Composer
Web: jaywadley.com
Most recent: Heart Eyes
Unlike most, Jay Wadley’s first foray as a novice composer for film and television was with a major network—a friend helped him land a gig contributing orchestral music for the first season of Fox’s Lie to Me. It was a trial by fire, and today Wadley is an award-winning composer and music producer who recently scored the 2024 historical drama series Franklin, which showcases his vast knowledge and talent in classical music, and the Josh Ruben-directed Heart Eyes—a film equal in horror, comedy, and romance.
Marrying those genres through music presented a fun challenge for Wadley, who says, “We tried to treat the different genres with equal weight and attention to detail. The humor of it all comes from the juxtaposition of those genres. There will be a really romantic moment that then gets interrupted by the killer. We focused on being true to those distinct parts of the film, living fully in each moment, and finding an authentic resonating theme that we could pepper in throughout the film.”
That resonating theme was the killer’s memorable three-note motif, which Wadley intentionally kept simple to adapt to different moments in the film. “It’s flexible enough that it can provide a sort of eerie, atmospheric quality, or you can put it in the bass line. Or you can blast it with brass and have it make a big statement,” he says.
As a composer, Wadley says the most exciting part of the process is the exploratory phase that ultimately leads to the “aha” moment. “Those moments are crazy highs—when I land on something musically that resonates,” he says. He urges aspiring composers to develop their individual voice.
In addition to composing for film and TV, Wadley is also co-founder of Found Objects, an award-winning company that provides original music production, music supervision, and sound for film, TV, advertising, and interactive media.
