Composing the Sacred Sound of Bhutan with denis.
The Kingdom of Bhutan is one of the world's most mysterious and fiercely protected nations. It is a Himalayan country known to many only through glimpses in pop culture, like Bruce Wayne's monastery scenes in Batman Begins. But behind that cinematic shorthand lies an authentic culture rich with music, ritual, and astonishing natural beauty. When I was brought on to score Bhutan's new national tourism film, I knew it would require more than a traditional approach - this was about revealing the incredible power behind the culture and landscape.
On my first watch of the footage of Bhutan, I was struck by its contrast: vast, still mountain vistas paired with vibrant movement - dancers leaping, monks chanting, thunder cracking across valleys. It felt ancient and alive, spiritual but grounded. What stood out early on was how musical the footage already felt. The chanting and the natural rhythm of breath all started to shape how I built the score from the ground up. Adam Slama and the team at Studio Khonsu did an exceptional job capturing such visually interesting footage.
Dynamics and Silence
There are little sonic signatures throughout the edit: a monk's wail, an arrow slicing through the air, bursts of laughter from children. These were striking punctuation marks in the edit, and I leaned into them musically to shape transitions — to give the audience space to breathe, or to launch them somewhere unexpected.
For example, in the middle section, a bell tolls, sending pigeons bursting into flight from an ornate bell tower. This worked brilliantly as a jump-off point for a change in tone, letting me use even more varied chanting recordings to give the music a vibrant, shifting energy. The film's emotional power comes from these subtle integrations — when picture and sound move decisively together, with intention and rhythm.
Scoring Ancient Voices
The score blends incredible on-site recordings of monks singing guttural, emotive melodies with raw performances of live cello in my studio .It feels intimate,,human, and combined with airy textures and traditional bells and horns, it feels alive. The horns, in particular, gave the music a physical weight that's very hard to replicate. Wind instruments inspired by native Bhutanese flutes gave me the tonal edge I needed to ground my cinematic instincts in the textures of Bhutan.
What fascinated me most about this project was how naturally the sound emerged from the footage. Rather than imposing a score onto the film, I found myself uncovering one already there, hidden in chants, bells, movement, and silence. I hope people watching the movie don't just hear the music, but feel something more profound - the rhythm and spirit of a place unlike anywhere else.
Watch the full film here.
