# The greatest revision note I ever got on a cue



## reddognoyz (Mar 19, 2012)

6:12+: Still think this cue needs to emphasis that nothing is happening.


ummmm okayyyyyy....... so less then?????????? Hey!!!!! how about nothing?? wouldn't that actually be perfect??? no???? sigh.... okay I'll try again..........


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## Mike Greene (Mar 19, 2012)

Maybe give them some snoring? :mrgreen:


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 19, 2012)

Ostinato? Static harmony?

I don't know the context, but out of context the comment doesn't sound completely ridiculous!


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## Daryl (Mar 19, 2012)

I was once told to make it more purple. :shock: 

D


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## sbkp (Mar 19, 2012)

Daryl @ Mon Mar 19 said:


> make it more purple



Synesthesia at work


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## reddognoyz (Mar 19, 2012)

I agree with Nick it isn't actually ridiculous. It just struck me as funny. 

I was asked for the sound of bending glass once. The client demonstrated by pushing his hand against the control room window......


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 19, 2012)

Some kind of very regular, solo, boring ticking, woodblock might give the feeling of time passing very slowly (thereby being bored)?


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 19, 2012)

Daryl @ 19/3/2012 said:


> I was once told to make it more purple. :shock:
> 
> D



That's easy... quote a little of this:


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## autopilot (Mar 19, 2012)

I once had a music theme reduced instrument by instrument until only the windchimes remained. 

I still get the royalties


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## windshore (Mar 19, 2012)

just paste in a clip of Sade


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## rayinstirling (Mar 20, 2012)

Daryl @ Mon Mar 19 said:


> I was once told to make it more purple. :shock:
> 
> D



Morphine did it for me.


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## Dan Mott (Mar 22, 2012)

What?

How are you supposed to know what purple sounds like? I wouldn't even know what to do if someone said that to me. :s


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## nikolas (Mar 22, 2012)

I do remember working on a game (and an ad actually. This has happened twice).

they give me a reference cue. The game wanted a song that sounded like Ramones. Fair enough I say (like it isn't difficult enough to emulate a band playing alone... Anyhow). I deliver. They start arguing that it's too slow, too Ramones like, etc. I argue back (a tiny bit) that this is what they wanted. They ask for it to be delivered at 50% faster pace! So I turn in a punk rock track with thrash (really) elements in which they loved.

The ad: They wanted to sound like 'Titanic' soundtrack. They give me a cue, and the exact seconds to copy. I deliver. They come back saying they didn't like it and I should copy another part of the track. I deliver. They come back saying they don't like it and I should copy another part of the song. WTF!?!?!?! :(


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## reddognoyz (Mar 23, 2012)

I am working on a project now where I was given a very specific piece of music, not that they wanted that track or a sound alike, just a very specific vibe that we both understood, they wanted a harmonica lead, I used a melodica actually but they thought it was harmonica, they said "too high how about a tenor sax" no sweat, but I am hiring a player and billing studio time to record. they are going to phone patch in and approve on the spot.


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## soundslikejoe (May 1, 2012)

"I think we need to add some strings, like a violin or cello." 

The arrangement was already full string orchestra. I added a modulating synth patch and they said "perfect." 


Another one.... The temp score was Come Fly with Me by Frank Sinatra. I tried to explain that I couldn't do that because I can't sing like Frank Sinatra and we needed to hire session musicians. The reply was "but we're paying you to do all the music." 

o-[][]-o


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## reddognoyz (May 1, 2012)

*Re: The greatest revision note I ever got on a cue the FUBAR*

So I was doing a side project for a very well known cartoon director/exec producer duo. Many network series. This was their pet project, a 10 direct to dvd series of cartoons.

They wanted to do it "their way" and this was their big chance to break free of all those pesky producers and assistants who they felt just got in the way. It was a musical with a big church choir number so of course they got togehter with their buddies from church and wrote the song. 
When it proved to be a little..... off, or something they couldn't put their finger on,(it sucked in a phenomenally amateurish way, just plodding death), they hired me to polish it up. I was going to do the score, but this was in preproduction, just at animatic stage.
So I rewrote this lumbering turd and upped the tempo by about 50% Still very pedantic, but at least you could kinda clap along to it. They liked it and there was radio silence for a few weeks as I got the actors in to replace the temp vocals. 
When I got the finished episode back, I saw that they had decided to "save time" by animating to the original version. about 90 seconds longer and bearing no discernible relationship to the final version. OOPS. 
It was, of course, my fault the song no longer matched the picture. "It's the same song basically, why isn't YOUR music matching our picture??? >8o >8o >8o


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## Arbee (May 1, 2012)

When two (not one) creative directors turn up to your session don't look back, just run o=?


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## Casey Edwards (May 1, 2012)

"I want it like this, but I don't want it like this at the same time. Do you know what I'm saying?"

My head almost exploded when I heard this... haha. Learning how to communicate with a director is interesting, and man do I still have a lot to learn.


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## reddognoyz (May 1, 2012)

learn to read between the lines. Simile and metaphor help a lot to get across an idea. "you know, like that Cher song Believe, but without the singing." or 'it should sound a little magical like Harry Potter", I encourage that sort of a dialog. Also look for the emotion they want to put across. Most important that.


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## reddognoyz (May 1, 2012)

My least favorite direction? 

Director/producers on lousy speakerphone"we'd like something .....unexpected"

"okay.... Polka? no one would expect that here in this scene where the boy is dying in his mother's arms..."

"no, we want you to reinvent the wheel, why this is the greatest thing since canned beer!! and so it must be unique and different and it must be a extraordinarily difficult and torturous process to try out a bunch of things that no one's ever thought of before, before we circle back to using something that works and is right."

uh-huh like my first demo. Which worked and is pretty darned good and moves your story along w/o intruding but unfortunately isn't earth shattering and relies pretty much on the same 12 notes as everything else. Oh well, at least I can bill for all those revisions that scratched your itch, right? no? ahhhh crap!


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## williemyers (May 23, 2012)

my best "demo" story #1;
Waaaay back in the days (pre-midi...few of you would remember that :D :D ), I had an assignment for a track that was to be recorded by full live, orch. in London. 
Client wanted a demo, sent a piano track, agency approved, but client says, "wait a moment? I like the melody, but I'm paying for a full orch.... what *that* going to sound like?" Agency explains it would cost a fortune to demo a full orch. Client agrees, but still not happy. 
What did I do?
Hired 1 vioin, 1viola, 1cello, 1 db, 1 f horn, 1 trump, etc. etc. Had this group of about 15 play the piece, client loved it, off to London we went! 
go figure......


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