Tyler Strickland is one of the busiest film composers in the business. His diverse and widespread output infuses many genres of music, and is always excited by new musical challenges. And the results regularly impress — as Tyler seamlessly guides audiences through the full gamut of emotions, while also winning over critics and judges worldwide. His most recent work for Netflix’s The Mars Generation has been hailed as one of the best documentary scores for a documentary this year, and it’s only a matter of time before you’ll see his name on the posters of Hollywood blockbusters — should he choose to go in that direction. I had a chance to catch up with Tyler and go over topics such as career trajectory, creative process, and more.
Tyler’s scores have since accompanied over a dozen award-winning documentaries which have premiered in competition at many of the most prestigious film festivals worldwide such as Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, Full Frame, IDFA, Sheffield, Moscow International, and more. A go-to choice for many directors, Tyler is well known for his blend of traditional film music with electronics, unique guitar work, and his highly diverse approach to each score.
We were also lucky enough to get a sampling of Tyler’s music accessible to our readers here — listen on SoundCloud now!
What projects are you currently working on? Which are airing or about to release?
I recently scored the Netflix Original Documentary, “The Mars Generation” which premiered at Sundance in January and is now available on Netflix. “A River Below”, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, will be released later in the year. Several films I've scored over the last year or two are now available on Netflix: “Audrie & Daisy” (Sundance 2016), “Hot Girls Wanted” (Sundance 2015), “Fresh Dressed” (Sundance 2015), and others. "Best and Most Beautiful Things" (PBS) was just released on Netflix as well, and “Jackson” just came out on Showtime this month.
Who have been your favorite people to collaborate with?
In general, I love working with documentary filmmakers and I’ve found that some of the most inspiring collaborations come from projects where the director and I are both learning about a subject we knew little of before. I’ve been lucky to work with so many great filmmakers, and my answer to this question is so often the 'last director I worked with'. Mark Grieco and I had a great time making “A River Below” together. A super creative process for a very complex and dramatic film. The score for "The Mars Generation" was amazing to write too because many scenes in the film are essentially music videos with archival rocket and space footage.
Who would you most like to work with?
Werner Herzog, Alma Har’el, and Joshua Oppenheimer... to just scratch the surface. Brilliant filmmakers.
When you are given a project or scene to score, what is your process like? What are the first steps you take when deciding how to score something?
Often I watch the whole film and then the director and I will watch or “spot” the film together scene by scene. If we’re not in the same room, I usually call the director right after I watch the film while it’s fresh on my mind. I like to ask the director what their vision is for the scene first, and then give them my opinion. Sometimes our ideas line up, and sometimes they clash, or we decide to try something completely new. Also typically there is temp music in the film, which I try to not listen to more than once or twice. From here, I usually go dark for a few days and come back with a pretty flushed out idea for the scene based on our conversation. On some projects, once we get the right tone going, I may even go dark and come back with a third of the film scored. This takes a lot of trust from the director, but it’s usually much easier to judge how the score is working when we can hear a bunch of music and put it all in context.
What do you wish you knew in the beginning of your career about the entertainment industry or being a professional composer, that you know now?
Maybe I wish I understood earlier on that comparing my career to others’ was a waste of energy and does no good. I’ve learned to totally fall in love with my career and now I embrace all the weird little twists and turns it takes; because all of our paths are unique. I think that’s something I had to figure out over time, but I try to share that insight with new composers getting into this.
What is the best thing about your job?
Creating from scratch something that is so important, and being considered a major part of the filmmaking process. Being a composer is a very special and important responsibility in making movies.
What is the hardest thing about your job?
Probably Incorporating feedback while maintaining the original vision. Sometimes I have to totally throw away my original vision which can be pretty painful, but usually always worth it.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Pretty much all I listen to when I’m looking for inspiration is everything from Brian Eno and Steve Reich, and “Memoryhouse" by Max Richter. Laying on the floor of my studio and listening to Steve Reich’s “Four Organs” is a recipe that always puts new ideas in my brain.
List any other relevant info and social media links below.
twitter: @tylerstrickland
“The Mars Generation” now available on Netflix (launched May 5th, 2017)
Upcoming film festival releases that I scored: “Out of State” (documentary), and “Mankiller” (documentary) are both premiering in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival.