'Avatar: Fire and Ashes' composer and others discuss artificial intelligence at WSA Film Music Day in Ghent: 'We must continue to defend our art'
At a recent industry panel at the World Soundtrack Awards, composer Simon Franglen shared a common thread when talking about his work on Avatar: Fire and Ash. "We had hundreds of musicians in a room pouring out their emotions in the same second," he recalls. "How can it be replicated with artificial intelligence?" This year's WSA film […]
At a recent industry panel at the World Soundtrack Awards, composer Simon Franglen shared a common thread when talking about his work on Avatar: Fire and Ash.
"We had hundreds of musicians in a room pouring out their emotions in the same second," he recalls. "How can it be replicated with artificial intelligence?"
This year's WSA Film Music Days, held October 8-10 in Ghent, Belgium, addressed exactly that question, bringing the industry together for three days of talks, panel discussions and mixers to address composers' pressing concerns. Related stories of how Netflix is using artificial intelligence at VFX studio Eyeline were revealed by VP Mohsen Mousavi at the demo conference.
Here are four takeaways from an event that proved composers don't need to play solo. Popular in Variety
Labor structures are an obstacle. Unlike many other key creatives and department heads, composers in the US and UK face legal barriers to unionization and collective bargaining. The Alliance of European Composers and Lyricists helps to bridge this gap, uniting national associations to lobby policy makers and guide young composers through contracts and negotiations.
Representing more than 30,000 composers and songwriters in 57 member organisations, ECSA had a strong presence in Ghent and hosted a panel discussion ahead of this year's WSA Industry Award.
"There's still a long way to go and a lot of work to do," said ECSA president Helen Lindvall when accepting the award.
To counter the growing threat of generative AI, ECSA is also working to shape EU AI legislation around three main demands: AI companies must obtain permission before using copyrighted music to train generative models; Creators should be fairly compensated for that use. And platforms must indicate which catalogs and datasets they use.
"If we want to protect those at the heart of music creation, we must continue to defend the three fundamental principles of licensing, remuneration and transparency," Lindvall said. "In other words, our art."
Platforms like AI music producer Suno make these demands even more urgent. Lindvall had a clear warning for musicians and composers curious about the technology. “Read the terms of service,” he pleaded. "Anything you upload, even if you think, 'I'll just upload my music and see if they can come up with a guitar lick,' you give them the right to use your music and use it commercially, without restriction, in perpetuity."
For many participants, the short-term savings of AI are at the expense of the next generation of composers. As music factories and generative tools take over entry-level work, new entrants risk losing their vital foothold.
"Hans Zimmer wouldn't be who he is today without [a gig on the 1980s British game show] Going for Gold," Franglen said. "We all start somewhere and we all have our different stages. It's essential that these stages exist."
Darrell Alexander, who runs the songwriting agency Cool Music, considers working as an extra songwriter to be the best entry point for anyone starting out. "Better yet," he said, "try to be another composer for a master." "We accept job applications and I think that's really important because you can study, learn and see."
Adiskar Chase also does his part. After his acclaimed work on Netflix's Heartstopper, he tried to get more hands on for the next seasons. "I said before we started production, just so you know, I'm going to have an assistant this time," he said. "They had to trust me. I hope in my community, the people I bring to help them know that I can be trusted."
Looking ahead, Martin Phipps ("The Crown") believes that creatives will always prioritize human connection - and AI won't eat all the work.
"It's a skill in itself to stimulate an AI," Phipps said. "You have to hire someone to do it, and that someone has to be there for a while anyway. Although I know a few directors who like to write music themselves, which is a concern!"
Beyond AI concerns, panelists also went to WSA to share best practices. The sound banks were particularly well liked.
On Christen Stewart's "water chronology," for example, Paris Hurley refused to score the picture. Instead, Hurley created and collected custom sounds, often using his own body as an instrument, then adjusted and reworked them to fit each part of the film. "It's a story that only gets told once, with a director who cares deeply about what he's making, and it would almost be a disservice to have it only be played by a set of familiar voices," Hurley says.
"Slow Horses" composer Daniel Pemberton shares this instinct. "Creating your own sound palette that's unique to each project makes all the difference in the score," he says. "So I'm always trying to create fresh palettes. It's like every time I get a new instrument and work. There's a naivety to it, but the freshness, and the ingredients are fresher, because hopefully it's stuff people haven't heard before."
Along with giving a project its own sonic identity, a soundbank can speed things up, a real advantage on a show with a relentless schedule like "Slow Horses."
"The 'Slow Horses' soundbank took a long time to work out," says Pemberton. "But now I've made all these sounds that are very distinct for the show. It's like having a synthesizer with presets that no one else has. And you can be very lazy, keep one thing down, and it still sounds cool!"