Briefing
Commissioned for Netflix The Guv’nor tells the story of Lenny McClean. Lenny gained notoriety as Britains hardest man, hence the title The Guv’nor. He also went on to achieve success acting in Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and wrote a best selling book. This film is a fresh look at the man through the eyes of his son who investigates whether mental health may have played a role in Lenny’s behaviour. We talked about the objectives of the film and decided to completely step away from glorifying or romanticising the violence in the story. This was a deeply personal journey for Lenny’s son and an opportunity to look with fresh eyes on an individual and community that have been stereotyped until now.
Approach
Much of the footage shows Lenny and others in violent or threatening situations. The Director wanted to tell the story behind those scenes so the job was to create a score based on characters rather the simply increasing the energy on display. Jake used mainly electronics but also some acoustics and sound design to create depth and distance from the violence on the screen and allow the viewer to step back and think about the story behind the scenes. There are also interviews with family and friends which required sensitive underscore.
Result
Both the Director and Netflix were very happy with the finished soundtrack and the film has recently been screened on UK TV for the first time.