Danny Fairley

Why did you join the film industry? Was there one job or person who was instrumental in you working in film?

I joined the film industry by accident really. I had been a musician since I was 9, writing, playing and performing music on a daily basis. One day a friend of mine asked if I’d be interested in writing music for their Northface documentary about some skier friends who travelled to Bolivia and skied one of their highest mountains. It was a bit of a success and was nominated for some awards. After that body of work, I started getting a lot of composing work from all around the world and fell into writing music for film and TV from there. Working with companies like The North Face, Mercedes Benz, Les Mills, Icebreaker, and Toyota, to name a few.

About 8 years into composing for small-scale film projects, I wanted to see the other side of the production stage, so I bought a location sound recording kit. Started doing small TV ads and small docos and slowly started making a name for myself down in the Queenstown lakes as a soundy.

There's not many of us down here, so it was kind of easy to get some work here and there with local production companies like The Beards (formerly Two Bearded Men), Bunker Street Film Co (formerly The Film Crew), and many, many others.

What do you like most about the industry? What keeps you involved every day?

The thing I like the most about the film industry is the people who work within it. Every job, there are new faces and new friends to be made. With my composing side of the industry, being based in Wanaka, it's pretty isolated and lonely. So getting out onto set and hanging with the crew is always a lot of fun. It's so refreshing to meet all sorts of people and to be involved in so many amazing and epic projects. Going to the most insane places you can imagine to film a TV ad for Qantas or Red Bull, I'm so grateful and inspired to be there. I'm laughing sometimes as it's such a beautiful and wonderful country not only to explore but to get paid whilst doing so.

I'm super grateful to be able to live in paradise and work a job that is day-to-day very different and challenging in its own ways.

Why have you joined the Guild now? What do you see the role of the Guild being?

I joined the Guild as my friend Joe Murdie told me to do so. I knew the guild was a thing but never really understood what it was for until I was told about it. I love that there is a community of like-minded people sharing information and guidance with other people within the industry.

I see the role of the Guild as a virtual (maybe physical at times?) meeting house where we can meet up and share stories and knowledge with those who are interested. To me, I think sharing knowledge is a very powerful tool to not only be the giver of knowledge but the receiver.

What are your hopes and goals for the next few years? Where would you like to end up in film?

My 5-year goal is to be writing music for a feature film and to have a few more TV shows under my belt. I'm an artist first and foremost, so writing music for myself always takes precedence, but I love working on challenging and abstract projects to allow the inspiration to flow and guide the visual and music together to coexist. My number one goal is always to serve the project rather than push my artistic opinion upon any film unless I think it really needs it!

What would you like to contribute to the Guild and to your fellow workers in the industry?

I'd like to contribute not only my services but be someone who people can reach out to and talk to about anything. My email is always open. Support and strength are always something that we need to share and nurture as a community. Looking after each other in any capacity is the secret to being a successful human, and doing so, allows those around you to grow and flourish.

Keep doing the good work team, and I’ll see you out there, somewhere, either on the road or in a studio.