We spoke with West One Music Group founder and renowned TV and Film composer Richard Harvey, and composer Alex Lamy about their work on Netflix’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
Richard’s notable works include Mulan, The Little Prince, and The Da Vinci Code. Alex Lamy has worked with Richard for years, including on projects like Interstellar and Inferno. When Netflix India approached them to create an original score for the TV mini-series, which tells the gripping true story of the hijacked IC 814 Indian Airlines flight in 1999. The duo set out to compose a soundtrack that combined Western cues with traditional Indian elements.
Keep reading to learn more about their work on this project, which will be available to stream on Netflix from August 29th, 2024.
What was your process for collaborating with the show’s creators and directors? How did you ensure your music complemented their vision?
RICHARD: I had scored an Indian movie previously, but this was a new experience for both sides. We wanted to push the envelope while remembering that Indian audiences respond differently. The director, Anubhav Sinha, visited my studio to discuss our visions for the series, allowing us to get the recipe and the temperature right.
Can you walk us through your typical workflow for composing a piece for TV?
ALEX: “Typical” is tricky because the series can often determine an individual workflow. In the case of IC 814, our workflow was to record sounds and musical fragments very early on before seeing anything like a finished episode. That way, we had a unique, vast palette to draw.
Once we watched the show, we assigned musical ideas using our themes and motifs. Scoring each cue was straightforward because while we had an apparent plan, our sonic palette had so much flexibility built into it. Good preparation makes for smooth work!
Were there any specific scenes or moments in the show that were particularly challenging or rewarding to score?
ALEX: There were quite a few! I had a lot of fun with any sequence where the plane is taking off or landing—especially the landing in Lahore, which is a long sequence full of tense moments. During lengthy sequences, it’s a challenge to keep the momentum going, and you have to be even more careful as the cut evolves not to lose it.
I also really enjoyed scoring a sequence in the last episode. It’s a sequence that brings many characters together, moves around geographically, and has many resolutions. It’s musically rewarding because everything is knit together with the music and because many of the musical motifs finally converge, tying themes and motifs from across the entire show together.
Can you describe the overall musical style and tone of the soundtrack? How does it align with the themes of the show?
RICHARD: The director and the producers needed to appeal to their core domestic market. However, they were also clear that this true story made international news, one that the West would remember. We wanted to create a European-style score with flavours from the story’s three prominent locations: India, Nepal and Afghanistan. We also kept the story’s chronology in mind; they straddled the millennium, so we used sounds and styles that were very much late ’90s.
How do you think the music contributes to the show’s overall storytelling and emotional impact?
ALEX: I think music is most important in two areas: firstly, whenever tension needs to be felt, and secondly, when there is any critical backstory that needs to be understood. Without music in these scenes, the viewers would have difficulty maintaining the balance of attention vs. tension.
The other part that stands out for me is the music’s contribution to the emotional turmoil of the hostages and cabin crew— particularly when they feel hopeless, worried, or afraid. The score is also essential at the end of the series; the sonic themes underscoring previous episodes come to the fore, highlighting what the characters are feeling.
How did you incorporate Indian musical elements or cultural influences into the score?
RICHARD: One of the reasons I was tapped for this project was my extensive travels and previous score work throughout India, where I listened to music and sourced instruments. Although I would not claim to play Indian instruments well (their great players set the bar very high indeed!), I do believe that I understand Indian music reasonably well. We used Indian players throughout the score and recorded an orchestra to elevate the more emotive scenes in the show.
We also used drones, Indian beats, and Raga scales in the context of Western scoring techniques.
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