Creating An Epic Soundtrack

This week I collaborated on a short film for a friends team with the Sidewalk Scramble, 48 hour short film making contest. Suction Horse Productions (my production company) couldn't sponsor a team this time like we usually do, so I helped my friends Kenneth and Kim with their team by creating the soundtrack and some foley sound for the short film. I wanted to share with you guys how I created the main track, what gear and software I used and my creative process for creating a soundtrack score song.

Inspiration

The first thing you need to have in order to create a soundtrack piece is not only your own musings or personal inspirations but the inspiration behind the film and all the main characters' inspiration and back stories. More specifically:

• Watch the final draft of the film to get a sense of the "tone" of the film. Is it dark / film noir? happy and colorful?, funny and lighthearted?, serious or emotional? These tones play a huge factor in how the music forms in your head.
• Consider the main character's back story and their mood. What attitudes are they bringing to the story?
• look at the locations, are they grungy, clean, industrial, folksy, rural, urban? Use instruments that bring to mind these locations...

Instruments and recording software

As a music writer or composer you must have at least a basic knowledge of recording and a few musical instruments at your disposal. Some of these may include:

• A fairly modern computer / laptop with a good amount of memory
• digital multi-track recording software. On the high end: ProTools, Cubase, or Cakewalk / Sonar (there are many other cheap or free digital recording tools available also. Just Google :-)
  
• or a software synthesizer / sampler like Native Instruments KONTAKT, Propellerhead Reason
• an instrument that plays your music: Guitar and piano are the most popular analog instruments, or a nice MIDI or standalone keyboard for your syth / sampler software
• a microphone (preferably a condenser mic) for recording foley or analog audio.
• a pair of decent speakers or headphones to listen to playback

Steps to create your score:

1. Use your inspirations (above) to form a basic rhythm and verse / chorus structure melody.
2. add bass line and drums
3. add harmonies and tones using your inspirations
4. consider "featuring" an instrument to signify a character or location in the film
   
5. consider adding sound effects or interesting / ethnic rhythmic patterns
6. layer alternate instruments or orchestra pieces but don't drown out your main melody. Enhance the original melody with layering.
7. listen to the rough draft. Is there anything you can perfect or fix? Does the featured instrument stand out.
8. Do a final mix using panning, EQ, compression, reverb or whatever other studio tricks you have available to you in your recording software.
9. burn the final mix to .WAV or .MP3 so the editor can easily "slice and dice" your precious soundtrack into the essential pieces that he needs to accent the film.

Of course the technical details about digital recording and songwriting are beyond the scope of this blog, but I hope this helps out those of you who are looking into moving into film scoring. Enjoy!

Photo by PeteWright on Flickr

The Killers, Death Cab, and new music that I like

So, I started playing around on the iTunes Store last night trying to find all this great new music I've been hearing lately.
For those of you who don't know, I'm also a musician, been in 4 bands, played guitar for 15 years, bass for 10, piano / keys, etc... but I've been out of the music scene for a while when I got interested in film and photography. But I still have a longing and ear for good music when it comes along. So, here's what I've been groovin' on lately:


The Killers - Day and Age
I've loved The Killers since Hot Fuss came out in 2004. I used to listen to that album all the way through every time. So I was very happy with Day and Age when I heard it a few months ago. I'm really digging their single Human. The lyrics are reportedly based on a quote from Hunter S. Thompson where he commented that America is nowadays raising a "generation of dancers".

I'm a child of the 80's so I love that vintage synth sound and it sounds great with some modern rock guitar added. The production was done by Stuart Price who did a remix of "Mr Brightside" from Hot Fuss.

If you like The Killers, then you should check out 2 other great bands that have new albums:
Franz Ferdinand and Glasvegas. You've probably heard of Franz Ferdinand, but Glasvegas is a little more dark and dirty (ala B.R.M.C.) but still atmospheric and shoegazy.


Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things
I bought the first Wallflowers album the day it came out and went crazy for the lyrics, basing alot of my personal songwriting on their style. So, I was overjoyed when I heard that Jakob was putting out this album. His songwriting has actually improved (if that is possible) and Rick Ruben has done an amazing job of stripping the songs down to the basics and letting Jakob's vocals shine. Favorite tracks: "Evil Is Alive and Well", "Something Good This Way Comes", "This End of the Telescope"

Singles:

New Morrissey! - "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" from his new album Years of Refusal due out this month. I don't know why, but I've always found his voice interesting even though he's whiny and strange...


The Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name"
OK, this is my fun, guilty pleasure song right now... it makes me move... never mind, I'm sorry I brought this up... moving on to something more manly...


Killswitch Engage - "My Curse"
Melodic metal has always rocked my socks off. I admire metal bands that can actually sing (as well as scream! ie. Def Tones)


The Avitt Brothers - pretty much all of their early stuff from The Gleam and The Second Gleam. Great old school southern songwriting and lyrics with an Iron and Wine / Sam Beam vibe. Favorite tracks: "Murder In The City", "Bella Donna", "The Ballad of Love and Hate". They just came out with a new album called "Emotionalism" a few months ago that's worth checking out as well.
If you like Iron and Wine or the Avett Bros., you should check out Bon Iver, he has a new EP entitled Blood Bank that's really interesting and atmospheric.


Death Cab For Cutie - I've been pretty much obsessed with Ben Gibbard and his little bands (Death Cab and The Postal Service) for the past 2 or 3 years. One of the best lyric writers of all time. The new album Narrow Stairs is pretty decent, but in my opinion, not as mind blowing as Plans or Transatlanticism. (I didn't really mean to give it a bad review... just being honest)

Random pick that I just decided to check out and liked:

Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches
Light and fun alternative rock. Strong female vocalist with a chugging rock backup. This new effort by Wind-Up Records (who brought us Creed, Evenescence and Seether) could be a nice fit into the indie female vocal sound that's so popular right now.

Well, I hope that wasn't an overload for you guys. I'm just trying to get you to try out some new music! Rock on with your bad selves until next time...

Revolution Pictures releases Jake Owen - "Don't Think I Can't Love You" music video.

(the link for the video above is here: Jake Owen - Don't Think I Can't Love You
YouTube has disabled embedding for this video)

Revolution Pictures has released the music video for Jake Owen "Don't Think I Can't Love You" to the internet (YouTube) and their website, revolutionpictures.com. The video was shot on 35mm film earlier this year in the parking lot behind the Alabama Theater and in the top floors of Playhouse (the best costume and props shop in Birmingham). I worked crew for the video as a PA (Production Assistant) and driver. It was a long day but we got it all done in one day. Revolution Pictures is out of Nashville, TN and usually puts up their crew in a hotel for the night. This time the crew ate at The Cheesecake Factory the night before and I happened to be working so it was a strange coincidence.

Apparently you can now catch the video on CMT and the other top Country cable stations, but I bring it to you here... right from The Horse's mouth... (...via YouTube) ;-)

Top 10 Christmas Songs you love to hate while shopping and eating

<---(This is our Nativity Scene this year with all God's creatures!)

It always happens around this time of year. This year it started 3 days before Thanksgiving. You know what I'm talking about... Those darn Christmas songs. Especially the songs that you are forced to listen to as you are out shopping and eating in restaurants. I am especially sensitive to this because I work in a restaurant and am blasted with the same 10 - 20 songs ALL DAY! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Scrooge or a hater and I'm all about singing praises to the Lord about the birth of His Son Jesus, just mix it up a little! So, in that spirit here is a list of my top 10 most annoying Christmas songs:

1. Jingle Bells - Barbara Strisand (the caffeinated version)
   
2. Hey Santa - Wilson Phillips (uhhggh! I hear this at least 7 times a day!)
   
3. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
   
4. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Vanessa Williams' version) - Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer (I agree with everyone who calls it the Christmas date-rape song)
5. Rockin' Around The Chirstmas Tree - Brenda Lee (1958) (Nobody "rocks" around the Christmas tree... what does that even mean? Annoying nonsense)
   
6. Happy Holiday - Bing Crosby (1942) (More annoying nonsense: "whoop di doop and dickery dock..." nuff said)
   
7. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney (I just hate this song because of bad song structure...it doesn't have a chorus. Just "Siiiimply haaaaaaving a wonderful Christmas time" over and over...)
   
8. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause - Jimmy Boyd (1952) (from Wikipedia) The song was commissioned by Neiman Marcus to promote their Christmas card for the year, which featured an original sketch by artist Perry Barlow, who drew for the New Yorker magazines for many decades. Jimmy Boyd's record was actually condemned by the Catholic Church in Boston when it was first released on the grounds it mixed sex with Christmas.^{[citation needed]} Boyd, aged thirteen, was widely photographed meeting with the Archdiocese to explain the song.
9. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love(?) (more nonsense that has nothing to do with Christmas)
   
10. My Favorite Things - The Von Trap Family (I actually like this song but, is this really a Christmas song?)

What are some of your "love to hate" Christmas songs? Lets see if we can get some more interesting ones. Also comment on a few that are your favorites!

Voodoo fest

This was a shot of MCR on stage at Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. We had a great time and got some great video footage for my friends Val and Emanuel's band. Hopefully soon to be a cool promotional video for Nag Hammadi and the New Moon Stage at Voodoo Fest.