Posts
Animated Shorts: So a few months back, a coworker of mine was finishing her final project for school. It was an animated CG short about how California Rolls are made. She was not going to have sound, and wanted some music to follow the film and take the place of a soundscape. She asked me to do the music, and I was delighted to help. Animated films are where I want to end up anyway, so I jumped at the chance. It's a very cute little film, and I had so much fun writing it. Here's the finished video.
SCL: After a meeting with Greg Smith, he encouraged me to look into the Society of Composers and Lyricists. It's a group that gives advice to those in the industry, hosts seminars and has screenings, as well as allow networking in the music field. There's really nothing like it anywhere else. Well, I finally decided to join, as I finally met the requirements to do so. I needed to have a feature film credit to join, and now I do. It's a fantastic group. I've had the opportunity to go to a few seminars now, and it's been invaluable. I recently went to one that demonstrated the benefit of live instruments as opposed to digital. I went to one where Gary Schyman, the composer of the Bioshock music discussed his process on making game music, and this week I went to a Screening of Space Shuttle Columbia: A Mission of Hope, and met composer Blake Neely and was able to speak to him about his music. The SCL has taught me a lot in a very short time, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Movies: So I am officially involved with Corbin's next movie. I can't give details on it just yet, but this will be an interesting one. I contacted them early and asked them if I could get a head start. They loved the idea and sent me the screenplay. They haven't started filming yet, but I get a chance to start coming up with ideas now. That means, they can temp the film with my music so I won't get distracted or influenced by someone else's music, and the music will be much tighter with the film because I'll be involved from the start. This is super exciting, and I can't wait to really get started.
I am also working on a Victorian era short film for UK director James Canty. The lead character is a piano player, so the music is going to fit very tightly with the film. I'm extremely excited about this one too, but let's face it. I'm excited for all my music projects. We're still coming up with what the theme will be, but here are some rough piano samples showing the direction we're headed in.
Video Games: I am officially doing a video game! This is the most exciting thing to get started. This is a huge project, with involvement from the people who brought you Starcraft, Command and Conquer and World of Warcraft. I can't go into much detail right now, but this is going to be funded on Kickstarter, so keep your eyes peeled. It's a space game, and NASA is also involved. I have already started writing music for the project, and while in its early stages, I'd like to share it with you all. This is the opening Kickstarter video music for our Upcoming space game!
Movies: So I am officially involved with Corbin's next movie. I can't give details on it just yet, but this will be an interesting one. I contacted them early and asked them if I could get a head start. They loved the idea and sent me the screenplay. They haven't started filming yet, but I get a chance to start coming up with ideas now. That means, they can temp the film with my music so I won't get distracted or influenced by someone else's music, and the music will be much tighter with the film because I'll be involved from the start. This is super exciting, and I can't wait to really get started.
I am also working on a Victorian era short film for UK director James Canty. The lead character is a piano player, so the music is going to fit very tightly with the film. I'm extremely excited about this one too, but let's face it. I'm excited for all my music projects. We're still coming up with what the theme will be, but here are some rough piano samples showing the direction we're headed in.
Video Games: I am officially doing a video game! This is the most exciting thing to get started. This is a huge project, with involvement from the people who brought you Starcraft, Command and Conquer and World of Warcraft. I can't go into much detail right now, but this is going to be funded on Kickstarter, so keep your eyes peeled. It's a space game, and NASA is also involved. I have already started writing music for the project, and while in its early stages, I'd like to share it with you all. This is the opening Kickstarter video music for our Upcoming space game!
Mixing: The one area I know I fall short in is mixing my projects. It's a career in and of itself. I know I'll never be as good as the career mixers, but knowing enough to make my digital mockup sound good is very important to me. I recently reached out to a Recording Expert I met at Capitol when I accompanied Greg Smith. She has agreed to help me learn as much as I can with mixing. It's a great opportunity to learn from someone working at Capitol, and I can't wait to get started!
Live Orchestras: It's time to bring in the live players. Now that I have these great projects coming up, the next level is to incorporate live instruments. Nothing compares to the emotion and richness that live groups add, and I want to start adding these in. Luckily, Greg Smith has been invaluable to me. He has introduced me to his music producer, who I will be able to start using on my projects. He will be responsible for hiring the players, booking the studio and everything that comes after the writing is finished. I am hoping to use live players in both the video game and the upcoming film. I've already got a meeting with the music producer to put some budgets together and see if the folks I'm working for bite. I can't wait to see where it all goes, and I'll be sure to take you all along with me.
