Soundtracks and soundscapes

This award-winning commercial emphasizes Miles Davis's famous quote, "It's the notes you don't play." The visuals and overall tone of this commercial highlight the quietude of the woods. While collaborating with the director, we decided the music would be played blithely on a single ukulele as if it were a part of the character's stroll through the woods. While this is an example of minimal audio, the restraint shown is a necessary part of mature and professional collaboration - allowing the music to accompany the visuals rather than compete with them.

The owners of Legacy Wine and Spirits had a clear vision for their commercial's music. This led to more in-depth and nuanced conversations with the client about what in particular they liked about the songs that inspired them. While clients may not know music vocabulary, I like to break down the music-making process and ensure a strong rapport of communal understanding.

As the short film "Sacred Hearts, Holy Souls" is about the hyjinks of two Catholic school students, I wanted to blend its youthful characters with the austere environment. Taking the Latin lyrics from the Catholic service of benediction, I modified the melody to sing over an uptempo, repetitive piano. This combination creates a boisterous sense of joy that supports the fun and feel-good nature of the trailer.

When marketing their new lineup of films for the year, Splice Microcinema was looking for a cool, sleek sound to accompany shots from their many titles. Due to the quick pacing of the cuts and short length of the teaser, the music repeats the melody as often as the many titles and images are shown. Further, the early 20th century selection allowed me to showcase playing more classical instruments like the clarinet.

Recording an entire soundtrack took constant communication with the director on tonality, length, and even placement of choruses and breaks to align with visual cuts. All songs also required sounding like they were written, recorded, and produced by a variety of artists. I collaborated with multiple singers over the process to ensure each song sounded distinct while also consistent enough to be played at the same dance club.