Sunday, June 8, 2008

Hmmmm...

Well, I'm trying to decide - for the "Strange Girls" CD - what to do about the somewhat out of place 'modern' type cues. The film is mostly orchestral music (let's say 65 of the 75 minutes of music is orchestral).

Then there is about 7 to 10 minutes of rock/pop/punk/R & B stuff. Mostly it's short excerpts. Some is diegetic music (meaning a record/CD player or radio playing in the scene, etc.) and a little is non-diegetic, meaning additional underscore. It's mixed in the film's score in various odd places.

There are two full length songs as well, which could be included here, or added to a later release, or both. One is a kind of Indy rock song called "Life Runs Cold" which many people seem to be quite fond of, and another less heartfelt one called "I Don't Know Why", which is kind of an R&B thing. To me it's a parody (or at least a copycat thing), but I don't think it plays that way to other people.

As I do the music master for a CD release, I realize that the order in which the music appears in the film is - in general - the appropriate order for a music release as well. Occasionally I cut or condense something, though.

The way these errant excerpts appear in the film tends to flow is in a way that is intentional. For example I have a very cultured, mannered, powdered-wig type string quartet, followed immediately by an aggressive punk rock vamp. The idea is maximum contrast when married to picture, which is appropriate and effective I think.

On the other hand, I'm starting to think that I have a "Strange Girls Suite" as I listen to it. I'm thinking of, for example, "The Firebird Suite" (apologies to Igor), and maybe the rock/pop/punk/etc. just doesn't belong.

Options:

- Cut it!

- Or I could put the additional cuts on a second CD, but it would only be 10 minutes long, and add cost.

- Or I could just leave it in. Let's face it, Stravinsky's not too worried about me closing in on him. Mahler, on the other hand, better watch out...


Hmmmmm.......

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whenever I am at a loss I think of the profit motive and then all is clear.

Reed Robins said...

Got it....

Throw the master in the trash and start selling real estate....

Well, maybe not...OK sell gasoline.

Come to think of it, there's more money in real estate than in an orchestral recording of music for a film few people have yet seen.

Can you say prestige project?

Of course, this thing's about to blow up!!!, so disregard the previous.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm. Gasoline.