Improvisational style of Birdman's percussion-centred soundtrack
"The soundtrack to the 2014 Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed black comedy Birdman features an innovative, percussion-based score from Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez. Also included on the soundtrack are various classical pieces used in the film including compositions by Gustav Mahler, Maurice Ravel, and Sergei Rachmaninov. While Sanchez is primarily known as a jazz musician, he took a more free-form, avant-garde approach for Birdman. Rather than composing pieces for the film, at Iñárritu's request, Sanchez improvised to a rough cut of the film and then re-recorded his improvisations yet again once the film was completed. Hoping to match the gritty, live aesthetic of the film, Sanchez altered his traditional percussion set-up, employing instead the use of different drum heads modified at times with tape to deaden the sound and even attached items to his cymbals to achieve a less pristine, more broken quality. Iñárritu even went so far as to have percussionist (and Sanchez' friend) Nate Smith appear in the film playing along to Sanchez' soundtrack, which was recorded to sound like it was being played in the actual scene. The result is a highly creative, sonically varied soundtrack that matches the quirky, conceptual nature and dramatic tension of Iñárritu's film."
(Matt Collar, allmusic.com)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
The Pillars of the Earth: hand-painted stop motion animation style
"We made this animation in BrosFx Studio. It is an opening to the TV series 'THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH', an adaptation of a book by Ken Follett. The series director is Sergio Mimica Gezzan, who cooperated, among others, with Steven Spielberg. Our goal was to create an animation which would render the colourful and vivid world of medieval England. The next step was to create a distinctive style that the audience would remember. After many tests, we opted for a hand painted stop motion, which suited perfectly the spectacle."
(Michał Socha)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Rushes Soho Shorts: short film competition
"We are a not–for–profit festival celebrating the wealth of talent working across all genres of short film including live action drama, documentary, animation, music video, and work that pushes boundaries including online or mobile content, title sequences, and idents.
The work of newcomers and established filmmakers is promoted by screening work at cinemas, screening rooms and cafes throughout Soho and London's West End. In conjunction with the competitive program [sic] we hold a large variety of debates and discussions on all aspects of media and filmmaking. The event program [sic] also builds in networking and case studies. Our aims are to provide an arena introducing creativity, new/established practitioners and those partners that can help assist in supporting and furthering people's ideas."
(Soho Shorts, 2011)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
