“January” Production Diary #3

My meeting with Jack (AKA Kaptain Kewl, now known as “Drivel Kid”) went phenomenally. When I arrived, he greeted me, asked how I’d been, and then lead me to the back of his house. We climbed into a closet—his recording studio—and he opened up his MacBook. The small “room” was fitted with headphones, his laptop, an expensive-looking microphone, and some speakers. His guitar sat in its stand in a corner on the left, and the white walls were scrawled with various notes—bits of lyrics, phrases, ideas. It was certainly a Do-It-Yourself sort of studio, but it had the character one would expect, knowing Jack. He began by telling me that he loved the script—which, considering my nightmare last night where he told me he hated 2/3s of the script, was quite nice to hear—and told me he thought the ending was perfect, and that he loved the final line. Jack’s certainly the kind of guy who means what he says, so it meant a lot to hear that from him. He told me that the hardest part about composing the soundtrack was coming up with a tone that would translate from piece to piece to create a cohesive soundtrack. There were six songs displayed in his iTunes window, but he quickly explained that the final “album” will have around twelve songs. He’s hoping to have it entirely finished by this Friday. He prefaced each song by telling me that none of them were set in stone, and that if there was anything that I needed changed, to just let him know. The six songs that I heard were great. Each one was grounded in a similar melancholy, while still having nuances of the warmth of friendship. Jack said that while he definitely wanted the soundtrack to have a solemness, but tried to keep in mind that “even though it’s melancholy, there are friendships here. David really appreciates everything Jack [the character] is doing, and Sam really does love David and want what’s best for him.” The fact that Jack was implementing such themes from the screenplay into the creation of the music for the film speaks volumes of his talent, especially considering that this is the first time he’s done something like this. After listening to every song, Jack stressed that if I hated all of it, or only liked one song, to let him know so that he knew what exactly I was looking for. He said that if in two weeks we decide we need something longer, or want more of a specific sound, or need something recorded at better quality, that he’ll record something new. In his words: “The soundtrack won’t be completely finished until the film is, too.” What an excellent guy to work with, specifically considering how great all of the music already is. The moods are cohesive, but there’s a definite versatility in each of the tracks, so that I can imagine it getting put to use in multiple areas of the film. Overall, I’m totally impressed with the music, and can’t wait to hear the next six tracks.

LOVE,

BRENT

P.S. In a couple days, I might post my favorite song from the soundtrack. Right now it’s just hard to decide which one is my favorite; they’re all so good for so many different reasons!