Simon Smith

Background

About Simon Smith

I have worked in music for 25 years, first in London and now in Barcelona since 2002. I developed a love for music and story-telling and I now focus mainly on composing feature film and documentary scores as well as select shorts and animations. I have also created music or sound design for media clients including Nike, Volkswagen, Louis Vuitton as well as supporting educational projects, art and media installations and NGOs. I really enjoy my work. Since 2014 I have worked closely with Spanish film director Maria Ripoll. First on "Traces of Sandalwood", that won best picture at the Catalan Gaudís and audience awards in many festivals worldwide, then "Now or Never", one of the top-charted films in Spain in 2015, 1.3 million spectators and an all-star comedy cast. Next,"Don't Blame Your Karma" also reached number 1 in Spain.Then in 2019 I co-wrote and produced the score to Maria's "Live Twice, Love Once", a Netflix sleeper hit featuring renowned Argentine actor Oscar Martinez, working with composer Arnau Bataller."Guerra De Likes"(Sony), indie dramedy "Pistolas", and zany comedy "Yo No Soy Esa"(Sony) have followed, and finally "This Too, Will Pass", a score produced for singer-songwriter Maria Rodés on her film composer debut. Another highlight is working with Duncan McMath who specialises in top-flight sports documentaries. 2019's "Take The Ball, Pass The Ball" told the story of Pep Guardiola's FC Barcelona (2008-2012), one of the greatest football teams in recent decades. The trailer hit 1 million views in 24 hours. An independent production that was sold to Universal, I worked on the entire soundtrack - music, sound design, dialogue, as well as directing the cinema mix. In 2021 Duncan directed a fly-on-the-wall docu series about Ronaldo Nazario (R9) becoming the president of Valladolid FC. Ronaldo himself then asked Duncan to direct the 2022 biopic "The Phenomenon" about Ronaldo's controversial '98 World Cup experience, injuries and astonishing comeback to win the WC in 2002. Since then we've done an acclaimed series on Luis Enrique's first year at Paris Saint German ("You Have No Idea"") and an upcoming project about tiny club FC Girona's astonishing rise to the top of La Liga in 23-24. Finally, I'd like to mention my collaboration with animator Allessandro Novelli, who creates spell-binding, philosophically challenging animated shorts that have screened at the likes of Annecy and Locarno film festivals. His pieces are amongst my favourite projects for their content, style and the artistic challenge they present. Check out his work!