01
THE MUSIC
Patriotic. Thought-Provoking. Identifiable.
The music of this film is primarily used for transitions and landmarks for the viewer. By using period pieces in addition to Burke's original compositions, the music for this film is used in various capacities.
Patriotic numbers like "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "America the Beautiful" are used as a reminder of Burke's importance to the United States' philosophical history. Further, Burke was born the year that "Stars and Stripes Forever" was written.
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His own composition is used as thought-provokers and an invitation into his own psyche, much like his writings were.
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Lastly, standards like "Old Grey Mare", "In the Pines", and other American Songbook pieces are used as identifiable pieces to create a sense of contextual understanding in the viewer. Additionally, these fall into the public domain, making them an good fit for this project and its budget.
03
THE PROCESS
Record. Mix. Integrate.
The creative process for the soundtrack of this film started with planning. Through meetings and correspondence with the rest of the film team I was able to understand the creative direction and goals of the project.
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After agreeing on the groupings of musical pieces with the film team, I went through and chose appropriate pieces and booked talent. I also searched through sound effects from the effect library once given the script in order to create those soundscapes.
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Recording was done in a manner to create an ambient yet crisp acoustic space. This was achieved through both close and room miking as well as artificial reverberation in the mix process.
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Mixing was conducted in order to achieve an airy but distinctive sound while the narration and each of the songs was placed in the same reverberant room for consistency. "In the Pines" was mixed in a way to mimic an old recording reminiscent of Ralph Stanley's 1941 version.
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Finally, individual songs were exported then integrated into the final soundtrack with narration and sound effects.
02
THE SOUNDS
Descriptive. Layered. Distinct.
Sound effects were an integral part of this film's soundscape. By utilizing various effects, the narration was brought to life. These depictions allowed the viewer to better understand the narrative context and acted both as transitions and animation of the narrative.
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Effects like high school hallways or city ambience were used to place the narrative into a new space and allow for the transportation of the viewer without the need for visual cues. To further illustrate these spaces, effects were layered to create new contexts in which the narrative lines would lay.
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Effects like the typewriter reaching the end of a line were used to indicate the end of an idea and begin a transition to a new one.
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All of the sound spaces were crafted in a way to maintain each sound's integrity. This distinction allows for the listener to both identify the sound scape and identify with it, creating a new level of engagement.