Audio That Entertains: Inside the Musical Machinery of Sound Industries
If referencing a quote from Beethoven himself feels like a slightly ambitious way to frame your work, let that be a testament to just how seriously the team at Sound Industries take their craft. And they can afford to - with the scoring chops of the Emmy-winning Robert Miller at the helm of an astonishingly talented team, Sound Industries is a young company which has already earned the right to make itself heard.
In truth, it’s that team which makes Sound Industries the audio powerhouse that it’s already become. Joining Robert under the company’s umbrella is the storied sound designer and company partner Reinhard Denke, multiple platinum record producer and arranger Marc McClusky, executive producer Rani Vaz, composer Nick Tuttle, and producers Nick Green and Ayesha Hassan. That staff is rounded out by Caro Miller, a singer and songwriter who is about to enjoy a breakthrough year in 2023. Renowned sound designer Bill Chesley also forms part of the company’s network.
Reflecting on the decision to start up Sound Industries, Robert - who today counts 75 feature film credits to his name following a stellar career as a film composer - speaks to the power of assembling the right team. “When I started my career I was working as a small cog in big music companies. They were so much fun to be a part of, and after a few years of striking out solo I realised I missed that kind of environment”, he says. “When you’re around like-minded people you’re inspired by the things you hear, and you’re bouncing off one another. It makes the world a lot more interesting, and you become a better artist as a result”.
And, in the event that anyone should doubt that sentiment, a quick scan through Sound Industries’ work to date makes the case perfectly. Their projects include the kind of campaigns which couldn’t exist without talent - where a composer’s personality has shone through and helped the creative stand out all the stronger. In an age of saturated licensed music and AI-generated melodies, it’s a welcome reminder of the fundamental humanity at the heart of great audio.
For a case in point, consider Chick-fil-A’s glorious Snow Globe campaign from 2022’s holiday season. The seven-minute short film feels warm, epic, and sprawling - like it could somehow be stretched out into a full-length feature film. The musical score must take a large part of the credit for that achievement, and it came straight from the team at Sound Industries.
Above: ‘The Snow Globe’, a piece of branded entertainment from Chick-fil-A from last year, is a delightful story constructed around the theme of kindness.
“What I’d say about the Snow Globe is that it’s a quintessential Winter’s tale - not necessarily a Christmas story,” explains Robert. “What we needed to do with the score was to find a way of connecting the on-screen characters to that overriding theme of kindness and compassion. It needed to be simultaneously sincere and whimsical, heartfelt and magical. And the music needed to find a way of using those feelings to connect that underlying human story of connection."
As is typical for Sound Industries, then, it was a project requiring no shortage of ambition. The same could be said of the studio’s work with Jameson’s, which won plaudits last year for an engaging ad - starring Aisling Bea - following the story of a drop of the iconic whiskey.
Above: A tiny drop of Jameson’s whiskey is the vessel through which we were taken on a beautiful journey in this memorable ad from 2022.
“I first heard about the Jameson’s ad through the director, Lance Acord,” recalls Robert. “And for me, that’s always a good sign. Whenever I see Lance’s name come up on my phone to talk about a new project, I get excited.”
And that excitement was justified. The gorgeous spot takes audiences along for the ride not just because of the clean and inviting visuals, but the kinetic score put together by the Sound Industries team. “It was a funny kind of idea, because you’re almost trying to bring life to this inanimate thing - the drop of whiskey. We ended up not giving the droplet as much personality as we might have done through the music, but it was still a technical process,” says Robert. “Sometimes these big scores can end up making pictures look like postcards, and we did want the audience to stay focused on that drop. So I wanted to put enough detail and gesture into the music so that the droplet did carry people’s attention."
The Rhythms of Expertise
Listening to Robert recount the process behind the Chick-fil-A and Jamesons ads, it’s a reminder of how much attention to detail goes into the best music in ads. It’s also likely no coincidence that Robert - like many of the team at Sound Industries - brings experience from far beyond the world of commercials to every project.
“I’d say there are more differences than there are similarities,” he says when asked about the connection between his work in the commercial and non-commercial worlds. “It’s the similarities which are skin-deep: You’re putting together some music to accompany moving images. Beyond that, it’s a totally different art. Commercials require an instinct that’s developed over time, and it’s not a natural thing for many film composers to embrace. Some really do struggle with the 30, 60, and even 90-second formats.”
Fortunately, Robert believes that learning the craft of composing for commercials has made him a better artist as a result. “There are two important things that commercial work has taught me. The first is the art of direct, instant communication. Sometimes in the world of entertainment, it’ll be years after something gets released that people say ‘hey, y'know what, that soundtrack was pretty great’. Commercials require a lot more focus - it has to work immediately,” he says.
“And the second is how I’ve been able to experiment with so many hybrid colours and combinations. I came into the commercial world as an orchestral composer, but I’ve now fused the orchestra with so many other things thanks to advertising that I’ve been able to develop a lot of interesting ideas that I can take back to film or my concert pieces”.
And, make no mistake, Robert has been able to weld cinematic concepts together with commercial work with notable success. The score of ‘Believe’, the utterly iconic 2008 ad for the launch of Xbox’s Halo 3 and winner of two Grand Prix Cannes Lions, was also put together by the composer. “It was big time, it was emotional, it was artistic,” recalls Robert. “A few concepts that people maybe didn’t immediately associate with video games at that time”.
Above: Robert’s back catalogue of commercial work includes classic campaigns such as Believe, which broke new ground in video game marketing in support of Halo 3 for Microsoft’s Xbox.
If that paints a picture of Sound Industries as a studio which thinks deeply about its craft, it’s an accurate one. But it also neglects the fact that this is a team which also knows how to have fun on a project.
One such example of that more light-hearted touch coming to the fore is present on Amazon’s Alexa ‘Cowboy’ spot. It was a challenge that required an ability to lean playfully into Western movie tropes - and one which Robert and the team took on with enthusiasm.
“I’m a huge fan of westerns - my mentor was Aaron Copland who was a beloved influence for many of those movies,” notes Robert. “This was essentially me drawing on my knowledge of all those spaghetti westerns - bass harmonica, a little bit of strings, and trumpet at the end. It was a lot of fun, and I think that shines through in the ad.”
What shines through so much of Sound Industries’ portfolio is their deep connection with and appreciation for music. It’s contagious - walking away from a conversation with Robert without feeling some kind of renewed appreciation for the role of music in communication feels like an impossibility. It’s a kind of passion that can’t be faked.
With that in mind, perhaps it's another - shorter - Beethoven quote which more accurately sums up Robert and Sound Industries work: “To play without passion is inexcusable”.
