Yup, I did. It's been in a bunch of festivals, so this is the first time we've been able to put it online for public viewing. Back in the day, a bunch of you gave me advice on the score, and for this I thank you!

Enjoy!


http://vimeo.com/25034611

Congratulations! I really like the atmosphere the piece gives the movie.

Thanks!

I'm about to do some shameless bragging. Here's the festivals we were in, with awards in bold:

Final Cut Film Festival *Best in Fest* *Audience Favorite*
Epiphany Children's Film Festival (NYC)
Animation Block Party *Best Student Film*
New York Int'l Children's Film Festival-2012
Love Your Shorts Film Festival-2012
Blue Plum Animation Festival-2012 *Student Award*
Seattle International Film Festival-2012
Martha's Vineyard Film Festival-2012
Nantucket Film Festival-2012 *Best Short Film*

Really enjoyed the movie... and the music! Very Satie-inspired, no? ;)

Oh yeah! I flagrantly ripped off those major 7th chords.

Oh yeah! I flagrantly ripped off those major 7th chords.


Yep. You shouldn't do that.
It's a nice piece, but the only thing I could think hearing it was "I wish I was listening to Gymnopédie instead right now."
The urge was so strong, that's what I ended up doing. = \

You guys should have put Satie under the "Special Thanks" section. =P

It does get much better after the first few minutes, though. Congratulations on the movie scoring. =)

^ I highly disagree with that comment, but that's just me. Artists have been stealing for years...

I mean, look at the jazz greats ;)

Yeah, for one, Satie doesn't have a monopoly on 7th chords. And I go to lots of rhythmic, melodic, and chromatic places that Gymnopedies don't approach. I understand that they're a study in simplicity, which is why they don't go there, but they still don't go there. What I was trying to get from the seventh chords was a Frenchy feel, which I think I accomplished.

For more daylight robberies from Satie, I invite you to listen to this piece by Cage (Hey! We're almost at his 100th birthday!):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExUosomc8Uc

^ I highly disagree with that comment, but that's just me. Artists have been stealing for years...

I mean, look at the jazz greats
I also happen to dislike jazz, rap, or hiphop, for the same reason. = \

Yeah, for one, Satie doesn't have a monopoly on 7th chords. And I go to lots of rhythmic, melodic, and chromatic places that Gymnopedies don't approach. I understand that they're a study in simplicity, which is why they don't go there, but they still don't go there. What I was trying to get from the seventh chords was a Frenchy feel, which I think I accomplished.
Of course, nobody has a monopoly on 7th chords. But when your piece makes me go "lol, is this supposed to be a remix?", then you have a problem. At least in my opinion. Of course, if you're happy with that "because other artists do it," that's your choice. It's not like it's illegal or anything. I just don't see why you'd want to draw comparisons between your music, and that of a world famous composer. It's not going to end well for your pieces, unless you're a world famous composer yourself.

What I was trying to get from the seventh chords was a Frenchy feel, which I think I accomplished.
Well, technically you did. Sadly, it was a very specific Frenchy feel. ;P
No offense to your music, of course. I've listened to a lot of your stuff in the past, and I remember liking it. And this is the first time I've drawn comparisons to another piece, so I assume most of your music is pretty original. I'm just pointing out that "hey, this is like Gymnopedie, but not as good" isn't a desirable response to invoke in your listeners. At least credit the original composer, so it looks like an homage, instead of sloppy stealing. = \

Not that I'm accusing you of stealing, either. I'm sure you know most users on this forum would recognize Gymnopedie, so you probably didn't think it was worth mentioning. Or maybe you genuinely don't think it sounds like it. Either way, though, I'm sure you realize it was at least inspired by it, and 90% of the people who watched the movie probably didn't realize it. You might not have a problem with that. I would, though!

Anyway, sorry for ranting at you. Congratulations again on the movie, and on the piece itself. It is very pretty, for sure. The beginning of it is just too obviously derivative for my tastes. :x

Let me recount a story. When Brahms premiered his first symphony, everybody was comparing it to Beethoven, often derisively. Some people called it "Beethoven's 10th." He got tired of it pretty fast. When one of his friends pointed out Beethoven's influence on his symphony, he responded, "Any ass can see that."

I didn't think I'd have to credit Satie, since any ass could see the influence.

Honestly, I ripped off Debussy just as much as anybody, but thus far no one has pointed out that robbery.

I liked the loud arpeggiatos. It worked as a great contrast and aimed to hit the camera shots. The music in general felt separated from the film in many occasions, like if it was in another layer and not blended. It brought a nice atmosphere to the film, but did not interacted so well with the visuals. That is how it was to me.

Congratulations on the project though! :)

Yeah, I'll have to work harder on that if I get to work on another project like this again.

There is a definite similarity to Gymnopédie in terms of tempo, time-signature and opening chord progression, but I'd hardly say this is any kind of rip-off or that you should credit Satie. That progression has been used a ton in the jazz world (and elsewhere), and I'm sure people were using it before Satie. This piece is melodically different and ventures to harmonic places completely separate from Satie's piece.

I love many of the dissonances you have in this. The big chord around 2:03 caught me off guard, but I like where you took that progression. I didn't care for all the repeated tones in the main melody for whatever reason, but it's a pleasant enough tune.

Congrats on scoring this film and on the success it has received!