Category: Documentary

Curse of the Chippendales

The muscular men of the Chippendales captured the hearts, minds, and dollars of the 1980s in their iconic cuffs and collars. As women’s liberation collided with new ideas of modern masculinity, this unique moment in history catapulted the Los Angeles dance troupe to untold riches and global fame. But as the crowds out front sky-rocketed from hundreds to thousands, the men behind the phenomenon plunged into greed, paranoia, and ultimately murder. Discover the audacious true crime plot behind the scenes, as the beefcakes and businessmen who made male strippers a household name fell foul of the Curse of the Chippendales.

 

Coming soon to Discovery Plus (US)
Amazon Prime Video (UK)

 

I had a lot of fun working with original equipment from the 70s, 80s and 90s for the series, as well as putting together a 15-piece band to perform the score. We recorded at Press Play Studio in South East London, with Andy Ramsey engineering. I’ll share more about the process following the release of the series. A small taster of the music can be heard in the Amazon Prime trailer:

 

 

Music featured in the trailer, from episodes 2 and 3 of the series – both set in the 1980s:

1. Adonis – Alexander Parsons
2. LA – Alexander Parsons (Guitar performed by Adam Martin)
3. Stratten – Alexander Parsons
4. We Were Huge – Alexander Parsons

 

 

Executive Producers: Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Suzanne Lavery
Writer and Director: Jesse Vile
Producer: Suzette Styler
Editors: Kevin Konac, Matt Morris, Alistair Martin
Composer: Alexander Parsons

Fred and Rose West: Reopened

Two-part documentary series presented by Sir Trevor McDonald and from the filmmakers behind the International Emmy nominated and Grierson shortlisted In Cold Blood. A team of investigators explore claims the Wests were responsible for many more murders than the 12 women and girls they are known to have killed.

Fred West committed suicide before he was brought to trial, but his wife Rose was convicted of 10 murders in 1995. There has however always been a strong belief that there are many more victims.

This new series, shown on consecutive nights, features former detective chief inspector Colin Sutton, investigative psychologist Donna Youngs, author and West expert Howard Sounes, and reporter Sir Trevor McDonald following up new leads to try to shed new light on the true number of the Wests’ victims and their identities.

My score for this series features cello, performed by Joe Zeitlin

A Blink Films production for ITV

Director: Marcus Plowright
Producer: Emily Harris
Composer: Alexander Parsons
Motion Graphics: Euan McGrath
Editors: Ben Melbourne and Katherine Lee

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

In a tumultuous era, 1971 was a year of musical innovation and rebirth fuelled by the political and cultural upheaval of the time. Stars reached new heights, fresh talent exploded onto the scene and boundaries expanded like never before.

“1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” highlights artists of the time who used their music to inspire hope and change. The documentary will feature artists such as Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, and more.

Series Directed by:

Asif Kapadia
Danielle Peck
James Rogan

In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

A 90-minute feature-length documentary for ITV’s Bafta-winning Exposure strand examines the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history. In the 1970s, a new treatment for haemophilia known as Factor VIII was prescribed on the NHS. It infected over 1,300 people with HIV and more than 4,000 people with Hepatitis C.

In the same week the long public inquiry looking into this scandal re-opens, In Cold Blood offers a window into a tragedy which killed more people than Grenfell, Hillsborough, 7/7 and the Birmingham bombings combined. Yet its scale and impact has until now been relatively understated in Britain.

With access to hundreds of previously unexamined documents from inside the government, In Cold Blood  explores the full story behind the scandal, and investigates claims that warnings were systematically ignored and subsequently covered up. In the wake of Covid-19, this landmark film tells some shocking truths about our Health Service’s past – at a time when, perhaps more than ever, we are looking for it to function properly.

 

★★★★★ THE INDEPENDENT
“A difficult and powerful watch”

★★★★ THE TIMES
“A vital film”

★★★★ THE TELEGRAPH
“A staggering investigation to make your blood boil”

 

 

Production Company: Darlow Smithson for ITV
Director: Marcus Plowright
Producers: Celia Watson, Marcus Plowright
Editor: Leigh Brzezki
Composer: Alexander Parsons

Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

Feature Documentary // ieie Productions

50 years ago, deep in the Welsh countryside, two brothers were milking cows and preparing to take over the family farm – but dreamed of making music. They had the audacious idea to build a studio in their farmhouse attic and record their own tunes. Animals were kicked out of barns and musicians were moved into Nan’s spare bedroom. Inadvertently, they launched the legendary Rockfield studios.

Black Sabbath, Oasis, Coldplay, Stone Roses, Robert Plant, Simple Minds and more recall the mayhem and music they made at Rockfield over the decades. This is a story of rock and roll dreams intertwined with a family business’s fight for survival in the face of an ever-changing music landscape.

 

Director: Hannah Berryman
Producer: Catryn Ramasut
Composer: Alexander Parsons
Editor: Rupert Houseman

 

★★★★★ THE TELEGRAPH | Anita Singh
“A wonderful tale of pigs, drugs and rock ‘n roll”

★★★★★ iNEWS | Emily Baker
“This joyous, funny, exciting documentary captured [Rockfield’s] infectious, inspiring nature perfectly.”

 


About the Score

 

As the film contained music by artists who recorded there, Hannah Berryman (director) and I intended for my score to represent a voice of the studio itself and at its heart, the warmth of the family who built and manage it to this day.

Hannah’s starting point for discussion was that the score should feel handmade – as if it were being played by a band noodling away in the corner of a pub. As we needed to cover a range of emotions and different decades of recording, the music needed to develop too, whilst at the same time conveying a studio that stayed stuck in time, insisting on recording directly to tape and with original and outdated (as some might consider) equipment.

I used a selection of old synthesisers and battered old tape machines to create the score, which at times voiced the humour of the tales of drugs and debauchery in the studio, but also brought out the deeper emotional stories in the film, including a theme for the death of Charlatans drummer Rob, who died in a car crash at Rockfield in the 90s.