week 3

This week we started working on the next brief, film and TV. We were introduced to underscoring and orchestration, working with a cello in class. We learnt different bowing and plucking techniques, and my personal favourite was bowing slowly and close to the bridge of the cello, as it created a strange flanger-esque sound similar to the effect. It also sounded much thinner and scratchier, which would be perfect for dark and sinister scores.

We watched a scene from ‘no country for old men’ and dicussed the pacing of the scene and the crucial moments within it. This idea of momentum and build up to moments of importance in scenes was really helpful in my perception of sound tracking. I plan to use this idea of build up and release of tension in my scoring work for the scene I chose, from ‘under the skin’.

I started my composition for the scene by picking the key hit points and momentum/mood changes throughout. The woods seemed claustrophobic and ominous so I wanted something more sinister, whereas the road was a safer open space, so I wanted something lighter. I worked with the full orchestra that logic offers, a bass, a cello, a viola and 2 violins as well as a timpani. I decided for the start of the scene I was going to have the low timpani and bass driving it forwards, as this created the claustrophobic eerie atmosphere I wanted. When the woman starts running, screech violins enter and the tempo gradually increases, to reflect the frantic nature of her actions. I think so far this works as it captures the tone of the scene I believe.

While discussing orchestration, Oliver showed me the sound of a bowed cymbal, which was a sound in was very interested in and might try and slip into this scene somewhere.