Westworld S3 Car Chase (2021)
I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to create something for a major Hollywood action scene even though it was merely a part of a contest sponsored by Spitfire Audio and the Westworld showrunners and would never really see the light of day. But what an opportunity!
As I watched the scene, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is pretty intense so let’s go BIG on this.” So I put my Hans Zimmer hat on and went to work. I wanted to really create a sense of the dramatic that amplified the emotions of the main characters and their flight from the bad guys. In order to do that I used pretty much everything I had at my disposal including a large orchestra with TWO string sections, sound effects, digital synths and even some actual analog synthesizers I have lying around. It was a challenge both from a writing perspective as well as the post production mixing but the process was a LOT of fun and the result was something that I felt really fit the action that I was seeing on screen.
Alone In The Dark (2021)
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the film department at Stephen F Austin University and helping the students with their film projects. This particular short film by Calvin Henson captured my attention due to the subject matter: human trafficking which is a real problem here in South Texas. Calvin wanted a very atmospheric feel to the music so I used a lot of pads and strings to create that sense. As I watched the film, I also wanted to give the victim (who incidentally is NOT the main character) a stronger voice so I created a small motif that plays at the beginning and then at various points in the film to keep her anchored to the overall narrative.
Arrival Explained (2020)
Matt is a talented editor with the heart of a philosopher. His YouTube channel “Logos Made Flesh” is all about diving in to the deeper meanings in the films that we see. His episode on the Shawshank Redemption has garnered over 1.9 million views!
Matt asked me to come up with a emotive atmosphere for his episode on the movie “Arrival” drirected by Denis Villeneuve. He also wanted to incorporate the ultra-iconic “Also Sprach Zarathustra” or what is more commonly known as the “2001 Theme”.
Blending in atmospheric pads with the triumphant brass of ASZ was an interesting endeavor as I had to “pad” part of Strauss’s theme with some of my own music to get the timing right.
The music I composed starts at about the 3:30 mark in the video.
Here are some other examples of my work on SoundCloud
This is a cue from Danny Cove’s “Torjen” novel. This cue comes from a scene in the novel where the main characters are on a sailing ship in the middle of the ocean and then realize they are about to fall off the literal edge of the world. Think the Pacific Ocean cut in half and there’s your waterfall. Rather terrifying if you ask me. Anyway, the cue progresses as the characters first realize that the mist they see on the horizon is from the waterfall itself and then escalates as the crew and a possibly half-drunk wizard frantically try to escape. As I was reading this through this scene, I started asking myself what would the End Of The World sound like? I came up with this…
This is a theme for a character from the fantasy novel “Torjen” written by a friend of mine, Danny Cove. The character of Andross is a true noble warrior. He doesn’t have much of a sense of humor as he has had a hard life full of regrets. He is now completely devoted to duty and honor. As I read the book and got to know the character, I started hearing this theme in my head. The military aspect of Andross stands out and is characterized with a euphonium carrying the main melody at first. As the cue progresses, the theme is replayed in a grander way to highlight his important role in the overall Torjen story. Finally the cue culminates in a broader theme that shows his nobility and sacrifice in conquering evil and ends with a mournful callback to the original theme to honor that sacrifice.
A few years ago, I got to experience snowshoeing on Mt. Hood in the Cascade Mountains. It was amazing! As I was picturing the memories in my head, this composition came to mind as an accompanying piece of music that I think captures the whole experience from the tranquility of the forest interior to the wildlife activity to the spectacular views of the mountains.
I was recently challenged to write a moody, atmospheric cue that would fit in a film by David Fincher. Okay, challenge accepted! After doing some research I started thinking about a character who is trapped in a dangerous lifestyle and wants out. And along the way, he discovers he needs to find someone who was taken from him and has to look in some very dreary places…
I relished working on this cue as it was one of the very first cues I ever wrote! I enjoyed being able to blend a little bit of comedy associated with Maddox, Levi’s younger brother, with cop show-like tension. The end result was a combination of SFX, strings, guitars, latin percussion and modern synth rhythmic stuff.