Alex Heffes | Composer: Mafia Mamma

Composer Alex Heffes has worked on over 70 feature films and TV projects collaborating with directors including Kevin Macdonald, Steven Frears, Catherine Hardwicke and Mira Nair. His ability to adapt and craft unique narratives and build sonic palettes has made him one of the most renowned composers working today.

 

For this chat we look at how Alex found his way to becoming a composer, and what his general approach to scoring is. Alex shares stories from various projects such as traveling around the world to record certain sounds and instruments to working closely with Tim Burton on the film adaptation of Sweeney Todd.

 

We also take a look at his recent score to Mafia Mama, which sees him reuniting with director Catherine Hardwicke for a fun and light crowd-pleasing comedy starring Toni Collette. Alex talks about working with Catherine again, and how he approached scoring an action comedy. We talk about finding the right tone, making sure the score doesn't overstep boundaries, referencing the mob genre musically and much more!

 

Alex's versatility as a composer and storyteller have brought us so many wonderful scores over the years and it was a real pleasure to peek into his world for this conversation.

 

A Film.Music.Media Production | Produced & Presented by Kaya Savas