CREW SPOTLIGHT: ‘Ningaloo Nyinggulu’ composer, Ash Gibson Greig
A Western Australian composer who has worked across a slew of scripted and documentary projects (including 100% Wolf and Every Family Has a Secret), Ash Gibson Greig chats to Screenwest about his career and his newest project, ABC documentary series Ningaloo Nyinggulu.
Western Australian AACTA award-winning composer Ash Gibson Greig has worked on a slew of Western Australian productions across a number of formats including features, scripted and documentary series, short films, web series, digital games and theatre. His credits include 100% Wolf, Itch Series 2 and Family Rules.
Most recently, Ash re-teamed with WA production company Artemis Media (Every Family Has a Secret, Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley) to serve as the composer on their nature documentary series Ningaloo Nyinggulu, which premieres on ABC later this month. Written and narrated by acclaimed Australian author and conservation activist, Tim Winton, the breathtaking series was filmed in one of the last intact wild places left on Earth – WA’s Ningaloo region.
We chatted with Ash about his work on the new series, how he kicks off his creative process, and his advice for emerging composers.
What originally drew you to music composition and how did you get started in the WA industry?
I was always interested in music composition and made moves to study it at UWA, but it was all too esoteric for my liking at the time. Around 2002, I started composing for theatre shows at my old high school and UWA Dramatic Society. A year or two later my friend was studying film at Curtin and said I should call FTI (Film and Television Institute) about writing for short films. I did, and got some shorts. One won a WA Screen Award, and not long after (and MANY shorts later) in 2005 I got my first TV job with Artemis Media, aptly called Give Me A Break. The rest is history!
At what point in the creative process do you come aboard a project, and what’s your first step in creating an original music score?
When I start depends on the project. These days in TV due to existing working relationships/repeat series and budget or time constraints it’s often at lock off. However, it can start at script for a feature film. Ideally in general for the creative process it would be some themes and ideas at rough cut and working from there.
The first step in the creative process is reading the script or watching the cut. Then, sitting down with it and a fresh timeline. I spend a full day or two sifting through or collecting/creating sounds I’m looking for to create a palette for the project. I almost always start from scratch. Even if I end up with some tools or instruments I’ve used before (which is inevitable at this stage in my career!) I always find some new sounds or ideas when starting from scratch.
Ningaloo Nyinggulu contains incredible visual imagery of WA’s Ningaloo Region. How did you approach composing a score that would enhance the series’ celebration of the natural world?
It was a joy and also intimidating to work with such incredible images. It’s what you dream of, but also the main thought in your head is please, please don’t mess this up! It took some time to find the sound of the show. My initial reaction to it was a little different to the vision of the production team, as I was influenced by the iconic Attenborough productions. But after my first draft we came together again and I really started to grasp that their vision was more unexpected, and more appropriate to the Australian land aural aesthetic. One thing I loved was that there was so much room for atmospheric sounds. It made the music even more effective, and is a bold statement in today’s landscape.
What was the collaboration process like on Ningaloo Nyinggulu? How did you go from creating those first compositions to eventually hearing your music played in the completed series? It’s worth saying that Artemis are my longest collaborators in TV (coming up to 18 years) and I have a wonderful rapport with everyone in the team and in the office. Executive Producer Celia Tait in particular is someone who implicitly understands the interplay between music and images, and is very good at communicating that. Communication is vital in my job, and even more challenging because music is inherently abstract. You get a thick skin as often bluntness is the best way of getting a point across – no time for sugar coating. Celia manages to do a wonderful job of letting me know when it’s great and when it needs work and why.
What has been a career highlight? Do you have a favourite project?
There’s no doubt that in the documentary field Ningaloo Nyinggulu is a highlight. The animated feature film 100% Wolf was also memorable. Composing a detailed orchestral score for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra to perform was incredible, and was quite possible the hardest thing I’ve ever done in composition. Another highlight was composing the music for the console/PC game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock. Continuing such an iconic musical legacy was a massive responsibility and privilege that was very stressful but ultimately very rewarding. And I also have to mention Perth Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Nirvana: Reimagined’. Arranging 17 iconic grunge tracks for an orchestra with no guitars was madness, but having a packed His Majesty’s Theatre audience rise in a standing ovation was a high that’s hard to top.
Lastly, what advice would you give to emerging composers in Western Australia?
The landscape has changed significantly since I started. But some things stay the same. You have to embrace working to deadlines, particularly tight ones. You have to be able to accept criticism whether you agree or not, and know how to respond to that. You have to figure out how to interpret what directors/producers want musically, even if they don’t know exactly how to express it. And, perhaps most importantly, you have to remember that it’s not about you. You are part of a team and everyone is working to make it the best they can. You can and should bring your own artistic aesthetic and ideas to a project, but ultimately you are subservient to the work itself. You may write the greatest cue in the history of cinema, but if it doesn’t work for the scene, it’s not fulfilling its purpose.
Ningaloo Nyinggulu premieres Tuesday, 16 May at 8:30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. View Ash’s work here.
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