An interview with Wonder Woman composer Rupert Gregson-Williams

How did you get involved with composing for TV and Film?
I got my first job making coffee and tidying tapes on shelves. I got my first break writing for TV when the composer I was making coffee for got the flu. The deadline stayed ominously close, so I got to do my first bit of additional writing. So I guess my answer would be I got involved by perseverance and a little luck.


How do you get involved with the DC Universe films?
I got involved with DC after I’d done the score for Tarzan at Warner Bros. Some trust has developed through that process, so when Patty Jenkins was looking for a composer for Wonder Woman, they were able to suggest that she me. We got on very well, and shared a common love of all sorts of terrible music in the 70s and 80s...


What was the process like of working on Aquaman? 
I loved working with James who had a very clear vision of what he wanted. I love working with electronic gear, and combining with orchestra and choir too. James and I met regularly to see where I was at ... he’d give me notes, or just talk about the characters to encourage me. 


Do you have preferred kit you use to record?
I use Steinberg’s Cubase as a sequencer, and pro tools to record.


What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on Catch 22, a series directed and produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov 


What advice do you have for up-and-coming composers?
Make sure you try to find your own voice. There’s already a Thomas Newman and a Hans Zimmer out there. Be brave and different. Be available to work for nothing. The director you just did a favour for may go onto do something interesting. Try to be the best you can possibly be always.

Try to assist a working composer.