Film and Video Scoring
Below are some examples of recent video work. Unless otherwise noted, all the instruments are played by me. Click here to jump to my audio demo.
Film
Walk Right In
These four clips from the feature-length documentary Walk Right In are representative of the film as a whole. The movie is scored primarily with 60’s-flavored music—R&B, jazz, rock, and folk.
Going To Yale: This clip uses an upbeat gospel tune to underscore stories of students learning about the Yale Summer High School program and getting their acceptance letters.
Bathroom Story: This cue starts with the over-the-top scoring typical of the 60’s, and quickly transitions to a spy bossa nova. Thanks to Jon Goff for use of his Fender Jazzmaster—the go-to guitar for that James Bond sound.
Newport: A jazz-pop cue modeled after the 1968 Hugh Masekela hit “Grazing In the Grass,” which was used in the temp score. As with many of my cues inspired by other songs, the end result intentionally sounds very different, but captures a similar energy and feel as the original.
Where’s the Outrage: This piece is unusual in the film in that it uses 60’s elements (the wah-wah guitar, for example) in a contemporary setting to address the differences between 1968 and today.
Modern Views Trailer
The trailer for the documentary Modern Views, a history of 20th century architecture in the Northwest. The trailer features a minimalist score using acoustic guitars, bass, marimba and violas to emphasize the woody, down-to-earth nature of the Northwestern style. The film is being produced by the University of Washington Dept. of Architecture.
Safe Passage Trailer
This is the trailer for Safe Passage, a short film directed by Shawn Telford. The film was part of the Seattle International Film Festival’s Fly Film Challenge. I’m very proud of the spooky film noir score, which features both orchestral and electronic elements. Stay tuned for the full 10-minute film sometime this summer!
Slip Cadence
Slip Cadence is a short dance film I scored for ICAM, the Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter, as part of an online exhibit. It’s a great example of melodic elements combining with minimalist drones to tell a complex story. The film itself deals with Alzheimer’s disease and the challenges it poses to family relationships. It was choreographed and directed by Corrie Befort and produced by Suzi Tucker.
Facing the Dragon Opening Titles
Opening title sequence to the short film Facing the Dragon, directed by Mark Barge.
Advertising/Video
There are two versions of each movie below, one for Mac (Quicktime format) and one for Windows (WMV). The PATH video is only available as a link for now.
Get Happy spot
This was a quick, fun web video for Outsource Marketing and Happy Candidates. It features ukulele, marimba and strategically placed glockenspiel. Watch for Ride of the Valkyries at the end!
Bakon Vodka Spots
These two 30-second Bakon Vodka spots are great examples of meeting the client’s needs on a tight timeline (and I got to write some great cheezy music in the process). It took me a few hours to come up with each concept, and another day or so to refine the ideas and create the final recordings. On the magician spot, I got to do the Foley and voiceover work as well—a fun challenge.
Trumpet: Marge Rosen.
Sundance Podcast
I created a set of tracks for MovieMaker Magazine’s Sundance Film Festival daily podcast. Pieces included opening and closing titles, segment intros, and loops to be run under interviews and B-roll. The video here is a compilation of a few segments.
I Will
I scored this video for PATH, a global health non-profit, to highlight their work in Zambia fighting malaria. They wanted something upbeat and African-sounding, so I combined guitars, African drums, thumb piano and voices to create a piece that celebrates the work that’s being done. (African voices courtesy Spectrasonics “Heart of Africa.”)
Rapala spot
The video on the left is a 15 second spot for Rapala fishing reels. I decided to write a jazzy piece, but give it an electronic edge to go along with the high-tech visuals. (Animation by Fuse for Rapala Inc.)
Swedish flyaround
This architectural flyaround of the Swedish Orthopedic Institute needed something inviting and modern. I wrote an orchestral piece using mostly mallet instruments—marimba, vibraphone, and glockenspiel—along with a rhythm section of acoustic guitar, bass, piano and hand percussion. (Animation by Studio216 for NBBJ Seattle.)