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CULMINATING EXPERIENCE
THESIS PAPER
Over the roofs of London, “Flying to Neverland”
Advisor: Sergio Jimenez Lacima
Supervisor: Lucio Godoy
By Victor Josse
Master of Music in Scoring for Film, Television and Video-games - 2019
INDEX
INTRODUCTION Arriving in Valencia – new territories, new people, new challenges
……………………………………………………………………………………………….... 3
I. BEYOND COMPOSITION: THE CHALLENGES OF FILM MUSIC………………….…4
I. 1) Writing for media……………………………………………………………….……4
I. 1) a. Dealing with new technological tools: DP and the world of MIDI sequencing
……………………………………………………………………………………...……4
I. 1) b. Music for a media: giving priority to the images/story, how to illustrate a
mood?................................................................................................................................5
I. 1) c. Learning how to synchronise music with pictures…………………………....5
I. 2) Learning the ropes of live recording: A one-year ticket to London……………....6
I. 2) a. Dealing with new technological tools: Protools and the world of music
recording/editing/mixing………………………………………………………….……6
I. 2) b. Management of time in a recording session…………………………..………6
I. 2) c. Practice of conducting………………………………………………….………7
I. 2) d. Dealing with musicians: the roles and approaches of the
composer/conductor/producer ……………………………………………………..…7
I. 2) e. Writing a score: importance of the precision and quality of the writing
……………………………………………………………………………………...……8
I. 2) f. Composing for an orchestra: the importance of knowing the instruments
……………………………………………………………………………………...……8
II. CONCEIVING THE FINAL COMPOSITION PROJECT………………………….……..9
II. 1) Early ideas……………………………………………………………………...……9
II. 2) Tempting projects…………………………………………………………….……11
II. 2) a. Meeting the animation world………………………………………..………11
II. 2) b. Building a movie around its music………………………………….………12
II. 3) Back to a very personal and early idea: Scoring a Peter Pan movie…………...13
II. 3) a. Creating a script out of a book…………………………………………..….13
II. 3) b. Creating visuals…………………………………………………….………..16
II. 3) c. The ingredients of a flight scene…………………………………………….18
II. 3) c. Building the main themes……………………………………………………21
II. 3) d. Orchestration……………………………………………………….………..25
II. 3) e. Revision : “Devil’s in the details” …………………………………………..26
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………27
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INTRODUCTION
Arriving in Valencia – new territories, new people, new challenges
Before I discuss the musical challenges that this new year at Berklee would create, I
would like to discuss certain issues and worries that were related to my arrival in a new city, a
place a full of strangers. I will always remember the start of this year as being extremely
stressful and worrying. Not only based on the fact that I was isolated from everything I
previously knew, but also coping from the result of distance from family, from friends, from a
zone of comfort. Dealing with solitude is not easy and as days passed, my longing for
companionship grew. Being in Valencia played an additional role in my adjustment to this
new environment: discovering this city, its life, its moods, and getting to know its customs
were challenges in themselves.
Once the year at Berklee began, I had to face new challenges such as learning how to
organize my week according to a new and intense workflow, as well also bonding and
meeting people from all over the world. The latter was not easy at first, although it is an
interesting process to witness the creation of new relationships. While some of us may have
shared a similar country or come from the same culture, we had different influences in our
lives. Despite our differences, we were united by the same passion music, with special interest
for film music: this was the foundation of the friendships that were to come, and little by
little, the kind of uneasy conversations turned into moments of fun and true sharing. I am
always amazed to see how people connect with each other. This is a very beautiful thing to
see.
As the year began and the work came spontaneously to us, I discovered a new and
very personal challenge in the fact of dealing with technology. I realized that this unique year
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would not be only about writing music, I would also have to really challenge myself, not
relying solely on my past experiences and previous knowledge but would have to go beyond
pure composition.
I. BEYOND COMPOSITION: THE CHALLENGES OF FILM MUSIC
I. 1) Writing for media
I. 1) a. Dealing with new technological tools: DP and the world of MIDI sequencing
Coming from a very traditional and classical background where I worked hard on my
playing, analyzing and writing abilities, I was not fully prepared to face the vast world of
MIDI sequencing and the anxiety related to the new technological frontiers I had to explore
and understand. Indeed, I felt all these new tools and complex territories to be like a land I
had never explored before, with rules I didn’t completely understand and a language that was
new to me. Fortunately, my knowledge of music and film contributed to me better
understanding how to best utilize these new tools.
I am thankful that the teachers encouraged us to practice with these tools, and to
become better acquainted with them as fast as possible, as almost every assignment was
supposed to utilize them. Generally speaking, our learning process was progressive before we
actually had to synchronize music to a piece of film. I feel that this was the most productive
method in which to teach us the information.
I was encouraged by learning that many of the students in our class had never had to
use a software such as Digital Performer – a software that many of us found almost barbaric
at first – as a result, I didn’t feel that I was far behind my colleagues. The rules implied by this
software were hard to follow for those who were used to composing with Logic or Cubase.
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This was a new land for many, including myself, who had never used a software more
complex than Finale to write music before.
I. 1) b. Music for a media: giving priority to the images and story, illustrating a
mood
One of the main lessons of this year was to understand that our job as film composers
is not to only write music only but to write music for a media, this media being a master or a
guide that we are never to forget or ignore to the simple benefit of our music. The story, the
characters, the images, the angles and movements of the camera, the light and the rhythm of
the scene are all factors that are meant to drive our music. The end goal is to play with these
constraints and manage to write something as interesting and unique as possible.
In order to achieve that, it is of the upmost importance to know how to read a film,
and this is where a class like Narrative analysis came into play, in addition to any personal
practice, reading, cultural knowledge, and in my case, my previous studies in literature and
cinema theory. Our training is not only about this one year master program, rather our training
has started long before this year, and is meant to last as long as possible after.
A film composer has to know the cinema vocabulary in order to understand his/her
job. It is critical in order to know how to communicate with cinema professionals, as this
communication may sometimes be complex sometimes since the language of music has its
own rules.
I. 1) c. Learning how to synchronize music with pictures
Although I had some experience in analyzing narrative and/or visual content and
applying it to a piece of music to it, I learnt even more this year on how to read a film and
find what needs to be emphasized musically, thus the quest of sync points and how to make
them as accurate and meaningful as possible.
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Aside from identifying sync points, there is also a purely technological aspect of this
process of synchronizing music to picture. For this step, Digital Performer (DP) is extremely
helpful. Truly, there are wonders in technology, I would be a hypocrite no to say so. While I
cannot speak for other software’s features, DP has a fantastic “Find tempo” tool. Using this
tool has made me realize how comfortable it is to work with a steady tempo throughout a
scene, especially in the context of a short recording session. We will discuss this further in the
next part. While helpful, this steadiness comes with its own difficulty: how to avoid being still
and boring. I was also faced with this challenge for my final recording, but this is another
story.
I. 2) Learning the ropes of live recording: A one-year ticket to London
I. 2) a. Dealing with more technological tools: Protools and the world of music
recording/editing/mixing
From the very first recording session, we had to prepare a Protools session. As many
others, I could not help but feel a bit anxious with the idea of creating and submitting this
session, I worried about forgetting one of the many important details (rulers, click properly
printed, big counter visible, etc.), and hoped that everything worked perfectly. These worries
were further accentuated when the time of our first remote recording with Budapest came.
Since we were supposed to send away all our material, it had to be perfect.
In the end, although I don’t want to become a sound engineer, I am glad we had the
opportunity to learn more about the basics of recording, mixing and editing techniques. These
are skills any film composer should know. Indeed, we never know if a film budget will allow
us to hire an engineer, or if we will have to do it ourselves.
I. 2) b. Management of time in a recording session: the 18 minutes challenge
Management of time is crucial in a recording context; this is one of the biggest
challenges we had to deal with in this context. During my first recording session, surprisingly
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I had quite a good time management, as I was able to do several full takes and still had time to
spare. Perhaps this was because the piece was easy. I also realized it is better not to have
tempo changes but to create a feeling of tempo change through rhythmic variations.
At the end of the day, we have to remember that “time is money”.
I. 2) c. Practice of conducting
Learning the basics of conducting was one of the things I was looking forward to the
most this year at Berklee, and I was far from being disappointed. Once again, my first
recording was a positive experience. We had the chance to conduct the recording, and despite
having the click in the headphones, I was happy to see the players were actually paying
attention to me. I recognize that my presence was not really essential, but it was an
opportunity for us to practice conducting and to be something more than a metronome.
Conducting the following sessions felt better and better to me. I was able to hear more of what
was happening, not only focusing on my conducting, but also showing some dynamism and
intentions in my gestures, etc. The experience of a conductor is also a way to be in direct
contact with the players, which, as we later learnt, can be a difficult issue to deal with.
I. 2) d. Dealing with musicians: the roles and approaches of the composer /
conductor / producer
My recording of a brass quintet was an example of a situation where I did not have a
particularly comfortable relationship with the players performing my piece.
While other students had trouble with a trumpet player for example, I was not
particularly concerned with him (even though his playing could have been more “involved”).
On the other hand, I had trouble with the tuba player: he was a very good player, but that day,
he kept doing time mistakes and playing out of tune. In the end, we still managed to get good
takes for almost all the parts of my piece, but we lost a precious amount of time with these
mistakes.
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I recognize that the players are very important to the piece, and this kind of situation
may happen in the professional life. While not ideal, this was at least an opportunity for me to
learn how to deal with professional instrument players in an uncomfortable situation, and how
to deal with short timing. Also, it is important that they feel comfortable with the piece and
the conductor. In order to achieve that, we have to behave as professionally and respectfully
as possible towards the team involved (players, producers, engineers).
I. 2) e. Writing a score: importance of the precision and quality of the writing
I am very used to writing scores, and this has given me an advantage in that domain,
by allowing me to focus on different issues, such as composition with a DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation) like Digital Performer. For example, the piece I wrote for my first Budapest
recording was the first one I composed entirely using DP; the music was simpler but really
attached to the images, the textures, the harmony and melody (but I’m always attached to
that). Although, I still feel much more comfortable and confident when I write with a score in
front of my eyes, I feel reassured by the fact that I can compose music without seeing an
actual score and using a DAW.
My second Budapest recording was significant as it demonstrated how good writing
can help the recording to go smoothly. Nothing in particular happened and the orchestra did a
great performance from the very first take. I believe this was caused by the precision of the
writing. I tried to be as idiomatic as possible, to write not too complicated music, and to
submit the score and parts as clearly as possible. As my CE will demonstrate later, a precise
orchestration combined with careful score preparation, are essential elements to secure an
easy recording.
I. 2) f. Composing for an orchestra: the importance of knowing the instruments
When the moment comes to write a piece for an orchestra, one should never neglect
the fact that writing idiomatically for all of the instruments playing is the best way to get a
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solid and coherent performance. In addition, this method helps avoid questions and problems
during the recording, and therefore saves time. In this matter, beginning our orchestration
course this year with a presentation of all the instruments composing an orchestra was a good
way to give every student some basis in orchestral writing. As a string player myself, I had
the chance to develop my orchestral knowledge years before Berklee, but I would not be
honest if I said I didn’t learn anything new. Despite this slight advantage, I still learned new
things in the orchestration course, and was able to consolidate these new knowledge into my
musical journey.
II. CONCEIVING THE FINAL COMPOSITION PROJECT
II. 1) Early ideas
Very early in the year, I started to think about what shape I would like to give my
Culminating Experience, not even considering a visual media at first. I remember walking my
way back home every day singing or whistling, shaping in my mind ideas that, I hoped, would
be transcended by the amazing orchestra we would have the chance to conduct in June. One
of the first ideas I had was to write a theme for a movie villain. I have always loved villains in
stories; I find them fascinating, and very often they receive memorable themes by film
composers.
I can recall many of the themes John Williams has written for villains such as Darth
Vader, Lex Luthor, Voldemort, etc. John Williams is a master in composing themes, and what
he writes for villains is usually very efficient. Let’s take “Darth Vader’s theme”, from Star
Wars episode V (1980) for example, and try to understand why it works so well. First, it is an
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ostinato-based theme, the ostinato being located in the string section from the beginning to the
end (Figure 1).
Fig. 1: “The Imperial March” ostinato
This ostinato is a signature elements of the piece that makes it instantly recognizable.
Additionally, the percussion reinforcing the strings (timpani, snare drum) makes it even more
powerful. An ostinato is a great way to make a piece memorable, as John Williams proved it
again with his “Duel Of The Fates” from Star Wars episode I (1999).
The theme he wrote for Darth Vader is quite simple and easy to remember as well
due to its repetitive rhythm (Figure 2) around which Williams builds his melody.
Fig. 2: Darth Vader’s Theme
This theme takes the form of a March (as indicated by the title of the piece – “The
Imperial March” – and its tempo indication), which gives it a sense of “unlimited power”
(innocent quote from Star Wars) and corresponds perfectly to a character who seems
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unstoppable and made of pure evil. It is interesting to notice how Williams uses the March
form to compose his villain’s themes (Lex Luthor’s and Voldemort’s are also Marches).
Finally, Williams chose not to keep the harmony not overtly complex, which suits
the form of the piece. Still, he managed to keep it interesting by avoiding the I-V-I chord
progression that would be expected from a March, and changing the V into a minor bVI (as
we can see on the last beat of the first and second bars in Figure 1). This chord progression is
not original in itself, but it surely participates to making this theme unique and recognizable.
Following a similar guideline, I really considered writing such a theme for a while.
But I also had another idea.
I have been fascinated by the character and the story of Peter Pan for years now.
Despite only having read James Barrie’s novel for the first time a few years ago, it had a huge
impact on me. I studied it in depth and tried to understand what made it so special and
fascinating. I also used it as a musical inspiration for some of my other works. In 2014, I
wrote a full symphonic suite called “Suite Neverland”, based on the story of the boy who
would never grow up. In general, I’m very interested in fairy tales and how they help shape
our understanding of the world; in literature, this was the subject of my thesis during my
research studies, and musically, I am driven by wanting to learn how to make music out of
those fairy tales.
Having the chance to compose the soundtrack for a Peter Pan movie adaptation is a
dream of mine. It only seemed logical to me to make it part of my CE at the beginning of the
year. I decided to focus especially on the first flight scene of the story, as flight scenes are
usually central scenes in almost any fantasy movie.
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II. 2) Tempting projects
II. 2) a. Meeting the animation world
A few months ago, I went to Paris to receive a prize called “Le Prix de la Vocation”,
meant to award and help financially twenty young people to achieve their life vocation, in any
domain. I had the chance to meet fascinating persons, and among them was a student from
Les Gobelins, a Parisian animation school. We were interested in each other’s work, and I
told him about my final project at Berklee. I thought that maybe it would be great to record a
score for a short film he created in Air Studios, giving both of us the opportunity to work in
professional conditions.
In the end, we couldn’t carry out this project because it was difficult for him to create
a short animation film in such a short amount of time, and he didn’t have anything else ready.
But we still are very interested in working together in the future, starting next year, so this
meeting and our initial idea was not in vain.
II. 2) b. Building a movie around its music
Another exciting project came from a friend of mine, Stéphane Le Roux. He is a
cinema teacher and with whom I had the opportunity to work in the past years, scoring two of
the three movies he has created with his students in almost professional conditions. When I
mentioned to him this final recording in London and what was expected from me as a
composer, he told me about his desire to write a script about composing a soundtrack while
telling an intimate and personal story. His idea was to go backwards and build a movie around
the composition of its soundtrack. The film would have two timelines, one in “reality” with a
student in film scoring and his/her teacher, the other being the timeline of the movie these
characters would be writing. This concept of a movie within a movie was very exciting to me,
all the more so as the second timeline would be located in Brocéliande Forest, a place from
my region which is full of legends, tales and mysteries, holding stories about Merlin, magic
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and powerful fairies (Figure 3). This setting was another motivation, as it would give the
possibility to write a score using colours and melodies inspired by my region in France.
Fig. 3: The Golden Tree in Brocéliande Forest
Given the time we had, the plan changed from having the film shot and ready before
London to composing the music on the script only. But as time passed, we faced an important
issue concerning the music itself: how could a big orchestral soundtrack fit a kind of intimate
short movie? We could not find any satisfying solution, and the project was sadly aborted,
although Stéphane and I both think that we could give it a chance in the future, with a less
Hollywoodian soundtrack.
This new aborted project led me back to a previous idea which I finally decided to
choose as my CE.
II. 3) Back to a very personal and early idea: Scoring a Peter Pan movie
II. 3) a. Creating a script out of a book
Coming back to Peter Pan, I decided to avoid rescoring a scene from an existing
movie adaptation of Barrie’s novel, as I wanted to allow myself musical freedom and not to
care about any copyright issue. The solution was for me to write a script based directly on the
novel. This adaptation was an interesting task that allowed me to take some advantage of my
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literature and cinema studies. Moreover, by writing this script myself, I could choose my own
images and my own sequences, in which I could introduce specific ingredients such as action,
fantasy, wonder, etc.
In order to create a cinematographic scene, I had to work on a certain dynamism in
thought process the scene, I also had to keep in mind some visuals elements, and above all, a
coherent structure that would become precisely the structure of my musical piece.
Here is the final version of the script:
___________________________
Peter Pan – The Flight Scene
INT./EXT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Peter Pan flies through the window and draws Wendy, John and Michael to him with his
malicious words.
PP : “Do you want to meet mermaids ? “
Wendy: “Oh !”
PP: “Indians?”
J and M: “Really ? Indians ?!”
PP: “Pirates?”
Children: “Pirates ?!!...”
They all follow him as a sudden (1:00:17:00).
EXT. ABOVE LONDON – NIGHT
They fly over London’s roofs and towers, make a circle around Big Ben’s tower.
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After following Peter, John and Michael start a race to challenge each other (1:00:37:16).
They suddenly pass through a cloud (1:00:42:13).
EXT. ABOVE THE SEA – SUNRISE
After a few seconds of uncertainty, they emerge in the sunrise, above the sea (1:00:46:14).
They are amazed, Peter is proud.
Peter dives towards the sea. He almost touches the surface of water while flying. He flies
among jumping dolphins (1:01:06:01), then catches up with the others (1:01:18:15).
EXT. TIMELAPSE
On the same shot, we see the children flying as the sun goes down, the moon rises, then the
sun comes back and goes down, as the landscape changes to mountains.
EXT. ABOVE MOUNTAINS – SUNSET
Michael falls asleep in the sunset, surrounded by delicate snowflakes. Suddenly he literally
starts falling (1:01:47:00). Wendy screams. Peter laughs, but then he dives again after
Michael who is falling towards the mountains.
Peter catches Michael just before he hits a summit (1:02:02:20), and while holding him he
flies up again, extremely fast, into the night sky.
Wendy sees them coming.
W: “John, hold me !!!”
John obeys. As Peter and Michael pass by them, she catches Michael’s feet.
They all fly extremely fast towards the stars, at whom Peter is giving his biggest smile.
Light goes brighter, everything is blurred and Wendy has to close her eyes.
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EXT. NEVERLAND – SUNRISE
Suddenly they emerge into the sunrise light (1:02:13:18), and progressively appears the
wonderful Neverland.
The children stare in wonder and we are given a fantastic view of the island.
They fly through the clouds above the island and contemplate all of its wonders.
Flying above the pirates’ ship, they hide quickly behind a cloud (1:02:40:12).
They keep flying towards the land.
_____________________________
II. 3) b. Creating visuals
When I finished the script, I had this idea of a story-board that would go with it and
help the listener of the piece to understand what actions and emotions are underlined by the
music. Also, I felt it would bring my project closer to a cinematographic experience.
Therefore, I contacted a visual artist, Lawrence Lamborn, who is a musician and an illustrator
and asked if he would be interested in drawing a series of images going with my script,
focusing on some of its key actions or key locations. I knew his style would fit perfectly with
my project, with interesting colours, a comics style, hidden details, and fine lines. I was happy
to receive a positive response, and in the end the result was exactly what I expected.
Lawrence created five original drawings, out of five moments of my script: the children flying
over the roofs of London (Figure 4), Peter flying with the dolphins (Figure 5), Michael falling
(Figure 6), Peter and the children flying towards the stars (Figure 7), and finally a view of
Neverland (Figure 8).
Here are the five drawings.
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Fig. 4: the children flying over the roofs of London
Fig. 5: Peter flying with dolphins.
Fig. 6: Michael falling.
Fig. 7: Peter and the children flying towards the stars
Fig. 8: Neverland
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After receiving all the drawings, I edited them in a sort of short animation movie, to
add even more precision to my idea of the whole sequence, like an animated story-board. This
“animation” would be used to present my final project.
II. 3) c. The ingredients of a flying scene
When the moment came to start composing, I had to think of the kind of ingredients
that such a scene would require to sound right and evoke a flying sequence in the listener’s
mind. When you listen to the musical underscoring of famous flying scenes such as the one
from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial or Superman, not to mention various Peter Pan movie
adaptations, one of the first ingredients to be noticed is movement, which may seem obvious
considering the type of scene we are talking about. However, it is pivotal as it creates
movement/motion that is not always obvious. These amazing scores provide movement
through a thoughtful use of the accompaniment parts (ostinato in the strings for example, a
good choice of speed, fast values, punctuation elements, etc.). I wanted to recreate that
feeling.
In my piece, I decided to use a constant tempo (except for the very end), following
the idea, that I discussed earlier, that it always makes a recording session go smoother.
However, I didn’t want this constant tempo to make my piece sound motionless and still.
How could I create motion and variety despite of this constant tempo?
One idea was to play with ternary and binary forms. My piece is mostly ternary (bar
of 9/8) but there is this one section illustrating the race between John and Michael where I
chose to switch into binary (4/4). The quarter note value remains the same but the general
pace seems a little accelerated because of the arrival of 16th notes (Figure 9).
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Fig. 9: switching to binary (bars 30-33)
Another way to emulate dynamism in a constant tempo was to add time signature
changes in some places in order to move the strong beats, or to manipulate these strong beats
within the bars by creating “in 2” patterns in 3-beats bars (Figure 10).
Fig. 10: “in 2” patterns (bars 37-42)
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In this example, we can see that the fast pattern played by the oboes and clarinets
goes along with the bassoon and horns line to create a floating time signature. Both presenting
a regular motif that works every two beats. Also, I used the dovetailing technique for the
woodwinds and made it appear every time the pattern repeats itself twice.
In general, I tried to play with the beats, and particularly around the downbeat which
I set out to avoid constantly throughout the piece, by holding bass lines and making them start
on the second beat (Figure 11).
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Fig. 11: Avoiding the downbeat
By doing so, the idea was to give a sense of bounce, of rebound, as though you were
taking flight. After all, the first beat of a bar is usually felt as a down beat, and I wanted to
contrast this with a sense of going upwards. The ostinato is also based on that accentuated
second beat, and always leads into the subsequent bar.
I mentioned motion as the main ingredient of a flight scene. Like in every famous
flying scene from the movies that I previously evoked (E.T., Superman, Peter Pan), this kind
of scene is also the perfect moment for a majestic main theme.
II. 3) c. Building the 2 main themes
As a composer, I always prefer start a composition by working on one or several
themes. I strongly believe themes and melodies to be what is mainly remembered from a
piece of music, while also allowing the composer to work on both harmonic and melodic
variations, while keeping the score coherent. Themes are perfect tools to tell a story, and I like
to make them one of the core concepts in the music I write. My piece “Flying to Neverland”
was no exception.
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For this piece, I decided to compose two main themes, one called the “Flying
Theme”, to accompany the flight of the characters above the rooftops of London, above the
sea and the mountains, to the stars and to the island of Neverland. The other theme depicts the
wonders of their destination. Alhough I have two themes, I still wanted them to be connected
and related, having one preparing the other, always in order to preserve a coherence of the
piece. The solution I found was to include a common rhythmic cell in the core of both of the
themes (Figure 12).
A. Flying Theme
B. Neverland Theme
Fig. 12: Connecting my two main themes
Once the two themes were connected, it allowed me a multitude of variations. I could
use this central cell in many parts of the piece, in order to create dialogue between the
instruments or to facilitate transitions between different sections.
My Flying Theme was the most important to me because I knew I would utilize it
more than the second one, so concentrated my efforts perfecting this theme. I recalled an
interview of John Williams explaining how he composed his Flying Theme for the movie E.
T. The Extra-Terrestrial, as a theme that would fly with the characters, a theme that would
create an ascending movement with target notes getting higher and higher. I always found this
idea brilliant, and I tried to make this concept the core idea to my own theme. I intended to
create an ascending movement, in two ways: first, the melody itself goes higher and higher
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(Figure 13), secondly, I mimic this harmonically by following the ascending movement of the
melody with parallel triads. Harmonically moving upwards while the pedal note remains on
C, the main tonality, creating interesting dissonances and avoiding a simple harmonic
progression (Figure 14).
8ve
5th
Fig. 13: a flying theme
Fig. 14: a supporting ascending harmony
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5th
Since the main theme is meant to have an upward motion, in addition to the target
notes getting higher and higher and to the harmony that follows an ascending line, I also used
ascending intervals that would convey the same feeling of elevation (an octave up, a fifth up,
then another fifth up) (Figure 13). The first bar in itself is supposed to launch the theme
thanks to this initial octave, like a bird propelling itself. This theme is contrasted with a
secondary theme I wrote for the falling sequence, where the melody clearly goes down, before
ascending again which exemplifies when Peter catches Michael and saves him (bars 91 to 97).
My second main theme, the one for Neverland, is not meant to be as melodic as the
first one. I was more interested in suggesting a majestic nature to the theme. It is the arrival to
the island, the end of the journey, and the children are awe struck. Therefore, the melodic line
is quite static (though based on the same rhythmic cell as before), whereas the harmonic
structure follows the same idea as in the Flying Theme, with parallel triads going up then
down while creating a pleasant dissonance with the pedal point of C in the melody (Figure
15).
Fig. 15: Neverland Theme
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Although this theme only appears in its entirety at the end of the piece, when Peter
and the children reach the island, it doesn’t feel unprepared because we find common
elements between the two main themes. This has a direct narrative relation since the ability to
fly is intrisically related to this wonderful island and its magical inhabitants. Although I had
stated this theme once, before the actual arrival to the island, when Peter flies with the
dolphins. It was done in a kind of a hidden way as only the celli are playing it and many other
musical elements are happening at the same time, forcing the listener’s attention to move
constantly from one element to the other (Figure 16).
Fig. 16: foreshadowing Neverland Theme
II. 3) d. Orchestration
One key element I wanted to incorporate in my orchestration was the idea of motion.
I wanted to avoid immobility in my orchestration, meaning I didn’t want my melodies to be
played always by the same instruments and the accompaniment to be played always by the
same instruments, I wanted them to have a constant dialogue and create lots of timbre
combinations.
I had many influences that helped me working on my orchestration, though not
always consciously. I would say that I tried to combine the brilliance of a John Williams with
colours and textures borrowed from great symphonists of the XXth Century. As an example, I
could mention the British Ralph Vaughan-Williams and his “Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas
25
Tallis” which may have influenced the suddenly quiet sequence of my piece (bars 76 to 86) in
its way of connecting a very loud sequence with a very quiet one. As an aside, I would like to
mention the immense impact Williams’ music has had on me and how much his music has
and continues to always inspire me.
In general, I built my script with the aim of providing possibility to structure my
piece in a way that I could deliver different orchestral moods, and to force myself to work on
transitions and an overall coherence.
II. 3) e. Revision: “The devil is in the details”
One final word dedicated to Sergio J. Lacima, who was my tutor and advisor this last
semester, and whose help was invaluable while I was working on my composition, and even
before. A core concept that he instilled in me during this process was the attention to detail
that I needed to commit to my piece. While I was working with him, I constantly had this
saying in mind: “The devil is in the details”. I want to acknowledge how helpful and patient
Sergio was with me, especially when I dared bringing him an extracted audio from Finale
(may he forgive me one day).
26
CONCLUSION
One year ago, I couldn’t imagine how rich this adventure at Berklee Valencia would
be, both musically and as emotionally. One great achievement of this year at Berklee is the
fantastic people I met and in contact with whom I have grown both as a person as well as in
my compositions. I want to thank all my friends for that, for the beautiful and talented people
they are. I also want to extend my gratitude to all our teachers, who brought me out of my
comfort zone and forced me to try and experiment musically. I thank them for their patience,
their humility, their kindness, their talent, and their will to push us to become the best version
of ourselves.
It is very important to keep in mind that this year has provided us with fantastic
experiences: working with the top tools, top musicians, top engineers, top teachers, and top
recording conditions. Now we have to face the real world on our own and we will have to
struggle and work a lot if we want to get back to working in those conditions. But of this, I’m
certain: one day, I will.
27
THESIS PAPER
Over the roofs of London, “Flying to Neverland”
Advisor: Sergio Jimenez Lacima
Supervisor: Lucio Godoy
By Victor Josse
Master of Music in Scoring for Film, Television and Video-games - 2019
INDEX
INTRODUCTION Arriving in Valencia – new territories, new people, new challenges
……………………………………………………………………………………………….... 3
I. BEYOND COMPOSITION: THE CHALLENGES OF FILM MUSIC………………….…4
I. 1) Writing for media……………………………………………………………….……4
I. 1) a. Dealing with new technological tools: DP and the world of MIDI sequencing
……………………………………………………………………………………...……4
I. 1) b. Music for a media: giving priority to the images/story, how to illustrate a
mood?................................................................................................................................5
I. 1) c. Learning how to synchronise music with pictures…………………………....5
I. 2) Learning the ropes of live recording: A one-year ticket to London……………....6
I. 2) a. Dealing with new technological tools: Protools and the world of music
recording/editing/mixing………………………………………………………….……6
I. 2) b. Management of time in a recording session…………………………..………6
I. 2) c. Practice of conducting………………………………………………….………7
I. 2) d. Dealing with musicians: the roles and approaches of the
composer/conductor/producer ……………………………………………………..…7
I. 2) e. Writing a score: importance of the precision and quality of the writing
……………………………………………………………………………………...……8
I. 2) f. Composing for an orchestra: the importance of knowing the instruments
……………………………………………………………………………………...……8
II. CONCEIVING THE FINAL COMPOSITION PROJECT………………………….……..9
II. 1) Early ideas……………………………………………………………………...……9
II. 2) Tempting projects…………………………………………………………….……11
II. 2) a. Meeting the animation world………………………………………..………11
II. 2) b. Building a movie around its music………………………………….………12
II. 3) Back to a very personal and early idea: Scoring a Peter Pan movie…………...13
II. 3) a. Creating a script out of a book…………………………………………..….13
II. 3) b. Creating visuals…………………………………………………….………..16
II. 3) c. The ingredients of a flight scene…………………………………………….18
II. 3) c. Building the main themes……………………………………………………21
II. 3) d. Orchestration……………………………………………………….………..25
II. 3) e. Revision : “Devil’s in the details” …………………………………………..26
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………27
2
INTRODUCTION
Arriving in Valencia – new territories, new people, new challenges
Before I discuss the musical challenges that this new year at Berklee would create, I
would like to discuss certain issues and worries that were related to my arrival in a new city, a
place a full of strangers. I will always remember the start of this year as being extremely
stressful and worrying. Not only based on the fact that I was isolated from everything I
previously knew, but also coping from the result of distance from family, from friends, from a
zone of comfort. Dealing with solitude is not easy and as days passed, my longing for
companionship grew. Being in Valencia played an additional role in my adjustment to this
new environment: discovering this city, its life, its moods, and getting to know its customs
were challenges in themselves.
Once the year at Berklee began, I had to face new challenges such as learning how to
organize my week according to a new and intense workflow, as well also bonding and
meeting people from all over the world. The latter was not easy at first, although it is an
interesting process to witness the creation of new relationships. While some of us may have
shared a similar country or come from the same culture, we had different influences in our
lives. Despite our differences, we were united by the same passion music, with special interest
for film music: this was the foundation of the friendships that were to come, and little by
little, the kind of uneasy conversations turned into moments of fun and true sharing. I am
always amazed to see how people connect with each other. This is a very beautiful thing to
see.
As the year began and the work came spontaneously to us, I discovered a new and
very personal challenge in the fact of dealing with technology. I realized that this unique year
3
would not be only about writing music, I would also have to really challenge myself, not
relying solely on my past experiences and previous knowledge but would have to go beyond
pure composition.
I. BEYOND COMPOSITION: THE CHALLENGES OF FILM MUSIC
I. 1) Writing for media
I. 1) a. Dealing with new technological tools: DP and the world of MIDI sequencing
Coming from a very traditional and classical background where I worked hard on my
playing, analyzing and writing abilities, I was not fully prepared to face the vast world of
MIDI sequencing and the anxiety related to the new technological frontiers I had to explore
and understand. Indeed, I felt all these new tools and complex territories to be like a land I
had never explored before, with rules I didn’t completely understand and a language that was
new to me. Fortunately, my knowledge of music and film contributed to me better
understanding how to best utilize these new tools.
I am thankful that the teachers encouraged us to practice with these tools, and to
become better acquainted with them as fast as possible, as almost every assignment was
supposed to utilize them. Generally speaking, our learning process was progressive before we
actually had to synchronize music to a piece of film. I feel that this was the most productive
method in which to teach us the information.
I was encouraged by learning that many of the students in our class had never had to
use a software such as Digital Performer – a software that many of us found almost barbaric
at first – as a result, I didn’t feel that I was far behind my colleagues. The rules implied by this
software were hard to follow for those who were used to composing with Logic or Cubase.
4
This was a new land for many, including myself, who had never used a software more
complex than Finale to write music before.
I. 1) b. Music for a media: giving priority to the images and story, illustrating a
mood
One of the main lessons of this year was to understand that our job as film composers
is not to only write music only but to write music for a media, this media being a master or a
guide that we are never to forget or ignore to the simple benefit of our music. The story, the
characters, the images, the angles and movements of the camera, the light and the rhythm of
the scene are all factors that are meant to drive our music. The end goal is to play with these
constraints and manage to write something as interesting and unique as possible.
In order to achieve that, it is of the upmost importance to know how to read a film,
and this is where a class like Narrative analysis came into play, in addition to any personal
practice, reading, cultural knowledge, and in my case, my previous studies in literature and
cinema theory. Our training is not only about this one year master program, rather our training
has started long before this year, and is meant to last as long as possible after.
A film composer has to know the cinema vocabulary in order to understand his/her
job. It is critical in order to know how to communicate with cinema professionals, as this
communication may sometimes be complex sometimes since the language of music has its
own rules.
I. 1) c. Learning how to synchronize music with pictures
Although I had some experience in analyzing narrative and/or visual content and
applying it to a piece of music to it, I learnt even more this year on how to read a film and
find what needs to be emphasized musically, thus the quest of sync points and how to make
them as accurate and meaningful as possible.
5
Aside from identifying sync points, there is also a purely technological aspect of this
process of synchronizing music to picture. For this step, Digital Performer (DP) is extremely
helpful. Truly, there are wonders in technology, I would be a hypocrite no to say so. While I
cannot speak for other software’s features, DP has a fantastic “Find tempo” tool. Using this
tool has made me realize how comfortable it is to work with a steady tempo throughout a
scene, especially in the context of a short recording session. We will discuss this further in the
next part. While helpful, this steadiness comes with its own difficulty: how to avoid being still
and boring. I was also faced with this challenge for my final recording, but this is another
story.
I. 2) Learning the ropes of live recording: A one-year ticket to London
I. 2) a. Dealing with more technological tools: Protools and the world of music
recording/editing/mixing
From the very first recording session, we had to prepare a Protools session. As many
others, I could not help but feel a bit anxious with the idea of creating and submitting this
session, I worried about forgetting one of the many important details (rulers, click properly
printed, big counter visible, etc.), and hoped that everything worked perfectly. These worries
were further accentuated when the time of our first remote recording with Budapest came.
Since we were supposed to send away all our material, it had to be perfect.
In the end, although I don’t want to become a sound engineer, I am glad we had the
opportunity to learn more about the basics of recording, mixing and editing techniques. These
are skills any film composer should know. Indeed, we never know if a film budget will allow
us to hire an engineer, or if we will have to do it ourselves.
I. 2) b. Management of time in a recording session: the 18 minutes challenge
Management of time is crucial in a recording context; this is one of the biggest
challenges we had to deal with in this context. During my first recording session, surprisingly
6
I had quite a good time management, as I was able to do several full takes and still had time to
spare. Perhaps this was because the piece was easy. I also realized it is better not to have
tempo changes but to create a feeling of tempo change through rhythmic variations.
At the end of the day, we have to remember that “time is money”.
I. 2) c. Practice of conducting
Learning the basics of conducting was one of the things I was looking forward to the
most this year at Berklee, and I was far from being disappointed. Once again, my first
recording was a positive experience. We had the chance to conduct the recording, and despite
having the click in the headphones, I was happy to see the players were actually paying
attention to me. I recognize that my presence was not really essential, but it was an
opportunity for us to practice conducting and to be something more than a metronome.
Conducting the following sessions felt better and better to me. I was able to hear more of what
was happening, not only focusing on my conducting, but also showing some dynamism and
intentions in my gestures, etc. The experience of a conductor is also a way to be in direct
contact with the players, which, as we later learnt, can be a difficult issue to deal with.
I. 2) d. Dealing with musicians: the roles and approaches of the composer /
conductor / producer
My recording of a brass quintet was an example of a situation where I did not have a
particularly comfortable relationship with the players performing my piece.
While other students had trouble with a trumpet player for example, I was not
particularly concerned with him (even though his playing could have been more “involved”).
On the other hand, I had trouble with the tuba player: he was a very good player, but that day,
he kept doing time mistakes and playing out of tune. In the end, we still managed to get good
takes for almost all the parts of my piece, but we lost a precious amount of time with these
mistakes.
7
I recognize that the players are very important to the piece, and this kind of situation
may happen in the professional life. While not ideal, this was at least an opportunity for me to
learn how to deal with professional instrument players in an uncomfortable situation, and how
to deal with short timing. Also, it is important that they feel comfortable with the piece and
the conductor. In order to achieve that, we have to behave as professionally and respectfully
as possible towards the team involved (players, producers, engineers).
I. 2) e. Writing a score: importance of the precision and quality of the writing
I am very used to writing scores, and this has given me an advantage in that domain,
by allowing me to focus on different issues, such as composition with a DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation) like Digital Performer. For example, the piece I wrote for my first Budapest
recording was the first one I composed entirely using DP; the music was simpler but really
attached to the images, the textures, the harmony and melody (but I’m always attached to
that). Although, I still feel much more comfortable and confident when I write with a score in
front of my eyes, I feel reassured by the fact that I can compose music without seeing an
actual score and using a DAW.
My second Budapest recording was significant as it demonstrated how good writing
can help the recording to go smoothly. Nothing in particular happened and the orchestra did a
great performance from the very first take. I believe this was caused by the precision of the
writing. I tried to be as idiomatic as possible, to write not too complicated music, and to
submit the score and parts as clearly as possible. As my CE will demonstrate later, a precise
orchestration combined with careful score preparation, are essential elements to secure an
easy recording.
I. 2) f. Composing for an orchestra: the importance of knowing the instruments
When the moment comes to write a piece for an orchestra, one should never neglect
the fact that writing idiomatically for all of the instruments playing is the best way to get a
8
solid and coherent performance. In addition, this method helps avoid questions and problems
during the recording, and therefore saves time. In this matter, beginning our orchestration
course this year with a presentation of all the instruments composing an orchestra was a good
way to give every student some basis in orchestral writing. As a string player myself, I had
the chance to develop my orchestral knowledge years before Berklee, but I would not be
honest if I said I didn’t learn anything new. Despite this slight advantage, I still learned new
things in the orchestration course, and was able to consolidate these new knowledge into my
musical journey.
II. CONCEIVING THE FINAL COMPOSITION PROJECT
II. 1) Early ideas
Very early in the year, I started to think about what shape I would like to give my
Culminating Experience, not even considering a visual media at first. I remember walking my
way back home every day singing or whistling, shaping in my mind ideas that, I hoped, would
be transcended by the amazing orchestra we would have the chance to conduct in June. One
of the first ideas I had was to write a theme for a movie villain. I have always loved villains in
stories; I find them fascinating, and very often they receive memorable themes by film
composers.
I can recall many of the themes John Williams has written for villains such as Darth
Vader, Lex Luthor, Voldemort, etc. John Williams is a master in composing themes, and what
he writes for villains is usually very efficient. Let’s take “Darth Vader’s theme”, from Star
Wars episode V (1980) for example, and try to understand why it works so well. First, it is an
9
ostinato-based theme, the ostinato being located in the string section from the beginning to the
end (Figure 1).
Fig. 1: “The Imperial March” ostinato
This ostinato is a signature elements of the piece that makes it instantly recognizable.
Additionally, the percussion reinforcing the strings (timpani, snare drum) makes it even more
powerful. An ostinato is a great way to make a piece memorable, as John Williams proved it
again with his “Duel Of The Fates” from Star Wars episode I (1999).
The theme he wrote for Darth Vader is quite simple and easy to remember as well
due to its repetitive rhythm (Figure 2) around which Williams builds his melody.
Fig. 2: Darth Vader’s Theme
This theme takes the form of a March (as indicated by the title of the piece – “The
Imperial March” – and its tempo indication), which gives it a sense of “unlimited power”
(innocent quote from Star Wars) and corresponds perfectly to a character who seems
10
unstoppable and made of pure evil. It is interesting to notice how Williams uses the March
form to compose his villain’s themes (Lex Luthor’s and Voldemort’s are also Marches).
Finally, Williams chose not to keep the harmony not overtly complex, which suits
the form of the piece. Still, he managed to keep it interesting by avoiding the I-V-I chord
progression that would be expected from a March, and changing the V into a minor bVI (as
we can see on the last beat of the first and second bars in Figure 1). This chord progression is
not original in itself, but it surely participates to making this theme unique and recognizable.
Following a similar guideline, I really considered writing such a theme for a while.
But I also had another idea.
I have been fascinated by the character and the story of Peter Pan for years now.
Despite only having read James Barrie’s novel for the first time a few years ago, it had a huge
impact on me. I studied it in depth and tried to understand what made it so special and
fascinating. I also used it as a musical inspiration for some of my other works. In 2014, I
wrote a full symphonic suite called “Suite Neverland”, based on the story of the boy who
would never grow up. In general, I’m very interested in fairy tales and how they help shape
our understanding of the world; in literature, this was the subject of my thesis during my
research studies, and musically, I am driven by wanting to learn how to make music out of
those fairy tales.
Having the chance to compose the soundtrack for a Peter Pan movie adaptation is a
dream of mine. It only seemed logical to me to make it part of my CE at the beginning of the
year. I decided to focus especially on the first flight scene of the story, as flight scenes are
usually central scenes in almost any fantasy movie.
11
II. 2) Tempting projects
II. 2) a. Meeting the animation world
A few months ago, I went to Paris to receive a prize called “Le Prix de la Vocation”,
meant to award and help financially twenty young people to achieve their life vocation, in any
domain. I had the chance to meet fascinating persons, and among them was a student from
Les Gobelins, a Parisian animation school. We were interested in each other’s work, and I
told him about my final project at Berklee. I thought that maybe it would be great to record a
score for a short film he created in Air Studios, giving both of us the opportunity to work in
professional conditions.
In the end, we couldn’t carry out this project because it was difficult for him to create
a short animation film in such a short amount of time, and he didn’t have anything else ready.
But we still are very interested in working together in the future, starting next year, so this
meeting and our initial idea was not in vain.
II. 2) b. Building a movie around its music
Another exciting project came from a friend of mine, Stéphane Le Roux. He is a
cinema teacher and with whom I had the opportunity to work in the past years, scoring two of
the three movies he has created with his students in almost professional conditions. When I
mentioned to him this final recording in London and what was expected from me as a
composer, he told me about his desire to write a script about composing a soundtrack while
telling an intimate and personal story. His idea was to go backwards and build a movie around
the composition of its soundtrack. The film would have two timelines, one in “reality” with a
student in film scoring and his/her teacher, the other being the timeline of the movie these
characters would be writing. This concept of a movie within a movie was very exciting to me,
all the more so as the second timeline would be located in Brocéliande Forest, a place from
my region which is full of legends, tales and mysteries, holding stories about Merlin, magic
12
and powerful fairies (Figure 3). This setting was another motivation, as it would give the
possibility to write a score using colours and melodies inspired by my region in France.
Fig. 3: The Golden Tree in Brocéliande Forest
Given the time we had, the plan changed from having the film shot and ready before
London to composing the music on the script only. But as time passed, we faced an important
issue concerning the music itself: how could a big orchestral soundtrack fit a kind of intimate
short movie? We could not find any satisfying solution, and the project was sadly aborted,
although Stéphane and I both think that we could give it a chance in the future, with a less
Hollywoodian soundtrack.
This new aborted project led me back to a previous idea which I finally decided to
choose as my CE.
II. 3) Back to a very personal and early idea: Scoring a Peter Pan movie
II. 3) a. Creating a script out of a book
Coming back to Peter Pan, I decided to avoid rescoring a scene from an existing
movie adaptation of Barrie’s novel, as I wanted to allow myself musical freedom and not to
care about any copyright issue. The solution was for me to write a script based directly on the
novel. This adaptation was an interesting task that allowed me to take some advantage of my
13
literature and cinema studies. Moreover, by writing this script myself, I could choose my own
images and my own sequences, in which I could introduce specific ingredients such as action,
fantasy, wonder, etc.
In order to create a cinematographic scene, I had to work on a certain dynamism in
thought process the scene, I also had to keep in mind some visuals elements, and above all, a
coherent structure that would become precisely the structure of my musical piece.
Here is the final version of the script:
___________________________
Peter Pan – The Flight Scene
INT./EXT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Peter Pan flies through the window and draws Wendy, John and Michael to him with his
malicious words.
PP : “Do you want to meet mermaids ? “
Wendy: “Oh !”
PP: “Indians?”
J and M: “Really ? Indians ?!”
PP: “Pirates?”
Children: “Pirates ?!!...”
They all follow him as a sudden (1:00:17:00).
EXT. ABOVE LONDON – NIGHT
They fly over London’s roofs and towers, make a circle around Big Ben’s tower.
14
After following Peter, John and Michael start a race to challenge each other (1:00:37:16).
They suddenly pass through a cloud (1:00:42:13).
EXT. ABOVE THE SEA – SUNRISE
After a few seconds of uncertainty, they emerge in the sunrise, above the sea (1:00:46:14).
They are amazed, Peter is proud.
Peter dives towards the sea. He almost touches the surface of water while flying. He flies
among jumping dolphins (1:01:06:01), then catches up with the others (1:01:18:15).
EXT. TIMELAPSE
On the same shot, we see the children flying as the sun goes down, the moon rises, then the
sun comes back and goes down, as the landscape changes to mountains.
EXT. ABOVE MOUNTAINS – SUNSET
Michael falls asleep in the sunset, surrounded by delicate snowflakes. Suddenly he literally
starts falling (1:01:47:00). Wendy screams. Peter laughs, but then he dives again after
Michael who is falling towards the mountains.
Peter catches Michael just before he hits a summit (1:02:02:20), and while holding him he
flies up again, extremely fast, into the night sky.
Wendy sees them coming.
W: “John, hold me !!!”
John obeys. As Peter and Michael pass by them, she catches Michael’s feet.
They all fly extremely fast towards the stars, at whom Peter is giving his biggest smile.
Light goes brighter, everything is blurred and Wendy has to close her eyes.
15
EXT. NEVERLAND – SUNRISE
Suddenly they emerge into the sunrise light (1:02:13:18), and progressively appears the
wonderful Neverland.
The children stare in wonder and we are given a fantastic view of the island.
They fly through the clouds above the island and contemplate all of its wonders.
Flying above the pirates’ ship, they hide quickly behind a cloud (1:02:40:12).
They keep flying towards the land.
_____________________________
II. 3) b. Creating visuals
When I finished the script, I had this idea of a story-board that would go with it and
help the listener of the piece to understand what actions and emotions are underlined by the
music. Also, I felt it would bring my project closer to a cinematographic experience.
Therefore, I contacted a visual artist, Lawrence Lamborn, who is a musician and an illustrator
and asked if he would be interested in drawing a series of images going with my script,
focusing on some of its key actions or key locations. I knew his style would fit perfectly with
my project, with interesting colours, a comics style, hidden details, and fine lines. I was happy
to receive a positive response, and in the end the result was exactly what I expected.
Lawrence created five original drawings, out of five moments of my script: the children flying
over the roofs of London (Figure 4), Peter flying with the dolphins (Figure 5), Michael falling
(Figure 6), Peter and the children flying towards the stars (Figure 7), and finally a view of
Neverland (Figure 8).
Here are the five drawings.
16
Fig. 4: the children flying over the roofs of London
Fig. 5: Peter flying with dolphins.
Fig. 6: Michael falling.
Fig. 7: Peter and the children flying towards the stars
Fig. 8: Neverland
17
After receiving all the drawings, I edited them in a sort of short animation movie, to
add even more precision to my idea of the whole sequence, like an animated story-board. This
“animation” would be used to present my final project.
II. 3) c. The ingredients of a flying scene
When the moment came to start composing, I had to think of the kind of ingredients
that such a scene would require to sound right and evoke a flying sequence in the listener’s
mind. When you listen to the musical underscoring of famous flying scenes such as the one
from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial or Superman, not to mention various Peter Pan movie
adaptations, one of the first ingredients to be noticed is movement, which may seem obvious
considering the type of scene we are talking about. However, it is pivotal as it creates
movement/motion that is not always obvious. These amazing scores provide movement
through a thoughtful use of the accompaniment parts (ostinato in the strings for example, a
good choice of speed, fast values, punctuation elements, etc.). I wanted to recreate that
feeling.
In my piece, I decided to use a constant tempo (except for the very end), following
the idea, that I discussed earlier, that it always makes a recording session go smoother.
However, I didn’t want this constant tempo to make my piece sound motionless and still.
How could I create motion and variety despite of this constant tempo?
One idea was to play with ternary and binary forms. My piece is mostly ternary (bar
of 9/8) but there is this one section illustrating the race between John and Michael where I
chose to switch into binary (4/4). The quarter note value remains the same but the general
pace seems a little accelerated because of the arrival of 16th notes (Figure 9).
18
Fig. 9: switching to binary (bars 30-33)
Another way to emulate dynamism in a constant tempo was to add time signature
changes in some places in order to move the strong beats, or to manipulate these strong beats
within the bars by creating “in 2” patterns in 3-beats bars (Figure 10).
Fig. 10: “in 2” patterns (bars 37-42)
19
In this example, we can see that the fast pattern played by the oboes and clarinets
goes along with the bassoon and horns line to create a floating time signature. Both presenting
a regular motif that works every two beats. Also, I used the dovetailing technique for the
woodwinds and made it appear every time the pattern repeats itself twice.
In general, I tried to play with the beats, and particularly around the downbeat which
I set out to avoid constantly throughout the piece, by holding bass lines and making them start
on the second beat (Figure 11).
20
Fig. 11: Avoiding the downbeat
By doing so, the idea was to give a sense of bounce, of rebound, as though you were
taking flight. After all, the first beat of a bar is usually felt as a down beat, and I wanted to
contrast this with a sense of going upwards. The ostinato is also based on that accentuated
second beat, and always leads into the subsequent bar.
I mentioned motion as the main ingredient of a flight scene. Like in every famous
flying scene from the movies that I previously evoked (E.T., Superman, Peter Pan), this kind
of scene is also the perfect moment for a majestic main theme.
II. 3) c. Building the 2 main themes
As a composer, I always prefer start a composition by working on one or several
themes. I strongly believe themes and melodies to be what is mainly remembered from a
piece of music, while also allowing the composer to work on both harmonic and melodic
variations, while keeping the score coherent. Themes are perfect tools to tell a story, and I like
to make them one of the core concepts in the music I write. My piece “Flying to Neverland”
was no exception.
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For this piece, I decided to compose two main themes, one called the “Flying
Theme”, to accompany the flight of the characters above the rooftops of London, above the
sea and the mountains, to the stars and to the island of Neverland. The other theme depicts the
wonders of their destination. Alhough I have two themes, I still wanted them to be connected
and related, having one preparing the other, always in order to preserve a coherence of the
piece. The solution I found was to include a common rhythmic cell in the core of both of the
themes (Figure 12).
A. Flying Theme
B. Neverland Theme
Fig. 12: Connecting my two main themes
Once the two themes were connected, it allowed me a multitude of variations. I could
use this central cell in many parts of the piece, in order to create dialogue between the
instruments or to facilitate transitions between different sections.
My Flying Theme was the most important to me because I knew I would utilize it
more than the second one, so concentrated my efforts perfecting this theme. I recalled an
interview of John Williams explaining how he composed his Flying Theme for the movie E.
T. The Extra-Terrestrial, as a theme that would fly with the characters, a theme that would
create an ascending movement with target notes getting higher and higher. I always found this
idea brilliant, and I tried to make this concept the core idea to my own theme. I intended to
create an ascending movement, in two ways: first, the melody itself goes higher and higher
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(Figure 13), secondly, I mimic this harmonically by following the ascending movement of the
melody with parallel triads. Harmonically moving upwards while the pedal note remains on
C, the main tonality, creating interesting dissonances and avoiding a simple harmonic
progression (Figure 14).
8ve
5th
Fig. 13: a flying theme
Fig. 14: a supporting ascending harmony
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5th
Since the main theme is meant to have an upward motion, in addition to the target
notes getting higher and higher and to the harmony that follows an ascending line, I also used
ascending intervals that would convey the same feeling of elevation (an octave up, a fifth up,
then another fifth up) (Figure 13). The first bar in itself is supposed to launch the theme
thanks to this initial octave, like a bird propelling itself. This theme is contrasted with a
secondary theme I wrote for the falling sequence, where the melody clearly goes down, before
ascending again which exemplifies when Peter catches Michael and saves him (bars 91 to 97).
My second main theme, the one for Neverland, is not meant to be as melodic as the
first one. I was more interested in suggesting a majestic nature to the theme. It is the arrival to
the island, the end of the journey, and the children are awe struck. Therefore, the melodic line
is quite static (though based on the same rhythmic cell as before), whereas the harmonic
structure follows the same idea as in the Flying Theme, with parallel triads going up then
down while creating a pleasant dissonance with the pedal point of C in the melody (Figure
15).
Fig. 15: Neverland Theme
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Although this theme only appears in its entirety at the end of the piece, when Peter
and the children reach the island, it doesn’t feel unprepared because we find common
elements between the two main themes. This has a direct narrative relation since the ability to
fly is intrisically related to this wonderful island and its magical inhabitants. Although I had
stated this theme once, before the actual arrival to the island, when Peter flies with the
dolphins. It was done in a kind of a hidden way as only the celli are playing it and many other
musical elements are happening at the same time, forcing the listener’s attention to move
constantly from one element to the other (Figure 16).
Fig. 16: foreshadowing Neverland Theme
II. 3) d. Orchestration
One key element I wanted to incorporate in my orchestration was the idea of motion.
I wanted to avoid immobility in my orchestration, meaning I didn’t want my melodies to be
played always by the same instruments and the accompaniment to be played always by the
same instruments, I wanted them to have a constant dialogue and create lots of timbre
combinations.
I had many influences that helped me working on my orchestration, though not
always consciously. I would say that I tried to combine the brilliance of a John Williams with
colours and textures borrowed from great symphonists of the XXth Century. As an example, I
could mention the British Ralph Vaughan-Williams and his “Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas
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Tallis” which may have influenced the suddenly quiet sequence of my piece (bars 76 to 86) in
its way of connecting a very loud sequence with a very quiet one. As an aside, I would like to
mention the immense impact Williams’ music has had on me and how much his music has
and continues to always inspire me.
In general, I built my script with the aim of providing possibility to structure my
piece in a way that I could deliver different orchestral moods, and to force myself to work on
transitions and an overall coherence.
II. 3) e. Revision: “The devil is in the details”
One final word dedicated to Sergio J. Lacima, who was my tutor and advisor this last
semester, and whose help was invaluable while I was working on my composition, and even
before. A core concept that he instilled in me during this process was the attention to detail
that I needed to commit to my piece. While I was working with him, I constantly had this
saying in mind: “The devil is in the details”. I want to acknowledge how helpful and patient
Sergio was with me, especially when I dared bringing him an extracted audio from Finale
(may he forgive me one day).
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CONCLUSION
One year ago, I couldn’t imagine how rich this adventure at Berklee Valencia would
be, both musically and as emotionally. One great achievement of this year at Berklee is the
fantastic people I met and in contact with whom I have grown both as a person as well as in
my compositions. I want to thank all my friends for that, for the beautiful and talented people
they are. I also want to extend my gratitude to all our teachers, who brought me out of my
comfort zone and forced me to try and experiment musically. I thank them for their patience,
their humility, their kindness, their talent, and their will to push us to become the best version
of ourselves.
It is very important to keep in mind that this year has provided us with fantastic
experiences: working with the top tools, top musicians, top engineers, top teachers, and top
recording conditions. Now we have to face the real world on our own and we will have to
struggle and work a lot if we want to get back to working in those conditions. But of this, I’m
certain: one day, I will.
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