37 – Creating Music that Feels Part of the Landscape? Ben Salisbury on Scoring Under Salt Marsh

Interview with Ben Salisbury – How do composers create film and TV scores that feel like they are an integral part of the world on screen?

That’s one of the questions I explore in this interview with Ben Salisbury, the 2 x Ivor Novello Award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer behind scores for Ex Machina, Devs, Annihilation, Civil War and Under Salt Marsh.

Often collaborating with Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury has become one of the most influential composers working in film and television today. His scores beautifully blur the line between music, atmosphere and sound design, creating worlds that feel immersive and unsettling

In this episode of Sync Music Matters, Ben explains his approach to scoring for picture, including how he developed the music for Under Salt Marsh and why he wanted the score to feel as though it was emerging directly from the landscape itself.

Topics covered in this episode

How Ben Salisbury got started as a film and television composer

Advice for aspiring composers looking to break into the film and TV industry

The creative process behind scoring Under Salt Marsh

How composers can use sound, texture, and atmosphere to support storytelling

The importance of collaboration in screen music

Working with Geoff Barrow and Suvi-Eeva Äikäs

The surprising origin of the Under Salt Marsh title music