Thinking in Sound: Solving Musical Puzzles with Lucy Alper
Meet Lucy Alper, the dynamic executive producer and partner at Fall On Your Sword. With a knack for overseeing award-winning music for advertising, films, and TV, Lucy is a cornerstone of the music and audio post-production industry.
Lucy has excelled as a music supervisor, delivering exceptional music for high-profile commercial clients like Microsoft, Starbucks, IBM, Lincoln, Procter & Gamble, Google, and ESPN, to name just a few. In cahoots with composer Will Bates, Lucy has contributed to an impressive roster of critically acclaimed film and television scores.
Notable film projects include HBO’s 'Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief', 'Sony Picture’s Dumb Money', 'Neon’s Immaculate', and 'Magnolia Picture’s Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg'. Television credits include Netflix’s 'Unbelievable', 'Away', and 'Cooked', Hulu’s 'The Path', and AMC’s 'The Mayfair Witches'.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Lucy continues to shape the soundscape of modern media with her sharp ear, making sure every project sounds just right.
LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?
Lucy> No two projects are ever the same, but I’ll usually start off by looking at the calendar and wondering how we’ll ever get it done in time! And then I’ll throw my headphones on and start.
When I’m music supervising something with references, I like to spend time with the tracks to understand the motivation. And then I try not to listen to them again until after I’ve combed the digital universe and put together my own selects.
On projects where there aren’t any sonic references, I’m relying more heavily on the visual media - the audience, the messaging - to zero in on energy and mood. When I’m producing projects with original music, those first creative conversations usually indicate the flow of a project. Whether the client knows exactly what they want or if they’re looking to us to show them the possibilities. And then we start writing.
LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?
Lucy> Almost all my work is collaborative, thanks to the way we’ve built our small but mighty team at Fall On Your Sword. And much of what I do is supporting the creative process of others, which is in and of itself inherently collaborative. Being a part of creating original scores, from listening to initial sketches and giving feedback to sourcing and recording musicians and vocalists, is a team process and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Though there’s always solo work as well. Searching for tracks for hours on end is usually done in isolation, but we’re always sharing music and ideas back and forth with each other.
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Lucy> I wear a lot of hats and that’s probably what I love the most. Every project I work on requires its own unique approach, and I love working out the puzzles of what the best way is to do a job. I love putting a team together and being proud of the outcome, knowing we made the best creative choices and that in the end the client is blown away.
Probably a broad answer!
I also love a ‘first listen’ with Will (Bates), who I’ve been partners with for years now, where we sit down and review new music he’s written for a project. It still feels like a privilege to be in the inner sanctum of his creative process.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Lucy> Creating deliverables solely for social media has definitely impacted the sonic experience. When you know half the audience doesn’t watch with sound, it makes sense that client’s don’t want to invest as much in a great score, track or mix.
However I believe that sound plays as strong of a role as it ever has in how it can reach an audience, impart a brand’s identity, and take the viewer on an emotional journey. There are fewer restrictions on format and we see ads that are now often like short films, where score and song choices play a huge role in elevating the storytelling.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Lucy> Truly not a fair question! Bjork because she knows no bounds, has seemingly limitless creativity and whose music always surprises me. David Byrne for being David Byrne, who for me is synonymous with joy. Both those artists are such fully dimensional performers as well, where the visual experience is as important as the sonic one, resulting in something immersive.
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?
Lucy> I am so often actively listening that when I get the chance, I love a bit of silence here and there. But I also use that time to listen to new music and revisit things I’ve heard that I want to spend more time listening to. Same with driving, it’s a great time for music discovery which is a part of the job.
LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?
Lucy> Making sure I listen in different settings and on various devices. The music or mix has to translate from how we hear it in the studio through an incredible set of monitors or in our Atmos room, to a laptop or phone. There’s a quality loss there for sure, but it still has to be effective and sound good.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Lucy> I have two musically opinionated young kids who usually sling requests at me on the way to school every morning. Anywhere from Rage Against the Machine to Paul McCartney and LCD Soundsystem. We try very hard to entertain as little toddler-oriented music as possible, so they’ve got a pretty good foundation.
My husband is also devoted to music discovery so he usually takes charge of what we’re listening to in the evenings. Lots of multi-hyphenate genres being played in our house at all times. I learn a ton from him which is incredibly handy.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?
Lucy> I’m admittedly more of a Spotify playlister these days, though if I had my way I’d love to incorporate more vinyl into our daily listening. I love that you have to be so much more intentional with curation, and it just sounds so rich.
LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music?
Lucy> I’m a cinephile first, and of course film and music are intrinsically connected on so many levels. I also love to cook. I like reading cookbooks all the way through and feeling like I understand the motivation behind why someone made a recipe the way they did. And cooking isn’t a million miles away from making music right? Putting together a bunch of ingredients with the goal of making something cohesive that can be good or great. It’s all part of the process.
LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?
Lucy> I spent some time traveling all around South America years back and music was so often the catalyst for friendships and human connection. Exchanging artists, going out to see live music and dancing with strangers from all over the world. Also that feeling of being hyperaware of everything - sights, sounds, smells - because you’re in a new place, can make those experiences so much more impactful.
I heard Penguin Cafe Orchestra for the first time in a tiny bar in Cusco, Peru and can still remember everything about that bar and that night. I definitely can’t say the same for every night out hearing great music at home.
LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?
Lucy> I don’t see as many live shows as I used to, and when I do get out I’m generally rocking a set of neon ear plugs. And I definitely miss going out like I used to, seeing shows two to three nights a week. Though the trade off is the immense joy I find in sharing music with my kids. I honestly never expected them to be such a receiving audience, and sharing in their music discovery and pure, unabashed joy when they hear something they connect with is the greatest feeling. So, we evolve!
