Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Sanderson.
Hi Jake, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started getting into music at a young age, around 13 years old. I started with playing the clarinet from middle school to high school and around the same time I got into composing for small band. It was around 9th grade in high school when hearing James Horner’s score to “Titanic” where I thought about pursuing film music.
From when I first started to where I am now, my work has gone through a metamorphosis. I began with a love of composing large orchestral pieces, to pieces with a more minimalistic approach and then into a more ambient and experimental leaning. I believe delving into all kinds of genres is healthy for a composer as I don’t think you should contain yourself to one or the other. Branch out and leave the comfort of what you think you are best at and train yourself to be best at other techniques.
Every piece I compose, I try to do something different with it. I have become a big fan of sampling and adding in Ethnic instruments into my music, such as the Shakuhachi, to add in color that you can’t really get with a Western instrument.
My journey in music is not over and never will be. There have been challenges in the past and there will be in the future but if you truly have a passion for something, don’t ever give it up. Support from my family and my drive to achieve my goals helps keep me planted firmly and not give up or lose hope. That is the best advice I can give to anyone trying to do the same thing I and so many others are trying to do. Never lose your passion and do not quit, because the only way to lose is to quit.
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?
Nothing ever seems to be a smooth road. I definitely have gotten closer to where I want to be but still a long road ahead. The hard part in making a career in film scoring is being able to stand out and see what you can offer a director that another composer can’t. This is why my style has evolved over the years and I have tried to experiment with sounds and creating new sounds that perhaps have not been heard before.
I have worked other jobs outside of music and through some of those jobs I have been able to make contacts with filmmakers and thanks to distributors like TuneCore, it has made it easier for independent artists to get their music out there to more people.
For the future, I want to get myself to network more at film clubs or film societies that showcase independent films and where filmmakers would be. For any area or field someone wants to make a career in, I think we can agree that being around the same people in that field is key to getting your foot in the door.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in writing music for films and reason why I have went down this path is because film and music have this wonderful symbiotic relationship where they work perfectly together. The first major project I did was an Australian film called “Rise” released in 2015. The score earned me an award from “Australian Screen Industry Network” for “Best Composer” and from that, I was able to work on a few other short films in Australian and here in the United States. One short film I did which was when I was getting into sampling and experimenting was called Compulsion by Ryan Davey. This score required more electronics & guitar instead of my usual background of orchestra but it was a lot of fun and helped me begin developing my music palette. This era of experimenting helped me be prepared for a short film called “My Own Silence” by Matthew Eberle which required the heavy use of electronics, reverbed bass drums, & untuned gamelan gongs.
I am proud of all the work I have done, even if I look back on some now and think it isn’t my best work because every piece I have written has helped me get to where I am now in my style. What sets me apart from others, I think is the way I use ethnic instruments with a western orchestra & sampling of sounds and notes from other instruments. For example, with sampling, I will record a Violin play a high C for 8 measures, C6 in music terms, and then add the audio file into my midi sampler. Then by playing the note a few octaves lower, it sounds more slow and drawn out, sounding more like a weird electronic synth sound instead. I also enjoy recording myself creating new percussive sounds like hitting the handle of a screwdriver on a 45 lb workout plate.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family is definitely my biggest support system. My parents who never talked me out of pursuing a music career and who always tell me to keep at it, my siblings, especially my younger brother who is my biggest fan, my grandfather and my uncle who basically introduced me to the world of music and really set me on the path to learn more and truly appreciate what music has to offer. Even during times when I feel like I should give up on this idea of a musical career, they all have said something that makes me think, “Wow, what was I thinking?” and it brings me back to why I decided to pursue this to begin with.
Outside of family, I have to give recognition to certain composers who have inspired my own work. Thomas Newman, Shirley Walker, Philip Glass, Bernard Herrmann, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, James Horner, and Joe Hisaishi. All these great composers I have listened to for years and their work showed me that when it comes to music, there are no rules or limitations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jakesandersonfilmcomposer.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakersandersonmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JakeRSandersonOfficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeRSanderson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JakeSandersonFilmComposer
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jake-r-sanderson
- Other: https://jakersanderson.bandcamp.com/
