Ben Bartlett - Composer Profile

An Emmy nominated and Bafta award-winning composer, Ben Bartlett stormed the UK film & TV industry with his memorable and original score to Walking With Dinosaurs. Hugely versatile, his music is intelligent, yet highly melodic, equally at ease with writing symphonic scores as well well as writing in contemporary, edgy and upbeat styles. It is very apparent from his credits that this is a composer who can score anything, and score it to brief, whilst coming up with a voice that is fresh, unexpected and surprising. Ben is a composer for the alternatively minded project, as well as the more 'mainstream' brief. He is a composer whose talents allow him to be as versatile as the projects for which he is commissioned.

Ben scored Adrian Shergold's 1950's London period piece for ITV, He Kills Coppers, and then went on to Carnival's three-part comedy drama, Midnight Man. He also scored the archaeological thriller Bonekickers for Mammoth Screen and the BBC, as well as scoring the BBC drama Fiona's Story, two very different projects in terms of dramatic tone and style, one being the study of a family under intense emotional disintegration, the other a family oriented 'tongue-in-cheek' drama revolving around the stories unearthed by a group of professional archaeologists. Ben has been recognised with an Ivor Novello Nomination 2009 (Best Television Soundtrack) for Fiona's Story.

Ben also scored Mark Munden's hard hitting and extremely well received Iraqi conflict drama, Mark of Cain, which went on to receive eminent critical acclaim for it's controversial portrayal of young British service men in Basra during the Iraqi conflict.

He scored The Chase for Rollem Productions, as well as Empathy for Carnival, and the out-and-out comedy fairytale, Rapunzel for Hat Trick.

He scored the 8 part drama, Ghost Squad, for Company Pictures (RTS Nomination 2006 - Best Theme ), Conviction, the acclaimed six-part drama for Red Productions and the BBC, as well as the twelve-part BBC comedy drama Absolute Power, starring Stephen Fry, and The Secret World Of Michael Fry, starring Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), and directed by Mark Munden.

Ben went on to score Mutual Friends (RTS nominated), a six part comedy drama for Hat Trick Productions, and Hunter, a 2 part drama for the BBC, directed by Colm McCarthy, and Kindle's Some Dog's Bite with director Marc Munden, as well as a feature length documentary for cinema release which is to document the life and times of the political scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Henry Kissinger. Ben most recently scored the dark and brooding Vera for ITV, starring Brenda Blethyn as well as The Runaway for Sky.

Education

1983-86 London University, Royal Holloway College BMus (Hons)

1992-93 Guildhall School Of Music And Drama
Advanced Composition (Bainbridge/Saxton/Lutoslawski)
1st prize composition

1993 Student of Hans Werner Henze

Film/Television Credits

THE RUNAWAY	Company Pictures Director: David Richards Producer: Willow Grylls Starring: Keith Allen, Ken Stott, Alan Cumming
KISSINGER	Chimerica Media / National Geographic Director / Producer: Adrian Pennick
VERA	ITV Director: Adrian Shergold Producer: Elwen Rowlands
SOME DOG'S BITE	BBC / Kindle Entertainment Director: Marc Munden Producer: Sara Feildun
HUNTER	BBC Director: Colm McCarthy Producer: Emma Benson Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Janet McTeer
FIONA'S STORY	BBC Director: Adrian Shergold Producer: David Boulter Starring: Jeremy Northam, Gina McKee	Ivor Novello Nomination 2009: Best Television Soundtrack
MUTUAL FRIENDS	Hat Trick Productions Director: Catherine Morshead Producer: Rob Bullock Starring: Keeley Hawes	RTS Nomination: Best Title Music 2008
BONEKICKERS	Mammoth Screen Directors: Nick Hurran, Sarah O'Gorman, James Strong Producer: Rhonda Smith Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Lester
MIDNIGHT MAN	Carnival Director: David Drury Producer: Willy Wands
HE KILLS COPPERS	Hat Trick Director: Adrian Shergold Producer: David Boulter
RAPUNZEL	Hat Trick Director: Catherine Morshead Producer: Hannah Pescod
EMPATHY	Carnival Director: David Richards Producer: Tim Bradley
BLOODTRAILS	K5 Films Director: Robert Krause Producer: Oliver Simon
MARK OF CAIN	Red Productions Director: Marc Munden Producer: Lyn Horsford	RTS Nomination: Best Score 2007
THE CHASE	Rollem Productions Director: Jamie Payne Producer: Hugh Warren
GHOST SQUAD	Company Pictures Director: Richard Laxton Producer: Chris Clough	RTS Nomination: Best Title Music 2006
LEGLESS	Red Productions Director: Matt Greenhalgh Producer: Tom Sherry
CONVICTION	Red Productions/BBC Director: Mark Munden, David Richards Producer: Annie Harrison-Baxter
ABSOLUTE POWER (Series 1 & 2)	BBC Starring: Stephen Fry Director: John Morton Producer: Paul Schlesinger
MASIE'S CATCH	Tall Stories Short written and directed by Dan Weldon
THE SECRET WORLD OF MICHAEL FRY	Channel 4 TV drama (UK and USA) Starring: Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting) Director: Mark Munden (Vanity Fair) Written by Paul Abbot
DIE WITH ME	Irish Film Production Feature film shot in Ireland

Documentaries

THRILLER IN MANILLA	Darlow Smithson Director : John Dower Producers : John Smithson/ Elinor Day
LUSITANIA	Darlow Smithson Director : Chris Spence Producers : Abbi Watts / Johann Insanally
SEA MONSTERS	BBC/Discovery Director: Tim Haines, Jasper James Producer: Tim Haines at Impossible Pictures
GIANT CLAW / LAND OF GIANTS	BBC/Discovery. US TITLE - CHASED BY DINOSAURS Director: Tim Haines, Jasper James Producer: Tim Haines at Impossible Pictures Animation: Frame Store Commercially released CD of the soundtrack available
WALKING WITH BEASTS	BBC/Discovery Director: Tim Haines, Jasper James Producer: Tim Haines at Impossible Pictures Animation: Frame Store Performed by BBC Concert orchestra and BBC Singers Commercially released CD of the soundtrack available
THE BALLAD OF BIG AL	BBC/Discovery Director: Tim Haines, Jasper James Producer: Tim Haines at Impossible Pictures Animation: Frame Store Performed by BBC Concert orchestra Commercially released CD of the soundtrack available
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS	BBC/Discovery 6-part blockbusting documentary Director: Tim Haines, Jasper James Producer: Tim Haines Performed by BBC Concert orchestra Commercially released CD of the soundtrack available.	British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA): Winner of Best Original TV Music Academy of Arts and Science (EMMY): Finalist for Best Original Music for film or special

Commercials

Nescafe, British Gas, Electrolux, British Rail (Intercity), NSPCC, Accurist, Twinings, Nestle, Mars Incorporated (Series), Uncle Bens, Pledge, Dettox, Hollywood Gum, Vileda, Twix, Maidwell, Al Italia.

Television Identities

BBC 1 & 2 TV + BBC Radio	BBC1 & 2 2004/2005/2006 & BBC Radio Series of unique avant-garde musical identities for BBC
BBC1 & 2 and Radio Three	Series of unique avant-garde musical identities for BBC Radio Three image drive. Performed by BBC Philharmonic Question Of Sport (BBC)
International TV Networks	MTV (Europe), BBC(UK), Bravo (UK), BRTN (Belgium),Reuters (UK/USA), S4C (Wales), S4C Xmas (Wales), Het Journal (Belgian News Identity), MTV Europe, Bravo, Reuters Online TV.

Stage and Concert

EL TIGRE	Covent Garden Opera Festival Mini-opera commissioned by the Covent Garden Opera Festival, based on text by Pablo Neruda. Performed by Eos under Charles Hazlewood with Mezzo Soprano Maria Koripas Rave Reviews in The Times/The Observer/Chilean Times
CAPRICE	Royal Festival Hall Solo piano commissioned/performed by Louis Alvanis
THE LOVER ON THE POINT OF BEING UNDRESSED	The Place Theatre Dance piece incorporating layered improvisations of saxophonist Steve Buckley
PIANO TRIO	St Johns Smith Square Performed/commissioned by The Chamber Music Co.
STRING QUARTET 1	Classic FM Performed live on air by members of Eos
NINE - SUITE FOR 18 STRINGS	Leighton House Performed by the Dallopicolla Ensemble under Luigi Suvini

Ben's Website
Ben's IMDB page