Sunday, November 1, 2015

SIPHON: A Retrospect- Part 3 (Music Direction & a new SIPHON cut)

It's been almost a year to the day that my short horror film SIPHON was released.  Due to time and work related constraints I had been unable to do much in terms of polishing the film and getting a copy released for festival entry as well as for a dvd release.  Luckily though with the help of my Director of Photography/Assistant Editor/FX wizard Aaron Pate (you can see the full spectrum of his talents here at http://www.aarondpate.com/ ) I've finally been able to get a "final cut" released with all the audio and visuals smoothed out. An example of things we've added to this cut include new FX shots & smoother audio transitions and mixing,  Below is an example of one of the many modifications we've done to the new version

The Before Shot

After FX modification (spinal scars and deteriorated skin)


     Most importantly a thorough credits list was added so that all those whom offered their time and talent to this project would receive the recognition they deserved. Below is the link to the new cut of SIPHON.



One of the most important parts of any movie project is the music direction.  I had contacted several local talents to see if they could lend me a hand in creating a haunting score for the film and luckily the composer duo (and married couple) Matthew & Anja Kirby crafted a haunting score for the film.  The direction I offered was "create me a music score that fits into an 80s horror or science fiction film".  I offered a few suggestions such as the music score to the original THE TERMINATOR, ANGEL HEART, THE THING, and while not from the 80s the music score to 2002's THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES for them to gain inspiration from.  I've always been a big fan of music scores that incorporate an industrial sound along with what could be considered field recordings.  While I believe the influences can be heard in the music score to SIPHON I feel that it's wholly unique score that brings to life the subtle horrors of the film itself.  It can be noted that during the scenes in the abandoned factory that real industrial noises from various equipment were added on top of the score to play on the various rusted metal doorways, leaking ventilation pipes, and other equipment around the factory.  Even the various bells and emergency noises from the medical equipment add new layers to the underlying score.  The score was the perfect element that brought the project fully together.  The score is as vital to the film as any of the visuals and performances.  Take any movie and remove the score and you see that the film loses a myriad of subtle cues and emotional frequencies.  A music score and direct your emotions even more so at times than the visuals can.

Hopefully SIPHON will see various film festivals play in 2015-2016.  Thank you for all of your support through the whole process.  Perhaps future interest will garner a push for a full length version.  Only time will tell!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the shoutout!

    I enjoyed the 3-part retrospective, especially Mitch's concept art and your research materials which I haven't seen since back when our journey started on this film.

    I enjoy that you grow and extrapolate your ideas thoroughly when crafting a story, to the extent of writing a series of blog entries, so the film is but a component of your exploration of the concepts. Each piece is part of a larger puzzle, yet holds up on its own.

    -Aaron

    ReplyDelete