Lizzie Mackie (20) has composed the musical score for the short film Time Is On My Side, by New York production company Tea Town Communications Group.
"The score of the film was all written and recorded in my bedroom in Dunedin and sent to the New York studios," she said earlier this week.
"It's all done by email and Skype. It's quite strange to be there, but not be there." The Otago Polytechnic information technology student began composing soundtracks through an internet site established by Los Angeles actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt to encourage collaboration between musicians and film-makers.
"I was completely self-taught, so this was a big learning curve for me. I started muddling around with audio and film about a year ago on the site.
"You record a song, and then other people can download it, edit it and collaborate with you. That's the purpose of the site.
"It's about building your reputation and getting your name out there," she said.
"It's so exciting, being able to communicate and collaborate with people you've never met before and see them pick up your music and do something new with it."
An earlier track, Make Space For Me In Your Coffin, on which she sang and played cello and guitar, featured at the Sundance and South By South West film festivals.
"That's when Tea Town found me."
Her next project is co-writing a score, with United States and Irish composers, for a Scottish film about global warming, White Out.
