“The Girl Behind the Music”

Watson ‘21 wants to be a part of the magic behind the movie.

Gwen Watson ‘21 liked the idea of being in the movie soundtrack industry ever since she was a teenager. But she didn’t want to work on Disney movies. No, she had something more sinister planned.

When asked what her ideal movie soundtrack project would be, Gwen instantly replied “Horror movie” matter-of-factly. “I find horror movies the most interesting and I feel like they resonate with people the most; you can still feel the same emotion you felt when you’re watching it a week later.” Among some of her favorites are the recent films “Mother and “IT” as well as older films like “Lights Out” “Fallen” and “The Happening”. “The Happening and Fallen keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you really involved while you’re watching it. I loved the portrayal of emotions in Mother; it was really chilling and intense.”

As for Gwen’s inspiration, it was merely a result of pure effort and curiosity.

“I’ve played guitar for eight years, and I wasn’t really serious about it until maybe the past year or so,” she said. “I started listening to different types of music that incorporated more instrumental stuff. Not just strumming, but fingerpicking and stuff like that, and I wanted to learn how to do that.”

Gwen has grown up in a wonderful family, all with a variety of different career aspirations. Her mother is a lawyer, her father is a teacher who also plays in a band. Gwen’s older sister, Amelia Watson ‘19, wants to be a politician after graduating from the University of Chicago. “Gwen is really hard working and passionate. When she cares about something, she really cares and will go the extra mile to contribute to it”, Amelia said. “Also, she’s really smart and and puts together ideas in her head that no one else could possibly think of.” When asked about how she thought the diversity of her family’s careers and career aspirations influenced her, Gwen said “I think that not having any pressure on me to choose a certain career has certainly aided in developing my desire to pursue something that most people wouldn’t think of when deciding what they want to do with the rest of their lives.” The reason that Gwen wants to pursue a career in the movie soundtrack industry is that of a true artist; she thinks it’s greatly important and an essential puzzle piece to every film.

“Music has a strong influence in how I feel about a movie. It can really make or break a scene. If I don’t like the music, then I won’t like the movie as much as if the soundtrack had been better. If it doesn’t fit the theme of the movie then the whole cinema experience is disrupted.” You don’t have to listen too closely to hear the passion in Gwen’s voice as she speaks about this.

“My goal is to make people feel something. I want the music of one of my movies to be something that sticks out in someone’s mind for the rest of their life.”

When asked about her biggest fear in regards to becoming a movie soundtrack artist, Gwen replied almost immediately.

“I’d say my biggest fear is being too afraid to get myself out into the industry. I’ve always been a closed-off type of person and I don’t want that to get in the way of doing what I love.”

As for advice Gwen would give to other teens who have a strong desire to pursue a certain passion or career, Gwen had lots to say.

“You have to be passionate about what you’re working towards. If you’re not passionate then you’re never going to get anything done. If you’re trying to achieve something and you put a ton of time and effort into it, but it seems like you’ve gotten nowhere, you have to keep trying. If you keep at it, you’ll eventually get somewhere. It might take time, but all that time will be worth it.”