Meet Theo Elwell | Film Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Theo Elwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Theo, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I’ve always wanted to work for myself, and I when I was finally making the leap into the freelance world, a colleague of mine said ‘you’ll give up the 9-5 to work 24/7’. This turned out to be true… But looking back, I don’t see it as a negative. Without pushing the cliché of ‘never working a day in your life if you love your job’ (work is work, right?), I definitely view the work I do now for myself as completely different from when I used to work for other people. When you’re running your own business, your work becomes your identity, for better or for worse. The successes are all down to you, the failures too. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started off my musical training as a violinist and cathedral chorister, meaning I got to tour the world performing a wide variety of brilliant music. Being immersed in the sounds of Holst, Mendelssohn or Tavener from a young age was an education like no other, and one for which I am eternally grateful. I went on to do my undergraduate degree in the violin and spent 4 years getting to know the instrument inside and out. Strings (particularly the violin) are the bedrock of most of my scores. Most of my favourite ideas come from improvising on the violin and there’s something about a live recorded string section which I think can really bring a score to life.

I wrote some goals down on a piece of paper when I was 19. The ones I can still remember are:

“…- Write the score to a feature film
– Earn a living being a musician
– Get repeat work….”

I remember looking at that list thinking most of it would never happen. Some of it has, some of it hasn’t.
But I’m often reminded (by my mother) to look back at over your achievements and take a moment during the everyday stresses of life to be reassured by, and proud of, what you have accomplished.

I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with some brilliant filmmakers all over the world in the last year, scoring my first series for Warner Bros and a film with ESPN. I’ve produced some work that I am really proud of, and I’m now onto my second series with WB with some exciting LA-based projects to be released in 2024.

I once had a music teacher who said to me ‘only do this as a career if you can’t bear not to do it’, which might sound intense, and maybe even discouraging to a degree… But it’s a sentence that has spurred me on through the hardest moments in my career so far. It reminds me of the reasons I decided to embark on this in the first place and motivates me when the going gets tough.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ha! I’m actually in need of some advice myself… I’m a Londoner, so any tips on things to do outside of a recording studio are greatly appreciated! Tour guides, please enquire within.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Crumbs… So many people have helped me along the way, it’s difficult to whittle it down.

One person sticks out as particularly influential to my career. A good friend of mine asked me to score his short film soon after we’d both left school. I didn’t know much about scoring/writing to picture at that point, but I gave it a go and it proved to be one of the key pivotal moments in my life. I haven’t stopped composing since, and for that I have the inimitable Jasper Cable-Alexander to thank. This will be our 8th year working together as we start on his film for the Oscar-winning production company, SlickFilms.

Website: www.theoelwell.com

Instagram: @theo.hugo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theo-elwell-785a46139/

Other: TikTok: @theo.composer