The composer Nainita Desai is a master of innovative thinking in scores for film, television and games. She is best-known for her documentary work – including music for the Oscar-nominated ‘For Sama’ and a new Sundance-winning documentary that’s soon to be released called ‘The Reason I Jump’ – but her career has been multi-faceted. Desai has a background in maths and has also worked as a sound designer, which gives her a unique approach. In this episode, Desai discusses the techniques she came up with to reflect the experiences of autistic teenagers in ‘The Reason I Jump’ (from water-filled clarinets to improvising on cellos), how working with Peter Gabriel early in her career inspired her and why her job is to manipulate a viewer’s emotions.