How sound affects a film.
It is 10:54 pm as I am writing this. Its been a good few days and I have come back to write another series of blogs - more on the theory behind my creative work.
We can all agree that sound and music is one of the most important aspects in cinema - and our lives. It shapes the way we feel emotion, live, and our enjoyment. We all have vivid music tastes and we all experience different emotions when it comes to music. This is why I believe audio is incredibly important - maybe even more important than the film itself. It can make or break a film. The right track doesn’t just complement the visuals - it defines the emotional core of the scene. This is why I spent months crafting the perfect setlist for my film in Italy.
I also took the recordings of audio incredibly seriously too - the Sennheiser MKE600 is a fantastic microphone for capturing soundscapes of the places I visited. I truly tested it out on my trip to Italy.
Playlist:
Brooklyn - Furio Di Castri, Paolo Fresu
Intro - Ishmael Ensemble
Cache - Brendan Eder Ensemble
Prologue - Jasmine Myra
Tracing Nature - Matthew Halsall
Amore Mio Aiutami (Main Theme) - Piero Picconi
Luna, amore e no (Ver 1) - Piero Picconi
Flying to America - Marco Parisi
Red Moon Rising - Vega Trails
Please do have a listen to these if you have time, or listen to it straight from my youtube video - linked in ‘cinema’ on my home page.
When I first decided to make a film about my trip to Italy, I decided to find the soundtrack for it first. I believed that the soundtrack should be the first in mind when creating content - emotions from sound are very important. I debated on whether to go for a more soundscapey - slow style or a fast - swing jazz style. I was heavily inspired by Serr’s “Italy on Film” video and thought that his music taste was spot on on creating the emotions that I felt while watching his video - so I went for a slow, almost melancholic setlist of long drones and deep chords. I would say that my music taste within the video was highly polished as it took me months to find the right songs - listening to thousands of tracks on spotify to find the right one. I also needed music that I personally loved and could also reflect the beauty of Italy - so I went for Piero Picconi. His work is amazing as he originally writes pieces for the film industry so I thought that the inclusion of an Italian songwriter for films was absolutely essential. I went for still shots in the movie, so I accompanied all my shots with a similar vibe for music - slight hope with long breaks for the audience to really capture the scene in front of them. Brooklyn by Furio Di Castri was especially potent at this - the solo trumpet solo at the start was a perfect intro to my movie, with the introduction of the walking bass solo also adding some excitement and hope for the movie. The final song - Red Moon Rising by the Vega Trails starts off very slow - but slowly builds hope and tension with the introduction of the orchestra - bassoon (I think) and accompanied by either a cello or double bass. I felt like that song was perfect for closing off my movie - It was long, melancholy, nostalgic and hopeful all at the same time - as if you are leaving or entering a place you remember fondly - maybe the start or end of a long journey. All of these variables come to mind when crafting the ‘perfect’ setlist for my videos - and my trip to Italy really pushed it to its limits. I think my inclusion of the title at the end really brought the movie full circle - further emphasizing the liminal, nostalgic and hopeful feeling that my movie has brought to its audience. I would say that I am extremely proud how it turned out - best audio work I have done yet for a film. “evocative soundtrack” and “soundtrack selection adds so much to the ambiance” “testament to how music can elevate storytelling in travel cinema” was some comments I received from my family feedbacking the premiere of the movie. I hope that in the future, I can improve on my soundtrack selection - finding new songs for new places that I travel to.
Grace, if you are reading this, I cannot wait to travel the world with you - sharing all these experiences I made and more.
If you are still reading, thank you. If this resonated with you, give the playlist a listen. The full video is linked under ‘Cinema’ on my homepage. Got thoughts or just want to talk soundtracks? Drop me an email — I’d love to hear from you.
Lake Como