Lee Darkin-Miller

Music Composer and Musician

Dorset, United Kingdom

Member Since:
December 2012

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

Invites sent:
0

About Lee

Hi, my name’s Lee Darkin-Miller and I’d like to tell you a bit about myself.

I started music at a very young age, my dad’s a professional musician, so music has always been around me. My first interest was in the keyboard, I never learnt any tunes (except Axel-F of course), I just made stuff up. Often my Dad would sit down and together we would improvise at the keyboard, taking turns to play either the chords or the melody. It not only developed my ear but it was also a great introduction to composing, improvisation & communicating musical ideas. And that’s what I did: I noodled around on keyboards, beat out rhythms on make-shift percussion & when I wasn’t doing that I was listening to my Dad’s record collection (Miles, John Barry, Steely Dan, the list goes on)

It wasn’t until I was 13 that I actually took on an instrument in earnest. I chose guitar because I had recently had my young mind blown by Iron Maiden & Metallica. Guitar led to drums and for a long time that’s where I settled. I gigged in rock bands for several years, collaborating and writing original material. Eventually Sony showed some interest and I recorded a few tracks in London, but for various reasons that didn't work out.

I became more embroiled in the art of drumming and so became more interested in jazz, which was lucky because my Dad at the time was a jazz trumpeter and was also Musical Director for Kent Youth Jazz Orchestra. So eventually I had the drum chair in KYJO and for the next three years or so I played numerous gigs around Europe and the UK. Don’t worry though, I was still rocking out. Eventually my love of jazz stole the limelight & up to now I've been fortunate enough to play with some of the biggest names in British jazz.

Anyway, not long after KYJO I went to Brunel University in London and studied music performance, music technology, music composition and also met my future wife - Top-Gun-High-Five (slap-slap). At college I became better known for my bass playing, and after I was introduced to a self-titled album called “Jaco”, I went into bass overdrive. Jaco Pastorius filled my musical senses so much that I geeked out for a whole year doing nothing but learning his tunes, his solos and his bass lines, all the while studying harmony, scales/modes and chord theory.

Through all these stages in my musical development there was always one constant: my need to write music. From 4-track tape recorders, to mod-trackers right up to the amazing tools we now have access to, writing had always been my first love & all these other disciplines I’d amassed over the years were offering new ways to express myself through my compositions.

Things are tough for musicians, especially musicians such as myself who don’t really specialise in just one instrument, let alone one style. I wasn’t going to be a drummer, a bass player, a guitarist nor a piano player; definitely not a piano player. So all I could do was the one thing that I HAD been consistent with: Composition.

So I decided that I needed to go to college (again) to study. I didn’t come from a classical background, so a course in classic composition somehow didn’t feel right. But I did have another love that I’d been harbouring all this time: Film.

Star Wars, Tron, Flash Gordon, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, American Werewolf In London, Evil Dead 2 and many more, got me hooked as a kid, and my family always went to the cinema to watch new films which made the impact huge. So I decided to take time out to study composition for film and after another two years at college I’d learnt all the technical skills to go out into the world, find some indie film makers and offer my humble services. And that’s exactly what I did for several years.

Clients led to more clients and slowly but surely the business grew. I gained a huge amount of experience over those initial years working on so many varied projects with some hugely talented people. But then it was time to start a family. The composition was put on hold.

But it's ok, because fast forward to now: the kids are about to start school and Daddy is finally ready for a reboot.

Unique traits: Expert in rock, jazz, soundtrack, orchestral, electronic music & song writing with a deep desire to make films, and tell stories.

Gender:
Male

Badges

Photos

Videos

Credits

Dead End (2012)
Film (Short, Drama, Horror and Mystery) Composer A soldier returns from war to his pregnant wife only to discover the shadow of death has followed him home.
Natal Attraction (2009)
Film (Animation, Short, Comedy, Horror and 1 More) Composer Dr. Wright is a highly qualified professional, tired of a sexless marriage. After having enjoyed a flurry of affairs over an internet dating site, his play away from home is soon to be nailed on a visit to his next and most enticing rendez-vous yet. Written by Anonymous
Life Coach (2009)
Film (Short, Comedy, Drama and Romance) Composer A romantic comedy about a lovable loser, Nate, who goes to a Life Coach, Dominique, to help him propose to his girlfriend, and finds real love along the way.
The Kid: Chamaco (2009)
Film (Drama) Music department Young Abner Torres wants to pursue professional boxing as his means to escape the pervasive poverty, prostitution, drug dealing and bullying police of his Mexican city. His abusive father already exploits him in illegal matches, keeping for himself whatever money Abner makes from it. Personal support comes Abner's way from his sister Silvana, best friend Wilo and girlfriend Paulina. Local physician Dr. Frank Irwin, a caring influence in the neighborhood, also takes an active interest in guiding the lad off the streets. Frank's son is Jimmy 'the Dream' Irwin, who is himself trying to make a boxing mark in American despite getting a little too old for the sport and nursing a broken hand. At Silvana's intercession, Jimmy begins training Abner at the local gym while beginning to fall for his sister. Just as things are looking good for Abner's chances, tragedy strikes, threatening to derail everyone's efforts to see him leave the ghetto. Written by statmanjeff
Eyeborgs (2009)
Film (Action, Crime, Sci-Fi and Thriller) Music department Are government surveillance cameras intended to keep us safe actually killing people? Is it a plot by the government to suppress the opposition, or have our terrorist enemies secretly gained control of our security system and are now using it against us? Following another major terrorist attack the US instigates an intense government surveillance program in which every camera in the country is linked into a single, all-seeing network called the ODIN system (for Optical Defense Intelligence Network). The system includes millions of mobile, robotic surveillance cameras known as "Eyeborgs," which watch everyone for suspicious behavior, all in the name of security, law enforcement and keeping America safe. An agent for the Department of Homeland Security grows suspicious of the system after a series of odd murders in which the physical evidence doesn't match up to what the video records show. Now he must work outside the system to find out who is really controlling the Eyeborgs. With the ... Written by RS
Never Surrender (2009)
Film (Action, Drama and Thriller) Music department From the cage to the big screen, the world's greatest Mixed Martial Arts Champions come together for the first time in a major motion picture. When an MMA world champion is lured into the illegal world of underground cage fighting by an elusive promoter, he quickly realizes that the only way out is to kill or to be killed. In a place where some fight for glory and some fight for the fight; he will fight for his life. Now, in his greatest effort to come out on top, he can never look back; never show weakness, never leave...and NEVER SURRENDER. Written by Hector Echavarria
The Cubicle Tactic (2008)
Film (Short and Comedy) Composer Tony's drunken night out is ruined when a twisted game show voice-over invades his thoughts in that most sacred of places - a pub toilet.
Sharp Cookies (2008)
Film (Short and Comedy) Composer Dave Missen a model NYPD Cop. Earmarked for promotion, he's bright, hard working and virtuous. Reports of illegal activities in a New York City apartement set in motion a chain of events which bring crashing down his upstanding morals and values. He must use all his smarts to forge his way through the "rubble" and beat this his toughest case yet! Written by Anonymous
Jack Says (2008)
Film (Crime and Drama) Music department The film opens with Jack tied to a chair in a warehouse, guarded by heavies. He seems to have evoked the wrath of the Guv'nor, who lectures him about 'losing respect'. A girl called Natalie is present, and is clearly not in the Guvnor's good books. As one of the heavies removes Jacks gag, the Guvnor points a gun at his head. The scene fades to black, followed by two gunshots. The scene opens in a lively Paris bar, where the Messenger pushes his way through the vibrant crowd and into the dressing room area out back. He walks in on Girl X as she is changing. He is here to deliver a message and some flowers from Garvey, making clear that she is not pleased with Girl X fraternizing with men in the bar. To really make a point, he leaves a packet with her, which she discovers contains a ring and some teeth. Jack awakens in a bathroom in London next to the corpse of the Guvnor. Having been hit around the head, Jack is suffering from amnesia and cannot remember who he is or how he or the body... Written by Paul Tanter
A Hitch in the Plan (2007)
Film (Short, Comedy and Thriller) Composer A panic stricken woman is relentlessly pursued down a deserted city path late at night - but who is chasing her and why? Only when she arrives home do we find out the terrible truth.
Mr Thornton's Change of Heart (2007)
Film (Short, Comedy and Romance) Composer A cynical, table-to-table rose seller is forced to reconsider his feelings for his doting supplier when a romantic stranger barges into their lives.
Guilty (2007)
Film (Documentary and Short) Composer Add a Plot »
Dialog (2005)
Film (Short) Composer A scientist, Dr. Bright, makes a miniature city, Clusterville, and becomes concerned when the mechanical men begin behaving in ways he had not designed them to. For instance, the men pay for womb implants. After saving photographs of two of his creations, the scientist sets in motion Clusterville's destruction. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
10 Seconds (2005)
Film (Short and Comedy) Composer A man awakens to find he can see 10 seconds into the future. What disasters could he avert? What lives could he save? What will this mean to the future of mankind. There is, however, just one small problem!
A Common Place (2004)
Film (Documentary and Short) Composer Add a Plot »
Rose's Last Train (2004)
Film (Short and Drama) Music department Add a Plot »

View all 16 credits