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Periodically I like to fill anyone reading in on the current projects I’m working.  Right now, there is an eclectic mix of film, trailer, and theater.

The Peregrine Sonata

The Peregrine Sonata is a play written by Seattle’s Amanda Aikman and directed by Douglas Staley.  The story revolves around several women whose lives eventually merge together in an interesting story.  One of the main characters is a composer, and I was hired to write all the music that she writes.  She gets commissioned to write a mass for global warming, and the audience hears the music in her head as she writes it.  Later on, she writes a piece of music inspired by a family of Peregrine falcons.

This is a really fun and different project to work on.  Since a play is somewhat non-linear in nature (it goes at whatever pace the actors go), I have no hit points I need to synch to. This really frees me up to write the kind of music I want to write, within the limitations of the character I’m writing for.  Here is a rough draft of the Peregrine Sonata itself.  The play runs from January 13 to January 15 with five shows.  If you find yourself in the Seattle area, check it out!

Free Box Frank

I am about to start/finish work on a trailer for Portland film Free Box Frank, written and directed by Sean Rawls.  Sean and I have worked on several projects before, and I feel very comfortable with our artistic relationship.  The trailer centers around a man, presumably named Frank.  The trailer shows he is somewhat of an urban hero:

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A mysterious villian is revealed:

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And Frank reveals that he is not simply and urban hero, he might be an urban SUPERhero:

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The trailer culminates with Frank flying into what we assume is the bad guy’s building:

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These are very good special effects for an indie trailer, and the whole thing itself is very well shot, edited, and color-corrected.  It has been temped with music from The Dark Knight, so I definitely have my work cut out for me!

228

228 is a feature film turned web series, with a new episode premiering every Tuesday.  It is based on a blog started by a man on the day he was diagnosed with HIV.  It is a gripping and emotional story, told through the lens of two parallel story lines.  My writing partner Tyler Westen and I had scored it as a feature film and are now returning to alter the cues to suit a webisodic presentation.

DBX 1066

I will often ask directors to make a tangible and mutually beneficial investment in the sonic quality of the music I give them.  Good line, right?  It’s very true and is how I have acquired most of my gear.  Two of these directors are helping buy most of a high-quality outboard compressor, the DBX 1066.

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This will allow me to compress any audio signal (both live and masters) better than any digital compression.  It will help me match the acoustical environment of a live orchestra for Peregrine Sonata, and help me have a prayer of pretending to try to match the production quality of The Dark Knight music in Free Box Frank.