My Film Music

Hi Everyone!

I've been lurking around the boards for a while, but only recently registered. I'm currently a third year B.M. in Composition at U.C. Irvine.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my film music with you guys.

Film Music

My Demo Reel

I listened to the first 2 tracks. The first one is really groovy, toe tapping stuff.

I like the 2nd one better. It's great! Very epic indeed. Add the lush, romantic strings, the suspensions, the string accompaniment lines and it's one hell of a great piece! I think it will fit perfectly into any hollywood film.

To just be picky, I think that it lacks some character. It lacks some of YOU inside, too generic per se. However, it still kicks donkey!

Thanks for sharing.

I agree it's a bit generic but very good nonetheless.

Andy

First off welcome to YC.

I listened to a number of your pieces and see that you have a lot of talent. I really liked the Epic Demo.

As to being generic, for the job you want in life as a music composer, you have to give the masses what they want and expect, That means be generic.

I have never been very good at that, so I know I will never be a bigtime composer for films. All of the people you mentioned as influences are just better at popping out generic music than the rest of us. If that is your desire and it seems to be, go for it.

I guess what I am saying is, there is nothing wrong with being a generic composer.

On a different topic, in order to get people to comment on your muisc, it always helps to listen and comment on as many here as you can and some will return the favor. It takes a while to see who will and who will not, but you can meet some nice, talented people here.

Nice music.

Ron

I agree with rolifer in that the compositional strategies employed by a musician depend highly on his purposes. "What am I writing it for?" Every composer should ask himself such a question before undertaking any musical attempt. It may be just for personal satisfaction - it's OK to write music purely for art's sake - but it can also be used to convey a certain message to a large and varied group of people, and, in this case, the composer should be careful on what to write, since he is responsible for inciting the audience's deepest feelings.

:O Now, here comes the counter-argument (the other side of the story):

Accessible music and silly/ordinary music are not synonyms. A composer who wants to get his message across doesn't have to step into trodden ways all the time. It is possible to be original and creative while still having your feet stuck on the ground. Of course there are patterns and standards to serve as guides to the writing process, but they should be used as a means of enriching the musical material we've got to work on, not to narrow the possible paths a composer is able to trail.

Let's make it clear that I'm not trying to settle what is right or wrong, rather, I'm just exposing a personal opinion ;)

I was bored today, so I rescored the Spider-Man 1 Main Titles. Comments? Spider-Man Main Titles

I love the theme..

Just finished listening to Unfriendly Streets.

I like the mix of violins along with the background percussion.

As well as the brass cues from 1:20 to 1:40.

Really liked the style in epic demo.

The music definantely suits the name.

In Epic demo the first 20 seconds or so the strings in the background sound almost identical to the Bat Begins score. Which someone metioned they noticed Hans Zimmer influence in your pieces so that makes sense.

Andy:

Wow! You're ready for the big time! Honestly, while listening to your score for the Spider Man main title, I kept thinking, "this is so comparable to the real score by Danny Elfman, and works to support the visuals in such a comparable manner, that I can't remember Danny Elfman's as I'm hearing it!" And everything you wrote works for the scenes I saw. And the directors impress me, this guy LeBrun and the others. How did they get such production values? These look like productions with budgets that aren't tiny. Indiana Jones versus Batman was hilarious. Basically, all of you guys should be in Hollywood right now. You're ready.

Walter Rhoads... old, but young as a composer (nine months)

Thanks for the comments!

And the directors impress me, this guy LeBrun and the others. How did they get such production values? These look like productions with budgets that aren't tiny.

Most of the guys I work for are either film students with access to pretty good equipment or indie filmmakers, so not too much money there. Rather than big budgets, I think what makes a pretty big difference on the visual side of things is that these guys color correct their footage. Well, that and they shoot in HD.

For your further listening pleasure: A Call to Adventure

Also a trailer for a film that I scored this summer: Under the Influence

Whoops, double post.

Late for comment on your overall music... I enjoy most of your music, especially from the reel. With regards to the earlier notion about being a generic composer, I don't think you are generic at all Andy. The only reason is because your reel demonstrates a multitude of music genres which leads people to think you being pretty generic. It would probably help if you had reels in each of their own categories (orchestral, chamber, jazz, rock).

Call to adventures sounds very "adventurous" for the lack of better word. Hopefully you don't take this the wrong way, but it reminds me of Powell's score on Horton Hears a Who (except that last part), I'm assuming this was influenced from it. Only in terms of the orchestration, not the theme. Which I might add that you did a fantastic job. But the celestias part and the theme (which was somewhat similar) gave it away.

Thanks man, I'll keep the separate reels idea in mind.

As for the similarity to Powell, I'm not actually familiar with Horton Hears a Who, so the resemblance is purely coincidental. After I wrote this I happened upon John Williams' Hook and was a little worried people might think that I had ripped aspects of this off that score.

I saw "Hook" but don't recall it well enough to hear any overlap (I do love John Williams' music and have his "Best Of" two-CD set, but don't recall "Hook" being on it).

I'm going to critique "Call" not on a technical basis (because I don't really have the training to do that), but on an emotional one--that is, what does the music suggest to me?

Okay, first, I hear this as a theme for a fantasy-adventure film, in the same genre as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The opening, in its orchestration, suggests folk-legendary elements to me; brave heroes full of optimism, the whole suggesting the nobility of the quest. There is a lightness that suggests whimsy--perhaps the heroes aren't big strapping he-men? But they're heroic nonetheless.

Then, horns in a low register inform us that this quest is serious, with real danger. But the chimes/glockenspiel reinforce the sprightly nature of the enterprise. (The heroes might have some elves and hobbits in their family tree.)

Then, harp(?) tell us that, while there is a tone of fun, still this adventure has its sad and serious side--this is not a joke; heroes can get hurt.

Finally, toward the end, what sounded to me like the notes F-E with the pitch bent like a droning voice in low woodwinds (bassoon?) assisted by the horn section, tells us that the threat faced by our heroes is indeed large, ominous, and unearthly. They face the prospect of dark magic.

Is this more or less how you wanted it to be heard?

(Note: Isn't the ominous phase toward the end the same one used repeatedly in "Lost?" Which is okay, of course--some commonality of conventions ensures that listener and composer are all using the same language--otherwise you couldn't get the point across.)

Let me also praise your orchestration. It's one thing to come up with melodies--I think everybody here can do that--but to fully orchestrate something for a large ensemble is, I suspect, much harder. :thumbsup:

Walt Rhoads

Thanks alot for taking the time to write such a detailed review!

The bends are actually played by the Trombones. Once I found that sample it was too cool to pass up, and I wanted to include it in some way.

I guess the little ending bit has some similarity to Lost, though from what I can remember from the show's music is that it's more soundscape than melodic material. I think it's the trombone bend here that's giving you that impression?

some great stuff in here, i got he feeling that i was listening to some kind of a LOTR ost piece, i wonder what VST plugins u used in the production.

i'd be glad to hear ur feedbacks about my pieces as well:thumbsup:

Thanks alot for taking the time to write such a detailed review!

The bends are actually played by the Trombones. Once I found that sample it was too cool to pass up, and I wanted to include it in some way.

I guess the little ending bit has some similarity to Lost, though from what I can remember from the show's music is that it's more soundscape than melodic material. I think it's the trombone bend here that's giving you that impression?

Yes.

Walt

Just finished a new piece.

Check it out: Prologue

Also a little late, but..

In the spider-man re-do of yours, I lold at 2:00

Prologue has been updated slightly so that certain parts don't annoy me as much.

The piece came out to about 90 tracks mixed down to what you hear.

Prologue

Andy, I listened to 7 or 8 of your pieces last night. Your really talented. I could really hear your influences in your music. The main title spiderman sequence was really cool and probably my favorite of what I heard. Keep up the good work!!

Another new one if you guys are interested:

Elegy

Whats the software you're using?

I'm a third year doing the same thing now too ^^

Same question from me, what software are you using? The strings .. well everything sounds very, very good! So if you would let us know what packages you are using for various different sounds that would be great. I concur with the others, you have a talent for narrative and drama.