Needed: Composer(s) for a Film

[Basis]

EDIT:

Thanks to everyone who applied. I've notified my choice. You'll know who you are.

Hi everybody, long time listener, first time poster. I am a film student at Webster University in St Louis, and I need a composer for a movie that I will be making this summer.

The film is about a five year old Girl who is summoned by the Great Spirit to awaken the four lesser Spirits - Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water - so that they can defeat an evil man before he can defeat them. There's a lot of adventure, running around, exploring, puzzle solving, etc. Most of it will be filmed in the country, in forests, fields, creeks, and other places that are not civilization. It's gonna be a pain to film, but it will be worth it.

When it comes to the script, I've been heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda (if that wasn't already obvious), as well as the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Visually, I've been inspired by the works of Terrence Malick, where the shots are slow moving, graceful, and overall just beautiful. None of that running around with the camera business that's become so popular these days, I'm a believer in the power of the triforce, er, tripod...

We're still in pre-production, so we don't have much of anything put together yet. We plan on filming in June and July, with post production in July and August, and a target date for completion of Labor Day (September 6), just in time for film festival season.

So now we come to the music. I'd like each area/scene to have its own music that will probably loop once or twice during the scene, much like a video game (such as Zelda). I know it's not the way you'd normally score a movie, but it's my stylistic choice for this film. It also conveniently means that the composer can write the music without having the footage on hand. I can send photos of the locations along to show what these places look like for inspiration.

Hopefully you got a feeling for the general style of the film from the descriptions above. It's a blend of genres, and my view of the music would be Zelda with a bit of folkish charm. During writing I primarily listened to the Twilight Princess and Assassination of Jesse James soundtracks, in case you wanted some references. You're the musician, so I'll let you have artistic freedom, so long as you do NOT use rock, metal, electronic, or their kin (well, you might be able to sneak some hints of electronic in). I need something more natural sounding. I'm a big fan of the piano and fiddle, in case you wanted to be director's pet. Again, you're the artist, and I'm not a musician, so I'll give you plenty of space.

Currently my best estimate of how long the film will run is anywhere between 40 and 50 minutes, of which maybe a half to two thirds will need music, though when you consider that I'd like to loop the music like a game, it won't be as much. It's still a fairly large project, and there's only just over four months to get it done in.

So now you're wondering about compensation. I'll just say it again - student film. I'm trying to make it look as professional as possible (in contrast to many of my peers, who wouldn't know good cinematography if it gouged their eyes out), so that I might actually have a chance in the festival circuit. In the very unlikely chance that we get picked up, you'll certainly see some moolah heading your way. Otherwise, the music belongs to you, excepting purposes related to this particular film.

And if you feel like collaborating with someone or someones on this, you can do that too, just so it's less work for one person.

If you'd like to see any of my work, you can find it here. All but one of the videos were made in high school, before I had any film classes or access to professional equipment (not that I'm saying my old stuff sucks, it's just amateur).

If you're interested, send me a PM with some samples of your work, and feel free to ask plenty of questions.

Finally - ZELDA. I was really tempted to request ReMixes of some Zelda music, but there's all those thorny legal issues when you're doing something [hopefully] for-profit. I'd rather not make Nintendo angry, so I have to go for an original soundtrack.

EDIT: More information, by popular demand

According to my dictionary's definition of ambient music: a style of instrumental music with electronic textures and no persistent beat, used to create atmosphere. I don't really want that. Well, I want the instrumental part, though you could put vocals in (but not actually lyrics, I'm not really sure of the term for those vocals that aren't actually words). The music needs to emphasize the mood of the scene, but not overtake the visuals or the sound effects. For example, the first Spirit the girl must awaken is the Spirit of Fire, who is in the Northern Glade (glades being the closest thing to a desert where I live). Something along the lines of the Gerudo Desert music from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be great. It sets the tone for the Desert - mysterious and vast - without being obtrusive and drowning out the visuals or the sound effects. Another location in the film is the Spirit Realm, which is this very ethereal place, where the Spirit's true forms dwell, as well as the final resting place of all souls. The music would be in the same vein as Elemental Stars (aka Sol Sanctum) from Golden Sun, beautifully eerie, emphasizing the emptiness instead of filling it.

A little bit more about the film: it's generally an upbeat film, even during the times when all hope seems lost, we know that the hero will win in the end. We're making something that is fun, it'll definitely be appropriate for kids, though today's no attention span children might not find it very interesting. It's not a Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks type kids film, it's...well, I don't know how to describe it, I'd hate to try and compare myself to the great Hayao Miyazaki, but it's kind of like his films, they're made for kids and adults - though to be clear this movie isn't animated. It's kinda slow moving (relative to your average film today), with an emphasis on exploration and nature. Again I must refer to the influence of Terrence Malick, though I'm guessing few people out there are familiar with his films. I have this habit of filming wildlife and plants in between takes, some of which makes it into the movie. This is why I have a feeling that there will be a lot of extra footage in the final cut that is not present in the script, which in turn means I don't know how long the film will be. The script is 35 pages, one page is approximately one minute, plus additional footage and end credits. That equals anywhere between 40 and 50 minutes.

This might be too much information, but this is a serious project. While I try to be realistic about things like this, I still have all this pent up hope that this might get me noticed. Or at least it'll be better than what my fellow film students were able to come up with.

[jabond23]

Hey, i sent you a PM with some info about myself and such. Let me know what ya think?

Thanks, Joe