Introduce Yourself : Re-introducing myself and sharing my gratitude for a great New Year Start :) by Elena Maro

2024's treating me great, Elena Maro! I had four script requests, I worked on two ghostwriting jobs and a pitch deck job, and more.

Congratulations on achieving two of your main goals! Write, sing, and produce two songs. That's incredible!

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan . So happy to read you have got a lot on your plate already. You are an inspiration!

Oooo...I can't wait to hear it!! Congrats, Elena! Please post a cue in the lounge when you can. And congrats on the new score!! I wish I could sing. I feel sorry for the girls that come in here to sing for me. I usually sing what I want them to do and it's always down an octave and outta tune. Sounds like Tennessee Ernie Ford on a bad day. They're use to it though and can make music out of it.

You're welcome, Elena Maro. Thank you. I really appreciate it. What does "avant-garde" mean?

Linwood Bell , so kind of you. The completed score is currently at the dubbing stage , but I will be releasing the OST album soon. You'll be the first one to know :) . Ah, those singers working with you are so lucky to be in the room with a very competent and kind professional, I truly mean it.

Sounds like you've been doing some awesome things, Elena Maro!

Maurice Vaughan , it basically means breaking the rules and exploring new ways of making music .. in this case I started with jazz and had the big band playing even the impossible notes ( they were amazing at it, btw!) and playing their instruments in unusual ways, like the saxophone player played the sax with no air or talking into it at one point). I also added to the percussion section unusual instruments, like a marvin, a waterhpone and a danmo and some of theme were also played with a violin bow, for example instead of 'hit'. And at the end I went crazy with the score music production treating those recordings with unusual audio effects like guitar pedals or amplifiers for example. It was loads of fun!

Thank you so much, Dustin Richardson , I am having so much fun! I am looking forward to seeing how those films (and scores) are received by the audience. How's you year going so far?

Wow, Elena Maro! Can't wait to hear how your avant-garde jazz sounds! I can't even imagine it right now.

Maurice Vaughan , well, the goal was to create a new , unique sound for the score, so it will be very useful to get feedback :) Thanks!

You're welcome, Elena Maro. I'd be glad to give feedback.

Nice to meet you, Elena! Congratulations on this success! I love the idea of a jazz score, it's such a unique and special type of music.

Elena Maro Elena, it’s always a thrill to see you here. I remember the jazz score of Bullitt. As a 12 year old from an industrial English town, I found it intoxicating and exciting. I’d never heard anything like it.

2024 - well the new year laid down a gauntlet for me and so I picked it up. I now have a feature in development, because I met the most wonderful Exec Producer on Stage32.

My writing is mostly business related these days, but I manage to squeeze some work in for my animated series. This year is going to be a challenge, but also a thrill!

Congratulations on the scoring and songwriting coups, Elena!

Thanks, Bill Hoversten . It is nice to meet you!

Thanks Mary Helen Norris . The film called for it. A black and white movie set in NY in the 1950s in the theatre scene.

Geoff Hall , I can't wait to see you win! :)

Great news and great way to start the year. Congratulations.

Thank you so much, Asmaa Jamil . How is 2024 going for you? :)

Elena, my year is going good. I am writing great stories.

We love having you in the community Elena! How did you prepare for the Jazz Avant-Garde score? Sounds amazing!

Congrats on the film score, Elena! That's incredible.

Appreciate you and all you bring to the community, Elena Maro. Congratulations on all the success. You're an inspiration to many here.

Thank you, Richard "RB" Botto , we all inspire each other here on Stage 32., and above the many things I love about this place is the complete absence of toxicity ;)

Thank you so much Jonathan Jordan . Hope to catch up soon, maybe at a Virtual Coffee Hour :)

Asmaa Jamil great to hear that :)

Thanks Amanda Toney ! Good question: preparation goes a long way back in this case. I started professionally in music more than 30 years ago as a Jazz singer, then I got into jazz composition and after that came the conservatory in Italy , followed by private lessons in composition and orchestration, way before I moved to LA and went to MI. Jazz has a special place in my heart, it brings me back to wonderful performing experiences touring Europe in my 20s with some amazing musicians.

A score like this one was on my bucket list since when I attended Chris Walden Masterclass in 2018 and when the opportunity came I jumped onboard! The best part, though, was moving from jazz. to avant-garde: exploring new ways of playing the instruments and pushing their boundaries with those incredible studio musicians was a wonderful treat. And for this, the years and years of study back in Europe and of training assisting other composers here in LA definitely helped. . But there is always more to learn:: this was my first 100% LA recorded score with Union sessions and so I learned a few more things about rules and papers. And, last but not least, I experienced a new way of working with the Director. Being the score experimental, I didn't have finished mock ups for the cues, there are no samples out there , so I searched on the web and showed the Director and Producer the ideas I had from tutorials on how to play those instruments. Finding videos as close as possible to what I had in mind was time consuming, but absolutely worth it. They trusted me all along and today they are thrilled about the final result. Every film is different form the other and there is always to learn, but this one was a great school and being able to think outside the box and follow my instincts freely was truly rewarding! SO grateful for every second and person on this gig. Now looking forward to what the future unfolds for the film and the score :)

No toxic zone, Elena Maro. It's amazing what happens when you bring like-minded, goal oriented people together. You get a collaborative, uplifting community!

Very cool Elena Maro!

Thank you, Nick Phillips . Nice to meet you. How is your 2024 going?

So far so good Elena Maro! Making progress on several fronts after a tough strike year. Trying to stay dry in this LA weather but otherwise no major complaints!

Great to hear, Nick Phillips!