Days in the Life of a Film Composer

This is supremely cool. Chris Garcia, the film critic at the Austin-American Statesman, listed ARTOIS THE GOAT (2009) as one of the ten must-see movies at SXSW this year.

Never in my career have I read hype or buzz about a film that I am a part of much less a film that I am in fact still scoring! It's a tad bittersweet. Cool, yes. But damn, could there be any more pressure?

Click here to check out the article.

Wow! I've really made a lot of progress during the last two weeks. I wish I was able to keep up with the blog on a more frequent basis so I can document more of the details of my progress. A lot of tasks are behind me. Cues have been written, scores and parts transcribed, tracks recorded and edited, cues mixed, mastered and bounced for delivery. It's like a never-ending revolving door....or a dozen of them rather where tasks keep flowing in. I'm marking a lot of the checklist and the end is definitely in sight.

We've got about ten days to go. The film is getting transferred on March 6th. Whatever state the film is in on the 6th is the film that everyone will see. It'll be a jam packed ten days for me but I think I'm on track to finish up without sacrificing too much attention where it is needed.

Right now I'm listening to Matt mix everything as I've been approving mixes all night while intermittently working on the small batch of cues that remain to be written. I probably have less than ten minutes to write. Really, I'm not quite sure. How then am I certain I'll finish in time?

Hmm, good question.

The schedule for SXSW has been released and the dates and times are set for the three screenings of ARTOIS THE GOAT (2009) (which I am still currently working on...yikes!).

If you're attending SXSW or reside in Austin please be sure to check out this film. You will not be disappointed. It's one of the very best films I've had the privilege to work on in my ten year career.

SXSW badge holders will get priority seating at which any available seats can be purchased at the door.

Here is the schedule:

Sunday, March 15th - 1:00 PM at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz (WORLD PREMIERE)
Monday, March 16th - 5:00 PM at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
Friday, March 20th - 7:00 PM at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz

I will be attending all three screenings so I hope to see you there (...assuming I finish the score).

Also, be sure to check out the new web site at www.artoisthegoat.com

A couple of days ago I wrote that QUARTER TO NOON (2008) was going to be screening in Dallas as part of the Fourth Annual Women in Film and Television International Showcase. This is true but I just recently learned that it's a little bit bigger deal than I originally thought.

The inclusion of QUARTER TO NOON in this particualr showcase will actually send it on a worldwide tour playing in cities across the globe. There are two versions of the program. There is a 90 minute cut and a 75 minute cut. QTN will be featured in both.

Here is an excerpt from the original press release:

Celebrating International Women’s Day, this elite selection of female film talent will be screened in over 15 cities worldwide and will feature short films culled from over 40 finalist selections submitted by our international members and Film Festival Partners. There are currently 182 events planned from over 18 different countries to mark this March 8th occasion.

"On behalf of WIFTI's International Board of Directors and all WIF Chapters participating, I am pleased to announce this year's official selection of short films. We are honored to be showcasing the work of nine exceptionally gifted international directors from four countries. We look forward to marking International Women's Day with audiences across three continents, highlighting the strength of our network and celebrating the filmmaking talents of women worldwide." comments Kimberly Skyrme, Producer of Women in Film and Television’s International’s Short Film Showcase.

“This is one of my favorite events of the year!” exclaims Eileen Hoeter of Vancouver, Canada, current Chair of Women in Film and Television International. “For 25 years, I have been involved in an International Women’s Day celebration, and in all my years nothing matches the vitality of attending the WIFTI Showcase. This is WIFTI's fourth year producing the Showcase and it is always an unbelievable event! It’s truly inspiring to think that women around the world are watching films by women, all together on the same day.”
Women in Film Chapters are participating in China, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and 12 cities throughout the U.S. The two program options are listed below with details about the films showcased in each. For more details visit. www.WIFTI.org.

And here are the cities and dates in which the showcase will be screened:

WEDNESDAY, March 4th, 2009
Orlando, Florida, United States of America

THURSDAY, MARCH 5th, 2009
New York, New York, United States of America
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

SATURDAY, MARCH 7th, 2009
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Sidney, Australia

SUNDAY, MARCH 8th, 2009
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Dallas, Texas, United States of America
Hong Kong, China
Houston, Texas, United States of America
Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Palm Springs, California, United States of America
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Wellington, New Zealand

MONDAY, MARCH 9th, 2009
Atlanta, Georgia, United States if America
Auckland, New Zealand
Stockholm, Sweden
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TUESDAY, MARCH 10th, 2009
Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Washington DC, United States of America


This is very cool! It looks like I'll be attending the screening in Houston on March 8th. Kat is going to try and join me but she has some flight arrangements from NYC she has to reschedule. When I first heard about it I didn't realize how big of a deal this really was. This is a big honor and I'm very proud to have our little short represented in the showcase.

It's interesting because I'll be far more excited attending the screening and giving a Q&A as the editor than as the composer. It's not that I'm not proud of my score. It's just that QTN represents my first real endeavor at editing and while the scoring was relatively "easy" the editing pretty much kicked my butt.

It's nice to have this little film get some big attention. Kat really deserves it.

I just found out today that I am the recipient of the 2009 Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Film Music by the Park City Film Music Festival. I had four films screen there in January which collectively garnered this special award. This is the only film festival in America focusing solely on the achievements of music in film.

The four films that screened were:

COWBOY SMOKE (2008) - feature film
THE BAREFOOT BULL RIDER (2007) - short film
THE DREAMER (2008) - short films
QUARTER TO NOON (2008) - short film

Thank you Park City Film Music Festival! It's truly an honor.

I just got word that QUARTER TO NOON (2008) will be screening at the Women in Film International Showcase in Addison, Texas just outside of Dallas on Sunday, March 8th, 2009. This film was directed by Kat Candler which I edited and composed the score.

The film will screen along with a collection of other shorts at 5:00PM on March 8th, 2009, at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison, Texas.

I have approximately three weeks to go on the ARTOIS THE GOAT (2009) score. It's going very well and it's really starting to take its shape. I've written more than half the cues, I've started recorded some of the tracks, lyrics are getting written, tracks cut and edited...it's really coming along.

Here's where I'm at right now:

Composed cues:

ART-M01 "Prelude de fromage"
ART-M05 "Bonjour Artois"
ART-M06 "They're Watching Me"
ART-M08 "The Chévre d'Eva"
ART-M09 "In Underwear"
ART-M10 "The First Cheese I Made Myself"
ART-M11 "First Strange Dream"
ART-M12 "This is Mine"
ART-M13 "The Farmstead"
ART-M14 "Approaching the Cabin"
ART-M16 "Second Strange Dream"
ART-M17 "I Created It"
ART-M22 "Au Revoir Artois"
ART-M26 "Artois From Above"
ART-M27 "Looking for Artois"
ART-M32 "Untitled Song"
ART-M33 "Pourtant, tu me disais" (End Credits Song)

Cues in progress:

ART-M02 "Day to Day"
ART-M17 "I Created It"
ART-M19 "Angie Returns"

This past Sunday Mike Maddux came over and we started recording accordion tracks. We recorded the two accordion parts for ART-M01 and the single accordion parts for ART-M06, ART-M09, ART-M27. They're all edited and ready for mixing. I've also recorded piano on the few cues where I am playing the piano parts and also recorded the harp and harpsichord parts which were sampled for cues ART-M01, ART-M05, ART-M06, ART-M19, ART-M22, and ART-M27.



Matt has uploaded tracks for the end credits song "Pourtant, tu me disais" which Olivier recently wrote some amazing lyrics (in French) for. I don't even speak the language but the words are already sticking in my head.

We took away one of my cues, ART-M03, which is the riding-on-the-moped scene. We decided to use one of Olivier's songs there. It's a nice little jazzy waltz that fits the film perfectly. Olivier's group, Paris '49, specializes in the great guitar/tenor sax Parisian sound famous in the '30's and 40's. We were hoping to get that sound somewhere in the film and this was a great spot for it.

We also added a new cue to my list that we didn't originally spot before. This is ART-M34 "Flavor 242-40."

I should be recording the bassoon parts soon and I've already got a recording session scheduled at KMFA's recording studio where I'm going to record all of the cello and piano music for the film. I have to do it there because I don't have a real piano in my studio to record. I can't wait to get this music in the can. It's by far the most virtuosic film music I have ever written. I've joked that there are more notes in that one cue (ART-M10) than I have probably used in entire scores. It's not much of a joke, really.

So it's really coming together. All the parts are starting to fall into place. Aside from finishing up everything that I have listed already I still have the following cues to write.

ART-M04 "I Know People"
ART-M07 "Flyer Vandal"
ART-M34 "Flavor 242-40"
ART-M15 "Bassett Hounds"
ART-M18 "It Is Complete"
ART-M20 "Engagement Ring"
ART-M21 "Burying the Cheese"
ART-M23 "Virgil's New Life"
ART-M24 "Fake Cheese"
ART-M25 "The Chévre d'Eva Escapes"
ART-M28 "The Blackberry Chévre"
ART-M29 "Buried Treasure"
ART-M30 "The Chévre d'Artois"
ART-M31 "And It Is Good"



That looks like a lot...and it is. But most of those cues are shorter more transitional pieces. About half of these won't have any live instruments either which is why I've been saving these for the end. There's still a handful there I need to wrap up within the next week or two so I can get the parts recorded and off to Matt for mixing. I don't want a mountain of cues to mix a few days before the score is due.

That's about it right now. The schedule for SXSW should be announced on Friday. Stay tuned for the details. I'm really getting excited about the premiere. I don't think I've had to work so closely to a screening deadline. Usually I work then have to wait for the screening. Not so in this case. The benefits will be reaped immediately.

Now back to work...

Horray!! The lineup for the 2009 SXSW Film Festival was announced yesterday and ARTOIS THE GOAT is an official selection in their narrative feature competition. This is big news for me. It'll mark my first feature film to screen at this prestigious festival. I've had a few shorts screen here and there but never a feature.

The schedule will be announced later this week. We're all hoping for a good day and time slot. Regardless, it'll be an amazing premiere and I can't wait to go.

More details coming soon.

Now I have to get back to composing the score...