This is one of the projects I completed in my Film Scoring directed study. We were taught the basics of film scoring and given scenes like this to compose on top of, with no reference to the original film or audio.
Project Timeline: 2 weeks
Project Timeline: 2 weeks
For this project, I wanted to have two main themes, one for inside the train and one for outside. For outside, I wanted to have it loud and regal sounding. Trains have been one of the most prevalent forms of transportation for people and cargo for over a hundred years now, and with this being a new innovation in that technology I wanted to capture that feeling. For inside, there was an air of formality and etiquette from what the people inside were wearing, their demeanor, and the actions taken by the crew. This theme reflected that by being much more reserved and in the background.
The theme for inside the train is carried entirely by a clarinet and pizzicato strings, more specifically violin and viola. I wanted to keep this very light and bouncing, as there was excitement in the scene. This is one of the earliest runs of this train, and these people have been waiting quite a while to experience it. The quick rhythms of this theme help push that idea.
The theme for outside the train was always envisioned as a large brass anthem. Trumpets and Horns are used to carry it, skewing away from any bass instruments again to try and keep the piece as light as possible. The trumpet stays in its upper range for the majority of the theme to allow some contrast between it and the horn, trying to keep their tonal overlap as minimal as possible.
During the entirety of the piece, the percussion element stays exactly the same. This percussion rhythm is meant to simulate the cadence of the train running over the tracks as a way to ground the audience in the scene. As the train increases in speed, the piece increases in tempo to keep this effect consistent, with some contrast in the brass theme moving to more long notes in their melody.
The final chord in this piece fades out with the brass, but the clarinet joins in once the station shot is established to work as the trains final whistle of the journey, announcing its arrival.
The theme for inside the train is carried entirely by a clarinet and pizzicato strings, more specifically violin and viola. I wanted to keep this very light and bouncing, as there was excitement in the scene. This is one of the earliest runs of this train, and these people have been waiting quite a while to experience it. The quick rhythms of this theme help push that idea.
The theme for outside the train was always envisioned as a large brass anthem. Trumpets and Horns are used to carry it, skewing away from any bass instruments again to try and keep the piece as light as possible. The trumpet stays in its upper range for the majority of the theme to allow some contrast between it and the horn, trying to keep their tonal overlap as minimal as possible.
During the entirety of the piece, the percussion element stays exactly the same. This percussion rhythm is meant to simulate the cadence of the train running over the tracks as a way to ground the audience in the scene. As the train increases in speed, the piece increases in tempo to keep this effect consistent, with some contrast in the brass theme moving to more long notes in their melody.
The final chord in this piece fades out with the brass, but the clarinet joins in once the station shot is established to work as the trains final whistle of the journey, announcing its arrival.