Soundtrack

Because I am now at an A2 level, I must try and impress in every area of my film to try and create a final product worth a good grade. For my soundtrack I have decided to ask one of my friends, Olivier Trouille to compose the soundtrack based on my request. By doing this it allows me to create a soundtrack that fits in perfectly with my short film, rather than relying on music that was not composed with my storyline in mind.


I will be giving Olivier my production once it has been cut down to the correct timings, and then going through with him how I want the music to fit in with the storyline. The soundtrack will fit in with the action, so for example as the man hears the sound of the crow, the music levels will be cut down so the audience can hear the crow, and then as the male starts to run, the music will pick up pace.


Olivier is an A2 music student and has composed a lot of his own music, so he has the skills required to produce a good piece. He also is able to play guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and drums. I am very confident that his final product will be of the best quality and play a massive part in creating tension in my film.

Update!

After a conversation with Olivier, Tuesday 20th October, I am now positive that he will be able to create our soundtrack, but will be wanting a brief outline of timing as soon as possible so he can start to create the soundtrack. I have also had conversations with my colleague Conor, and we have decided that our soundtrack will run throughout the full film. This is for two simple reasons, one being that with no dialogue, it would be conventional to have music playing in the background. Also the cameras we are using will not have boom microphones, so there is likely to be unwanted sound. With a soundtrack we can turn down the camera volume and replace it with that of the soundtrack.


Research into Soundtracks 

I have been researching into sound tracks both from the past and present to provide Olivier with sufficient information on how to create a good soundtrack for the horror genre. I have done this because even though he is making our soundtrack, it is still my production I have to put in the effort to make sure the soundtrack will be at the best possible quality. Below is some key information on soundtracks for films, I have chosen to look into 2 examples, but obviously will be listening to a lo more to get a better understanding of a professional soundtrack for a horror genre. Here are my two examples:



Thomas Newman, a very famous and successful composer has written soundtracks for many films in the late 1990's and early 2000.  He has won many awards from his achievements and his work is a great inspiration, and one that I will be showing to Oliver to give him some ideas and inspiration for when he creates our soundtrack. His most recent success in soundtracks have come from films such as American Beauty and Meet Joe Black. He is excellent in creating tension in his music, and relating it to the film. Newman has a unique style of writing, and once you are familiar with it, it's easy to recognize. He composes in themes and reintroduces them in new ways - sometimes lighter, sometimes deeper. Because Meet Joe Black is about death, the soundtrack is somber and reflective, with lyrical melodies and lush symphonic orchestrations. 


A soundtrack more linked to our genre and budget, Halloween was recognized as one of the best horror movie soundtracks of its time. Its simple piano work to create tension was inspiring to any low budget film maker. The sound of the piano used to create tension at the start of the film can still be recognized by most film lovers to this day. The soundtrack really does show how a hugh budget is not needed to create a good soundtrack, just the correct use of the sources available. The soundtrack was created by John Carpenter, who went on to become a well established composer because of the Halloween soundtrack. 
 

FInal Update:
Olivier made our soundtrack today, me and Conor are very grateful to him as he put in about 6 hours of work to complete the soundtrack. The soundtrack is very good and runs in sync with our film perfectly, I am very happy with it.
We gave Olivier a document about exactly how we wanted the soundtrack to be composed, on this sheet was timings of each section of the film so he could sync it with the mood of the music. I also gave Olivier a copy of my rough cut so that he could follow the film and sync it perfectly. 
A problem we found however was that after some audience feedback telling us to make some clips faster, the duration of the film changed and the soundtrack was no longer in sync, this meant I had to cut into some of the soundtrack and sync it back myself, there is now a jump in sound were I have cut the soundtrack which I do not have time to edit out, this is very unfortunate.