Musical Influences

Deciding the tone for the films score was initially quite difficult as the themes range from comedic to dark and mysterious. In keeping with the contemporary urban setting and light hearted nature of much of the dialogue Christi wanted something upbeat and swanky, ala..

This works for some of the interactions and trip-hop is a good starting point as the slow-tempo beat can be applied to various tones and moods. Trip-hop is universally chilled and often up-beat despite its tempo, however there is still room to create a more sinister ambience within this as mysterious needs require. I also want to create distinct motifs that reflect the nature of each character. Trip-hop has the potential of representing both characters quite well, with the beat and bassier sections reminiscent of the market salesman's wheeler-dealer reality, whilst some of the instrumentation could be representative of the magicians playful and eccentric nature. Some of the jollier influences are as follows

The reggae oriented third track features a prominent bass line with a rhythm that compliments the drum beat and some heavily reverberated sounds. This is the type of orchestration I will try to incorporate into the market salesman's theme and it particularly suits Nick D, the actor playing him.

Surreal comedy Green Wing uses trip-hopesque beats when transitioning between scenes, using camera pans with the characters interactions becoming faster and slower as the speed is ramped accordingly. These interludes gel the bizarre antics of the staff in the same world and compliment the shows offbeat humour. The below clip features an example of such a transition, and it is a device I think will be effective when linking the salesman's mundane and magical worlds.

Whilst these are all fine for the more upbeat elements of our film, there is still the mysterious and more sinister sections surrounding the magician that will need suitable atmospheres creating. The following tracks by Phaeleh are consistent with the contemporary beats previously listed, but feature more exotic instumentation and a more ominous bass line in keeping with the artists dub-step roots.

Phaeleh utilises his classical training to infuse a diverse range of instrumentation with the bass music predominant in modern dance culture at the moment. The result is some relaxing ambient textures with a deep bass and half time beat that can create a multitude of moods depending on the notation used.

I already mentioned this Boards of Canada track as an inspiration for the score on the 2 minute film, it still remains influential in the mysterious and sombre tones it generates through the instrumentation and chord structures.

This song is a better example of the amalgamation of the two characters themes I envision. The intro features a line that evokes a mysterious and crooked character whilst the rest of the song is suitably smooth.

Cliff Martinez' score for the 2002 remake of Solaris creates a haunting and atmospheric world befitting of the dream like manifestations that surround the characters. These atonal melody of these songs is primarily performed on low-pitched bell pads, similar to a xylophone,with reverb applied that gives it an ethereal quality that can at times be both meditative and sinister. Something with tonal shifts like this is very inspirational when trying to conceive a score that conveys several moods and tension levels at different times whilst reflecting the nature of the characters. It is also a little too bleak and desolate however (representative of the character's psychological states) when compared with the world I hope to orchestrate for the magicians.

Although not a huge fan of the films, John Williams' original score for Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (2001) perfectly denotes the sense of wonderment the titular character experiences as he and the audience are introduced into the extraordinary world of magic. I particularly like the first instance of the motif performed on some sort of chimes. There must be something about a glockenspiel that instantly brings magic to mind.