Production Blog: A Musical Miracle

    "Cello" there! I have finally returned after a four-week hiatus and my group and I are happy to "chime" in and announce that we are back on "track!"  I have some very exciting news to share, I honestly couldn't believe it when I received the message. Back in January, I was listening to a recommended Spotify-produced playlist, when an absolute melodic masterpiece graced my ears. Immediately, I reached out to my teammates and shared my discovery with them. It was a lesser-known remastering of an earlier version of the same song, except this time fitted with slower pacing. Said single dropped under the name "metamorphosis" and was created by Jayomi, a talented duo that first started releasing music back in 2019. Using a bit of forethought and referencing earlier ideas we had for scenes, I realized that the song would be perfect for the conclusion of our short film since its beat coincided with the diegetic sounds that would be playing at the time, such as knocking and that of police activity. I must "note" that prior to even considering searching through copyrighted music, my partners and I had come to the consensus that we should rely on royalty-free music and sound effects. This had come from past experiences that I had when reaching out to music artists last year and receiving no response. Part of me did not want to narrow down our options, especially because, more often than not, royalty-free music does not meet our specific criteria for the film due to its genericness, but maintaining a pragmatic mindset, I decided that would be the best option to ensure the success of producing a short film in a timely manner. However, when I came across that song, I was immediately drawn to it and figured asking for the rights to use it in our featurette was worth a shot. Not wasting a "beat," I then reached out to my fellow group members and they loved the song! Images taken to document the process of contacting the duo can be found below.

The image above is that of the website, bandcamp, along with the information I needed to provide.

The image above is a record of the complete message I sent to Jayomi, as well as the response I received.

    What followed next can only be described as having occurred because of luck, chance, or simply the fact that the duo was not mainstream, because I actually received a reply, and a near-instantaneous one at that (fifteen minutes)! Perhaps if we enter our film into any competitions, we will be able to help publicize the talented group and have them reach success alongside ourselves. 

    Now, while acquiring that song did take care of one of my team's non-diegetic sound needs for the end of the film, the necessity for background music throughout the rest of the short still remained. I am quite lucky to be working with the other candidates that are currently in my group, especially since one of them is musically talented. Said teammate's skill with a variety of instruments has given my group and I the possibility of having our own score composed for the short film. She was considering working with a guitar and piano (two of the instruments she is the most familiar with), as well as splicing in the sounds of a clock ticking to really sell the main concept of the limited time the primary subject has in our film before they are forced to essentially start from scratch every day. For the rest of our sound needs, my group and I will always have the option of deferring to royalty-free choices. When it comes to sound effects, it is quite likely that most of them will be produced by the team depending on our access to objects that are capable of producing the noises we require. With this comes my recommendation of creating Foley sound in the post-production phase, specifically for the scene in which the subject's partner sustains a deadly injury. As mentioned in a previous blog, my fellow candidates and I are primarily concerned with the safety of the team and any additional individuals involved when we film. Hence, since no one will actually be receiving such a severe injury for the sake of creating the corresponding sound effect, I find that resorting to the usage of Foley sounds is the best option. The particular sound we are aiming for could possibly be achieved through the hitting of a wet leather towel or perhaps the smashing of a gourd, taking somewhat familiar noises and putting them into a different context to achieve an entirely new purpose, but, of course, each option will need to be explored when it comes time to do so.

 

    It's been a "minuet" since I've had to put my music puns into practice, so I hope the ones I've scattered through my blog didn't fall "flat!" Now that I've gotten you back into the "rhythm" of things, I think it's time to give my puns a "rest." To close things off I'd like to say that when I received that reply from Jayomi, it sure was my "luck day(!)" (Judy Garland 1956).