The Search for Soundtrack

Well, it was evident that we didn’t want the film to be without music and we weren’t going to be making the soundtrack in the film ourselves, so I took it upon myself to begin the search for the music we would use.

These posts have become pretty backed up thanks to the rush to produce the films and I haven’t seen an opening to post about the music, so why not now. This was, of course, settled a little while ago, but it’s better to talk about it now than never, especially since Ben in currently editing the film. As stated in the previous post, Katelyn and I gave him the flash drive with all of the clips to edit them together in Son Vegas Pro 13, as described in my post “Technology (in General).”

We’re currently on Spring Break and won’t be able to meet due to conflicting schedules, meaning that the editing is mainly left up to him for a while. So I thought that since I wouldn’t be directly interacting with the opening for a while, it was a better time than any to catch up on some details that were previously skimmed over.

When dividing roles when creating the group at the beginning of the year, I was quick to call creating and finding the sound that we would use for the film opening. Having taken band for all three years of middle school, I was very familiar with the sharps and flats, the crescendos and decrescendos of music and how they affected listeners. I felt that I would be able to have a keen ear for the music we should use and be able to pair it up with the feel that we were trying to achieve in the film opening.

I immediately searched horror type music and listened to all kinds of creepy melodies created by synths and sound effects that created an image in the minds of the listeners and sent a chill down their spine. It had to be instrumental, that I was sure of. The issues that I began to have with the “horror music” that I was searching for, was that it didn’t fit the feel of what we were projected for out opening.

Songs like this one were better suited for traversing through the forest at night, with a stalker following the protagonist. These songs were better at making the audience fear the protagonist’s current situation.

This was not the goal of our film opening. We wanted to have Lionel’s awake in the hospital confused at his surroundings, unbeknownst to him that he is being followed the entire time. The protagonist was not planned to be feeling fear at all throughout the opening, instead a sense of confusion and melancholy. A more somber melody with creepy undertones was what I was looking for.

That’s when I found Lucas King.

A talented pianist that uploaded all sorts of piano pieces to his YouTube channel, from depressing to downright terrifying, King’s songs played within a range that I could pick from that might our film.

He had so many good pieces. Sometimes, I was tempted to use a song that he had made simply because I enjoyed it, but had to reign myself in and remind myself what I was looking for.

After searching through his impressive collection of songs, I finally settled upon three that were especially striking. From the Dark Piano series: Deranged, Liar and Psycho.

These were all very similar, but very different at the same time if you listened closely. They all told different stories.

Of course, the one that you didn’t have to listen all that closely to was “Deranged,” which is the loudest and fits its title to best, with its erratic chords and harsh notes. This had a certain appeal and subtly fit with our protagonist, Lionel’s, current state of mind. However, it didn’t fit well enough.

Although, after presenting the three options to my group members two of them said that they like the song “Deranged” best, after a while I felt that it somewhat clashed with the plan for the title sequence. All of our scares and spooks were planned to be subtle and Lionel’s demeanor stoic. I felt that a harsh, violent soundtrack behind this scene would be unintentionally jarring and confusing for viewers. I decided against this choice.

“Liar” was next. It was the first song that I had found and what put me on the “Dark Piano” track in the first place. It had so many interesting notes and tunes that were soft and subtle, yet poignant. I felt that this playing softly in the background would help portray the struggle within the protagonist – somber, yet desperate for answers. This was what I had initially hoped for us to put in out title sequence, until practicality clashed with creativity.

There weren’t enough lulls in the song to sustain any transitions should we plan to cut the song and play it again at a different interval that fits better with a different section. There were many pieces in this song too that clashed with the somber tone of the opening. In the end, though, I simply didn’t think it fit as well as “Psycho.”

“Psycho” was the last song I found and it surprised me how much I liked it. I at first thought it was boring, having been presented with the harsh tune of “Deranged” and many intriguing sharps and flats of “Liar.” It was also very long and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to listen to 17 minutes of the song in its entirety. Nonetheless, once I started listening intently, I unconsciously listened to the song all the way through.

There was even more subtlety than that of “Liar,” possessing small changes in tune and key that was sometimes a smooth transition, like a wave, and other time jarring, like a rollercoaster. These changes embodied that of the psyche of a psychopath, constantly changing, nearly inscrutable. And to top it all off, the song still held a somber and soft tone with creepy undertones, like a brewing storm; calm and quiet, although we know it is a facade, and that something mysterious and dangerous is lying beneath. Something that the person may not even be able to uncover themselves.

I felt that this fit perfectly with not only the feel of our opening, but also the story. I discussed this adamantly with my group. We will be using “Psycho” in our opening, and although I doubt that all that I felt when listening to the song can be felt in the few seconds that we might play the song, I know that it’s a perfect fit.