To keep the newly-launched season 4 momentum rolling, I’m joined by composer Christopher Willis! Chris is actually responsible for some of my favorite scores in recent years, like The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield, as well as the excellent series Veep (among other things). However, I managed to keep the fan side of me at bay until the very end of our chat. Instead, we chat about his most recent works: the score for the animated film Lamya’s Poem, featuring an incredibly lovely, lush main theme (one of my favorites of the year so far), and Demon 79, the last episode in the latest season of Black Mirror, which sees Chris embracing horror.
The latter score ended up being quite a surprise to me, as we often associate Chris with a more classical, orchestral palette and style, making a modern discordant horror score seem unusual from hit. Yet, as we chat, he tells me how much he enjoys the genre (both film and music), including the scores of Joseph Bishara. Even more surprising is that he credits his work in animation as preparing him to jump into various genres of film, telling me that the score for the Mickey Mouse short “Just the Four of Us” had a genuine horror score that “was absolutely horrible sounding”.
Along the way, of course, we dig into a number of other topics as well. These include what it’s like for Chris and his wife Elyse to work together creating music, the use of AI in music (and particularly film and tv music), and more!
Lamya’s Poem is available to rent or buy digitally while Demon 79 is available to watch on Netflix. Chris’s scores for both, as well as many of his other works, are available to listen on all major platforms. Meanwhile, you can find out more about Chris on his website.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About Lamya’s Poem
“Lamya’s Poem is a full-length animated feature written and directed by cross-cultural filmmaker Alex Kronemer and produced by Sam Kadi (The Citizen). The cast features Millie Davis (Wonder) and Mena Massoud (Aladdin). Having premiered at the 60th Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the film tells the tale of 12-year-old Syrian girl Lamya who is forced to flee as war closes in on her family home in Aleppo. Among the few possessions she takes with her is a book by Sufi mystic poet Rumi, given to her by a kindly tutor.
Facing grave danger, Lamya finds more than just solace in Rumi’s words. Tumbling into a mysterious and haunting dream world she meets the poet himself, as a young boy running away from violence in his own time, the year 1221. Together they travel through a fantastical land, battling the monsters that follow them from the real world, as Lamya helps young Rumi find his calling and write the poem that 800 years later will save her life.”
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