises and delights, even as it feels like a homecoming. Truly, games like this are why we come running back to long-dormant franchises with open arms.“
the full reviewGameInformer: Score 8.5/10
„In many ways, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time feels like a game that shouldn’t work. Single-player, mascot-driven, hardcore platformers are few and far between these days. Moreover, most franchises born in the mid-‘90s have had to continually reboot themselves to match the tastes of an ever-changing market. At its core, Crash 4 remains rooted to the old way of doing things, but that’s not a bad thing. The visuals are cleaner now and Crash has a few new gimmicks, but if you squint, Crash 4 looks like the same old platformer you’ve always loved.“
the full reviewFORBES
Mair’s score uses a ridiculous range of organic and electronic sounds, deriving its unique audio from “tons of vintage and analogue effects”, “modular synths” and, er, seashells.
the full reviewAdam Morse
Anonymous Endeavour
Billy Zane, Sadie Frost, Laurie Calvert
This intense thriller is about a single mother who is swept into a dark Zel, a lonely young man’s life changes when his enigmatic neighbour offers to help him overcome social anxiety.
Lucid premiered at the 2018 Edinburgh International Film Festival and received ‚This is a bracingly original film, packed with provocative moments and dark resonance.“ – Variety
Lucid is nominated for Edinburgh’s prestigious Michael Powell Award.
„The first dream sequence is a masterpiece of desire, Walter Mair’s score invading to the point of utter submergence.“
Flickering Myth
“ A striking debut from writer-director Adam Morse.“
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Flickeringmyth
„The first dream sequence is a masterpiece of desire, Walter Mair’s score invading to the point of utter submergence. Michel Dierickx’s camerawork is a treat – quick edits between static shots from early on are replaced here with long, languishing ones, fully accepting the dream nature of the piece.“
the full reviewFilm and TV Now
One of the most extraordinary achievements in film-making in recent years has been the production of a new British independent film called LUCID, which focuses on the essence of dreams and reality colliding.
the full reviewEdindburgh International Film Festival
„A striking debut from writer-director Adam Morse.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„Slowly the boundary between dreams and waking reality becomes blurry and porous, and by the end who knows what the hell is going on.“
the full reviewUK FILM REVIEW
„Nonetheless, what audiences receive is a colorful, attractive—albeit unfulfilling—look into a smart and unique concept, with excellent performances to compliment the creative world-building by the cast and crew of Lucid.“
the full reviewFIlm Business
„Adam Morse has created a futuristic visual of this concept of battling with the duality of what is real and what isn’t.“
the full reviewIndiewire
„Adam Morse’s debut feature is about to have its world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival, an impressive feat for any budding filmmaker. It’s doubly so for Morse, however, as the writer/director has just publicly revealed that he’s legally blind.“
the full reviewVariety
„The film, which is nominated for Edinburgh’s prestigious Michael Powell Award in the Best of British category follows a lonely young introvert, played by Laurie Calvert …“
the full reviewChristy O’Donnell is a singer and actor best known for ‘Find Me In Paris’ and ‘Moon Dogs’. Christy acted and performed in James Kermack’s action thriller ‚Knuckledust‘ and in 2021 Amazon Music added Christy to their prestigious list of artists to watch out for in 2021.
‚The Closer I Get To You‘ was written for an emotional and intricate scene in the movie ‚Knuckledust‘. Walter produced the song and orchestrated/arranged strings which were later recorded live with additional orchestration from Matt Hawken.
A stirring debut from the Glaswegian artist the song is a gentle, heartfelt note to a past lover. Predominantly featuring a delicate acoustic guitar and Christy’s incredibly dynamic, tender vocals, it also features string sections as it moves through captivating chord changes, which seem to mirror Christy’s changing mood throughout the song.
TBA
Walter Mair
TBA
Apocalypse. Stranded on a remote planet, a group of ‘friends’ get cut off from the outside world. One person gets killed, whom do you trust, whom do you help escape? The game challenges the players’ decisions, which ultimately affect the outcome of this dark adventure.
Walter wrote more than 90 minutes of music which were recorded at Air Studios (‘Interstellar’, ‘Harry Potter’). The soundtrack features additional live instruments that were tweaked with an array of effects and mixed with electronic sounds.
The title is currently in development and scheduled for release in 2022. Updates about the game and the live recording sessions will be uploaded to YouTube and Instagram.
Frida Sundemo
Warner Music
Frida is a Swedish superstar singer who’s profile rose even further in 2015 when she made her Hollywood acting debut with a leading role in the big screen adaption of John Niven’s Kill Your Friends, alongside stars including Nicholas Hoult and James Corden. Her music has also created the right feeling in several key scenes in major international TV shows and movies like Grey’s Anatomy, Girlhood and Kill Your Friends.
‚Forward And Back‘ was co-written by Frida and Walter for the coming-of-age drama ‚Iceland Is Best‘, starring Judd Nelson and Helena Mattson. The beautiful lyrics were performed by Frida with Walter taking over production and recording a string quartet of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The instruments were recorded by Nick Taylor at the iconic Air Edel Studios (Madonna, Queen, ‚Mr Turner‘). To add to a more emotional and warm sound the recordings were made to analog tape and later processed in Pro Tools.
„And, in imbuing these intensely electronic tracks with the orchestral elements Sundemo does, she breathes human beauty into truly breathtaking compositions, the ice thawing – like a heart shape rubbed into moist condensation on, say, a Swedish window – to reveal a palpitating, red-blooded brilliance rushing all the way through her veins.“
Last FM
„New track ‚Gold‘ is just wonderful, recalling everyone from Pet Shop Boys to The Knife in its sheer sonic splendour. „
Clash Magazine
Anthony Wonke (director): I was really drawn to his unique sense of atmosphere. But I also wanted someone who could bring out the emotion in an interesting but not saccharine way. Also, his classical background brings a really strong range across something intimate and personal to something really grand and cinematic.
I wanted the music to capture the beauty of the setting and the complexities of the characters while going deeper into the dark underlying events that take place throughout the entire series.
The soundtrack captures the beauty of the setting and the complexities of the characters and their relationships whilst conveying the dark underlying events taking place throughout.
The first dream sequence is a masterpiece of desire, Walter Mair’s score invading to the point of utter submergence. Michel Dierickx’s camerawork is a treat – quick edits between static shots from early on are replaced here with long, languishing ones, fully accepting the dream nature of the piece.
Sir Paul McCartney has one, as do Lou Reed, Lionel Bart and Annie Lennox. They hold a prestigious Ivor Novello Award, Britain’s tribute to the finest songwriters the world has seen. This week they will be joined by someone whose music has never been near the charts: the composer of a computer game soundtrack.
Jamie Adams
Dignity Films
Laura Harrier, Bria Vinaite, Lily Newmark
An American student who is living a privileged existence at Glasgow School of Art when her father unexpectedly dies. Consumed with her loss, she finds herself re-examining both her life and inner circle.
Music performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and mixed by Geoff Foster (Inception, Black Swan). For the soundtrack Walter teamed up with Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro.
The Guardian
„Bria Vinaite again proves her star quality in this earnest coming-of-age film co-scripted by Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil.“
the full reviewScreendaily
„The latest film from prolific British director Jamie Adams (Black Mountain Poets) is a meditation on grief, creativity and female friendship which plays out against a vibrant Glasgow backdrop.“
the full reviewBig Issue
„At its heart, Balance, Not Symmetry is a film about how art, be it painting, music or film, can change how you perceive yourself and the world…“
the full reviewPedro Martin-Calero
BBH
Blink
Walter’s music received several awards including a British Arrow Award, Kinsale Shark Award and a nomination for the Music + Sound Awards.
This film by BBH invites viewers to get involved and bet on the outcome of the story. It stars football legends Cafu, Vicente del Bosque, Stefan Effenberg and Diego Maradona as criminals, each representing their country and plotting to steal the Cup. Shot in a cinematic style by Blink’s Pedro Martin-Calero, it is a nod to the great Hollywood crime capers of the past.
Orchestra with lush big band, 4 guitars, accordion and a full drum kit were recorded at Air Studios London.
Orchestra and Big Band recording
Air Studios – London
The film is helped in no small part by Walter Mair’s brilliantly unsettling score and some lively supporting performances from Alan Ford, Haluk Bilginer and Alice Sanders.
Anthony Wonke
HBO
From Oscar-nominated, BAFTA and Emmy-winning director Anthony Wonke (HBO’s The Battle for Marjah), and BAFTA-winning producer and investigative journalist Richard Kerbaj.
Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2020 BAFTA Awards
Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2020 EMMY Awards
This feature documentary tells the inside story behind the hunt for ISIS poster boy „Jihadi John“ by the US and British military and intelligence services. It interrogates the twisted worldview espoused by ISIS – the richest and most notorious Islamist terrorist organisation in history – and its propaganda machine which was operated by „Jihadi millennials“ who turned social media sites such as Twitter and YouTube into recruitment platforms. This is the definitive story about the formation and collapse of ISIS as a „state“, told through extraordinary first-hand accounts of key counter-terrorism and intelligence officialscheck out the soundtrack
The music needed to capture the rawness of Jihadi John’s maneuvers, it needed to have an organic sound, yet support the narrative of the ever-enclosing military.
The lead instrument that opens this scene are old metal buckets that were played with sticks and mallets.
Cello soloist Peter Gregson (‘Wonder Woman’, ‘Hacksaw Ridge’) was asked to play the main theme multiple times, with the instrument going ever so slowly out of tune which provided the music with a somber undertone that was then enhanced further with analogue effects.
HBO
„It’s a film about the transformation of a young man, Mohammed Emwazi, who went on to become notorious ISIS executioner Jihadi John.”“
the full reviewLA Weekly
„A British citizen who enjoyed a privileged upbringing in London, Emwazi became the world’s most wanted ISIS terrorist … Director Anthony Wonke traverses this difficult subject matter with eyes wide open and moral compass finely tuned.“
the full reviewUniversal Music
Walter Mair
Music used across numerous movie trailers and blockbuster campaigns including Marvel’s ‚Avengers‘, ‚Iron Man‘, ‚Batman‘, ‚Prometheus‘ and many more.
Orchestra, choir and epic percussions were recorded at Sony Scoring Stage, Los Angeles.
Sofia Palm
Warner Music
Sofia Palm is a London based artist with a fresh raw sound and love for honest songwriting. Starting out independently making folk music, she has developed her own distinct sound, incorporating rock, pop, punk and soul. She has played shows in London and Stockholm, and has opened for artists including Emelie Sandé.
Her cover of Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads is to be featured on the soundtrack of feature film ‘El Jardin’. Her influences include 70’s rock, her favourite artists being those like David Bowie and Patti Smith, yet draws from a melting pot of inspirations creating a sound of her own. Mostly self taught, she approaches songwriting in a unique and playful way. With a keenly observant eye and love for word play, her songs are that of story telling; painting pictures of her take on the world, with a quirky hook and emotive melody.
“We’re delighted to bring Space to life in a completely different way with a new orchestral arrangement by Walter Mair and the addition of the choir, especially in such a special setting as Abbey Road.“
Simon Neil in NME magazine
‘Shadow’ was co-written by Sofia and Walter for the coming-of-age drama ‘Iceland Is Best’, starring Judd Nelson and Helena Mattson. The beautiful lyrics were performed by Sofia with Walter taking over production and recording a string quartet of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The instruments were recorded by Nick Taylor at the iconic Air Edel Studios (Madonna, Queen, ‘Mr Turner’). To add to a more emotional and warm sound the recordings were made to analog tape and later processed in Pro Tools.
„Biffy Clyro share grand new version of ‘Space’, featuring a 40-piece orchestra and choir“
Kerrang
Glue director Daniel Nettheim added: ‘Walter is a wonderful collaborator and true craftsman of music for the screen. His entrancing score elevates the emotion and drama of the series to another cinematic level.’
The cinematic film features the voice of Ayrton Senna, and a cameo from Formula 1 driver Jenson Button.
Iggy Pop makes his starring debut in this indie thriller as a dying rock star caught in a web of sex, blackmail and murder. Pop’s stunt casting should give it cult appeal in theaters .
Such an iconic and groundbreaking title demanded an original, thematic and hybrid approach to reflect its cinematic and immersive gameplay as well as representing the entire legacy of the franchise, including the Modern Warfare and Black Ops universes.
Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album for the British horror thriller The Unfamiliar.
Joachim Lang
Zeitsprung Pictures
« Brecht’s Three Penny Film » is an adaptation to the screen of his world-famous « Three Penny Opera ». The film tells young Berthold Brecht’s sudden and unexpected rise to fame following the premier of the « Three Penny Opera », followed by his unsuccessful but true attempts to adapt his « opus major » to the big screen, until Hitler’s rise to power and Brecht’s departure to America puts a halt to his plans.
The film features around 90min of original music composed by Walter, orchestrated by Matt Dunkley (Interstellar, Dunkirk) and performed by the 88-piece SWR Symphony Orchestra.
The music was awarded the New York Film Festival price.
Die Welt
„This excellent film is a think piece, a portrayal of the times, and a musical all in one.“
the full reviewDW
„Lang’s film version takes a fresh approach, staging its story around Brecht’s original film treatment… „
the full reviewTom Green
Stink Films
Blake Powell
Music composition for Tom Green’s hard-hitting new film. Visionary director Green (‘Monsters’) created a thrilling film about a very serious topic – tax evasion.
Walter’s music won several awards in 2019 including the prestigious Clio Award, British Arrow Award, Creative Circle Award and D&AD.
The music features acoustic and electronic instruments that were enhanced with analog and digital effects, as well as a large modular synth setup to create unique sound textures. ‚The Heist‘ was also screened in cinemas with an enhanced surround mix in Dolby Atmos produced by Factory.
DailyCommercials
„Gripping scenes, excellent production value, and a clever script combine to create an ad that will certainly have an impact on the perceptions of many adults. A dramatic soundtrack adds to the drama. The message is powerful and is delivered almost exactly like a call to action.“
the full reviewD&AD
„Like a trailer to a blockbuster movie, it aims to get people talking, and governments acting, on the issue.“
the full reviewAdstasher
„Oxfam today reveals this information alongside a hard-hitting film illustrating the human cost of tax avoidance on the world’s poorest.“
the full reviewThe Unfamiliar is a 2020 American horror film written by Henk Pretorius, starring Jemima West, Christopher Dane …
Wieden+Kennedy shoots for the stars in grand ‚Ignition‘ Film for Honda brand celebrates ‘daring and human endeavor’.
The key element was to find a successful combination of the main theme as well as defining a very distinct overall sound for the music. Lots of experiments happened in this stage. Live recordings were held on a daily basis with instruments spanning from a more classical orchestral setup to custom-built instruments.
Louis Lagayette
Warner Bros.
Lachlan Nieboer, Alan Ford, Alice Sanders
Nominated for Raindance Film Festival 2017 who had following to say about the film:
“IT’S THE SORT OF FILM THAT FEW HAVE THE COURAGE TO MAKE THESE DAYS”
Walter created heavy beat-laden tracks that weaved into ever evolving soundscapes, utilising analog synths and effect units. For some of the dance tracks Walter collaborated with Vienna based electronic artist ROTBART (Christoph Pichler) to create electronic textures and beat-driven tracks.
Synopsis: Richard, a 30 year-old teacher, moves to East London, where he discovers hipsters, cockneys, immigrants and conflict. He discovers the East End: its nights, its drugs, its people, but the big city is not a welcoming place. Faced with rejection and abuse, Richard’s past demons resurface and let loose his violent instincts.
„The film is helped in no small part by Walter Mair’s brilliantly unsettling score“
Raindance Review
Raindance Film Festival
„Trendy succeeds in being highly entertaining and affecting. It’s hard to tell whether its dark subject matter and tonal shifts will garner significant mainstream audience, but it’s the sort of film that few have the courage to make these days; it’s relevant, funny and unsettling in the best possible way. And it deserves your attention all the more for it.“
the full reviewScreenwords
„Trendy succeeds in being entertaining and engaging throughout… in one moment it would appear to have replaced the yuppies of American Psycho for the hipsters of East London. Trendy is just like the East London it depicts: drugged up, visually intense, and pulsating with techno.“
the full reviewThe 730 Review
„And some lively supporting performances from Alan Ford (giving us the best cockney gangster since Get Carter), Haluk Bilginer and Alice Sanders.“
the full reviewOliver Hirschbiegel
Netflix
Sofia Helin, Tom Schilling
Academy Award nominee Oliver Hirschbiegel, who has already brought films like ‘Downfall’ and, most recently, ‘13 Minutes’ to the screens, once again dedicates himself with ‘The Same Sky’ to another important chapter of contemporary German history, the 1970s.
The scripts were written by Paula Milne, one of the most inventive writers in British TV (The Politician’s Wife, White Heat, The Virgin Queen).
East Germany (GDR), 1974. Lars Weber — young, ambitious and impenetrable — will soon have to prove his loyalty to his country; the 25-year-old knows that every step forward in the GDR comes with strings attached.
For Lars, this means being sent to West Berlin as an East-German ‘Romeo’ agent. His mission is to seduce women working in sensitive positions in the West. One of them is Lauren Faber, a high-ranking British intelligence officer and lonely single mother of a rebellious teen.
New York Times
„The harsh toll that the espionage takes on the spies themselves unspools amid picture-perfect art direction, while a story line about the human toll of an East German doping program targeting teenage athletes is more chilling still. If you like “The Americans” or “Deutschland 83,” you’ll want to savor these six hourlong episodes.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„From seduction workshops to chat-up labs, The Same Sky is an electifying look at the tactics used by the East German secret police to get intel from the west. Prepare to go deep under cove.“
the full reviewVariety
„The six-hour series, written by British author Paula Milne, portrays the fate of two families on either side of the Berlin Wall. The action revolves around the relationship between an East German “Romeo” agent – a spy who uses seduction as a way to unearth secrets — and his female target in the West.“
the full reviewThe Hollywood Reporter
„The Cold War drama from ‚Downfall‘ director Oliver Hirschbiegel stars Tom Schilling (‚Generation War‘) and Sofia Helin (‚The Bridge‘).“
the full reviewRafael Lopez
BBH
Stink
The gap between commercial and feature VFX continues to narrow and the giant-nemesis-threatens-urbanites trend keeps building with this spot from BBH and Stink director Rafael Lopez featuring intensely detailed VFX from MPC (Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts, The Martian) including a bespoke shattering software system used to vanquish the monster, and break down his body into rocks. Sound Design and mix by 750mph.
The music features live recorded choir and orchestra blended with electronic sounds for added bass. This came in handy when the mix got converted into surround for a worldwide cinema release.
Sony wanted to re-launch this extremely popular franchise and I was given a lot of creative space to come up with new themes and a new overall musical tone. In the first meetings the creatives and I discussed the story and the fact that our main hero crosses sides half-way through the campaign and abandons the former allies to fight alongside the Helghast.
Toby Tobias
Lightworks Film
Iggy Pop, Kacey Barnfield, Ben Lamb
Iggy Pop makes his starring debut in this indie thriller as a dying rock star caught in a web of sex, blackmail and murder.
Ageing rock star Bill and his beautiful younger wife Isabelle lead an idyllic life in the rolling hills of Southern Spain. Yet beneath this perfect surface, dark secrets lurk. Storming into the couple’s world comes a dangerous ex-lover hell bent on revenge, and in a racy game of cat and mouse, the hunter becomes the hunted. ‘Blood Orange’ is a sizzling psychological thriller where nothing is quite as it seems.
Empire
„Pop will surprise many with his terse display as a half-blind rock god refusing to succumb meekly to leukaemia…this is Pop’s first lead, and he growls out his lines with a laconic assurance.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„The screen presence of rock legend Iggy Pop is magnetic. With his six-cylinder growl of a voice and his bourbon and fag ash complexion, he doesn’t need to deliver much in the way of a performance. An entertainingly oversexed chamber piece with echoes of A Bigger Splash or La Piscine, the film unpeels layers of intrigue along with the clothes of its cast. It’s a promising debut for first-time director Toby Tobias.“
the full reviewThe Hollywood Reporter
„Pop’s stunt casting should give it cult appeal in theaters and, more likely, on home formats..There are echoes of Roman Polanski, Sam Peckinpah and Patricia Highsmith in these seductively amoral characters and their sexualized power games. Sergio Leone’s Spanish-shot spaghetti Westerns also exert an influence, notably in scenes of Pop wandering the parched sierra in cowboy hat and stubble, coolly blasting rabbits with a shotgun.“
the full reviewNirpal Bhogal
Netflix
Antonia Thomas, Luke Norris, Jonathan Hyde, and Eileen Davies
An evocative horror about the reality of the supernatural world encroaching into our everyday lives, threatening our homes and family. Taking as its inspiration the seminal horror films of the 70s, it is a chilling insight into the sacrifices we must make when we bring a new life into this world.
FirstBorn premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival 2016 and played at the Sitges Film Festival 2016.
„This is an impressive second feature from writer-director Nirpal Bhogal who has distinctly brought a handful of Sket’s gritty reality to FirstBorn, sprinkling it with ghostly goodness to ensure its foot stands firmly in the horror genre and nowhere else.“ by Scream Magazine
Heaven of Horror Score 4/5
„The scene stealer was Antonia Thomas, who portrays the mother in the family. You may have seen Antonia Thomas from the TV show Misfits or Lovesick, but for most people, she’s still a very fresh face. She is all heart and courage in FirstBorn, while also being very honest about the toll of the situation.“
the full reviewScream Magazine Score 3.5/5
„Exceptional… As a truthful presentation of motherhood and the fears that come with it, the scariest part of the film will be watching Charlie struggle to keep her small family together. This is an impressive second feature from writer-director Nirpal Bhogal who has distinctly brought a handful of Sket’s gritty reality to FirstBorn, sprinkling it with ghostly goodness to ensure its foot stands firmly in the horror genre and nowhere else.“
the full reviewThe soundtrack features about 40 minutes of ‘heart-pumping’ tracks that will let you relive the ‘drama, fear, and undying courage of war’ experienced in the game … be sure to pay particular attention to the unique sounds for each score.
Mair’s diverse repertoire ranges from epic full orchestral scores recorded with 80-piece choirs to intimate, small ensembles and hybrid electronic scores featuring solo instruments and found sounds. To create unique sounds for each score, Mair employs his extensive collection of analog digital synths
The Creative Assembly
SEGA
Walter Mair
It is an age of endless conquest, thousands of warriors clash in titanic battles as entire races wage war on one another, each led by a formidable hero seeking dominion over the world.
Being able to choose to play either Humans, Vampires, Orcs, Beastmen, or the all bloodthirsty Chaos Warriors, required the music to sound very different. A more unique instrumentation had to be defined for each race. Which also affected the choice of primary melodic instrument ranging from epic war horns, to angelic solo vocals, massive kettle drums and a dark Russian choir which was recorded in Macedonia.
It’s been far too long since I’ve been swept away by a score that’s truly original. The music from this score bursts to life with choral accompaniment that is as grand and moving as anything I have heard in all of 2008. It’s safe to say that this soundtrack rekindled my energy….
Lauded by critics as ‘setting a new bar of quality for FPS on handheld’ and ‘one of the better first-person shooters, period’ Walter Mair’s music for the latest installment in the blockbuster series reflects a new story set in the Killzone universe and captures the emotional drama, fear and undying courage of war.
The combination of electronic and orchestral sounds was an amazing brief that enabled me to combine my two alter egos, classical and electronic music. I also got to record a lot of instruments live and either leave the sound pure and organic or process the instruments afterwards and run them through chains of effects and outboard gear.
The music had to bridge Ronaldo’s early childhood with his adult life as the world’s best player; his childhood was riddled with life defying moments and the music needed to be sparse and intimate in the early stages and become cinematic and epic in scope without overpowering the picture.
Aoife McArdle
Wieden + Kennedy
Somesuch
Epic commercial for Honda featuring Ayrton Senna.
The music brief asked of Walter to deliver and exploraecontemporary sci-fi music. Pulling together the latest musical sound design techniques mixed with opera and a live recorded organ.
The commercial won countless awards including a Clio Award, NY Festival, Creative Circle and 2 Music + Sound Awards Awards for Sound and Music.
Stunning visual effects and grade were created by The Mill (Les Miserables, Snow White and The Huntsman, The Chronicles of Narnia). The extraordinary mix was created by Factory London.
Sara Dunlop
Rattling Stick
Koven and Walter Mair
The commercial follows a group of late twentysomethings building a giant fire sculpture based on the herbal liqueur’s iconographic stag emblem.
The music for the Craft The Moment commercial was written by Koven member Max Rowat and produced and arranged for orchestra and piano by Ivor Novello Award nominee Walter Mair at Angel Studios London.
Anthony Philipson, Bill Eagles
BBC One
Amanda Abbington, Ashley Walters, Shaun Dooley
From the directors behind Gotham and CSI. Aadrenalized and vibrant, the show is packed full of dramatic incidents and colourful characters. From a booby trapped cannabis farm in a suburban semi to an elderly farmer’s wife with a shotgun, the stories are surprising and exciting.
The cast is fronted by Ashley Walters (‘Top Boy’) Peter Sullivan (‘The Borgias’), Amanda Abbington (‘Sherlock’), Shaun Dooley (‘Exile’), Paul Ready (‘Ripper Street’), Eleanor Matsuura (‘Utopia’) and Alex Carter (‘Hollyoaks’).
The Independent
„The crimes were consciously gritty, pushing the limits of pre-9pm viewing…The Bill for Generation Instagram.“
the full reviewDgitalspy
„Cuffs is not just a fast-paced police procedural – it also explores the personal lives of Brighton’s police force, with Walters‘ Ryan portrayed as a single dad of two children. BBC One’s new cop drama Cuffs debuted with a decent 4.22m (20.5%) viewers.“
the full reviewCultbox
„The characters are charismatic and well-drawn … the cast really sell the dialogue. Plus, it’s genuinely fun to see Brighton on screen. This opening hour of Cuffs certainly arrested our attention.“
the full reviewThe 8-parter starring Yasmin Paige, Jessie Cave, Callum Turner, Jordan Stevens and Charlotte Spencer is set in the English rural countryside and centers around the friends of 14-year-old boy, Cal Bray, who is found dead.
Richard Lopez
Spike
Alexander Siddig, Ben Kingsley
Egyptian Vice is a two-part examination of wealth, excess and scandal during the days of ancient Egypt. Based on the Character of the mini series ‘Tut’, played by Ben Kingsley, we are being introduced to an insane amount of financial wealth of pharaohs who would do anything to attain power: murder, incest, seduction, and political backstabbing.
The music needed to capture the most epic of battles, as well as reflect the mood of intrigues and more intimate and emotional moments. This was achieved by blending Egyptian instruments with western influenced soundscapes and hard hitting beats.
With high-end visuals and CGI, Egyptian Vice recounts some of the most dastardly tales that helped to define thousands of years of history.
Anthony Wonke
Universal Pictures
Paul Martin, James Gay-Rees , Asif Kapadia
A close look at the life of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The film was shot in Madrid, Lisbon, Madeira, Brazil and the U.S. ‘Ronaldo’ is produced by Paul Martin, James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia, the Oscar winning team behind ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’. The feature was directed by triple BAFTA Award-winning and EMMY nominated director and producer Anthony Wonke.
The music was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
„I loved some of Walter’s previous work and was really drawn to his unique sense of atmosphere. But I also wanted someone who could bring out the emotion in an interesting but not saccharine way. Also, his classical background brings a really strong range across something intimate and personal to something really grand and cinematic.“
Indiewire / Anthony Wonke
Indiewire
„Walter’s classical background brings a really strong range across something intimate and personal to something really grand and cinematic.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„Cristiano Ronaldo film captures giant ego and strange, lonely world of being CR7“
the full reviewThe Independent
„This is a revealing and often surprising documentary portrait of Portuguese footballing superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is probably the most insightful film about the life of a footballer off the pitch“
the full reviewDigitalspy
„Ronaldo sucks you right in to his world today. His life may be one big Drake video, but you appreciate what it took for him to reach his childhood dream, and when it gets this close, the ego makes a little more sense.“
the full reviewThe Creative Assembly
SEGA
Walter Mair
Shape the land, build sprawling towns and recruit and train a powerful army. Conquer new territories to expand your realm and defeat rival lords and other players in epic real-time battles.
The soundtrack was recorded live, featuring a 50-piece orchestra and choir. This epic musical setup is accompanied by a selection of instruments typical for the middle ages: harp, bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, viol da gamba, lute, cello, flutes, marching drums and many more.
Mair’s soundtrack to Empire: Total War was so well received that it was nominated for a highly prestigious Ivor Novello award. Mair also has experience with all sorts of orchestras and groups, from enormous choirs and full orchestras to smaller, more intimate ensembles and groups.
I like the challenge of producing a soundtrack that is unique in many ways but partly uses known sounds and sources of music that were treated in such way that the origin of the instruments are disguised. This always results in a soundtrack where you think you know what you are listening to but just can’t put your finger on it.
Fighting sequences feature live recorded drums mixed with synthetic drums and big booms that were specifically created for this title. Stealth and tension tracks feature a rich soundscape that consists of many live recorded instruments that were heavily processed to create an interesting and ever-evolving texture.
I am always experimenting with sounds and instruments, recording techniques and layering instruments to produce unique sounds that help the game/movie to set it apart from other titles in a similar genre.
When the mellow and fragile melody played on a piano came in, it brought a tear to their (producers and director) eyes. We kept this track without any further changes and it became one of my favorite moments in the film.
It is always great to work with amazing developers who share the same vision for a project and to be honoured for your work shows that not only was the music well-received but also that the entire team were pushing in the same direction to get music and sound to its fullest potential.
All we had were scripts and some artwork. For me, this was the ideal scenario to start with because you are then an essential part of the project and can contribute to define the overall sound of the game.
Nicolas Randall
Martyn Bal
Roberto Cavalli
‘Categories of Being’ is a film made for Roberto Cavalli’s men’s AW 2014/15 collection which launched at the Milan Fashion Week. Exploring the ideas of freedom, adventure and love, autumn/winter 2014 portrays the fundamental values of the Roberto Cavalli man.
Walter was also the musical director for the Cavalli fashion shows in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Daniel Nettheim, Oliver Blackburn
Channel 4
Faye Marsay, Callum Turner, Jessie Cave, Yasmin Paige
Glue is stylistic murder mystery series set in the rural countryside where drugs, lust, despair and murder lay at its core. The series is the latest brainchild of six-times BAFTA winning writer Jack Thorne who’s previous accolades include ‘Skins’, ‘This is England ’86’ and ‘This is England ’88’. The production is with Eleven Film for C4 and eOne.
Synopsis: When the body of a local teenage boy is found underneath the wheels of a tractor, the villagers in this remote community and his friends are forced to open up their world and watch their secrets spill out.
Walter’s score is a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments. From recording found-sounds to solo cello and guitar, to heavy electronic treatment with his collection of analog and vintage effects – each sound was a bespoke creation to describe the haunting story.
„Walter’s entrancing score elevates the emotion and drama of the series to another cinematic level.“
Digitalspy
„Walter is a wonderful collaborator and true craftsman of music for the screen.“
Glue director Daniel Nettheim (The Hunter)
The Independent
„Teen drama puts the brutal into bucolic. It’s just like The Archers only with better acting, more ketamine and a rural murder mystery to boot.“
the full reviewThe Guardian
„E4’s latest flagship drama, a sexy whodunnit set in the rural home counties, is tipped to ‘do a Skins’ for its young cast“
the full reviewThe Telegraph
„Glue seems certain to keep us stuck to our screens for its remaining six weeks.“
the full reviewGuerrilla Games
Sony Entertainment Europe
Music composition for Sony’s AAA video game. More than 2 hours of original music were written for this epic title. The music utilizes a palette of different instruments ranging from big orchestra to twisted synths and heavily processed sounds, blurring the lines between music and sound design.
‘Killzone: Mercenary’ received amazing reviews, as Alastair Lindsay (Head of Music at Sony) puts it:
‘The music for Killzone: Mercenary needed to span from ambient tones that conveyed the mood of the locations to high action cues and all in-between, whilst having signature sounds for both the ISA and Helghast. Not such an easy task, but Walter managed this with ease, creating a tone that fitted the story arch perfectly.’
Digitalspy
Mair said: „Glue was a fantastic experience that required me to leave the picturesque countryside of England behind and dive into a gloomy and sinister England. „The music focuses on the relationship between the main characters and their playful and emotive nature, which ultimately heads into much darker territory.“
the full reviewGame Insider
Ivor Novello nominated and Telly award winning composer Walter Mair scores Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s (SCEE) highly acclaimed PS Vita title, Killzone: Mercenary. Walter Mair’s music for the latest installment in the blockbuster series reflects a new story set in the Killzone universe and captures the emotional drama, fear and undying courage of war. The official soundtrack is now available for digital download via Sony Entertainment Network.
the full reviewAsh Bolland
GPY&R
Curious Films
“It’s Show Time”
“The Big Bash League is breathing new energy and excitement into Australian sport, and we needed to make sure we captured this in our communications as we reach out to younger and more technologically-savvy audiences,” Julian Dunne, senior marketing manager at Cricket Australia said.
The campaign rolled out with other media, including large format outdoor, press, radio digital page takeovers, and a 3D version of the TV commercial airing in cinemas.
Visual effects and grade were created by Method Studios (Wonder Woman 1984, John Wick).
Klaus Huettman
Imagination Worldwide
Sienna Guillory, Clive Russell
Directed by Palme d’Or nominated director Klaus Huettmann and BAFTA nominated production company NOW Films, ‘The List’ is a political thriller that charts the battle between the creator of a popular website which outs corrupt individuals and an assassin who starts executing those who get to the top of the list.
The film stars Sienna Guillory (‘Resident Evil’), Clive Russell (‘Sherlock Holmes’), Rebecca Ferdinando (‘X-Men: First Class’), Bill Paterson (‘Miss Potter’) and Anthony Flanagan (‘Shameless’).
Synopsis: The List is an internet site onto which viewers can vote corrupt politicians and executives. Publicity as a social deterrent. The response is huge. For Christopher Corwin and his small agency the website is the breakthrough to success. Shortly after the launch of the site, the Number One on the list is executed.
Guerrilla Games
Sony Entertainment Europe
Walter Mair
Music composition for Sony’s AAA video game. More than 2 hours of original music were written for this epic title. The music utilizes a palette of different instruments ranging from big orchestra to twisted synths and heavily processed sounds, blurring the lines between music and sound design. 80 minutes of the music were recorded at Air Studios to elevate the production quality to the highest level possible.
‘Killzone: Mercenary’ received amazing reviews and has a Metacritics Score of 8.8/10
‘The music for Killzone: Mercenary needed to span from ambient tones that conveyed the mood of the locations to high action cues and all in-between, whilst having signature sounds for both the ISA and Helghast. Not such an easy task, but Walter managed this with ease, creating a tone that fitted the story arch perfectly.’
Alastair Lindsay – head of music – Sony Entertainment
Digitalspy
Mair said: „Glue was a fantastic experience that required me to leave the picturesque countryside of England behind and dive into a gloomy and sinister England. „The music focuses on the relationship between the main characters and their playful and emotive nature, which ultimately heads into much darker territory.“
the full reviewDevelop
„Rightly recognised for its quality, Killzone Mercenary’s score is a palette of different instruments, ranging from big orchestra to twisted synths and heavily processed sound, blurring the lines between music and sound design.“
the full reviewThe Audio Spotlight
„I drilled holes into the corpus of a cello and put metal tubes through them. These were hollow on the inside and filled with objects such as shrapnel and other metal parts. When played back, the cello produced these amazing overtone heavy resonances you wouldn’t normally ge.t“
the full reviewGame Insider
Ivor Novello nominated and Telly award winning composer Walter Mair scores Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s (SCEE) highly acclaimed PS Vita title, Killzone: Mercenary. Walter Mair’s music for the latest installment in the blockbuster series reflects a new story set in the Killzone universe and captures the emotional drama, fear and undying courage of war. The official soundtrack is now available for digital download via Sony Entertainment Network.
the full reviewCinemablend
„I knew I wanted to use unique sounds paired with more classical sounds and in order to do so I would even custom-build instruments. A game of this magnitude deserves its very own sound.“
the full reviewVideo Game Music Score 4.5/5
„This music is mixed like you are really in an industrial warzone kind of setting. I highly recommend the Killzone Mercenary Soundtrack for music lovers, as there is action, suspense and an incredible connection to the gameplay.“
the full review3 Mobile
Nicolai Schierbeck
Walter Mair
Amongst many great shots visionary director Klaus Thymann recorded an underwater explosion at 5000 frames per second.
Walter produced the soundtrack for four commercials which went on air all across Europe on TV and cinema. For the music he teamed up with English synth-pop band Hot Chip.
Slightly Mad Studios
Electronic Arts
Walter Mair
The critically acclaimed SHIFT franchise returns to the track with SHIFT 2. The most immersive racing experience to date brings the True Driver’s Experience to life with all the intensity and exhilaration of being behind the wheel and competing in the Driver’s Battle. From the all-new helmet cam to night racing to frighteningly real physics and crashes, SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED delivers all the violence and excitement of race day in a groundbreaking authentic racing experience.
Walter wrote the music as well as created the music sound design for the trailer campaign. He also contributed hi-action music to the fast paced franchise.
John Turner
BBH
Nice Shirt Films
Audi ‘Dark Road’ is Richard Martin’s contribution to the horror genre for Audi.
He took an established brand like Audi to hitherto unexplored places which made everyone look at this bold statement piece by Nice Shirt Films.
Music and sound blended into each other. Musical phrases in the style of Bernhard Hermann provided the film with a distinct sound which was then enhanced with electronic instruments to take the viewer on a dark journey, beautifully created by MPC (Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts, The Martian).
Nicolas Randall
The Brooklyn Brothers
Victoria Beckham
The Range Rover Evoque Special Edition brings together high fashion and design innovation thanks to the collaboration of the Land Rover Design team with Victoria Beckham, winner of the 2011 Designer Brand of the Year.
The music starts with an intriguing intro featuring hard cut strings which then turn into a beat-driven electronic track.
Matt Aselton
TBWA Worldwide
Epoch Films
Epic commercial for Honda featuring Ayrton Senna.
The music brief asked of Walter to deliver and exploraecontemporary sci-fi music. Pulling together the latest musical sound design techniques mixed with opera and a live recorded organ.
The commercial won countless awards including a Clio Award, NY Festival, Creative Circle and 2 Music + Sound Awards Awards for Sound and Music.
Stunning visual effects and grade were created by The Mill (Les Miserables, Snow White and The Huntsman, The Chronicles of Narnia).
Jonathan Liebesman
Columbia Pictures
Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez
For years, there have been well-documented cases of UFO sightings around the world. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces.
The music was used worldwide for trailers and campaigns for TV & cinemas.
Zack Snyder
Warner Bros.
Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens
A little girl is trying to hide from the pain caused by her past. She plans to escape from a mental institution but to do that she needs to steal five objects before she is caught by a vile man. The story is set in the 1950s.
The music was used worldwide for trailers and campaigns for TV & cinemas.
The Creative Assembly
SEGA
Walter Mair
The majority of music was written for the epic battle scenes which build the core of this epic game. The music always reflects the empire that is being controlled by the player, ranging from lush orchestral arrangements for European Empires such as Great Britain or France, to epic battle drums for the Ottoman Empire. The epic soundtrack features the 80-piece Bratislava Symphony Orchestra that, together with ethnic instruments such as duduk and ney flute, were recorded by renowned sound engineer Peter Fuchs (‘Iron Man 3’, ‘Star Trek’) at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall.
The soundtrack received great reviews from leading games magazines. IGN: ‘The music fits the martial tone of the game perfectly and definitely helps players get into the mood for the setting’, and gives the sound a glowing 9/10 score.
Soundtrack available on iTunes and Amazon
Duncan McWilliam
The Brooklyn Brother
MPC Creative
Launch campaign for Jaguar’s prestigious new F-Type.
Created entirely in CG by MPC (Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts, The Martian) the light trails were taken from Duncan’s motorbike as long exposures around London and then reflected in the stunning curves of the Jaguar as a 3D model.
Intricate beats, paired with glass-like musical effects. For the main motif Walter wrote a melody for cello which was performed by Richard Harwood, principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hernan Reig
MTV
Eduardo Maraggi
Walter composed and produced all music and sound design for the re-launch of MTV Networks. Part of the new On-Air-Design were formats such as ‘MTV News’, ‘Brand New’, ‘MTV Music Video Awards’, ‘Mash’ and many more.
The Creative Assembly
SEGA
Walter Mair
Walter wrote more than 60 mins of original music for Viking and it’s many cut scenes which were then orchestrated by Nic Raine (‘Alexander’, ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’). ‘Viking’ received best reviews for it’s soundtrack featuring an 85 piece orchestra and an 80 piece choir, recorded at Smecky Studio Prague (‘District 9’, ‘The Expendables’) and mixed at Air Studios London (‘Interstellar’, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Gladiator’).
Play Magazine gave the game 9.5/10, Xbox360 Achievements described the audio as fantastic and gave it a 90% rating.
The soundtrack is available on iTunes and Amazon