Music in film and TV is crucial to create emotional responses in the audience. In many cases, the music becomes as iconic as the movies themselves. Film scores are necessary to create a rhythm to the scenes.
Imagine you see a scene of a woman in her house just walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water. In the background, you hear a brooding horror soundtrack with shrill violins and low end rumbles. How does that make you feel? Probably scared and nervous. But if you take the same scene and put an upbeat music in the background, you are going to feel happy and expect something good to happen.
That is why music composers are a key piece of a film, a TV show, or a commercial.
This is the case of Ramiro Rodríguez Zamarripa, a film and TV music composer from Buenos Aires that is becoming a star in Hollywood.
Ramiro studied Composition and Music Production at the prestigious UCA (Universidad Catolica Argentina) where he graduated with honors. He started off his career composing music for commercials working as a composer for Ona Sounds, a music and sound design production studio, for clients such as Netflix, National Geographic, ESPN, Samsung, Adidas, and Coca-Cola.
“Writing music for commercials is very different from writing music for films. Commercials are a short format while movies are a long one. Commercials usually are delivered extremely quickly, often composed in just a few hours to a few days. When writing music for films the composer is able to take more time to develop a sound and to create a sonic palette for the particular project. On the contrary, in advertising there is no time for that, as a consequence, the work becomes less artistic and more mechanic. When I see my work in a film or commercial I feel a great sense of accomplishment. It’s satisfying to see that my music has contributed to something bigger, that it has helped the realization of a very complex work of art. Working to make a movie better, a more enjoyable experience for the audience is definitely very fulfilling.”
After years composing music for commercials, Zamarripa started to get noticed by film directors and some of the most recognized film composers. That is how his career in film began. And he started big. One of his first accomplishments in film was working on the soundtrack for the DreamWorks’ animation film Trollhunters, created by Academy Award Winner Guillermo del Toro, where he contributed with his music creations.
This outstanding Argentinean composer has been living in Los Angeles for a while.
His understanding and love for different kinds of music genres, and his diverse background and influences were essential for all the diverse film and TV work he has done.
“I guess my love for different kinds of music simply made me a better composer. It prepared me to deal with different kinds of genres when different projects asked for them. My diverse background in jazz, classical, and electronic music is extremely handy on a daily basis. For instance, I’m constantly relying on my guitar chops for Cobra Kai, I rely every day on my orchestration and classical knowledge for Jurassic World and have counted on my music production expertise when producing songs for Apple’s Central Park.
Different movies belong to different genres, take place in different locations and historic periods. For example, it was of great use to be familiar with Japanese music when working on Kung Fu Panda, since its score featured dozens of traditional Asian instruments. I also believe my curiosity about different types of music really influences me creatively. Drawing different elements and characteristics from all sorts of music styles definitely helps me develop a unique voice.” Says Ramiro.
Ramiro’s career in film and TV quickly took off and he has contributed music for Netflix’s hit show, Cobra Kai, Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Hulu’s multiple Emmy nominee series PEN15, Epix’s docu-series Helter Skelter: An American Myth, from award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Lesley Chilcott, collaborating with award-winning composer Christophe Beck (Frozen, The Hangover, Edge of Tomorrow). Ramiro has also written music for Apple TV’s animated musical comedy Central Park, created by Josh Gad, featuring Kirsten Bell and Stanley Tucci, among others. Ramiro has also worked on Quibi’s mini-series comedy Die Hart, starring Kevin Hart, John Travolta, and Josh Hartnett.
Follow him on Instagram to stay posted with his new projects! https://www.instagram.com/koncr3te/