Composers Challenge VIII: Creation

[KK 3,307]

New year, new ideas, new music! Lots to look forward to, but lets begin, as always, by summing it up for the uninitiated:

The Composers Challenge is an initiative designed to help emulate the experience of a film composer for participants. Through a long process, the composer is given a clip and asked to score it. His/her music is then passed along a panel of adjudicators made up of prominent film music critics, composers and other professionals in the industry. The work is then reviewed and feedback is offered. The scores from the panel are then tallied up to set a victor to the competition. It’s a process in which every composer learns and an experience from which all participants have something to take out of.

When a musician is asked about creationism, Hadyn’s iconic The Creation is immediately quoted. And while its easy to list a bunch of oratorios, and other religiously-themed pieces of music, the idea of creation is something that’s manifested itself all across the different eras of orchestral music.

The idea behind this challenge is to see how the idea of creation inspires you. You will be scoring the famous creation sequence from The Tree of Life (popularly known for using the Lacrimosa movement from Zbigniew Preisner’s Requiem for my Friend). The aim is to challenge participants to think beyond the conventions of typical film scoring, and explore their style along the lines of what we hear in concert music today; music that speaks more for itself than relying on the visuals to tell its story.

Here is the clip to score:

You’ll be given approximately 2 months to score this clip.

Tentative Deadline: Friday March 21, 2014

The members of the adjudicators’ panel will be revealed over the course of the week.

In the meantime, let’s brush up on what to do, shall we?

INSTRUCTIONS:

1)      Email me at kkalaisan@hotmail.com to let me know you’re interested in participating in the challenge.

2)      Score the clip and email me the piece (approximately 5 min) by the deadline.

3)      Wait patiently for more news. Check email or this site for updates on a regular basis.

I hope to see many familiar names and many new candidates to return for what will be a cool new chapter to the Composers Challenge. For any questions or inquiries, please feel free to send an email to kkalaisan@hotmail.com.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

Who knows, maybe we'll have the Big Z come over

For people who took that seriously, I'm afraid I was joking, there's no chance of that really happening.

[Faleel 5,346]

[KK 3,307]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

[Faleel 5,346]

Better version:

[Incanus 5,714]

Faleel it is Kalaisan not Kalasian!

[filmmusic 1,826]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

I wish I could do it because it's something that really interests me ( i LOVE that scene), but I'm even busier than last year!

[KK 3,307]

LOL! Even I failed to notice that!!

Thanks Mikko

[Incanus 5,714]

LOL! Even I failed to notice that!!

Thanks Mikko

Brains usually auto-correct small mistakes like that and you become blind to them, especially you read quickly. But I have the ears of an eagle and eyes of a bat!

[KK 3,307]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

I wish I could do it because it's something that really interests me ( i LOVE that scene), but I'm even busier than last year!

Are you fully booked till March/April? We might be able to work something out (PM me, or email me).

If not, then there's always next time!

LOL! Even I failed to notice that!!

Thanks Mikko

Brains usually auto-correct small mistakes like that and you become blind to them, especially you read quickly. But I have the ears of an eagle and eyes of a bat!

Sounds like the perfect superhero

[Faleel 5,346]

Whew! I am glad I saved a project file!

Final?

[filmmusic 1,826]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

I wish I could do it because it's something that really interests me ( i LOVE that scene), but I'm even busier than last year!

Are you fully booked till March/April? We might be able to work something out (PM me, or email me).

If not, then there's always next time!

Υes. I don't even have time to do the things I'm supposed to do now and I'm in a lot of pressure.(morning till noon/afternoon I work in primary school, and later in the day I'm supposed to finish my dissertation which is urgent, but the school thing is exhausting!! First time i work full time.)

When will be the next time?

I believe once summer comes in I will have finished with my current obligations.

Although I really would like to do this creation scene.. It's inspiring...

Do you have any idea what will the next one be?

[KK 3,307]

That sucks, we'll let me know if things ever actually free up. I thought you would appreciate this one.

The next challenge at earliest will be at July, latest, August.

The theme is still being determined (a couple of ideas are being played with), if you have any suggestions, feel free to send them over

[BloodBoal 7,538]

If you're gonna do this, at least do it properly!

[Faleel 5,346]

You call that proper? that looks nothing like K.K.! that looks more like Inky!

And Bleeding Fingers has no affiliation with the Composer's Challenge!

(though, I am wondering, how did you get the background too looks so good? I had to erase the Bleeding Fingers logo..)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

You call that proper? that looks nothing like K.K.! that looks more like Inky!

Nope. That's just Gandalf the White with a hat.

[KK 3,307]

Arghh, so many options!! BloodBoal wins for now, only cause he's got my full name on there

[Faleel 5,346]

Perhaps, K.K. and Inky merged?

New theme: "K.K. the White in Inky".

[BloodBoal 7,538]

"K.K. in Inky"... Hehehe...

[Incanus 5,714]

"K.K. in Inky"... Hehehe...

K.K.+ Inky = Kinky.

[Faleel 5,346]

Not to be outdone without a "fight"...

[gkgyver 1,645]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

Tentatively sign me up, even though I didn't know I expressed my interest

[KK 3,307]

"K.K. in Inky"... Hehehe...

K.K.+ Inky = Kinky.

The 6th, unnamed member of the Istari?

Not to be outdone without a "fight"...

I like it!

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

Tentatively sign me up, even though I didn't know I expressed my interest

Well, you're a regular, so you were included by default

[Incanus 5,714]

I fully expect TGP, gkgyver, filmmusic, tannhauser and others who expressed interest in this to sign up by the way!

Tentatively sign me up, even though I didn't know I expressed my interest

Well, you're a regular, so you were included by default

Yeah better start writing Georg!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Oh my....

[gkgyver 1,645]

Writing? That's so old school.

[KK 3,307]

Pencil and paper? Ha! THIS is what music looks like today! For all the cool people!

[Incanus 5,714]

Writing? That's so old school.

Just keep the pencil moving! I demand KK to disqualify anyone daring to use programmes with coloured bars in them to compose for this competition. Notes, black dots on white sheet music, that's the way to go!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Does that mean we can submit scores, and the judges will be using the most complex DAW of them all, their brains?

[Faleel 5,346]

He said you could not compose with a program, he did not say you could not use a program to make a mockup

[KK 3,307]

As much as I'd love for it to be a score-based competition, that in itself is a lot harder to facilitate as a whole. Up till now, people have submitted mockups of their compositions, and this will apply to this round as well. Perhaps in the future, things may change.

Think of it this way. Film music critics write their reviews based on the music they hear on album and in film, not by studying the score.

[Incanus 5,714]

He said you could not compose with a program, he did not say you could not use a program to make a mockup

Yes!

[KK 3,307]

Haha, oops, I missed Incanus' post!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I know I was just being a little jokey.

So when I saw the "Creation" subtitle I thought, huh, how neat would it be if it's the sequence from The Tree of Life? That's right up my abstract, symbolist alley.

Lo and behold....

[KK 3,307]

Yeah, I realized that a bit late!

And I knew this clip would appeal to you

Remember to send me an email if you're interested in participating! It's how I keep track of everyone who's in, and how I keep contact with you for updates and such.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I'll do that right now. Will make a titanic effort to do this, even if I have to create a pocket universe where time flows independently of our own.

[gkgyver 1,645]

I keep thinking of the Silmarillion.

[Faleel 5,346]

"Behold your music!"

"Eä! let these things be!"

That would be an interesting challenge: To score a scene in any book/script without a clip.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Exactly.

[KK 3,307]

We did a challenge where everyone had to write an overture to the film Spartacus. The music was attached to the main titles sequence, but didn't have to sync up with it.

Doug Adams was on the panel for that one.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Noooo, I missed my chance to score Kubrick. =(

[Faleel 5,346]

I have to admit, that that challenge bugged me a bit, wouldn't it have made more sense, to have scored the actual overture, instead of the main title?

It would have had better results, I should think, instead of having contestants scoring the Universal Logo.

[KK 3,307]

The main titles were irrelevant. We could have just put a 8 minute title card there, and it would have made no difference, it'd just look more boring.

People largely wrote their music independent of the sequence, but to the length of the video. They weren't really "scoring" the main titles, if you get what I mean.

Noooo, I missed my chance to score Kubrick. =(

Well, it wasn't real Kubrick anyway.

Think of this challenge as your chance at scoring 2001 .

[Faleel 5,346]

People largely wrote their music independent of the sequence, but to the length of the video. They weren't really "scoring" the main titles, if you get what I mean.

I get what you are saying, I just don't think you entirely succeeded. Otherwise the one contestant would not have used scored the Universal logo with Goldsmith's theme.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

KK, this is of course your competition, but I'm wondering why you had the video cut off where it did. Watching the original sequence, it seems like a more natural end comes with the shot of the newly formed planet eclipsing the galaxy behind it, before the lava eruptions. Just a suggestion.

[KK 3,307]

I used the Lacrimosa music as a cue of where this particular sequence starts and ends. Since the music ends there, that's where I assume this "montage" ends before the film moves on to the next phase of creation.

Of course, understanding how it ends kind of abruptly, feel free to add up to 10 seconds (but not a second more) to the ending where the clip can just fade to black.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Fair enough. Looks like my entry may end up being part of a longer piece!

[gkgyver 1,645]

The main titles were irrelevant. We could have just put a 8 minute title card there, and it would have made no difference, it'd just look more boring. People largely wrote their music independent of the sequence, but to the length of the video. They weren't really "scoring" the main titles, if you get what I mean.

I did

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

The amount that this is tickling my brain is really enjoyable.