Warning shot: the sound and music of Cautionary Tales

A Midsummer Night's Dream with Barnaby Barford

Untitled (Living Painting)  2023 (still)
Loop: 1hr 24min
High Definition single channel video, high definition monitor and player
H193cm x W110cm

I created a longform soundscape to accompany Barnaby Barford’s fabulous exhibition of work inspired by Epping Forest – A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I had lots of recordings we could use. The trick … The fun … Was processing them to give it just a hint of magic, a drop of psychedelia, but keep it very gentle and still faithful to the natural sound of the forest, never waking you from the dream that Barnaby’s work leads you in to.

Ashley vs WWE

Score, sound design and Dolby Atmos mix
From Audible: “Professional wrestler Ashley Massaro died by suicide in 2019. Ashley vs WWE follows events leading up to her death and examines allegations of abuse while she was wrestling for WWE. As journalist Isobel Thompson delves into Ashley's story, she investigates whether her allegations are just the tip of the iceberg. This story takes Isobel from the UK, to Ashley’s home of Long Island, and into the world of WWE wrestling in the early 2000s - where the power, influence and misogyny of the real world played out through the characters in the ring.”

Nazanin

For C4. Original music.
The behind-the-scenes account - part love story, part thriller - of how Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was thrown into a Tehran jail, and how her family battled to get her home.

From the Daily Telegraph: “Nazanin is an extraordinary piece of documentary making that shows the very human experiences that were often hidden behind the huge geo-political story that dominated the headlines for far longer than the Zaghari-Ratcliffes had hoped.”

The Times: ★★★★★ ‘A living nightmare met with poise and dignity’
The Guardian ★★★★✩ ‘Incredibly moving’
The Independent ★★★★✩ ‘A beautiful, intimate piece of storytelling’
Evening Standard: ★★★★✩ ‘Poignant and moving’

We see Gabriella playing piano in the film, and I became sentimentally attached to the idea of including some of that wildtrack in the final music, where the family are at last reunited. After all the poise and dignity, a moment – literally – of release.

The Squid Scam

Music composition and sound design, for ITN/Audible
In 2021, scammers stole $16 million from thousands of investors across the globe, by capitalising on the hype around NFTs and the success of the hit Netflix series Squid Game. 

The scam was so believable, the BBC, Yahoo and CNBC covered its initial trading success, before later publishing headlines revealing the full scale of the fraud. Investigative technology journalist Janhoi McGregor takes a deep dive into the murky underworld of Crypto and NFTs, to attempt to uncover the true identity of the squid scammer. Much of their web trail was wiped out, but digital detective Janhoi follows the crumbs left behind in an attempt to find justice for the victims.

Podcast of the Week, Guardian and Stylist Magazine