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Meet Alexander Taylor

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Taylor.

Alexander, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had a semi-peripheral relationship with music. I studied Motion Picture Production at Wright State University. I was actually focusing on directing and producing at the time, which sounds crazy to me now because I love writing music so much. But that’s where I first found out how much I loved to score for the film.

All of our films needed music, and we didn’t really have a big budget, so I ended up writing the music out of practicality, honestly. I was the only one in the program that really had any musical background since I was a wanna-be rock star in high school, so I ended up scoring about 20 short films before I even moved out to LA. Composing the score was easily my favorite part of the filmmaking process. It was so much fun that I didn’t think you could possibly make a career out of it…

Fast forward to 2012. I move out to LA. I was super fortunate to snag a couple of gigs soon after landing; one at Halloweentown in Burbank, and a PA slot on a promotional shoot for a new animation house, Wondergrove.

At the end of the Wondergrove shoot, Terry Thoren, the CEO of the company, walks over and asks, “Can you do anything else?” I kind of froze; I was a puppy out here with essentially no professional experience, I was like, “I can do sound mixing work I guess?” Not sure if he noticed my work ethic or if he was just desperate for employees, but he told me to come on Monday, so I did.

First project lined up for me was a short animation for the Girl Scouts of America. Since I was in charge of sound, I noticed that they didn’t have any music in the cartoon yet. I placed a track of mine from a short film my buddy directed. When Terry watched the cartoon, much to my surprise, he immediately asked where I got the music. “I wrote it,” I said, sheepishly. “Do you want to be our in-house composer?” he asked. I was shocked, to say the least. I accepted, thinking I’d compose music for a few months and then return to directing. Seven years later, and I happily haven’t gone back to directing.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh, God no. It may sound smooth since I kind of fell into it, but nothing out in LA is smooth unless you have a trust fund. LA is obviously crazy expensive, so I was literally living paycheck to paycheck for the first four years. Just last week, and for the first time since high school, I could finally start putting money into a savings account.

No joke, I couldn’t afford an actual bed for the first year, so I asked my roommate Steve if I could steal one of his dog’s beds to sleep on. Buca… he didn’t need three beds… Luckily Buca and Steve were kind enough to grant my wishes.

But the hardest part is the family toll. LA transplants don’t really get to see our family all that much; Once a year if we’re lucky. I missed birthdays, graduations, marriages… I’ve missed all of my grandparent’s funerals since moving out here. It’s awful, but I just couldn’t afford the plane ticket or the time off. I love LA, and I love living here, but you have to sacrifice a lot to do it.

Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I’m a music composer best known for works in the horror genre. I’ve done several series for Eli Roth/Jason Blum’s Crypt TV, countless short horror films, a few larger-profile features coming out soon, and recently attended the premiere of an amazing documentary I scored called SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. That’s probably what I’m best known for thus far.

I love this film. It’s a juggernaut in the festival circuit right now, cleaning up awards left and right, deservedly so. We released a limited edition pink vinyl record of my original soundtrack with 1984 Publishing. It focuses on the life of actor Mark Patton, who flips the script on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2, which essentially ruined his career due to the obvious homosexual subtext during the mid-80’s AIDS crisis.

I should probably name drop some of the features coming out soon too. DREAMCATCHER, directed by Jacob Johnson. HUNTER’S MOON, directed by Michael Caissie. THE DEAD OF NIGHT, directed by Robert Dean. ANIMAL AMONG US, directed by John Woodruff. FATHOM, directed by Patrick Steele. All horror, just the way I like it.

Horror has always been my favorite genre to compose for. I feel like you have a longer leash to experiment. I love to play with unorthodox instruments and sounds. Plus, there is such a wide variety of films in this genre that it doesn’t get old. This past summer, I scored three horror flicks back to back to back. All different,

DREAMCATCHER’s story is almost purely synth-driven with the exception of guitars. So for about 6-8 weeks, I’m patching synths, creating pads in Logic, and rocking out on my guitar with a bunch of crazy pedals. Then I jump onto HUNTER’S MOON, which I made a rule to stay entirely organic. Marimba, xylophone, m’bira, kalimba, zither, gopichand, angklung, violin, hammering a broken piano, and an acoustic resonator guitar. The score has an odd Tom Waits vibe which I’m really proud of.

Sometimes I’ll even build instruments for certain projects. I built an instrument that I call the CREEP CRATE that I’ve used in several projects now that’s really effective in giving people goosebumps. It’s truly unpleasant in the best way possible. I’m currently building a smaller version of it with a little wooden coffin box. The name is still up for debate.

I don’t like to stay in the box, which I think is what makes my sound pretty unique. Specializing in horror is also something that may set me apart from other composers. Most other composers I know tend to jump from genre to genre, which isn’t a bad thing, obviously. More job opportunities that way, that’s for sure. And I’m not saying that I can’t score other genres, but I want to be the guy people think of when they realize they need their horror flick scored.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
LA is the perfect city for any creative person with a drive. One thing I always tell people when they consider the move is that they should laser focus on one thing at first. People move out here hoping to be a jack-of-all-trades. Writer/Director/Actor/Producer/Musician… The competition is so big out here, and there are tons of talented people who dedicate their lives to a specific craft, and you will be up against them for a gig. Keep your skills sharp.

For composers, I would definitely stress that you shouldn’t be afraid to go outside the box. Experiment! Don’t try to sound like everyone else. Find your voice. Find your niche, and make sure you love it. Also, networking is key. Don’t just hang out with composers; make sure to go to film festivals, networking events, coffee shops, bars… Instead of sending a resume, buy someone a beer. You’d have a better chance of landing a gig that way.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
The main portrait of me is by Ryan Valdez.

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