What It’s Not:

Modern Nils Frahm esque ambient piano OR ambient electronic drone music with long, held synth chords, etc.

Basically, not the kind of gentle scoring that makes it on to the ‘Music for Concentration’ playlist on Spotify.

I listen to it a lot to relax and get ready to sleep. But I find it a little apologetic in video, and it can sound very sound library to me.

Music like this also doesn’t feel very McQueen, which to me is more aligned with pomp, drama and the British/Celtic Folk and Romantic traditions.

Ametrine Skies
Aragonese
Cesula
Lóni Alma

What It Could Be:

O Waly Waly
Benjamin Britten
Escallonia
Rory Lewis
Divinity Code
D/S/T/N/C/E

So then — what could it be instead?

I’m comfortable saying I’m not sure and I’m open to hearing ideas!

McQueen is drawing on romanticism, the sublime, theatre, baroque drama, folk tradition, the gothic, etc. And he loved Michael Nyman’s score for The Piano.

So it would make sense for our sound palette to be orchestral/chamber rather than piano-led — strings, organ, harpsichord, woodwind, maybe choir.

The problem then, as ever, is that we don’t want the music to compete with the spoken dialogue.

And we also don’t want to seem too pompous and dramatic, because it’s ultimately a behind-the-scenes film!

So maybe it’s a case of using the sound palette of big romantic music, but toning it down and paring it back.

And perhaps there is a stab of loud music to separate out the various thematic sections of the doc.

I’m not sure! And this may not be the right direction. I’d love to hear your thoughts.