Horror Film Score for Doll House

Tools and Techniques:

• Spotting Notes and Time Code Alignment

• Sonorism

• Orchestral Hybrid Composition

• Aleatoric Techniques

Skills Demonstrated:

• Film Scoring

• Texture-Based Composition

• Dissonant Harmonic Structures

• Rhythmic Consistency

Project Overview:

For the Full Sail student film "Doll House," I crafted a chilling and immersive musical score designed to heighten the film's thriller and horror elements. The composition process involved precise alignment with the film's time code using spotting notes and the creation of innovative musical textures through advanced techniques.

1. Spotting and Alignment:

   • Spotting Notes:

     • Utilized spotting notes to meticulously align the musical score with the film’s time code, ensuring that the music accentuated the on-screen events and emotional beats.

   • Time Code Integration:

     • Each musical cue was timed to perfectly match the film’s scenes, enhancing the narrative flow and dramatic impact.

2. Sonorism and Texture Creation:

   • Mass Sound:

     • Focused on the overall texture and sound mass rather than individual musical parts, creating a cohesive and enveloping sonic atmosphere.

     • Treated each layer of sound as a single, unified element, contributing to the film's eerie ambiance.

   • New Instrumental Textures:

     • Employed sonorism to generate unique textures and timbres using unconventional combinations of instruments.

     • Explored dissonant intervals such as tritones, minor seconds (m2), and major sevenths (M7) to evoke a sense of unease and tension.

3. Rhythmic and Harmonic Techniques:

   • Constant Rhythms:

     • Utilized constant rhythmic patterns, such as sustained notes and continuous 8th/16th note movements, to build and maintain suspense throughout the film.

   • Aleatoric Elements:

     • Incorporated aleatoric techniques, allowing for controlled randomness in the music, adding unpredictability, and enhancing the horror elements.

   • Orchestral Hybrid Composition:

     • Blended traditional orchestral instruments with modern, unconventional sounds to create a hybrid score that underscored the film's dark, thriller aspects.

4. Creating Atmosphere and Emotion:

   • Thriller and Horror Themes:

     • Composed music that reflected the film’s themes of thriller, horror, and darkness, using sonorism and hybrid orchestration to enhance the emotional intensity.

   • Layered Soundscapes:

     • Built complex, layered soundscapes that evolve and react to the film’s narrative, providing a dynamic and immersive audio experience.

5. Implementation and Refinement:

   • Iterative Composition:

     • Followed an iterative approach to refine the score, continuously adjusting the music to align with the film's pacing and emotional cues.

This project highlights my ability to compose sophisticated, texture-driven music that enhances the narrative and emotional impact of a horror film. It showcases my expertise in aligning music with visual media and using advanced compositional techniques to create a compelling and immersive audio experience.