Mahuia Bridgman Cooper: Creating emotion composing for film and television

In film and television, it's the role of the composer to enhance and evoke emotion. Award-winning Auckland-based musician, Mahuia Bridgman Cooper, has worked across various genres and music styles for both drama and comedy. His latest project is the American animated musical comedy Plankton! The Movie based on the well-known TV series SpongeBob Square Pants currently on Netflix. The score is diverse and pacey spanning variois musical genres including 80s synth wave. It's also the first film soundtrack for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and was recorded at Roundhead Studios. Mahuia is a key figure in our music industry - a composer but also a violinist, producer and a founding member of The Black String Quartet. He's written scores for directors Lee Tamahori, Gerard Johnstone and Roseanne Liang - and worked with local artists TEEKS and L.A.B. He speaks to Culture 101 about the process of composing for film and television and how he stays inspired.