In my video series “Anatomy of a Cue,” I dissect different films that I have scored. I expound upon how the main musical theme or idea was birthed, the thought process behind it, the choices of instrumentation and arranging taken, to how these creative choices helped craft and propel the narrative. I hope you enjoy them, and find them helpful.
In this Anatomy of a Cue, we take a look at the Aliyah Project, a documentary film where dance and music help tell the stories of persecution from Ukrainian Jews. I discuss how I used music theory to accentuate the lyrics of a traditional Ukrainian poem, as well as how I created the score for the entire project from a script and movement drawings from the choreographer.
For this Anatomy of a Cue, we are taking a look at a short comedy film entitled "Jackill." This project was all about world building. It was primarily VO as the main storytelling element, so the music's tone and direction was even more crucial to execute. I discuss my approach, as well as the wins and pitfalls that came from it, and how we overcame the challenges that were laid before us.
For this Anatomy of a Cue, we are taking a look at a period piece film entitled "Andrew's Letter." This project was not only shot on 35 mm, but the music was written by hand, and the final score was all real instrumentation, not synthetic or a midi re-creation. I discuss my approach to taking on a project like this.
In this video, I do a deep dive into a few cues from a PBS documentary that I scored. I talk about the instruments behind the score by recreating signature sounds from the film, to my overall approach to writing music for a documentary film.
In this video, we take a look at a narrative suspense/thriller short film entitled "Tough." I discuss the difficulties of working on a tight deadline with a director on the opposite side of the world and the and the challenges of working remotely.
In this video, I do a deep dive into the creation of a cue -- outlining my process from script breakdown to cue completion, with a detailed overview of the instruments and gear employed. Each sound composed through this process is meant to elevate the story and bring it to its intended fruition.