In Conversation with David Arnold

06 August 09

The world-renowned composer talks about his career and the secrets behind his art.

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Composer David Arnold joins BAFTA to discuss the secrets behind his acclaimed series of film scores in an event with PRS for Music .

David Arnold Talking to producer/director Stephen Woolley – who worked with Arnold on Stoned – the composer provides a unique insight into an award-winning back catalogue that includes Hollywood blockbusters, five James Bond films and TV comedy Little Britain.

Arnold reminisces about making compositions at the foot of his bed at the start of his career before discussing his passion for James Bond and the pressure of landing his dream job on the global franchise with Tomorrow Never Dies.

Using clips from his major works Arnold talks about the process of writing music for different genres – from working with Ben Stiller on Zoolander and scoring aliens in Independence Day to sci-fi series Star Gate and his score for Little Britain.

He goes on to take questions from the BAFTA audience providing insight into his methods of composition and offering advice about breaking into the industry.

An Evening with David Arnold was held on 27 April at BAFTA Headquarters in association with PRS for Music .

More about David Arnold…

Few British composers have attained such international accliam as David Arnold.
A successful debut with The Young Americans (1993) and then sci-fi adventure Stargate (1994) soon led to a role scoring Hollywood blockbuster Independence Day (1996) and Danny Boyle’s A Life Less Ordinary (1997).
As a lifelong fan of James Bond Arnold had produced an album of 007 theme covers with a range of artists including Chrissie Hynde and Iggy Pop. Praise from composer John Barry for these interpretations led to a commission to write the score for Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). He has scored all of the Bond films since.

Arnold’s career has crossed many genres, from his collaborations with action director Roland Emmerich to his work on Zoolander (2001) and award-winning television comedy Little Britain.

His range and diversity has placed him as a lauded master in his field and, at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2007, Arnold was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music fro Casino Royale.