# 25 years ago



## Hannes_F (Jan 9, 2007)

Maybe I should write a line or two what this is about. I was asked to write the opening credits music for the film 'Profile of Fear' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861799/ in advance. With other words, the film itself did not exist at this time (and is still in post-production now).

The film is about a young detective that investigates in a cold case, a murder in a hotel that happened 25 years ago. The idea about the opening was to show the this murder more or less symbolized by an animation scene (which also does not exist yet). So the request was to write music that tells the story of this murder, and do this in advance. It would not hurt if it reminded soundwise of a Hitchcock film (Bernard Herrmann) since this happened 25 years ago but by avoiding allto direct imitation (e. g. the Psycho murder scene).

I wrote and produced this track and still like it. Nevertheless it was decided that it was too emotional and dramatic for the opening credits as it could overpower the beginning of the film. So we set it aside and I wrote another opening, which allowed me to post the first one here.

Hannes


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## Dean (Jan 9, 2007)

Hi Hannes,
I also missed this one.
I'm self-taught so I rarely offer critiques /comments unless asked,as I find it difficult to offer any technical advice re orchestration etc,at least in a coherent manner.
Great opening and strings intro,I presume there are real violins in there? I love the percussion /brass orchestration from 1min:20sec.
IMHO,around 1min:10sec the fast strings have a sucking decay/cres effect which does'nt sound right to me.
Since this such a deliberately jarring cue at times it would make a big difference combined with the visuals to comment properly.

Dean.


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## Hannes_F (Jan 9, 2007)

Dean @ Tue Jan 09 said:


> Hi Hannes,
> I also missed this one.
> I'm self-taught so I rarely offer critiques /comments unless asked,as I find it difficult to offer any technical advice re orchestration etc,at least in a coherent manner.
> Great opening and strings intro,I presume there are real violins in there? I love the percussion /brass orchestration from 1min:20sec.
> IMHO,around 1min:10sec the fast strings have a sucking decay/cres effect which does'nt sound right to me.



Hi Dean,

thank you for listening and commenting. You are right, it is samples plus about 20 tracks of real violin dubbed over it.
The decay/crescendo effect between 1:00 and 1:10 resulted from having different string groups doing strong crescendo on single notes at different times. I found this to have sort of a psychodelic effect. You are right it is an unusual way to play but since part of it is real and the samples part does not sound so fake for me. I found it to be an interesting effect that fits to the mood of this moment.

Or am I not really getting what you mean? Perhaps you can explain more in detail - the whole passage or just one note? 



> Since this such a deliberately jarring cue at times it would make a big difference combined with the visuals to comment properly.
> Dean.



The "story" behind the animation would be 
0:00 A hotel in the dark seen from outside. We see the film through the perspective of the murderer who is approaching the house.
0:40 Camera glides up the stairs
1:10 Camera leaves (invisible) murderer and glides upside on the outside of the house.
1:20 Camera turns to moon, then back and flies through window.
1:50 Camera glides though corridor
2:10 Murder creeps into victim's room 
2:30 Fight (not really seen)
2:58 End (of whom is uncertain)

Actually it was quite an undertaking to engage emotionally with such a subject.

Hannes


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## Dean (Jan 9, 2007)

Dean @ Tue Jan 09 said:


> Hi Hannes,
> Since this such a deliberately jarring cue at times it would make a big difference combined with the visuals to comment properly.
> 
> Dean.



Hey Hannes,
I mean the fast strings at 1:10 sound like the effect you get when too many midi notes are being played at once,resulting in the release trails being cut unnaturally,
minor issue anyway.

Also I am only referring to the up-tempo hi-string sections being jarring/dissonant, but in that tense B & W film noir style,similar to Hermanns famous Psycho cue,it fits the scene and mood perfectly, scared the life out of me as a child and is one of the most recognisable film cues in cinematic history but I would'nt stick it on the oul stereo at home with a glass of port. 

Dean.


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## synthetic (Jan 9, 2007)

I missed this too. Cool piece, very different and suspenseful. I need to visit this section more often. I always use the "search id new posts" link, and if I'm somewhere that I can't listen to music then I sometimes forget about it. 

Yeah that section at 1:10 sounded weird to me too. Maybe it's all of the doubled violins. It sounds like the tape is backwards, which might be a neat effect with the visuals. 

I thought the beginning could be louder -- I like the dynamics but that's just way soft. Especially if it's for a film with traffic, footsteps, etc. It will never play in the dub. 

I might work on the drums at the end as well. It sounds a bit too static. Listen to "Basic Instinct," Goldsmith uses drum fills instead of a constant tom tom and I think it has more impact. (I just listened to that this morning so it's fresh in my mind). 

I like the piece, it goes a lot of different directions and has some nice surprises.


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## Hannes_F (Jan 9, 2007)

Hi synthetic,

nice new avatar btw. 

You touch two sour points indeed. As I am still new to film scoring I have yet to get experience with dynamics and piano passages. This beginning is supposed to be without ambience noise, and the idea is to make the audience listen. The more they listen first the harder they get hit later. But how much is too much? I don't know yet.

The toms are a placeholder still and disturb me anytime I hear them. I am glad you noticed that and I am not the only one, hehe.


Hannes


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## JacquesMathias (Jan 9, 2007)

Hi Hannes,

Good job!

I particularly fell you are trying to develop your own style, wich is very good. The introduction is very nice and has very interesting chords. The "structure" (how can i say that in english? i mean the form of music. A B developement A B...) is very good too. You create a nice curve...from pp and anxious harmonies to nervous ff accents.

I agree. Your drums could be better. Check if you are playing the same sample many times. There is that effect at 1:10... wich i think you could make better.

I would add more brass playing at loud passages. Only my personal taste.

Nice work! :smile:


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## Hannes_F (Jan 10, 2007)

Hi Jaques,

thank you for listening and commenting. You are right, I try to develop my own musical accent. Because I feel this is what I can do best on the long hand. I am just at the beginning here, and it is really exciting.

Brass - at that time it was too early for me to include much brass in terms of knowledge. I have played some trumpet in my youth but never in a section. So it takes a time for me to make really good friends with them .


Hannes


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## José Herring (Jan 12, 2007)

I like the mood that you're trying to go for in this piece. I find a few problems with it in terms of composition and mock up.

Firstly I feel the opening is a bit rushed imo. It takes away from the creepy at that speed for me. I love the violin playing. The mix is a bit too in your face for me at that point and pretty much throughout. Also as the violin gets supported with samples the sucking effect become quite obvious. 

I like the Bernard Herrmann string chords a lot after the trumpet solo. But again there's a lack of early reflections that make everything lose it's distance. I'm not digging the driving drums. They don't integrate with the piece. Deeper orchestral drums would drive the piece home.

Also, better bass parts would support the feel and the complex harmonies a bit more. Sounds like there's just one bass player instead of a section.

The main trumpet solo would sound better if positioned in the trumpet position. It's like all of the sudden the trumpet comes in, melody isn't bad, but it comes in as kind of a trumpet concerto which distracts from the piece.

I think with rethinking the balances and the perspective that this piece could come off really well. 

Jose


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## Hannes_F (Jan 13, 2007)

Jose,

you have a fine ear, good analysis and the ability to express. Thank you for your opinion and please write again if I will post another piece.

Hannes


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## poseur (May 6, 2008)

hannes,
i have nothing much of critique to say, beyond those who come before me,
but didn't feel the sonic environment for the music was considered too much (in parallel with the tone of the music).....
the size & color(s) of the space, some reverb "tails" where suitable, etc.

though i may be mistaken for opining so,
i do also feel there's not much point in specifically criticising the piece as film music,
without the visual content that is its home.....
..... unless the scene is being played & played literally,
rather than feeding some overarching contour to the film (and the entire score).
nice writing, i say!
i enjoyed.

d


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## poseur (May 7, 2008)

yes, in these days it can be quite valuable
to consider that the "sonics" of a score may be viewed
as a completely integrated musical factor,
utterly co-dependent with composition & performance,
inst / arr / orch, etc.....

anyways!
my comments on anyone's music,
when divorced from the living environemnt of the picture
(and with no regard for the questionable
value to you - or, to anyone else - of my worthiness-to-comment,
as a film composer)
will have little real meaning beyond the purely conceptual
realm of ghostly "opinions";
that said,
i really do enjoy that piece!
 

d


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## Jshippjr (Jun 8, 2013)

Hannes, for some reason the imdb link that you provided does not send me to a place where i can hear your music. Please forgive my ignorance and direct me to the right place so I can hear your piece. Thanks


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