Global Warning

Documentary Feature Film

Synopsis:

Set in the epicentre of Canada's energy industry where the debate is having more impact than perhaps anywhere in the world, audiences are swept into a learning experience that takes them into private meetings at the UN and US Congress.

Case Study:

For this film project I submitted several 5 min pieces of music to the Director, Mathew Embry. This music had been inspired and based upon a series of conversations we had, where Mathew described the film’s outline story and how he wanted the audience to feel.

The topic for this film was very sensitive. I needed to reflect both sides of the argument about climate change, as well as the views of numerous parties involved in the film.

As I had very little footage to watch at the start of this process, and we were up against a very tight scheduling deadline, I prepared Music Illustrations with musical themes for the main opening sequence and several other key elements of the film’s story.

Through using my imagination and the emotions I personally began to feel towards the story and its implications, I was able to produce the music needed for early edits.

The final themes were approved by the Director and Producer. The Music Editor and I were then able to create all the music cues for the film inspired by and based around the initial music I had composed.

The Secret Marathon

Award-Winning Documentary Feature Film

Synopsis:

Inspired by a story of courage, a young woman and her legendary marathon mentor train in secret for the Marathon of Afghanistan, only to uncover that for the runners, this marathon is much more than just a race.

Case Study:

I have a close relationship with the Filmmakers, and was fortunate to be brought on very early for this film. I shared early Music Illustrations, based on the initial conversations we had about the story.

Throughout the writing process, I was able to get valuable feedback about the music and the emotions it was creating for the creative team, allowing me to dive deeply into the main musical themes.

The film underwent several changes during the editing stage. This was due to one key character having to be removed entirely from the film, due to her receiving threats.

This character’s story was replaced by animation, giving the film an entirely new feel. I worked closely with the Editor during this challenging time to ensure that the music was respectful to her story and still allowed the audience to feel engaged and connected.

This was one of the most collaborative projects I’ve worked on. I’m deeply proud of the final product that we created together, despite incredible constraints and challenges. 

Eviction Notice

Documentary Short Film

Synopsis:

Midfield Mobile Home Park is in a prime location, a 17-acre inner-city site located at the one of the busiest sections of the city. In 2014, residents received an eviction notice: the park was to be be closed on September 30th, 2017. The date was set for the final battle in a war that had been raging for 20 years.

Case Study:

I was invited by the Director, Laura O’Grady, to provide an Original Music Film Score. Unfortunately, due to an unexpected and incredibly tight deadline we didn’t have the time to explore all of our initial creative ideas. This was mainly in part due to the film being accepted into Hot Docs, shifting and expediting the time-frames.

I had to start with writing early Music Illustrations which were based on the story Laura had shared with me. Once I had the first draft edit to work with, I was then able to focus on the emotional content of the story and the key characters.

This was a fast track collaboration and because of the time-frames, I had to rely heavily on my own intuition to hit the mark with the music.

As the edit developed, we did make minor changes to the music, but I was proud that, as a team, we managed to find the overall feel and tone we were looking for and that we achieved this in such a short timeline.

The film was screened at Hot Docs, to a sold-out audience.