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  "path": "/andrew-meehan-interview",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-22T19:28:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://nofilmschool.com",
  "tags": [
    "Composer",
    "Composing",
    "Music",
    "Andrew meehan",
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  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nBreaking into the world of feature film scoring requires a perfect mix of technical skill, creative intuition, and pure serendipity.\n\nFor composer Andrew Meehan, that moment arrived not through a standard industry submission but through a genuine connection at a film festival mixer.\n\nNow, with the release of the action-thriller _Dirty Hands_ , Meehan marks his first official feature credit. We sat down with the composer to discuss how he uses silence to amplify tension, how his deep roots in the Philadelphia music scene and years with the electronic-jam band Catullus shaped his cinematic sound.\n\nLet's dive in.\n\n- YouTubewww.youtube.com\n\n* * *\n\n**NFS: Hi Andrew!**_**_Dirty Hands_**_**is your first feature credit as a composer. How did you land the opportunity, and what drew you to the project?**\n\n**Andrew Meehan** : I met Writer/Director/Actor Kevin Interdonato in the summer of ‘22 at the Lighthouse International Film Festival. His most recent film, __The Bastard Sons,__ was screening on the final night. I remember him greeting every single person that attended the movie, and when I approached, I congratulated him on the film, and his response and handshake just felt so genuine and like I had known him forever. After the screening, I was able to chat with him at the mixer and mentioned I compose music for films, and I gave him my card. I received a text from him about two weeks later while on vacation, and he said he had some ideas and that he’d be in touch. The next conversation was about “synthwave” music and if I knew that genre of music. We then started geeking out on some artists and shared playlists. I began just making tracks to see what would come of it, even before I was hired. One of the tracks I sent him is what I think sealed the deal on composing the film.\n\n**NFS: As a composer, how do you aim to support or amp up the tension on an action film like** _**_Dirty Hands_**_**?**\n\n**AM** : Sometimes it can be tough to compose tension without using cliché writing techniques. I learned from the GOAT John Williams that great film composing isn’t just about when and how to score a scene, but also when NOT to add music and let the tension on screen take care of it. Sometimes the absence of music is just as loud.\n\n**NFS: How did scoring** _**_Dirty Hands_**_**differ from your previous work on short films?**\n\n**AM** : Usually, with most films, you tend to be the last person to work on the film. The last ingredient of the recipe, if you will. With __Dirty Hands__ , we worked the opposite. I had already composed some music, not knowing what would be used in the film and what would not. I used the script to write cues, and when they were approved, I’d move on to the next. Even though I wasn’t used to the way of writing, it was successful, and it was really cool to hear that they were actually filming scenes on set with the music playing.\n\n**NFS: Do you have any other genres for which you would like to write a score?**\n\n**AM** : Definitely. I love so many different genres of music and films. I’d love to score a drama series with an orchestral/hybrid score, and a huge neo-classical orchestral score for say a Disney or Dreamworks animation, or something of that nature.\n\n**NFS: You seem quite proud of your Philadelphia roots! How has the city and its music scene helped shape you as a creative?**\n\n**AM** : Oh, yes. There is no place like Philly; the music is great, but also very tough. Philly is where my band, Catullus, grew up. I attended Berklee College of Music in the mid 2000’s, and while some of my professors probably thought I should have been studying more Jazz Guitar, I was engulfed in the Jam Band scene, following bands like The Disco Biscuits, Phish, and iterations of The Grateful Dead. After I graduated, I moved back to Philly and joined a buddy’s band, and we rebranded as Catullus. We began gigging in 2012 and played all throughout the East Coast. My love for improvised music blended with electronica actually was a huge help in composing the score for __Dirty Hands__.\n\nI also have a rock opera that I’ve been writing for a long time now, over a decade, at least. It’s based on Homer’s The Odyssey. There are two acts, and each song is a stop on his journey home to Ithaca. I found that each stop has a story of human morality behind it, so I concentrated on them in the lyrics to make them more accessible to listeners and not just be 100 percent telling the story of the epic itself. It was with this project that I realized I had already begun writing music for storytelling before I did it for motion pictures.\n\nAndrew MeehanCredit: Impact24\n\n**NFS: Are there any composers or filmmakers whose work has especially inspired you over the years?**\n\n**AM** : I really love the work of Taylor Sheridan. Literally everything he writes is gold. Musically, what led me to begin this passion for writing film music was John Williams’ The Force Theme. I am sure, as it did with others, it had me in tears. And of course, all of his amazing work that followed. I really like the classic '90s style of a simple melody that just stays with you forever. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Ludwig Göransson’s work – from the awesome melodies of __The Mandalorian__ , to the stuff he’s doing for Chris Nolan, it is all just amazing. And obviously, with my previous answer about my Odyssey project, I absolutely can not wait to see and hear __The Odyssey__ film this summer!\n\n**NFS: What else would you like to tell audiences about** _**_Dirty Hands_**_**or your career at large?**\n\n**AM** : I’m not sure if your readers are aware, but one of the lead actors in __Dirty Hands__ , Pat Muldoon, passed away about a week before the film was released. This was really sad to hear and tough for everyone who knew him and was involved in the film. I didn’t personally know Pat, but I recall social media posts of him jamming and dancing to my music on set, so I think he really liked it! As the week went on, I kept seeing all the outpouring of love and condolences from everyone online.\n\nAt this time, I was putting the final submission together for the official soundtrack release. The mourning of Pat had me in a weird state of mind, trying to be excited for the film's release, but also so sad to hear of this news. So I just sat in the studio and created a track that is not in the film, called “Red Lights.” It's a short one, but I just felt like I needed to get these emotions out of my head and into some music, and so I wrote and recorded it right then and there and added it to the soundtrack at the final hour.",
  "title": "Scoring the Tension: An Interview with 'Dirty Hands' Composer Andrew Meehan"
}