Newsletter #1 - Fantasy is in the air!
Welcome to my very first newsletter! First things first, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for subscribing to this newsletter! It absolutely blows me away that there are some people out there who are interested in hearing about the silly things I get up too.
This newsletter is not going to be super regular, probably every 2-3 months, with the main factor being if I actually have been up to anything interesting! Do please feel free to send through feedback about these posts, I’d love to know what people are enjoying reading about, and when I am waffling on.
Follow The Light - A new fantasy score!
Over the weekend our short film Follow The Light played at the Māoriland festival in Ōtaki! It was an awesome experience, and it was really great seeing the film on the big screen with so many of the cast and crew in the audience!
Despite being a short film writing the music proved to be quite a mammoth project, the film has about 17 minutes of music in it— which is completely ridiculous for a short! Not only is there a lot of music, it was quite complex music. With a shoestring budget, I was tasked with mimicking a Hollywood orchestra, with instructions to make something in the vibe of John William’s Harry Potter score. Luckily I was helped with a few great opportunities to introduce live instruments on a budget:
Our producer and cultural adviser Mere Skerrett offered to contribute the sounds of taonga pūoro and wrote an original karanga for the film. This was an incredible experience working with Mere, and added something unique and special to the score that I couldn’t provide myself.
One of our actors turned out to be quite a talented singer! I was able to tag along to one of our ADR sessions, and actor Emma Katene quickly sang the main leitmotifs, which I was able to incorporate into the score!
I recently have been hiring a cello and teaching myself! With the help of cutting up lots of takes, Melodyne, and lots of reverb I was able to double most of the string lines and make things feel a bit more real.
Overall it was quite an exciting project, and I had a lot of fun making all the music! Do consider checking out the score on Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere else you can find music.
Hudson Hemisphere - A new sci-fi score!
Space cowboys! A time machine! A café romance! I started the year off with a small time travel short film. This 5 minute film, called Hudson Hemisphere, proved to be a fun little project in January. Utilising my acoustic and electric guitars, as well as my new cello I created something quite fun I think.
Renting this cello has really ended up being the best “gear” upgrade I’ve made to my studio in years— It’s funny thinking about an instrument in those terms, but after years of hunting for the best orchestral sample libraries, and trying to find those perfect intimate string sounds, I’ve concluded nothing beats a real instrument… well after it has been pitch corrected, edited, and doubled with other sounds that is!
What’s coming up?
I am currently planning the release of special project; an original work for string quartet in two movements played by members of The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Filmmaker and videographer Luke Ross did a marvellous job on filming the performance, and has created an amazing video.
The work is intended as a reflection on turmoil created in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and is dedicated to my good friend Valeriya Golovina, a Ukrainian filmmaker (and director of Mawhialeo Ote Alowha - Our Love). Val and I have been planning the release together.
So if it’s all completed— how come we haven’t released it yet?
I’m struggling a little bit with working out the best way of releasing and promoting it. I am really hoping that we can do a release that does the work justice, rather than just slapping it on Facebook. However, there don't seem to be any great guides on releasing new ‘classical music’, and I want to take my time to get this release right. If you have any suggestions or advice please don’t hesitate to reach out!
But in the meantime, I can excitedly share that we have found an amazing artwork to accompany the release of the piece. Our album cover was created by Ukrainian illustrator Albina Kolesnichenko, the artwork is titled Light Overcomes Darkness, and depicts a closed fist opening and radiating with light.
I hope to share this music with you soon!
