Sweet Symphony - Incredibles
To compose music for the Incredibles movie, I first watched the scene multiple times to grasp the emotions it portrayed. I sensed feelings of anxiety and worry, prompting my decision to utilise major chords played on the piano while observing the scene. Using a metronome, I determined a tempo and time signature, settling on 72 BPM in 4/4, with a bar of 3/4 introduced at 26.3.
The chords G, F in first inversion, and C resonated with me, accompanied by a piano lead line featuring the notes G, B, C, and D, with strings playing in the chord of D. Identifying impactful moments, such as a spotlight shining at bar 2.3 and the character beginning to type at bar 6.3, guided the development of the music, incorporating the main piano theme as a leitmotif symbolising hopefulness for Bob.
Documenting musical cues, impactful points, and dialogues on the Logic Pro timeline laid the foundation for the composition's structure. I utilised question-and-answer phrases with flute and viola, layering the flute with an oboe an octave lower for added depth. To introduce variety, I altered the chord progression to B flat and incorporated violin arpeggios building to a crescendo for heightened anticipation.
Mindful of not overwhelming the scene with busy musical elements, I employed volume automation and selectively muted instruments during dialogues to maintain focus. Exaggerated panning and subtle stereo widening techniques enhanced instrument differentiation and dialogue clarity.
In the intense run scene at bar 41, I adjusted the rhythmic pattern of the double bass and violas to quarter and whole notes, playing in a lower octave to convey a sense of doom. Adding minor second intervals in the violins' arpeggios heightened tension, and pausing all music upon the character's fall amplified the impact.
For the closing scene depicting the character's perspective with slow blinking, I returned to Bob's hopeful leitmotif, automating the volume down and the tempo from 72 to 53 BPM to synchronise with the character's blinks, evoking a sense of slipping into unconsciousness.
I found the task of composing music for a scene to be quite challenging, as capturing the full range of emotions proved to be difficult. In an attempt to simplify the process, I explored various techniques, including Mickey mousing and the use of minor modes. However, I found that these approaches often led to the music closely mirroring events on screen, which I wanted to avoid. Instead, I aimed to create a balanced piece of music that neither leaned too heavily towards happiness nor sadness.
I also experimented with composing music independently and then attempting to fit it to the scene. While this approach allowed for more creative freedom, I found it to be less synchronized with the visual elements. Ultimately, structuring the song around cues proved to be beneficial in terms of musical organization. Additionally, utilizing a leitmotif for Bob provided a solid starting point musically, aiding in the development of the composition.