Testimonials
Here are a selection of testimonials from some of the talented directors & producers I have worked with over the years. I would like to thank them all for being kind enough to contribute to this page.
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David is an extraordinary talent; warm, funny, dedicated, and both expansive and pensive, qualities which are all reflected in his music. We were lucky to have him.
KITTY TAYLOR - Director, Charlie & Lola, Series 1-3 (Tiger Aspect / BBC)
David was the perfect creative collaborator – hugely talented and combining a sophisticated understanding of our project with perfectly pitched and beautifully crafted music.
ALEX MARENGO - Director, Who Was Jesus? (Renegade / Discovery USA)
David has a special talent for composition that encompasses a wide range of musical styles and is perfectly suited to the audio-visual medium. He has an instinctive feel for character and story whereby his music becomes a natural part of the soundtrack, knowing when to highlight the drama or when to create an atmosphere or when to rouse the audience. Though the two films we have worked on together are polar opposites in terms of genre, setting and emotion, David’s themes and motifs whether utilizing a symphonic orchestra or small ensemble always underpin the drama and draw the viewer in — creating music that not only perfectly serves the film, but is memorable in its own right.
ASHLEY SIDAWAY – Executive Producer, Silence Becomes You & Day of Wrath (Feature Films)
The quality of David’s music always exceeded our expectations – he was able to weave in each episode’s theme seamlessly and subtly into the music track. He has proved very flexible and is equally happy to get on with things on his own as he is with a very close partnership. David has always met every deadline, however tight, and we have been delighted with work. He is a joy to work with.
HELEN BAKER - Producer, Tommy Zoom (BBC / CBeebies)
David is a musical magician who uses an eclectic menagerie of instruments to create distinctively beautiful composed sounds that are made to measure. (Sometimes, he even gives clunky objects that aren’t even supposed to be musical instruments their moment to shine). His music never fails to delight and inspire by working in (seemingly) effortless harmony with whatever visuals they are intended for.
LEIGH HODGINKSON - Director, Moo(n); Flighty
David gets it. He has an intuitive sense of what works. Whether in drama or documentary, he interprets more than the actual pictures, capturing instinctively the mood and nuance of the story. David will bring something fresh and distinctive to a piece, without it ever taking over. It just feels as if the music was always there, always at one with the picture. And that tells the story, which is what I’m always looking for.
STEVE BOOKBINDER - Film / TV Writer & Director
David’s scores have that rare combination of memorable themes, a cinematic sense of scale and wonderfully imaginative orchestration – whatever the budget he’s working to. And he’s a joy to collaborate with – able to respond to a ‘wish list’ with work of musical grace, expressed with rich production values.
DAVID HICKMAN - Director, The True Story: Escape from Alcatraz (Blink / Five)
I couldn’t have wished for a better experience than working with David. His music always managed to capture the essence of a character or scene and he was enormously thoughtful and responsive in developing the final score. Comrades was an almost impossible brief: six separate characters with their own individual sound but a score that still held the film together. I’ve watched Comrades hundreds of times but I’m always struck by how original and empathetic David’s music is. The film owes him lot.
POPPY SIMPSON - Director, Comrades (Simtar Productions)
David is a true gem for TV production. I have given him a range of productions over the years and he is always such a talent and utter joy to work with. Nothing is ever too much trouble and his creative flair is unbeatable. He will always be my first stop for composition.
EMMA PALMER-WATTS - Producer, Jamie’s Chef, To The Manor Bowen, Mirror Signal Manoeuvre
David is a delight to work with, not to mention pitch-perfect and able to beautifully translate intellectual ideas into music and poetic language. For Sunny Intervals, he nailed several cues and songs on practically his first attempt – even replacing Roy Orbison from the temp track with ease! When I started work on my current film, there was no question that David would be attached from the beginning; and he’s been a pillar of support throughout a challenging 3-year (and counting) process where other composers may have grown impatient. It’s truly a pleasure to recommend David!
JONATHAN GOODMAN LEVITT - Director / Producer, Sunny Intervals & Showers (2007 Grierson Award Nominee)
David has the enviable ability to be able to characterise a show with his music so that you could not imagine it existing in any other way.
STEPHEN CANNON – Producer, Tommy Zoom
David is an amazingly talented and versatile composer. It’s always been thrilling to work with someone so creative. The great thing about David is that he gets it; he understands film language and is able to make music that is not only beautiful, but also, more importantly, works as part of the story. His music has always taken my films to the next level and given me a feeling of completion.
JENNI LINKO - Director, Asylum (Best Documentary, Lubeck Film Festival, 2007)
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