Film Scoring Fun

About a week ago, I completed a score for a 12-minute film – writing for full orchestra. I can’t tell you who the client was just yet – not until they finish the film and present it to their people. But it was great fun to have 45-piece orchestra on the floor at Ocean Way Nashville. IMHO – the Nashville String Machine is – pound for pound – the finest recording orchestra around. No other group delivers as much great music under real time pressures and with such a great attitude. And don’t let the “String Machine” name fool you. They include brass, woodwinds, perc and harp, and rhythm players, also.

So – thanks to Carl Gorodetzky and everybody in the Machine. Also, thanks to the fine folks at Ocean Way. It’s a terrific facility. Brent King did a wonderful job behind the controls – from tracking all the way through the final mix (at OmniSound). Kris Crunk added some cool overdubs. By the time we were done, it sounded more like a 90-piece group.

The score was written to sync to picture. And though I’ve got all the computer software to watch the video and sequence to picture – I chose to work the old-fashioned way: with a stopwatch and a click track. (I am a dinosaur.) And believe it or not – I think it was probably easier. Certainly less hassle. If you ever write for picture – consider the possibility of writing to timings and a click – and free yourself from the machinery.  Just a thought.