Young Writers Theatre

Reese's Pieces

Dan's Reese's Pieces backing track had a wonderful spirit, beautifully akin to the original ethos of IML, you can record with whatever you've got technology wise, it's not about the quality, it's about taking part and doing something. Dan's backing track (see blog post below) involved hammering something with something else to make a brilliant sound of hammering. It's a playground chant setup, so where do I turn? MY KIDS! I played the track to my 6 and 8 year old (that's 2 kids, 2 different ages rather than a trans-aged child) and asked for lyrical advice, based on the fact that the song HAD to be about a film they'd never seen involving an alien with a cranky voice who loved sweets.

We collectively listened to the track a few times, then it happened. Sam started chanting, the lyrics were written, he chanted some more, we recorded him chanting, fun ensued, track complete. Elliot (aged 8) wasn't so sure. The pressure of recording was too much, the sense of self which is gathered by that age weighed too heavy and he freaked out. There's a fine line (2 years) between abandonment and ... not-abandonment. Anyway, Layla and I weighed in for backing vocals (with much abandonment because it was such a fun track) and it was done.

Against my religion I did a bit of cutting and shifting post recording to line all the vocals up, but we all had a gas, and as Dan says, we've collectively started a new genre. But what's it called?

College

Spielberg at college. Greg's track was also a lot of fun. All the organ, swish and pizzazz of a lot of music I feel naturally inclined to, namely Georgie Fame. Slightly strapped for time due to [yawn] work, I had to create something I was happy with, that I thought would do Greg's track justice (I was late to start due to my own stupidity of recording over the wrong track to start with), so I needed to hook onto a formula to guide the writing process.

Moody's Mood For Love. There I go ... name checking a Fame track. I can't forget Greg telling me that Georgie wrote the lyrics for Moody's Mood For Love by listening to the sax line, and then writing words to fit. So I listened to Greg's track, sketched out dashes on a piece of paper to represent the syllables ... and then filled in the blanks. SKAT.

I'm sure I could have done something more meaningful but I really enjoyed trying a new technique for lyric writing and my sincere apologies for the recording quality. I wanted to go with the flow and the lyrics came pretty fast, and I didn't want to hold back the performance. The compression and EQ for the vox was all done hardware side on the Focusrite strip so not much room for fine tuning in post.

Mola + Godlights

I finished my tracks! I got to work with two great pieces -- those of Barney and Tim.

For the Godlights track, I immediately recognized the opportunity to do a big choir, which I always love doing but haven't done in a while. I believe I ended up with 28 vocal tracks, singing 7 or 8 separate lines. The chords were so simple I thought I should have an almost haiku-like lyric. Here's what I came up with, a minute or two after hearing the song.

Light of God
Light of Steve
Either way
I believe in you.

I think it's sort of cryptic yet positive. I like it.

Mola Ram was a TON of fun and it's really crazy. Usually I try to avoid following the rhythm of the instruments for IML tracks, as I think most people consider their backing tracks "accompaniments" and not really a main melody. But I really couldn't resist with this one, as the first few lyrics just came right away. It's all really fast, and I tried to give it a Mr. Bungle vibe where there's no dead space in between lines. Unfortunately the lyrics aren't very understandable if you don't read them first, but I think that's fine. Turned into a sort of progressive hardcore punk song. Really happy with that one.

Anyways, I guess my work is done -- can't wait to hear the rest, I think this album will be deliciously weird!

Tootles (I looked it up. It's with a 't')

I've completed my song track assignment. I've had to turn it in early as I'll be on holiday for the next two weeks. It was a difficult brief, but I think I've managed to do justice to the style of the backing track. I can't really think of a better name for this track than "Tootles", so I suppose I should just leave it at that. I've never seen the film Hook and never really cared to, but I did find a YouTube video of the famous (I suppose) scene where Peter hands Tootles his lost marbles and in his joy (and with the help of some fairy dust) he is able to fly out the window to return to Neverland.

May Marcus come in?

Sorry to be a late sod. I've brought Marcus Brody, Indiana's long standing friend and comrade, to the party. Just love him. The song morphed out of control during the recording process, so I am not sure how well this now represents him. Close your eyes. Can you see/feel him?

Duelling scouts

I've got two tracks just about finished. The first track is based on the film Duel, as I've said before. It is very heavy and quite unconventional. I like it, but I don't envy the person who gets it as a song.

The second piece is much more straight forward. I recorded an acoustic guitar idea that I've had lying around for a while. Without this project it probably wouldn't have seen daylight. It is very pretty (I think). I'd had the art of song writing in mind, but the feel is a bit more rural and calm than anything I've seen Spielberg do, so I've changed the subject to Boy Scouts. Spielberg got into film making when he borrowed his dad's movie camera at the age of twelve to complete his first film for a Boy Scouts photography merit badge. Awesome. The feel of the second piece fits this perfectly. The merit badge and photography in general are also suitable.

Maybe I'll try for a third...

You ugly.

So I'm just about finished with my tracks. They're all mixed, I'm just gonna listen to them for another day or two before I hit that "render" button.

My Dennis Nedry track turned out to be a sort of Morricone-style cowboy theme. I have no idea why. I suppose Dennis is the kind of guy who'd see himself as a badass hero/outlaw. It's a nice little galop with some church bells for good measure.

My Toodles track is a 17-second rag piece. I feel a little bad for whoever gets this one, because I'm kind of forcing a melody on them - maybe there's a way around that, I don't know! But I found myself making up my own lyrics to it immediately, so I think it'll work out somehow. I love ragtime, and since Toodles is a very old man, I thought that might be the kind of music he would have listened to as a kid.

For my third track (Reese's Pieces), I tried to do something not necessarily experimental, but...unexpected maybe? I thought about what style of music I could do that nobody else would. And I have no idea where this idea came from, but I thought about those jump rope/hopscotch/double dutch songs little girls sing on the playground. I honestly can't remember any of the ones I heard for double dutch, but hopefully everyone knows what I mean. Closest one I can think of is "U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly! Yeah, yeah, you ugly!"

So anyways, I decided to do that. Don't have a jump rope, and I can't imagine they're very loud, so I went outside and got a stick and whipped it in front of the microphone. Also added some clapping and some bucket drumming. It took everything in my power not to add more instruments, but I thought even the bucket might have been overdoing it. I wanted to keep that "playground" vibe and make it as basic as possible. Absolutely no melodic instruments. I suppose that's an IML first?

Good luck to whoever gets that one. Hopefully it's not too out there. I thought the name "Reese's Pieces" already kind of lends itself to a kids rhyme.

Here is the entire ensemble:

 

So anyways, I think mine will be a fun challenge for whoever gets them. Will upload the WAVs by the end of the weekend, probably!

Dan

Duel, and possibly others

I will be composing a backing track on the subject of Duel, the 1971 feature film directed by Spielberg in which a hapless driver is terrorised by a truck driver for no apparent reason. The film is very tense and suspenseful. There is almost a supernatural element to it. It will be hard to capture the feel in 30 seconds, but I have some ideas.

I may also do a piece on the general art of story-telling if I have time. Spielberg has said that he sees himself as a story-teller primarily and that his medium is film rather than the written word.