Film Score Composing - help

[timkiel]

Hi All,

I'm trying to compose something in a similar vein to John Powell as found in films such as The Bourne series and Paycheck. It's a combination of electronica and orchestra. Two things I'm interested in if anyone can help. Firstly do you start with the orchetral stuff and fit a beat to it, or start with the beat then the orchestra.

Also I'm having a devil of a time getting the VSL strings to sound like the strings on the soundtracks and am wondering if the Powell strings are actually heavily processed with delays and things rather than just a little reverb.

Any pointers most welcome.

TIA

Tim

[muzicphiles]

easire to  think  of a melody first , orchestrate it and then add on the groove s and  rhythms.

also if you were to give  a sense of percussive movement... the playing would be more towards staccato.. try to create a motif with the strings and then grace it with beats and textures , apreggiators etc.

in the end it is all bout sitting down.. think of what inspires you and try to write it.

if you use your midi editor  properly ,you can make your strings come close enough to the real thing.

imagine how the part is being played and try to resimulate that in midi world. 

[dfhage]

Tim, If it's any help, on the Bourne Ultimatum, strings were recorded with the Violins I + II split across the stage. Regards Dave Hage

[timkiel]

Thanks guys for the tips. I'll see what I can come up with. I think my main problem is I'm having trouble creating the rhythmic string sections with VSL. Anybody point me in the direction of which samples to use - I've been using the staccato's but it all gets a bit same-y after a while. I'm wondering if I should look into using a delay effect on the strings?

Dave - for splitting the Violins across the stage, would you have them using the same patches but playing different notes/rhythms or different patches too. Also if anyone has any mock-ups of this technique using VSL that would be great.

Thanks

Tim

[jasensmith]

Have you tried combining your staccatos with say, a short detache patch?  In other words, you could write your staccatos on one track then copy and paste that track to a blank track and load a short detache (or sustain, legato) patch so that both patches are playing in polyphony.  Then just shorten or lengthen the detache notes at random to your fancy to sort of mix it up a bit.  You could also play around with the velocity of those detaches.   

[christof]

I did a track in this kind of style, you can listen to it at the demo zone/recently added/, called "knocked out"...if you want I can send you my presets and midi files or the whole logic project, christof

[timkiel]

Christof,
Thanks that would be great! I'll PM you my email.

I've had a go at some of the other tips offered and used it for a piece which you can find here http://www.timkiel.com/Tim_Kiel.com/Media/Finders%20Keepers.mp3

Thanks Tim

[Steve Martin]

 What a great score this Knocked Out is. I've decided that I want to buy the brass special edition + standard download now after hearing this so I can have the fast repetitions to use with my Appassionata strings and the Special Edition plus my orchestral strings.

Thanks Christof for this demo. I love it!

best,

Steve[:D] 

[Rob Elliott]

Hi Christof,

Love the demo.  Can you tell me what patch you used (and library) on the strings playing the melody at about a third of the way in.

Trumpets are TR-3 - fast reps?   Score sound like a early Trevor Rabin / Buckenheimer film.

Rob 

[christof]

Hi Rob! Yeah, the trumpets and horns are fast repetitions@150BPM(SE+)and the strings are harsh repetitions from the appasionata 1 library. Glad you like it! christof

[sasha]

I am also at the moment scoring film with the Bourne Ultimatum type of texture.

For short energetic strings I use combination of harsh, for accented notes, staccato, spiccato, and short staccato, all from an orchestral strings. I tried appassionata and while great for long phrases it is a little to massive for short staccatos, in my opinion.

 I also layered harsh patches with long sustain to give it more bite, I think it works.

 I'll post a link once I'm done with it.

Good luck with your score.

sasha

[Rob Elliott]

 Don't forget the Chambers - in many ways the 'tightness' they offer is the best choice.

Rob

(can't wait to give the chamber 2 a try for this type of thing.)