Biography
Olivia graduated in music from Exeter University in 1995 and, after completing a PGCE, began teaching music while studying for an MA in composition for television and film. An increasing fascination with music technology led her to specialise in teaching music production for multimedia, and in 2002 she began writing screen music professionally for various agencies and publishers including Extreme Music, Finger Music and Boost Music. Her music is now used extensively around the world in documentaries, adverts and films.
In 2007 she founded the Screened Music Network in an attempt to form a vibrant community for professional screen composers, and a useful resource for music commissioners. The network has since grown to include over 90 professional composers, many of whom are among the most talented and successful working in the UK today. Olivia is also managing director of Big Screen Music, a boutique production music label specialising in cinematic music.
Beautiful. I love the way the strings are gradually introduced and so subtly scored.
3 years 3 months 6 days
Really lovely sensitive writing for strings and beautifully produced guitar
3 years 2 months 28 days
Beautiful. Intelligently scored and with real sensitivity. What a difference a live string orchestra makes.
3 years 2 months 18 days
Great textures and sounds. I think it could be improved with a more recognisable theme, but the sounds seem spot on for the context described.
3 years 2 months 4 days
Really enjoyed these. Particularly the first two - inventive and unusal.
3 years 2 months 3 days
Beautifully expressive. Would love to hear more of this.
3 years 2 months 3 days
Love the instrumentation and rhythms in this
3 years 2 months 3 days
Really hard to to do this kind of thing without it sounding clichéd. This is great - really inventive.
3 years 2 months
Fantastic epic stuff! There's real energy to it. Vocal really lifts it at the start.
3 years 2 months
Sounds very Thomas Newman - a good thing in my book
3 years 1 months 26 days
Overwhelms with the joy of nature at its most beautiful. I can hear it coming alive. Wonderful music.
3 years 1 months 5 days
Fantastic! I'm a sucker for aggressive strings and driving percussion and the voices really lift it. Great cinematic stuff.
3 years 1 months
Hard to believe this wasn't scored to picture - great imagination!
3 years 5 days
A beautiful performance and production of a very moving piece
3 years 1 days
Very stylish little track. Great string bass line.
3 years 17 days
Powerful opening. Great energy to this piece.
3 years 17 days
Fantastic!
2 years 10 months 29 days
Very moving and beautifully subtle - not too intrusive. I imagine it heighted the emotion of the film really well.
2 years 10 months 7 days
As Rodney says, the orchestration is excellent here. However to an extent I think that the so-called 'predictable' nature of the material was probably necessary so as not to overpower the user experience. I am sure this delivered on brief and beyond. Very enjoyable.
2 years 7 months 25 days
I like the unusual textures and subtlety of this. Very effective.
2 years 7 months 25 days
Perfectly captures a sense of loneliness and disconnection. Great use of sound.
2 years 6 months 9 days
What a beautiful performance and the mood is so evocative of this time of year. Mince pie anyone?
1 years 8 months 21 days
Powerful track - nice build. I imagine it really added to the emotional impact of the documentary.
1 years 6 months 17 days
Fantastic heroic theme. Great brass. You think you know where it's going then a lovely understated mid-section comes along.
1 years 6 months 17 days
A powerful piece and quite mesmerising. Without knowing more about the context I cannot comment on the suitability to picture, but as a stand alone piece this is a very skillful example of creative sound design.
8 months 22 days
Lovely expressive fiddle writing and no doubt this was a powerful opening, although it would be nice to know what the film was about. Very interesting use of harmony and although it doesn't develop musically, it manages to keep the interest throughout.
8 months 22 days
Skillfully orchestrated - strings and woodwind are charming and it develops really well without ever getting too overbearing. I can see it getting good usage as a library piece. My only critisism would be the brass samples at the start are a little offensive on the ear. Other than that this is delightful.
8 months 22 days
Great laid back style and the sound elements blend in nicely. Really nice bass. As a theme for The Wire I think it would work well - catchy, cool and classy. I like the subtle string interjections - not too overstated. Very enjoyable.
6 months 19 days
Lovely subtle use of texture throughout and sensitively scored. Very successful in conveying a sense of hope and strength. Really nice subtle vocal interjections. Very nice work which displays a truly original style.
6 months 19 days
Sensitively scored with effective use of instrumental colour. And the climax is terrifying! An accomplished piece of underscore.
6 months 19 days
Lively and effective instrumentation. It has a jovial character that seems very apt given the context. Some of the samples lack authenticity particularly towards the end but I don't think this detracts too much from the overall effect. Very attractive.
5 months 7 days
Very successful in creating the sought-after quirky dark sound that is so popular these days with tv execs. A little bit similar to some well known themes but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lovely atmospheric writing and creatively produced. I like the changes of pace. Very effective.
5 months 7 days
A very appealing and enjoyable piece. Simple but very effective in portraying the lonely world you describe in the context. I can see why you chose not to develop the melodic material and the performance is excellent.
5 months 7 days
This works very well and was no doubt popular with the producers. Creative use of melody and instrumentation and it manages to keep the interest without being too cliched. A polished sound which is helped by high quality samples and a good ear for production. Very effective.
5 months 7 days
Effective laying of sound and really nicely produced. The simplicity of it is appealing and the cello line is a nice surprise. I look forward to hearing more of your work.
2 months 28 days
Lovely string scoring. Just the right level of emotion without being over sentimental. I can see it working in a multitude of scenarios. It would really be lifted with a live cello melody in the opening if you ever get the opportunity.
2 months 28 days
I can see this working well for the scene - lovely soaring strings with simple harmonies and a wistful quality. Very effective. I think the piano could go a little higher without intruding on the strings.
2 months 28 days
Intelligently scored and with great sensitivity and depth. I enjoyed this immensely. Although the effect is bleak it is also strangely uplifting. Very powerful music.
2 months 12 days