A fine-tuned desk
“I think this desk will see out my career, and probably at least two composers beyond me! It feels so special to sit at it.”
- Mike Newport
Mike’s sound desk is crafted from cherry wood veneer curved into shape, with solid cherry wood legs and stands. Photography by Jono Parker
By his own admission, composer Mike Newport is not a handyman. But when he bought a desk for $20 from the Salvies seventeen years ago, he did a pretty good job of recessing in a keyboard using a borrowed circular saw. To hide the clutter of cables and sound paraphernalia, he took a note from roadies and added the ubiquitous black curtain.
From that beautifully bodged sound desk, Mike has created award-winning TV and film scores. These include tense Sundance drama ‘Breathe’, bonkers comedy ‘Mega Time' Squad’ (for which he won an APRA Silver Scroll), comedy-horror ‘Loop Track’, which features an eerily sparse score made mostly from native bush and bird sounds, and a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ trailer.
He shares a studio with his wife, actress and writer Jocelyn Christian, who thought it might be time for a new and improved sound desk. Phill had recently designed a beautiful new kitchen for the couple, so she arranged a meeting with him to hatch some plans.
On Mike’s 40th birthday, Jocelyn presented him with a hand-drawn sketch by Phill (above). This generous gesture held the promise of a desk tuned in to Mike’s creative process, as well as some serious eye candy for visiting directors and producers to enjoy from the guest sofa.
Taking the time
Being asked to design a custom piece of furniture that enables creativity is a dream brief for Phill. Functionality is a key Fieldcraft value, so once the project was given the green light, he took the time to understand Mike’s needs over several meetings. Mike recalls Phill turned up each time with a new idea or iteration, such as integrated headphone hooks, hidden drawers, and fine-tuning of the dimensions and placement of things to help make Mike’s practice more seamless. It was this care and attention to detail that Mike appreciates most in his new sound desk, which he credits with helping him compose with more clarity and pace.
The aesthetics were just as fun. Beyond needing to reference the art deco cinematic feel of their studio, Phill turned up with a mood board featuring Atomic Age office design and airport lounges, sci-fi interiors (think ‘2001: Space Odyssey’ and the ‘Alien’ films), alongside the timeless aesthetic of Mid-Century Modern furniture, and the pared back beauty of designer Dieter Rams’ audio equipment.
One of the mood boards Phill created for Mike’s sound desk, featuring Atomic Age office design and airport lounges, Mid-Century Modern furniture and audio equipment.
The final result is crafted from cherry wood veneer curved into shape, with solid cherry wood legs and stands. A stainless steel shroud hides equipment and is punctuated with holes to mimic speakers, while the desk’s surface is lined in hard-wearing furniture linoleum in burgundy in keeping with the cinematic theme.
A stainless steel shroud hides equipment and is punctuated with holes to mimic speakers, inspired by the pared back beauty of designer Dieter Rams’ audio equipment.
Spice of life
“The best part of my job is the variety”, Mike says when asked what a typical day in the studio is like. From one day to the next, he could be composing heavy metal for a comedy, a poignant orchestral piece for a drama, and in some projects, all of the musical pieces needed, right down to the background music in a pub scene.
How did he end up composing so extensively? Mike points to his family’s wide musical taste as well as their support and encouragement. Growing up on a steady diet of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and the occasional Gregorian chant, he picked up the piano, guitar, and drums. He says that from a young age, “I could work out how music was put together in my head, and just started creating my own.”
Inspired by a love of films and collaborating, he has always been drawn to writing music to help tell people’s stories. Like many creatives, Mike works best within set perimeters, defined by genre, budget, and the directors’ vision. “My creativity comes from having limitations,” he explains.
Mike heads to the sound desk right after receiving a brief. He might start constructing a sound palette, a chord progression, or hum a tune into his microphone to create a motif (a melodic phrase) that he can manipulate with synths and effects. This often happens first thing in the morning when his mind is clear, a practice he initiated when his first feature film score coincided with the birth of his first child. By the afternoon - usually after an 8-minute kip - the piece may be fully fledged.
This productivity has enabled him to undertake an impressive amount of work, which is only ramping up; currently, he is working on two feature films and two TV series, with the next projects already lined up. He says, “I think this desk will see out my career, and probably at least two composers beyond me! It feels so special to sit at it.”
Mike’s sound desk in situ