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Legacy has been on my mind this week after losing a dear friend. It reminded me how music can echo long after we’re gone.
As composers and musicians, maybe it’s a song, a melody, or even a chord progression that stays with people.
What piece of music do you hope will be remembered as part of your legacy?
I was thinking about how much music shapes what we feel on screen. A single cue can change the entire mood of a scene — sometimes even more than the dialogue.
If you had the chance to rescore any film or show with your own music, which one would you choose? And why do you think your sound would fit?
I completely agree with you, Kat. I already have in mind a short film that would be filmed entirely with shadows, where the music itself becomes the characters. It’s something I’m actually doing right...
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I would like to record some of the silent films, since most of that music was organs and such. I think that would be a really fun and challenging thing to do
Bruce Bray What a cool idea! Which one would you start with?
That IS a cool idea Bruce Bray!
Thank you Kat. I think maybe I would start with something like La Boheme or Phantom of the Opera. I just love Lillian Gish.
What do either of you think?
Sometimes what we don’t play is as powerful as what we do. A pause, a held breath, a moment of silence can completely transform the emotion of a piece.
Have you ever used silence or space as a tool in your music? How did it change the impact?
I introduce villains with almost zero dialog, but with a page or page and a half of action, and then perhaps have them speak one line at the end of their first scene. I found this shows that the villa...
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Hi friends. I'm wondering how you view writing/composing? Is it a calling? Is it a fun way to unwind? A passion? A hobby? All of the above?
Film scoring is a profession that requires a lot of knowledge. The more experience you have in that field, the better your skills in storytelling become.
that's totally subjective. But it definitely gives us all of the above feelings. About me, I view it as a way to express my self and to explore more about myself introspectively.
I wouldn't say it's a calling. but creating on a whole is something I was born to do, including film music composition. in the beginning I thought it would be my total profession. But after 30 plus films, I've learned that it's just an extension of my music creation
These are great thoughts. I'd love to hear how you all broke into the industry scoring films.
Ok, I am seriously SOOOOOO excited about this event. Is anyone from this lounge joining? It will be eduational and maybe you can even network with people from this webcast! Seems like I always find a new friend or two that's on the same wavelength when I attend!
I think as composers it is really usef...
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Me me me!! =) I can’t wait!
FREE Stage 32 Webcast: Stage 32 + SAGindie: Breaking Down the SAG-AFTRA Signatory Process for Indie Filmmakers
This is a must-watch for indie filmmakers and producers who want to work with professional actors u...
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Cristobal Tapia de Veer, the visionary composer behind The White Lotus’ distinctive sound, has won the Emmy for Season 3’s Main Title Theme, despite stepping away from the series following creative differences with showrunner Mike White.
In his public reaction, de Veer didn’t hold back. He emphasized...
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Songwriting has a way of surprising me. Today, two very different songs arrived — almost like opposite sides of the same coin.
The first was Things Grow, a quiet reflection on loss, renewal, and how life keeps moving forward even when grief tries to hold you still. It’s personal, tender, and rooted...
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Ario Vahram Thank you — I really appreciate that. I feel this every single day with my songwriting. Some songs surprise me with their tenderness, others with their humor, and some just leave me wonder...
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Wyman Brent Oh, I definitely swing. I never know where inspiration will come from, or what it will spark.
Kat Spencer, you and me both. A photograph, two or three words read online, a walk around town, 75 year old comic books, even 100 year old patent applications....
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It's all about my mood and what's happening around me.
Libby Wright, I understand very well.
Some songs sneak up on you when you least expect it. Goodbye arrived while I was walking back to my place — just a few minutes’ stroll, but enough for the lyrics to start forming in my head. I knew immediately it was going to be a total cheese fest, and instead of fighting it, I leaned all the way i...
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Wyman Brent Agreed! The Universe is incredibly smart at giving us what we need.
Kat Spencer, so very true. My song Goodbye has so much cheese that it could cover a very large pizza.
https://wymanbrent.bandcamp.com/track/goodbye...
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Hi there, I'm pretty new here and I'm curious... how do you compose?I tend to go in spurts and then step away for a while. Is this a discipline you do regularly or as the mood strike or both?
Everyday. But for different projects. One day is for musical theatre, another for film, animation or theatre. And each is very different from the other which is great bbecause it keeps me tinking out of the box and definitely pushing my limits.
I'm a composer specializing in film scores. I create original music ranging from romantic and epic to emotional minimalism, always with a particular focus on the film's narrative and visual identity....
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Wow- thanks everyone for the great responses!
Adriano Martorana I love it "Whisper of the soul"
Many thanks
Today reminded me why I write songs.
I was on the bus heading out to the farm when a mother and her young son sat across from me. We started talking, and when I mentioned I was a songwriter, she said her son loves music. I decided to play Let’s Drink Up for them — my whimsical little tune about ducks...
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I wrote this track, called "Evolving", a couple of weeks ago, and I thought its romantic melody could fit a movie like one of my favorites, "In the Mood for Love". I edited my track using a clip from that masterpiece, and this is the result. What do you think?
Very dramatic and cinematic. Love the sweeping strings!
Lee Barbour I understand you!
By my side, I try to be as accurate as I can with dynamics and tempo (accel., rall., rit.) when I write them, so that when I export the MIDI file, I have to adjust it with...
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Libby Wright I'm very happy you like it...!
Very nice. Fits the scenes on the short clips perfectly well.
Emmanuel Obiejemba many thanks!
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3 people like this
Slightly off topic but still sort of relevant....
My instructions upon my demise are to play these two tracks (my 'swan songs') at my funeral:
https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/colors https://soundcloud....
Expand commentSlightly off topic but still sort of relevant....
My instructions upon my demise are to play these two tracks (my 'swan songs') at my funeral:
https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/colors https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/memorium
3 people like this
I’m so sorry for your loss, Kat Spencer.
2 people like this
Thank you, Ashley Renee Smith
5 people like this
I often think of this as well. Not even so much what songs we leave behind to drift through the internet throughout time but rather how we live on through others. When we mentor and inspire new artist...
Expand commentI often think of this as well. Not even so much what songs we leave behind to drift through the internet throughout time but rather how we live on through others. When we mentor and inspire new artists as well as older artists, our memory and perhaps even traces of our musical style and methods of creating live on through the art of others. Never miss an opportunity to inspire others.
1 person likes this
Legacy often lives through the music performed and used by others. A prime example is the most popular artist of the 1890s. His music lives on through literally thousands of bands many musicians have...
Expand commentLegacy often lives through the music performed and used by others. A prime example is the most popular artist of the 1890s. His music lives on through literally thousands of bands many musicians have no idea of who he was. "And now for something completely different:...."
https://youtu.be/uoNQUJvbIJM