A Lot Can Happen in a Month

Hello everyone! I finally have time to come up for air and write a blog post. I've missed you all. There's a lot to talk about and show you and I hope I don't leave anything out.

The last month has been a crazy one. I have been mostly locked inside my apartment working on the score for Barlowe Mann. I'm happy to say, as of last week, the score is finished. This project has been a pleasant challenge and quite a lot of fun to work on. The music is very different from my usual variety and I love doing new things, so this score has been a blast. This was a very tight timeframe, so burning the midnight oil was a must. Thankfully the deadline was met and the sound department is now hard at work mixing my music in with the dialogue and sound effects for the film. I'd like to take this opportunity to give you a sampling of some of the music from the film. I hope you like it.

Barlowe Mann Sample 1:



Barlowe Mann Sample 2:



Barlowe Mann Sample 3:



During the final weeks of working on Barlowe Mann, an opportunity came up that I absolutely had to make time for. When you go to a movie theater, before the previews there is usually a short ad for the theater you are in. "Welcome to ______ Cinemas" and it involves something like a roller coaster showing where you can buy popcorn and whatnot. I was asked to do music for a theater chain in Philadelphia for one of those videos. The video is this amazing and quirky little animation of a moviegoer getting thrown through all the different genres of movies before landing in his seat. The music is supposed to parallel the type of movie he is moving through. That kind of exposure was too good to pass up so I pulled a few all nighters and made a sample to send off. Last week I was emailed by the guy who asked me to try out, and he let me know that my piece was chosen to accompany the video! So in a few months, if you find yourself at a Hollywood Cinema in Philly, you'll be hearing my music before the movie starts. I'll post the music for it here, and once the final animation is finished, I'll be sure to put that up here as well.

Hollywood Cinemas Music:



It has been such an amazing month and everything really seems to be coming together. The strange thing for me has been adapting to these new jobs mentally. What I mean is this: My process and the way I've been writing my music hasn't changed at all since I got my first computer for music. My rig is still in my bedroom, and most days I'll wake up and write in my PJs (comfort is important when you're at your keyboard for 10 or more hours a day). But then this music gets put into a feature film bound for television, or into a theater, and I need to put on a suit and go to production meetings. It's as if part of my music life hasn't changed at all, and at the same time it is completely different. This became very apparent last saturday. Saturday was the premiere for my first film I scored, 3 Day Test. A red carpet event was held in LA at the Downtown Independent Theater. Cast, crew and guests were invited to see the finished film on the Big Screen.

I arrived early to pick up my ticket. It felt like any other movie ticket, but this is for a film I know very well.

Outside the theater was the red carpet, a ton of press and a photo wall for press shots.

Corbin giving an interview for a TV network

Primary Cast taking photos in front of the press wall

Lead actor George Newbern giving his interview

This was my first experience with press. Luckily, as this was my first film, nobody knew who I was, so I wasn't asked any questions . . . until the movie ended. We all make it into the theater, and before the film starts, the owner of our distributing company, Echolight Films makes a small speech about the film. Then Corbin took the stage to talk about what this film meant to him. During that time, he made sure to thank the cast and crew for their contribution to the film. But then he started talking about how he discovered this great,  young composer who wrote a soundtrack that sounded like it costed a million dollars. He made me stand up in the audience, and it was totally overwhelming. The gratitude he showed over my work was one of the best feelings I've ever had. He mentioned that he'll be using me for all his future films. After that, there was no hiding. We watched the film, and it got such a great reaction. It was such a great day. 

Afterwards there was a short reception. I was able to talk with the cast again and congratulate them on a job well done. Because of the wonderful words Corbin said about me, I was suddenly asked to be in pictures and did an interview for some network about my music for the film.

 The team behind the film told me that they will be filming their next movie in march and it's very likely I'll be asked to score that one as well. Things are really picking up. I also got to speak to the producer for Barlowe Mann who I had never met before. She told me that because Barlowe Mann tackles some very heavy topics, a lot of changes had to be made to the story of the film. She was worried the film would be hard to follow at that point, and she told me that after she had heard the music, it all came together. She went as far as to say my music saved the film. What a compliment! She's a screenwriter herself and said that if one of her films gets off the ground soon, she may contact me to score that one as well. It's amazing the kind of networking opportunities you get when you go to an event like this. 

So after this crazy event, I'm back at home and have a little downtime until my next big project. I never would have thought that within such a short time, I'd have two movies back to back with more to expect in the future. I'm so grateful for everything that has happened this month, and I can't wait to see what happens next.