Art is this circular source of inspiration that constantly draws from its diverse cousins- as well as life- to contribute to its own evolution. No single discipline could have developed without the mutual advancement of the others.
A wandering eye at an art gallery can catch a glimpse of a painting and immediately (through no fault of your own) an entire story can be told…
At UCLA, we used to have this class called “Art Alive” where we would take a painting and write a scene around it. At some point in the story the characters would have to incorporate the pose of the painting- demonstrating how a single image can inspire so much more. Granted, the scenes were mostly terrible but it was an interesting experiment nonetheless.
One of the other things we would draw from- as actors- was dance. It was a freeing exercise that informed our bodies the possibilities of movement. Again, I was terrible at dancing but really good at waving my arms around and rolling on the ground to music.
Without music, they would call that… insanity; they certainly wouldn’t call it dancing. Which makes me ask, “Where would the discipline of dance be without music…?”
Which also made me realize that one of my own greatest sources of inspiration is music. After all, where would film be without the influence of music? So many film element parallels can be drawn from musicality.
When I think about dynamics in music- the highs and lows- it seems like a natural translation to film where the structure takes the viewer on a ride with high beats and low beats, which ultimately leads to the chicken or the egg debate.
It’s undeniable that without the influence of music where would rhythm- of a scene- come from? Or what about using crescendos in film to build tension, whether it’s in the actual music itself or by increased story tension. The same applies to decrescendos to convey a sense of calm.
When writing The Bannen Way, the concept of each character being an instrument in the story’s orchestra was definitely prevalent. Mr B had his own rhythm and tone, dominated by strings; Sonny being a totally different color, bringing almost a percussive element as well as his own form of strings; Madison providing a brighter component that melds into something mysterious, dissonant at times; Neal Bannen being the constant thread- the rockin melody, if you will, that should leave the greatest impression on the audience of what the show is all about.
I know that some people shy away from this but I, personally, like to use music when writing; ambient, classical, film scores, slow core. I never listen to heavy metal, pop, rap, or anything with heavy lyrics. I want music to contribute to my work, not dominate it.
I subscribe to Rhapsody, which gives me every album I could ever want for less than $15/month. I can create an entire playlist of “writing music” and keep finding new albums based on other user’s suggestions or the program’s list of contemporaries or inspirations for any group.
While writing this blog I’m listening to a mixture of three bands: The xx, Broken Social Scene, and Amazing Baby.
The great thing about writing with music is it provides images in my brain whenever I get stuck (which happens a lot). It serves as a provider of random colors that I can add to an, otherwise flat, moment.
If I’m writing a scene that is gentle, romantic, I want music that contributes to that tone; sometimes light classical. If I’m writing a scene that is epic in proportion, like the scene at Inspiration Point in Bannen then I’ll put on the soundtrack to Dark Knight and loop that fucker ‘til I’m feverishly typing the scene out to the swells of the orchestra.
I wish I found more opportunities to use music on set. The couple times we had them for the two Sonny scenes really contributed to the actors’ performances. Especially when we were shooting the moment when Sonny (Ski Carr) is about to kill our hero, and Catalina (Melissa De Sousa) puts on some deep, slow salsa music that she draws her violent, gangster lover over to dance with her. I told the actors the tone I was looking for in that music and they came up with Marc Anthony’s “Que Lio.” They choreographed something with an instructor and came up with their own routine. And that became my favorite moment on set. Anyone who was behind the monitors became so enthralled with that moment that one of the development guys broke into applause.
I wish we could have used that song in the final picture but for obvious reasons we had to come up with an alternative. Sony’s Extreme Music library couldn’t save us in this particular instance, but thank God for my composer, Joseph Trapanese, and music editor, Will Holliday, who used their resources and whipped up something at the last minute that totally works.
Normally composers come in after picture lock but we didn’t have that luxury of time so my music team had to start working while we were shooting…
I went through the script and made notes of every opportunity for music and what it could feel like and handed that to Joseph. He created about 12 “themes” for each of the characters, and situations Bannen might get into. We used those in lieu of temp music as much as we could. And what developed was a dynamic trial-and-error system for honing the music for the piece. Not only was Joe able to see what we were doing and meld the music to the piece but we also were able to- for those rare times when it was needed- edit the film to the music.
It was such a rewarding experience. If it were up to me I wouldn’t do it any other way in the future.
At my request, we use a lot of music in Bannen in the interest of keeping the story moving (I believe 75 minutes worth). It’s typically there to tell the audience how to feel in a particular moment. It’s a great crutch but I’m also interested in the absence of music. Shows like The Wire and Mad Men use almost no scoring whatsoever; and they’re amazingly compelling. The trick is using music to emphasize a moment without it being too obvious and contrived.
Music has the ability to elevate a moving image and provide subtext that even the actors couldn’t convey. It can make the audience shed tears of sadness, pee their pants in laughter, or jump out of their seats in fear. In short, it moves us. If the story is the spine of a picture, then music is the heart.
Without my playlists that I listen to on my computer when I’m doing a writing session, or the music that blasts in my car radio, or the random songs that play when I pass by a department store… without music it would be a heartless world indeed.
Reward yourself with The Bannen Way soundtrack on iTunes. =)
~ JW
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