film scores, recording and commissions
Composer Hacks -
Problems with Sampled Instruments
As any working composer will tell you, sample libraries are one of the most essential pieces of kit we need.
Sample Libraries are are used to create demos, mockups for directors and even the full finished score if the budget won't extend for session musicians.
It is in these cases where the quality of the sample libraries are so important to try and emulate orchestral instruments in the most authentic way possible.
One problem I encouraged when composing specific violin runs and passages was the legato bow changes within Spitfire's sample libraries, specifically with their solo string samples.
The problem lies most notably when playing a sustained note for a fairly long duration (in this tracks instance it was 2 bars) where the bow change would snap and change quite drastically often in between beats and meters giving the performance a disjointed feel.
Despite trying various articulations and manually fading dynamics, volume and expression in real time, the only hack I have so far found around this is either playing consistently on a super low dynamic (volume) or sharing the violin passage between 2 separate violin tracks, which was what I ended up doing in this specific session.
Once I split the melody into 2 separate tracks and performances, I layered the 2 tracks with a 3rd violin track which had a larger reverb setting, very heavy on the wet signal to support the ambience and basically just to support the changes by helping them glide between each note and bow change.
Working On A Feature Film During Pre-Production
Clip taken from the YouTube documentary I'm currently making on everything you can expect to know from working on a film on a film during it's pre-production stages.
Covering everything from Project Templates, meetings with Directors, composing demos and sketches based off scripts and mood boards, and of course - BUYING NEW GEAR!!!!
Solo Project Endeavours and Retaining Originality & Creativity
I have always had a passion for odd things.
Whether that is art-house films, Lovecraftian horror and the weird fiction genre, or experimental music.
My own original compositions typically, always lean more towards the darker side of composition, often in minor / atonal keys and displaying odd time signatures. But the trouble with this type of music was I was unsure of what the application could be.
Then around 2 years ago I discovered an artist called The Haxan Cloak, also known as film composer Bobby Krlic and then through this discovery an observation become clear to me.
Ari Aster, director of Midsommer & Hereditary talked in an interview on how he came across The Haxan Cloaks weird experimental, field recording based music and wrote the whole script to Midsommar listening to the Excavation album and despite the sound of his music being so different to what he wanted for his film - he still asked Bobby Krlic to compose the chamber string orchestral score for Midsommer.
When I came across The Haxan Cloak and Ari Aster's work I was already writing The North Broadcast compositions but as I said I was stuck with what to do with them, then the realisation hit me.
Above all else, when a director hires a specific composer to score their film, they just want someone with an original voice to write...MUSIC...really at the end of the day, it's just music.
Yes there are certain pieces of knowledge and technical abilities you need to possess that slightly differ from traditional songwriting, and also stereotypical tripes that every composer needs to go through at some point with being asked to emulate the orchestral / Hans Zimmer BRAMMMMM type score, but at other times it can really help to have something that is our own, something that you can point to and say 'yes I can create beautiful and serene orchestral scores, but I also have this thing weird thing going on over here, take a look'
When this notion hit, since I have been consumed with completing my debut album, but once that is out in the world, 2021 is really going to be a year for bunkering down and really publishing some materials with The North Broadcast, and also hooking up with some visual artists to create some audio / visual compositions.
Plans For 2021, and What I'll Be Working On'
wraith : a field study
I have already begun planning the concepts behind my next album release titled 'wraith : a field study'
The premise of the album piece will be focusing on the concept of hauntology and lost / archived music.
The album pieces and soundscape will be heavily designed around organic field recordings and compositions alluring to folklore and poems.
The feel of this album will be a big difference to What We'll Miss Most, and will focus on the intimate, and exploring these concepts in a quiet, subtle, organic and eerie approach.
IT KNOCKS, IT ECHOES - Short Film
by Dominic Stewart (When The Tar Leaks Red 2020)
Official Poster TBC
I've been brought on board to score the next short film by Dominic Stewart, following the success of his most recent short horror, When The Tar Leads Red.
Very similar to the themes I will be exploring through my next album Wraith, the topics of hauntology and exploring the human psyche through a psychological horror where things are not all they seem.
CONFINED (2021/2022)
'Kieran is currently writing this score for this horror feature film set in New York, combining both analogue and retro synths with modern orchestral composition.
Kieran is looking forward to exploring the depth of the characters in the story, as well as providing a score that both terrifies with its soundscape as well as enhancing the feeling of claustrophobia and isolation for the audience.' view more under Film Scoring page.
THE NORTH BROADCAST
SOMEK EP
SOMEK is the EP I will be working on this year under the name of The North Broadcast.
SOMEK, is a narrative driven concept EP derived from my love of underwater mechanical structures and my love for films and video games set under the sea level.
The concept of the album is about 3 highly regarded deep diving mechanical engineers who have never met each other, who are requested by an unknown source to help repair a fault in an classified underwater research facility, SOMEK.
This album will rely just as strongly on sound design as well as composition, and will actually probably me more focused on the sound design aspects to represent the set and storyline.
Collecting and creating mechanical and industrial sounds, exploring and experimenting with sub harmonic frequencies and programming automated voice messages and speeches from SOMEK, are just few of some themes and sounds I will be exploring while embarking on this journey.
Spitfire - Composer Magazine
Absolutely brilliant interview from Spitfire with composers The Newton Brothers on creating their sound design based atonal scores for films such as Doctor Sleep, Oculus and The Haunting Of Hill House.
Really amazing look into the art of creating organic and interesting texture based composition through modular effects which is definitely an approach that has resonated with me and will be super applicable to my up&coming score on It Knocks, It Echoes.
Downside is it may have inspired me to splurge out on that fantastic instrument they were using called the 'Resonant Garden' by Folteck.
Oh well.