Composer & Sound Designer

Two decades experience working on film & TV soundtracks 

Mark

“There will be few more moving and astonishing programmes on TV this year”

The Guardian review of the BBC documentary ‘Heart Transplant: A Chance To Live’ Directed by James Newton, Original music by Vincent Watts

“Especially good is the sound design”

Variety review of the highly acclaimed feature drama
‘Red, White and Blue’ Directed by Simon Rumley, Sound design and mix by Vincent Watts

A talented composer and sound designer with a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience in scoring to picture

I offer an innovative and creative approach which is informed by years of studying, listening, performing, and over twenty years professional experience working on film and television soundtracks.

Having collaborated with many talented drama and documentary filmmakers, primarily working in independent cinema, I have often had the freedom to indulge in unconventional and exciting fresh ideas.  I Prefer an organic working process, committing myself to projects rather than limited days / hours, where ideas can flourish and mature over time.

My style embodies my musical background.  Trained classically from an early age, as a violinist I performed in various instrumental groups and developed an obsession with orchestral music, listening to works by composers such as Beethoven, Berlioz, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Mahler, Debussy, and Stravinsky.  In my late teens, I fell in love with early 90s electronica by artists such as Aphex Twin, The Orb, Orbital, Biosphere and The Future Sound of London.  Hence, orchestral and electronic instrumentation often feature in the music I write.

Majoring in composition at degree level, I developed my sonic palette further through the study of more abstract 20th century works by composers such as Varese, Stockhausen, Boulez, and John Cage.  Their influence can clearly be heard in my sound design work.  Furthermore, my scoring style has also been heavily influenced by my post-graduate studies of screen music.  Exploring music by iconic film composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner was extremely insightful. 

Over the years I have developed an instinct for enhancing film narratives through the shaping of soundtracks.  I see music and sound as being part of the same spectrum and therefore treat them with equal consideration.  This leads to a frequent blurring of the lines between these two sonic forces in my work.

BA (hons) Music Degree
MA in Music and Sound Design for the Screen




Mark