Drama: "A Summer in Winterbury"
John Romanos wrote and directed this stunning film about an elderly stranger who arrives at an isolated farm town with a brutal past. Will his lost memories be the key to the town's redemption, or drive them further into despair? The film serves as an allegory, examining when it is morally right to seek revenge.
You can read my blog post about how I scored the film to maintain a subliminal sense of unity, with a somber tone throughout. There is an sense of foreboding and despair, sprinkled with bits of mild humor. It was enjoyable to repeat the main melody, transforming a simple rhythmic motif the to fit the mood of each scene. I also added some of the sound effects that emphasize surprising points in the story.
Drama: "The Shelter in the Room"
Max Moreira Salazar wrote and directed this beautiful, poignant short film. A young orphaned girl interacts with her therapist.
Short Drama: "Confini" (Borders)
Andreea Albu, Anna Audrien, and Anastasiya Zharkoy produced, and Anna Succol directed this beautiful, tearful film about a young woman with an unwanted pregnancy. In this story, abortions are illegal. She is torn by her lack of choices.
The music I composed for this film is for string quintet; it reflects the sad, dark, and tormented emotions of the young woman. I also composed the song My Liberty toward the end of the film.
"In the Name of God" recently won a "Best Music" award from the Screen Power Film Festival
Supernatural Morality Story: "In the Name of God"
Stephen Noorshargh and Sulymaan Hameed, of G22 Studios, directed a short film, In the Name of God. In this story, a pious woodcutter learns of a group of heathens who worship a tree. Intending to cut down the tree, the devil intervenes. The film is wonderfully atmospheric, and evokes a story from a distant time and place.
Stephen and Sully asked me to compose an evocative film score, with exotic music that would help set the stage for the story. They developed a film that may someday become a short-film classic. The film has already won an award on the film festival circuit!
Activist Documentary: "Cutting Corners" (Trailer)
Jason Sherman, of Delphia Entertainment, has made several award-winning feature-length documentary films about Philadelphia. His newest film, "Cutting Corners", documents the tragedies that befall neighbors and communities, when unscrupulous developers demolish and build structures in the city. These contractors have no regard for the lives they disrupt, the suffering they cause, or the welfare of the communities.
This short trailer gives an idea of what the film is about. I composed the music score for this film, primarily in an electronic genre.
"Cutting Corners" recently won a "Best Documentary Feature" award from Pinnacle Film Awards.
Dramedy: "Gone Fishing"
Jonathan Hawes, of One Door Films, is a serious filmmaker who is steadily building up a number of credits to his name. "Gone Fishing" is a striking film about a young journalist who is assigned to a story about an old fisherman. The journalist assumes that his weekend will be boring while working on this "fluff" piece. He is about to find out differently.
The music score that I composed for this film is minimalistic. The mood and style of each cue mirrors the personalities of each of the three characters; the intimidating fisherman, the gentle journalist, and his arrogant boss. By the way, this film received a glowing review from Midlands Movies.
Dramatic Documentary: "Listen to Britain"
Stephen Noorshargh of G22 Studios directed this beautiful documentary film about people who immigrate to Great Britain. With so many people moving around the globe for many reasons, the themes about assimilation, racial bigotry and social activism are universal.
Dramedy: "Small Talk"
This short film was produced and directed by Alan Wood of Milepost 42 Films, and written by Jake Teeny . It is a dramedy, meaning, a combination of drama and comedy. If anything, it leans toward the side of comedy. A writer is invited to his agent’s home for dinner — under false pretenses! It turns out to be a blind date with a school teacher. And the writer is upset and keeps putting his foot in his mouth! I had a lot of fun composing the music score for this film. I chose an upbeat jazz-trio style; piano, bass and drums. The music in the introduction sets the tone for the film, giving the viewer some expectations for what to expect.
Drama: "The Best Gift"
“The Best Gift” is a lovely short film written and directed by Joshua Pitney. This film contains a strong message about conquering self-doubt and overcoming one’s obstacles in life. The film is about a high school senior who is auditioning for various college drama programs. The problem is that he is autistic, and becomes very nervous, finding it difficult to get all the way through the audition without breaking down.
A full description of the technical aspects of composing the score can be found in my blog post.
