Lucy Debaugh
Children's Movies
With my theme of Children's Movies, I wanted to include some of my favorites, which is why I used The Incredibles, Big Hero 6, and Moana. I was pretty nervous for this project because I have never created my own music before, especially not with online software. But with the guidance of my workshop leader, Jenna, I learned how to use Soundtrap and now I feel much more comfortable with the entire process. I struggled a little bit with putting the audio and videos together, but as time went on, I was able to create my videos pretty quickly. Throughout this experience, I have had to work on not comparing myself to my talented classmates' work and instead, be proud of what I have accomplished. I am really proud of my work on this project and it is important to me and my audience because it proves that anyone can do anything they put their mind to. Additionally, my artwork is important because it is a great example of creating something unique from a popular medium.
Big Hero 6
I used a scene from Big Hero 6 where Hiro is sad about his brother dying. With Hiro looking back at old videos of Tidashi, I felt a very sentimental and nostalgic mood, so I tried to implement that in my music. In order to achieve these emotions, I only used the piano and strings because they accomplished the delicacy and sorrow that filled the scene. Additionally, I decided to make all of my melodies pretty slow to emphasize the weight that Hiro was carrying around. Also, I added a lot of repetition because I think it helps the audience to focus on the emotions of the scene. In class, we learned about what type of instruments create different moods, so the light piano and string sounds came to mind for this sad scene. My process for creating this piece was pretty similar to other pieces that I have created because making the music in chronological order with the scene makes the most sense to me. I began with the piano and moved towards the strings as the scene progressed because Hiro shifts from an angry/sad feeling to a happy/sad feeling. I think this piece might be my favorite that I have made because I came up with all of the melodies on my own and I feel like the music really connects to the events in the scene.
Conli, Roy, et al. Big Hero 6. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2014.
Moana
This assignment was from Week 6 when we were working on character themes, so I chose the clip from Moana where she is a baby and first comes across the Heart of Te fiti. Especially in her youth, Moana has a sense of wonder and optimism about her that makes her a very lovable character. This scene is very delicate and calming, so I tried to utilize that in my character theme. I began my piece by creating a gentle piano sequence that could continue throughout and then I added a vocal track that felt very relaxing. At one point in the scene, a young turtle is trapped in by some birds, so I decided to put a brief section of a deep string to emphasize that moment of despair. Later on, Moana actually sees the Heart for the first time, so I added a "shimmering" sound effect to highlight the importance of that discovery. I really enjoyed creating this piece because there wasn't much music in the original scene, which helped me feel like I could interpret the scene very uniquely. Additionally, I used a pre-recorded vocal track that had a very nautical/oceanic mood, which was super fun to listen to and incorporate into my music.
Clements, Ron, et al. Moana. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2016.
The Incredibles
The emotion for this scene is stressed because Violet and Dash are running away from the bad guys. I implemented fast-paced music choices to emphasize the tension and stress that the characters were under. Additionally, I created some moments where the music built to a climactic point in the scene, like the drones crashing at the end. Finally, I put in some spaces for silence when there was a break in the scene's action to keep the audience anxious to see what would happen next. In class, we have learned that repetition can be helpful when making music, and I used that in my piece because having the same motifs repeating creates a constant state of stress like the characters were feeling. I decided to create this piece by going chronologically through the scene and deciding what instruments and rhythms could correspond to the different developments in the action. I began with a deep piano sound, added an intense drum beat for the chase, continued with a delicate but fast piano rhythm to represent Dash running on water, and ended with a synthesized melody that reminded me of traditional action movie music: exciting and stressful at the same time. I am very proud of this piece and I enjoyed the creative process of adding my own twist to an established movie scene.
Bird, Brad. The Incredibles. 2004.