Progressions of Thought

The past week's efforts were dedicated mostly to creating a track for the opening sequence of Relentless. This portion of the film was the inspiration for my last post, regarding the need to let go of (or set aside) ideas which didn't quite fit the mood or style. The main issue with the original was the separation of music and video. Without seeing James' vision in film, I brought myself to envision a sequence based on my track. This is quite backward from the standard process, so the fact of it being mismatched comes without too much surprise.

Earlier this week I started another arrangement, which seemed quite suiting. I played it back numerous times and managed to get it ingrained into my mind. Upon extending I managed to create another theme inside of this new theme. A theme which felt stronger and much more fitting. After sleeping on it, I played it all back the next day. My mind just gravitated to this new theme, making the original feel lackluster.

The last couple of nights I set out to extend upon this single theme idea. The ideas were racing in my head, at points moving so quickly I wasn't quite sure how to put them down. Thankfully the late night session on Saturday produced an arrangement I can truly stand by.

Looking back at the progression, if I hadn't recognized and accepted the issues and persisted despite them, I would have never created this new piece, which I truly look forward to sharing with you all in due time.

So this may very well mark the end of the first chapter with the scoring of Relentless. Next up: finding voices for the leading ladies.

Letting Go

What happens when the idea in your head, which has grown and evolved so perfectly over time, doesn't quite match the tone and/or emotion upon culmination of a scene? How long do you continue to tweak and rework an idea to try and salvage this image you have known and loved for so long? When is the time to let go? Based on recent experience, I have found the answer might just be ASAP.

I'm sure that any artist out there will agree that it is hard to not become emotionally attached to our work. To us, these creations are so much more than a form of audio or visual media, they are products of time, thought and passion. In many ways they can define who we are.

...but, collaboration can be more about give than take, especially when your involvement is to emphasize something which already exists. If you end up detracting from the emotion or injecting a conflicting one, the audience will end up feeling put off or confused. Neither of these results are generally desired.

So, when it comes down to spending hours trying to mangle a great idea into something it totally is not and probably never will be, just remember, we are the only ones keeping ourselves from making something even better.

Shifting Focus

Somewhere along the line my view of this blog shifted from my original intention. I meant for this place to be more of an inside view into my work as a composer and songwriter, but it has transitioned to feel more like a monthly newsletter. I believe it's about time to get back to my plan as there is so much more going on than it would seem.