We (artists) often share musical/lyrical thoughts as a way to describe feelings about a particular story that moves us. It allows us to describe, what at times, feels indescribable with ordinary ole words.
A while back, Ross Partridge, our verbally attached lead male in LIS, shared with me the song Home, by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. More recently, my friend Natalie said that, "The Sound of Sunshine" by Michael Franti and Spearhead made her think of LIS, too. Reiterating to me, just how important music is to everything we do, especially film.
For the last few weeks, I've been working on a (untitled) documentary that's turning out to really inspire me. When I was cutting the little trailer together, a definitive mood didn't really spill over me, until I began searching for music.
With Lost In Sunshine, music has (already!) moved me so much. Doug Burr's "In The Garden," Larissa Ness' LIS theme song, "Lost In Sunshine" and Cadenced Haven's ambient beats have given me chills, and created an even deeper enthusiasm for the time I can actually consider, with the help of my score master, Ari, and music supervisor, Laura, the perfect music for LIS.
I feel like movies are defined four times: when we write them, shoot them, edit them, and score them (which you could consider as part of editing, but scoring is a job all on its own).
Writing is such an intimate process. It's like oddly making out with yourself for a year. It's fun, (can be) provocative, adventurous, and a little weird being alone so much. But it's all about divulging what's inside!
Then there's the official shoot time, where you have to translate what's in your script/head to screen. Still intimate, but on a larger scale. I suppose you could say it's like making out with a lot of people for a couple months! ;)
Then there's the editing, a place where you must retell the story, but only with what sits in front of you on your machine. It's like having all the puzzle pieces, but knowing there's more than one way it can be pieced together. Especially because of timing and cadence. The editor must understand the pace... the rhythm... the tone.
And then there's music. Music can mend, bend, ruin, manipulate, or magically enhance anything! Music can tell the audience how to feel, if there's an uncertainty in what's being delivered on screen. It can be ironic, literal, or just work to discreetly carry the picture, like subtext.
Don't ever underestimate the importance of a good track, and appreciate your musicians and fellow artists. There are a lot of artists that would value the cross promotion!
Bottom line, when I choose music it has to move me. It has to make me feel something I didn't feel before I hit "play."
