Everyone knows of David Beckham. He is that rare athlete who has been able to transcend all levels of pop culture, cementing himself as an icon not only in the realm of soccer, but also fashion, fitness, and politics. But the Netflix docuseries Beckham affords viewers the rare opportunity to really get to know the living legend, beyond what we have seen of him in the media. As series composers Camilo Forero and Anže Rozman point out, Beckham is more than just a recap of its subject’s illustrious career.
“It felt closer to a 4-hour therapy session with David,” Forero explains. “An approach that we needed to respect and support on our end.”
As composers with Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music, Forero and Rozman understand how to approach scoring on an epic scale. The intimacy of Beckham therefore presented an unexpected, albeit thrilling, challenge. With a clear vision already established by director Fisher Stevens and editor Michael Harte, Forero and Rozman crafted a neoclassical score for the series, which proved to be the perfect complement to Stevens’ emotional storytelling.
“The neoclassical sound is relatable and familiar, so in these scenes, it does not feel intrusive, which was extremely important for this type of documentary,” says Rozman.
Of course, Forero and Rozman did not limit themselves to one genre or discipline. Viewers likely recognize the influences of such iconic composers as Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, and C.P.E. Bach, not to mention beats from the 90s or early 2000s. But the moment of which Forero and Rozman are most proud is decidedly original, featuring Rozman himself on the cello. The theme first appears towards the end of episode two, when Beckham first emerges as a true leader for his team.
“Beckham rises like a phoenix from the ashes and brings his team together,” Forero explains. “For this scene, we wrote an energetic yet emotional score featuring Anže on the cello. Michael Harte then repeatedly used this track in key moments in other episodes where Beckham is shown doing extraordinary things. Thus, this piece of music became Beckham’s Triumph theme.”
Check out our full conversation with the composers behind Netflix’s Beckham below. We discuss what they learned about David Beckham through their work on this series, as well as the collaborative process between the show’s international units.
What kind of research or preparation did you do to understand David Beckham’s life and the overall context of the documentary before starting to compose?
Camilo Forero: To be honest, we had an extremely limited time to work on the documentary. From the pitch that Fisher Stevens had us do — which consisted of scoring three scenes from episode 2 — to the final delivery of all four episodes, we only had about 4 -5 weeks.
Episode 2 was the first episode we started scoring. This episode is, in our opinion, the most emotionally charged episode, so from that perspective, it was the perfect episode for us to start with since we got a very clear understanding of who Beckham is as a person on the deepest level.
After watching the first cut they sent us, it became clear to us that Beckham was not an epic retelling of his biggest accomplishments. Instead, it felt closer to a 4-hour therapy session with David, an approach that we needed to respect and support on our end.
How much creative freedom were you given in the scoring process, and how did you balance that with the specific needs of the documentary? What were some of your musical inspirations or influences while working on the score for Beckham?
Anže Rozman: The most important part of the whole process was communication on all sides. Fisher Stevens and the editor, Michael Harte, had a very clear set path for how the documentary should be and how the music should sound. They imagined a neoclassical score from the get-go, so we really cannot take any credit for that. Michael’s contribution here cannot be understated! His edits are so flowing and so musical, which really helped us find the right pacing and tone for each scene. Both of us are huge Baroque and Classical music connoisseurs, so the audience will hear inspirations from the greats of the past such as Vivaldi, J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach.
Of course, we added other flavors to the score as well, at moments mixing in 90s or early 2000s-inspired beats, or even Spanish flamenco influences in episode 3.
How did the cross-country collaboration between the US music team and the UK editing team influence your workflow and the final score?
Forero: Because the entire Beckham team was spread across two different countries, the music side in the US and the editing side in the UK, we were presented with the opportunity to have the music team write while the other part of the team rested, and then wake up to a fresh set of notes and approvals from the team in the UK. That essentially meant that in a way, the team was working 24 hours straight.
How did your backgrounds as classically trained instrumentalists influence the music you created for Beckham?
Rozman: We think academic education is of course not necessary to become a film composer. Many of the greats, including Hans Zimmer, have no formal training. However, we believe that our path through academic music training has greatly contributed to our writing and career paths. The greatest advantage for us with Beckham was our deep understanding of Baroque harmony and the fact that Camilo is a trained violin player and I, a cello player. This allowed us to record violin and cello on each other’s cues, enriching the score. This was also very handy because even the demos we sent to Stevens and Harte already had live instruments recorded on them.
Can you elaborate on the decision to use a neoclassical style for the score and how that complemented the documentary’s tone?
Rozman: As mentioned before, we really cannot take any credit for this musical direction. This was entirely the grand idea of Fisher, Michael, and John. “Why does a neoclassical score work so well for this documentary?” is a good question that we have pondered a lot. We believe that this timeless sound lends itself to emitting an array of emotions but also has the ability to sound unbiased, thus leaving room for the audience to make their own judgment about what’s on the screen and what the cast is explaining or feeling. On the other hand, the neoclassical sound is relatable and familiar, so in these scenes, it does not feel intrusive, which was extremely important for this type of documentary. Beckham is our hero and main protagonist, and we needed to respect that. Additionally, this style works very well with small ensembles, which allowed us to enhance this feeling of intimacy Fisher was going for.
Do you have a favorite scene or moment in the documentary that you scored, and why does it stand out to you?
Forero: One of our favorite scenes is the “Leader” scene towards the end of episode two. Without spoiling the show, in this scene, Beckham rises like a phoenix from the ashes and brings his team together. For this scene, we wrote an energetic yet emotional score featuring Anže on the cello. Michael Harte then repeatedly used this track in key moments in other episodes where Beckham is shown doing extraordinary things. Thus, this piece of music became Beckham’s Triumph theme.
Did you find yourself personally connecting with David Beckham’s story, and if so, how did that influence your music?
Forero: Of course, everyone does! This is one of the key aspects of why this documentary has become so immensely loved and popular. Fisher Stevens, Michael Harte, and producer John Battske did an impeccable job of making one of the most famous and influential people of our generation — someone whom people in the 90s and 2000s viewed almost like a deity — seem human. Just human. A normal bloke, just like you and me, with an incredible story to tell.
We all live on this tiny rock that’s orbiting a tiny star in the vast grandeur of the universe. With the impending rise of AI, the human connections that we form while living on our planet will become increasingly important. Human stories like Beckham’s are stories worth telling because they have the power to touch our souls and change our perspectives on the vast spectrum of what it means to be human.
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