Title: April Blog: Score for "The 39 Steps" Clip
Audio by Timothy from London | in writing, non-fiction, blogs
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The attached audio clip is a piece of music which I composed as a preliminary exercise to a two-day film-composing course which I undertook as part of the screenskills bursary this month. It is a score for a three minute clip from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's 2008 adaptation of John Buchan's novel "The 39 Steps". In the music I try to convey the suspense and urgency of the action on screen as the protagonist escapes from a hotel before later jumping onto a moving train. It was fantastically helpful to get feedback on the piece from top industry composer, Simon Whiteside - tutor to Joe (fellow screenskills composer) and I for the course - who over the two days helped me to improve my knowledge of and ability in screen composition. What I particularly developed was the understanding that music enhances the sense of time, setting, character, and themes in a film, as well as simply the emotion and mood of the piece, as I had previously assumed. This understanding has helped me to realise that a film composer can be influenced by a number of different aspects of the on-screen presentation and development, and I really look forward to putting it into practice in future compositions. Elsewhere on the course I learnt about Film music history, with in-depth studies of the style and methods of some of the most influential composers such as Bernard Herrmann and John Williams, the aesthetics of film composition, and the technological know-how invaluable for a professional screen composer, especially for the efficient exchange of ideas and feedback between composer and director. The course as a whole gave me an insight into all aspects of the compositional side of the film industry, from technological and creative aspects, to logistical necessities such as the most important relationships to maintain, and the speed of work expected. It has shown me what it takes to become a professional film and television composer, and has been a huge help in developing my ability to get there.
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