We recently connected with Charles Humenry and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Charles thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I don’t remember not playing music, it’s always been part of my life. My parents started me in classical piano at a conservatory when I was 5 years old. I enjoyed it but like every other 5 year old French boy, I’d rather play soccer and build legos. Fast forward 28 years and I’m so thankful that they pushed me to keep going. Music wasn’t what I wanted to do until the end of high school when I started a rock band and it quickly became clear that music was going to play a big part in my life. I instantly fell in love with the writing process and being in a studio. After high school, I was accepted at the American School of Modern Music in Paris. Jazz really opened my eyes to music theory and freedom. It’s a very different approach from the classical world I knew. After a couple of years, I felt ready to apply to Berklee College of Music in Boston and there was no looking back after that! I studied jazz and classical composition as well as lyric writing and opera singing. A teacher recommended that I’d look into writing music for advertising. I moved to New York City and soon started an internship at a music house, Pulse Music. I went from the typical taking-the-trash-out intern to senior composer within 3 years. Working in advertising taught me a lot: how to trust my gut because with deadlines that so short it’s the only way forward, and to accept denial because it’s such a competitive space. After a couple of years composing for short form content, I became hungry for longform – narrative films and movie scores. In 2022 after getting married, my wife and I decided to drive across the country to Los Angeles and dive into the Hollywood world.
Recently, I’ve spent the last few years re-learning how to be less cerebral and more instinctive. I’m finding that the sweet spot in creation is equal amount knowledge and exploration. Exploration will spark unique ideas that knowledge can support and help you communicate to musicians. I believe that music is equally art and science, especially in film scoring.
If I could give my younger (and current) self any advice, it would be to stay curious, be ready, and keep an open mind so you can welcome chances that you never thought were possible.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Charles and I’m a French composer and record producer now living in Los Angeles, CA. I write music to help tell stories in any medium whether it is for films, songs, or theater. I strive for deep collaboration with directors and artists because I believe this is where something unique happens. I view every project like a new puzzle with a solution that already exists – you just have to find the pieces and put them together.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of my first jazz composition teachers once told me that I was not going to get into Berklee College of Music and that I wasn’t good enough. I had to prove him wrong! After the audition, I was accepted and was offered talent based scholarships. To this day, I am still not sure if he meant it or if he knew that it would trigger me. I’m grateful for him and what he inspired me to do.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Collaboration keeps me going! I love sitting in my studio with a director pouring over a music cue together. They might say something that I would have never thought of on my own and it will trigger a series of new ideas that will make the cue so much better. I have two short examples to illustrate that. Last year, I worked on a short horror film. One of the producers suggested that the opening cue should have whistling. The director, Dylan Guerra, and I didn’t see it but we gave it a shot. Turns out, we absolutely loved it and we ended up scoring the entire movie only using whistles! There are full whistle choirs, whistle drones, whistle braams, etc… The other example was during the process of scoring a feature film a couple of months ago. The director, Danny Madden, and I couldn’t figure out the direction for a cue. We talked for an hour about what we wanted to express. We ended up setting up a single mic and we both banged every drum, pot and pan and shouted our voices out. It became my favorite cue of the entire movie. I’m really proud of these scores and they would have never happened without that magical collaboration.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charleshumenry.com
- Instagram: @charleshumenry