Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Lockington.
Hi Andrew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a film composer. Born and raised in Toronto. After I got my first big studio film “Journey To The Center Of The Earth” with Brendan Fraser, I started dividing my time between Toronto and LA. I’ve worked on many different films since, both Big Budget Action movies and independent dramas. The LA studio is always set up in a house where I’m staying and it’s where I present cues to the filmmakers.
I always rent a house in LA near the director and off the Studio lot so that it’s convenient for them to come over to hear cues and so that it’s a warm and creative space. Because of this, I’ve lived all over LA (Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Los Feliz, Brentwood, Griffith Park, Altadena).
I love what I do. It involves composing music and collaborating with the director and producers for many months then getting to record with an orchestra at one of the studio scoring stages in LA and with the incredible LA musicians.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like any job, there are challenges along the way, but for the most part, the struggles and challenges have only helped fuel the creative process. I sometimes have a different approach in mind than the director does but those projects often end up being my favorite projects to work on. It takes a lot of exploration and throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks, but it always ends up with a score that is different and better than either of us set out to create.
The business side of this job is tricky sometimes, but not unlike other businesses. A secret to success is working with people you like and people who will give you creative space and leeway to try new things. When you find those people you tend to keep them in your creative family, hence I’ve been fortunate to work with many directors and producers multiple times.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write music for film and television. I find that scripts often tell layers to a story that the visuals of the film can’t capture on their own. That’s where the best soundtracks come in. Music can group characters and link their struggles even if the characters never share screen time. It can convey emotion the characters are too proud to show, and it can set an emotional tone that bypasses all of the exposition and explanation you might otherwise need. I’m known for doing big action films more than the independent artistic films I’ve done, but I think the indie films have informed my approach to the action films in a good way. I don’t just like scoring kinetic moments, but instead using the music and emotions to create stakes for the characters in times that only the music can achieve.
I’m most proud of the opportunities I’ve gotten to work with creative people I’ve admired so much of my life. Some of the same directors, actors and producers that inspired my quest to do this for a living I’ve now had a chance to work with or to score their scenes. Very proud to have found this niche and this opportunity.
There are so many talented composers. We are all set apart with that fact that we each bring a unique voice and narration to the projects we score.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I was a kid, I spent much of the summer at my grandparent’s cottage on a lake. My aunt had an old sailboat that I would take out sailing. If you caught the wind perfectly the boat would hum, indicating you were harnessing the wind perfectly and maximizing the speed of the boat. I used to love that sound, and I can still hear the exact sound and pitch when I remember it now. There was one specific day when everything changed and I started hearing that hum as actual real music. At that moment, I started to listen to the music all around, in the melodies of the winds, the rhythm of the train tracks, the sonic inflections in people’s sentences. It’s really affected how I score to picture. I hear the existing music and melodies in the dialogue and production sound and it always informs what I write, what pitches and what notes I choose.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: andrewlockingtonmusic
