David Hepburn Watson

I have over 15 years experience composing to picture. In the past year I have been writing for US TV, including music for the new Harpo Productions logo (Oprah Winfrey's production company), currently appearing several times daily nationwide in the US. Apart from that, I have scored for short and feature films, animations (one of which won a "Best New Animation" award at Glasgow Film Theatre; another was shortlisted for Best Animation at the Swansea Bay Film Festival and was screened at the Everglades International Film Festival). I have produced music for CD ROMs, computer games, and a lot of corporate video (clients include the UK Government Department of Trade & Industry, and Sainsbury, a major UK retailer).

I also write music for performance – I won the Scottish Society of Composers Composition Prize 2002 with a Trio for Harp, Clarinet & Violin, and received the following comments about another piece, 4 Dialogues for Two Guitars:

“.. the most arresting work on the programme..” (Neville Garden, music critic (Scotland on Sunday) & broadcaster)
“..a beautifully crafted composition…a superb piece..” (Classical Guitar Magazine).

Here is another comment from Eric Mival, music editor of the cult UK TV series "The Prisoner":
"Since working as a music editor on Patrick McGoohan’s classic series “The Prisoner” I have always been picky about music for film and television. Consequently I always turn first to Dave Watson to write original music for any programmes or series I am directing and/or producing. I find he always listens very carefully to the brief, comes up with unexpected, yet highly appropriate, and catchy music."

And another from Jon Sykes, a computer game developer and head of the E-motion games research unit at Caledonian University, about a demo I did for one of his games:
“Just had chance to listen to your music... and I think it is fantastic. You have somehow managed to grasp exactly what I was wanting from my ill defined brief. I am really excited by what you have done. It perfectly suggests the dark noir image we were wanting." (I was hired to compose the music for this project.)

And another two brief comments:

"..it is strong material and well composed" Gary Ford, Director of Music Services, Discovery Channel USA

" I cannot thank you enough for such an excellent soundtrack. It really is superb!" Neil Kempsell, Award-winning animator and staff member of Edinburgh College of Art.

In the last few years, I have successfully completed an intensive Film Scoring course with Hummie Mann, the double Emmy award winning Seattle-based film composer, and was a runner-up in the UK Songwriting Contest 2005 with an R'n'B song.

I was in Los Angeles in summer 2009 to give a seminar "Music in Film" at the British Film Festival Los Angeles.

Please check out recently produced video clips and audio at , and full bandwidth audio at .
If you want to know more or want to hear more musical examples, please do not hesitate to contact me.