Books and Bubbles and Atmosphere

Just discovered a book called CHOICE THEORY by Glasser, which is rocking my world. It's not terribly well written, but the insights about how our minds work, and how we can choose to relate to things, is having a profound effect on me.

Also, after a time away (to read the last Harry Potter, and the latest Thursday Next, and Choice Theory, oh, and Unconditional Parenting!?!) I am back on Eat Pray Love and really enjoying it. I was recently at a doctor's office where they seek to maintain a "temple atmosphere", and there is something about Eat Pray Love which also has that calm spirituality about it. I think it is that it feels very grounded, and that she's coming from a wise place.

I watched a video about Lisa Gerrard recently, and Harry Gregson Williams mentioned she has a kind of self-generated bubble around her. That in the midst of mayhem she can sing unperturbed and undistracted. Her own "temple atmosphere". Some people have such a deep way of being that they seem to change reality when you are around them. I think this is available to all of us, we just need to "drop in" to our deep selves, breathe deep, and open to the world as we would have it, not what is going on around us. And sometimes when I do, I find myself remembering that all the people around me are yearning beautiful souls, not just people we have to deal with or ignore. Interesting.

Blah blah blah. More on music later. Still trying to find the energy to do one of my workshops. Probably an N&D. Autumnal theme. Hmmm, must get onto that.

Love and temple atmosphere to you.

Feeling Lucky after the Burn

10 days since returning to LA from BRC, and still I am buzzing from it. A difficult burn in many ways, but somehow it came out very satisfying after all, closeness to certain friends having grown. Ambitions for next year already percolating.

I am just starting on Neil Burger's new film, which looks to be a wonderful experience. It's called THE LUCKY ONES. More later.

Oh, and I just went to the EMMYS for the first time. The tune from DEXTER was nominated, and I was thrilled to note that KINKY has covered it. It's also on YouTube being played on guitar by a chap called Keith.

Cave Echoes

The main focus now is the forthcoming Burning Man, where my little camp IRONICA is hosting some more of my musical experiments.

I am really looking forward to this one, especially since the last few months have been so full of difficult stuff.
I have been working intensely on FRED CLAUS, a film which kept being recut and reconceived, and I was whipping up new music all the time to keep pace with the new versions of the film. Really an incredible process, and I was very excited by the depth and detail of the music I created. Unfortunately the completed score fell victim to some studio exec, and is to be replaced by someone else. None the less I had a really exciting time working on it, and the manner in which the score evolved still suprises and delights me.

Gerry Kent, RIP.
On 4th July, my father died. I was fortunate to be with him in the UK, having flown over once I realised how seriously ill he was. Given that I immediately went back into the whirl of work I didn't have time to really process what it meant, the loss of a Dad who was distant, but whom I loved from afar. Now I think of him often, with mixed emotions, but mostly a gentle sadness that we never became close. He was 84.

My construction project is nearing its' close.
My new studio is nearly built, and I am very much looking forward to being in an airly and light room, built with film scoring in mind. The process of building has been stressful of course, and I have much to do before I can set up all the gear in there. I hope the next score, starting in Sept, will be composed there. The first new location for me in 11 years!

But as I said, Burning Man is getting my focus now, as I plan the YoSingSU choir workshop, and the Great Singing Buddha Bowls (Chants, Rhythm and Singing). For YoSingSu I am piecing together some amps and mics and delays to create an echoing environment. The idea is that you can enter the space and feel as if you are in a huge canyon or cave with magnificent echoes and reverberations. Then the workshop entails soft guided singing, which will be magnificently enhanced by the virtual acoustics. So at present I am trying to figure out the right kind of miking, and the right kinds of echo devices. I think a mic going to a guitar-pedal style delay, followed by 4 vox amps with built-in delays might work. I'm working on it, and any recommendations are welcome.

So perhaps I shall see you on the Playa. If not, I send you love, Rolfe

Christmas in June, July & August

Just starting FRED CLAUS; I get to spend 3 months of my Summer living & working in Christmas! OK, so much as I am trying to get away from comedies, I must admit I am enjoying this one. Directed by my pal David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) it is warm hearted and very entertaining. It's about Santa's dysfunctional brother Fred (Vince Vaughn).

It's also fun because DD has asked for a big orchestra, and that doesn't happen all that often these days. Mostly directors ask me for a sense of intimacy in the music, and the ensembles are small. So the grand approach is a rare opportunity for me.

"Hunting" Diary

Richard Shepard's new film "The Hunting Party" is at last at the recording stage. It was deemed important to get an eastern european flavour to the piece, and the word was that the orchestra in Софиа was the way to go. So here I am, in this strange yet friendly town, not far from Serbia which is where the film is set.

The players are very good, and certainly bring a slavic flair to the music, which is a combination of orchestra, twangy ethnic sounds, voices, and grooves. We record in an old commy era radio hall, and all directing is through a translator. Sounds like it would be difficult, but it mostly works out pretty well. Sometimes it is simplified by sketching the intended music changes on a piece of paper and passing it around.

Still I miss being able to communicate directly with the players, and the repartee of chatting with an orchestra. It's a little intimidating standing before a host of musicians and not being able to understand what they are saying between each other.

The score is done, and I am very pleased with the results. It's the first full thriller score I have composed in a while, and I like it. I hope I get more thrillers to work on.

Answers...

Response to "Nevermind"; I dunno what the Dexter theme reminds you of, but yeah it does have a sort of '60s feel to the tune. I'm quite influenced by 1960's film scoring.

Hayley asked whether the piano in the REIGN score was real or sampled. Well, it depends as both were used in different places, but the darker piano sound was a beautiful sample.

Cameron, I'm delighted you rediscovered the House Of Yes. Still a favourite of mine, and a very cool underground film.

Bosnia begins

Completed the cd for REIGN OVER ME, which will be released by Lakeshore records on 20th March. The film comes out 23rd March.

Learned today that there will be a CD of music from DEXTER later this year, featuring my theme plus music from the series by Dan Licht.

Currently scoring Richard Shepard's new film about American journalists on an ill-advised trip to Bosnia to find and interview a fugitive war criminal. It's based on the true tale of Sebastian Junger and John Falk who spent their summer vacation 2001 hunting for, and almost finding, Karadzic. It's a really refreshing change of pace for me; an tense adventure/drama, beautifully shot in Croatia by David Tattersall, and starring Terence Howard and Richard Gere.