Comparison Of Music

My research of horror music was the prompt of my own composition. I thought it best to post some of my research and my opinions of the sounds.

This is one of the most famous horror themes ever from the film 'The Exorcist'.
The song itself is called 'Tubular Bells' in reference to the instrument playing the
main ostinato and riff. In the key of E and with an irregular time signature of 7/8 and two
bars of 9/8 to every repetition there is a constant feel of displacement with the
audience as a rhythm is one which sometimes arrives in unison but mostly
syncopated with a standard 'human' rhythm. When I state 'human' rhythm it
is in connection to the pace of walking with 2 feet to create a 4/4 beat and the
same applies to heartrate. There is a distinct use of the displaced rhythm as a
metaphor for the inhumane emotionsand actions of the film.
The innocence of the bells' timbre in conjunction with the aleatoric motionis a
vivid clash of connotation perfect for a horror film's psychological impact.

Unaware as to the whole song, only to the leitmotif, when listening further the similarities
to my composition are apparent. The piano's dissonant and atonal movement is mimicked
in my piece only by co-incidence and hopefully the idea of possession
(of which both films highly premisciate on), is directly responsible for the use of this section.

The more contemporary horror films which have inspired me included 'The Ring'.
The main theme in this film is sung by a small child, who is infact the dead girl,
in amore mockingly sadistic way. The use of the hapy lyrics in juxtaposition to
the atonal melody which acutally gradually descends to then be recapitulated
in a circular fashion directly provoked me to use a similar technique but translate
it on the istrumentation and its playing. I used a huge glide factor in the violin samples
I chose creating the rise and fall, almost like waves, in my piece.
The temptation for me was to introduce a small female vocal part in reflection of
our premise but using that would be a predictable device.
In the essence of aleatoric construction I took a recording of a car driving past a
microphone and dmpald it to create and lamost satic sound.
There is a filter and alot of resolution decrease in the final sound to create the
unpredictable 'white noise' which i have swept in the sound field.

LOGGED SHOTS SHOOT TWO

3.35-3.45: PAN 1 YES
3.45-4.03: PAN 2 YES
4.03-4.09: PYLON SHOT NO
4.09-4.51: WALKING TO CAMERA YES
4.51-5.01: BACKWARDS WALKING YES
5.01-5.11: EMPTY SWING YES
5.11-5.35: SOPHIE SWING YES
5.35- 5.47: SOPHIE TREE YES

LOGGED SHOTS SHOOT ONE

1.24-1.59: OTS MIRROR SHOT YES
2.00-2.12: OTS MIRROR SHOT LIPSTICK YES
2.12-2.20: OTS MIRROR SHOT YES
2.22-2.32: CU MIRROR SHOT YES
2.32-2.44: CU MIRROR SHOT YES
2.44-2.51: MIRROR SHOT NO
2.51-3.16: MIRROR SHOT YES
3.16:3.20: MIRROR SHOT MAYBE
3.20-3.25 HAND MIRROR SHOT NO
3.25-3.35: HAND MIRROR SHOT YES
3.35-3.49: CU OF EYE YES
3.49-4.06: BED SHOT MAYBE
4.06-4.19: SIDE OF BED NO
4.19-4.34: BED POLE YES
4.34-4.47: KNEELING SHOT NO
4.47-5.03: CU OF EYES YES
5.03-5.21: CU OF FACE YES
5.21- 5.50: CU OF FACE YES

Music

Cursed | Music Upload

This is the music I composed using logic for out main task. I used ideas prevalent in ambient soundscapes with woven use of samples. The solo piano section has been processed to delay and be distanced in the mix whilst the violin has had the glide increase to create a slightly eastern feel whilst the repetitive motifs are used as a non-progressive structure.

When structuring and replicating the ambient samples of a static-motorized hybrid the issue of volume arose and I had to cut frequencies that has been boosted to an excessive amount and that distorted the sound itself. The panning, or scanner vibrato technique on logic, was introduced by me to add depth to the sound field and widen the stereo horizon to an otherwise standard mix.

Some part of the repetition that I used was influenced by Steve Reich. The irregular time signature of the piece and the phaser used added overtones and dissonance which mimics the human scream in a subtle manor. The human scream would be a good sample to use but to obvious and form modern films like, Saw and the Ring screams are savored for the moments of a dramatic murder or the instances of the big reveal. The suggestion in this instance would have been unnecessary and too cliché.

There is a definite variation in dynamics with a constant wave like flow of forte to piano in a rhetorical and repetitive crescendo and diminuendo. The rhythm would be contemplative of a changing tide and fearful grace in which a victim may move. The supzerforxando at around 2.15 is an indicator of pace and release for the characters.