Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Spring 5-2-2024

Faculty Advisor(s)

Adam Borecki, David Volpe, Nolan Markey

Abstract

Within the many aspects of a film exists the epicenter that is visual storytelling. Music production within film always becomes a point of discussion after the fact, as composers will use their musical expertise to aid the established vision of the filmmaker. Despite music technology having evolved to recreate the sound of an orchestra, the role of music remains the same. However, what if the roles were reversed? Through this endeavor, I sought out to find the impact of a multimedia work when music becomes the primary focus of storytelling. Explored in the past by Disney's "Fantasia" and Phillip Glass' "Koyaanisquatsi", I decided to create an experimental film of my own. After writing a symphonic piece for orchestra, I utilized the fluidity within the music to begin storytelling. Gathering fellow peers and faculty from Dodge College, we embarked on adding visual/sound elements that complemented the ebb and flow of the music. These visuals consisted of beautiful closeup and landscape drone shots, as well as sound design to enhance the immersion of the shots. On the music side, to create a demo, I made use of 'sample libraries' — pre-recorded audio replicas of instruments. However, for music to create emotion, there had to be authentic emotion behind the performance. Thus, I contracted 'Budapest Scoring', a Hungary based orchestra that specializes in recording music for film. It would be an understatement not to mention that their performance brought my composition to new heights. Working virtually with an orchestra of such magnitude required meticulous sheet music preparation, as well as professionalism to steer the ship of the session. To be a professional film composer, it is my responsibility to not only know the entire process of bringing music to life, but also telling a story. In the end, the collaborative/filmmaking process allowed me to answer my question. In the end, creating an innovative take on cinematic storytelling granted me further enlightenment as a musical narrator.

Comments

Presented at the Spring 2024 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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