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Project Concept
I have a huge passion for film and animation. It is where I want to pursue my career. In line with that, I am also a huge fan of sound and music scores in films. I am almost always moved by how much depth they add to the emotions and atmospheres of the scenes and the story, especially when done properly and effectively. They make scenes much more complete and impactful.
With all of these in mind, I have come up with the idea that I would love to create a movie score or soundtrack of my own. However, as it has been a really long time since I have written my own music or song, I do not think I trust myself enough to create a decent enough soundtrack completely from scratch for this project. Therefore, I revised the idea into a cover with a twist. The project I have in mind for this production is a cover of a song, but with more of a twist to add a personal touch of mine. The idea is for me to take a song and reimagine it as a score or a soundtrack for a film. I will recreate the song into one that is more intentional and relevant to the film of my choice, into something as if the song were really written and produced for the movie.
Inspirations
“Tick, Tick… Boom!” is a musical film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, based on the life of an American playwright named Jonathan Larson. If I were to name my favorite films of all time, this one would definitely make it on the list. I love how it captures the vulnerable journey of an artist striving to create something meaningful in a world that often values stability over passion. It also effectively shows the tension between chasing these dreams and the intense fear of running out of time before making a significant difference and impact through their art. And these aspects of the film have really got to me.
Having “Tick, Tick… Boom!” as the film of my choice, I have picked Imagine Dragons’ song “Dream” to cover and reimagine as the film’s soundtrack. I think the lyrics of the song are closely related enough to how I view the film and how I envision it to be. So far, my idea would consist of making the song feel more like a film score, and maybe incorporating some of Jonathan Larson’s style of writing into it as well. I would also like to make the instruments and the overall emotions of the song more aligned with the emotions expressed in the film. I have also gathered a bit of inspiration from Hans Zimmer’s “Time” soundtrack from the film “Inception”. I think that kind of vibe will add to the song that depth of emotion that one gets from feeling the fear of running out of time, which is prominent in the film.
You can watch the film's official trailer here:
Here's the song "Dream" by Imagine Dragons:
Here's "Time" by Hans Zimmer:
Project Plan
Little to no additional lyric-writing will be necessary for this project. I think I will mostly retain the lyrics from the original song, as I find them to be really in line with the film. I may be interested in putting in some of my own if I find it appropriate at some point. But, mostly, I think the project will focus on finding the perfect vibes, style, and emotions to really effectively reimagine the song as part of the film. The process will mainly consist of the following:
Arrangements & Practice
Recording & Mixing
Revisions & Mastering (Finalization)
Publishing
Logistics
The logistics will be very simple for this project, as I will have to work on the simple equipment that is already in my possession. Hardware and software to be used in this project will be shared and discussed in this section.
Production Area
Everything will be done and recorded in my bedroom. The room is approximately 3 x 2 meters and is fairly furnished. I have no adequate acoustic treatment. What I have is an isolation shield for the microphone, to make my recording even a bit better than completely nothing at all. The room is not soundproof either. However, it is not that noisy outside, and all the remaining sounds that can be heard can also be blocked off when the windows are shut.
Equipment
I think the equipment and gear I have can be enough to create the project that I have in mind.
Microphone
Audio Technica AT2020 Cardiod Condenser Microphone
Physical Instruments
Yamaha F310 Acoustic Guitar
RJ Guitar Basic Skycaster
Akai MPK Mini MkIII
Audio Interface
M-Audio M-Track Duo
Monitor Headphones
Roland RH-5
Digital Audio Workstation
AMD Ryzen 5 Windows PC Desktop Build
FL Studio
Various Plugins and Virtual Instruments
I will update this and share photos of my production area and equipment soon.
Recording & Mixing
As I will be working on the project in my bedroom, it is expected that I will also be recording my own voice and performing and recording with the guitars and MIDI controller that I already have. Effects and amplifiers, though, will be done and applied through the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Virtual instruments, particularly the drums, will also be performed and recorded through the DAW. One of the inspirations for this project includes Jonathan Larson’s music, which can be pop and rock, so I expect that this project will have a few guitar tracks and drums. To give it the vibes of a film score, I will also include ambient sound tracks and some strings as well, since I find strings to be really good at evoking strong emotions for films.
As of writing this, the anticipated tracks to be recorded for this project are the following:
1 Main Vocal Track
2 to 3 Sub-Vocal Tracks
1 Ambient Sound Track
1 Electric Rhythm Guitar Track
1 Electric Guitar Solo Track
1 Keyboard Track
4 to 5 String Tracks (Virtual)
1 Bass Track (Virtual)
1 Drum Track (Virtual)
Signal Flow
My setup will be pretty simple, as I only have a few equipment at hand. My main vocal track, along with the sub-vocals, will be recorded with my condenser microphone (Audio Technica AT2020). The electric guitars, both rhythm and solo tracks, will be directly input to the audio interface (M-Audio M-Track Duo), and effects and amplifiers will be applied through the DAW (FL Studio). All of the other tracks will be done and performed with the use of my MIDI Keyboard (Akai MPK Mini MkIII) and virtual instruments through the DAW.
Signal Inflow
Signal Outflow
Timetable
As mentioned, this project will mainly consist of:
Arrangements & Practice
Recording & Mixing
Revisions & Mastering (Finalization)
Publishing
The first few weeks will focus on coming up with the best possible arrangement for the reimagined version of the song. This process will likely continue until halfway through the project, as I may still come up with revisions to the arrangement, depending on my preferences, once I hear them coming along together during the recording and mixing. Once I get a firm vision of what I want this project to sound like, I will start with the recording so that I can also start putting things together shortly for the mixing and editing of the tracks. Having this timetable, hopefully, will give me sufficient time for revisions I may have by the end of the project before publishing.
Here is a GANTT Chart of how I plan for this recording project to be done:
Publishing
Upon completion of production, the final output is to be uploaded to YouTube and also posted to my ePortfolio. As a bonus output, I also plan to create my own version of the trailer of the film using this project as audio, just so I can visualize more how it came out and make me see and appreciate whether I did the project as well as I have envisioned, and if the song did effectively become part of the movie. If I do get the trailer done, it will also be uploaded on YouTube and on my ePortfolio as well.
Final Thoughts & Reflection
It has been a long time since I have worked with audio to this extent. Usually, what I work on these days is just simple cutting and transitions with tracks for video editing. Though I don't mind it. I'm glad that I got to come up with this idea for this project, of making or reimagining a song into a film score/soundtrack. I find the idea to be somewhat a bit original, and it excites me a lot for this project because the idea is really aligned with my interests and passion, as well. With this project, I will get to see if I can also come up with those impactful soundtracks that I so admire in watching films. This will not be easy, considering my lack of practice and experience in working with music production. But I am really looking forward to making this project. There will be some challenges ahead, but truly, everything is exciting to me. I really hope this turns out well.
Skill-based Goals
I aim, with this project, to sharpen my ability to truly listen and develop my ear to sound. I aim to develop and practice strong critical listening skills that will allow me to evaluate sound on a much deeper level. I hope to learn to understand how factors such as tone, balance, and dynamics shape the listener's emotional experience. For this aspect, these will be the goals that I set for myself:
Develop a sharper ear for tonal balance
Identify emotional intention in sound
Identify the recording and sound quality
Learn to mix with clarity, balance, and depth
Edit, mix, and apply effects purposefully
Personal Goals
For this project, the ultimate goal will be: 1) to transform a contemporary song into a cinematic experience, and 2) to blend and incorporate Jonathan Larson's music with the final output. However, as I am really fond of this project and I can see what challenges I might be facing ahead, I have decided to come up with personal goals that I also wish to acquire throughout this project. These are goals that are also aligned with my overall aspirations as an artist, as someone who wants to work in film.
Learn, understand, and apply the fundamentals of film music
Learn how to strengthen storytelling through sound
Learn how to effectively blend genres
Develop my arrangement and sound design skills
This is a project that I'm genuinely looking forward to. By the end of it, I am hoping to be able to create sounds that can truly capture and effectively convey emotions---sounds that not only enhance storytelling but also deepen the audience's emotional connection to the narrative, just like how film scores bring much more depth into the scene and the story, I want to be able to create sound that bring scenes to life.
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