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Airboat Rescue 1 Page 5

(cont.) 5 Questions with Andre Gaskins, composer
The Music of Airboat Rescue 1: When the Ice Breaks

 

 Gaskins student
Recording Time: Music professor Andre Gaskins going over the music of Airboat Rescue 1 with student Callie Soddy.

3. What do you hope your students (Amanda Martin and Callie Soddy) gained from this experience of recording for an actual film production?
First and foremost, I hope that they learned something valuable about the recording process. As musicians, we tend to magnify our own imperfections in our performing (whether others can hear the same imperfections we hear or not).

The recording process intensifies this tendency. Having said that, naturally we were not 100% thrilled with how we sounded on every single note of the recording when we listened to it. Despite this, I hope that Amanda and Callie learned to put things in their proper perspective, realizing that the soundtrack for a film is secondary to the film itself.

Most people probably are not focusing on the music of a film in the same way they would if they sat down to listen earnestly to a recording or a live performance. Additionally, the volume level of the soundtrack is softer, making it even more difficult to discern the small imperfections that ordinarily drive performing musicians to the edge of insanity. 

4. What have you gained as a musician/composer/instructor from this experience?
I’ve learned a lot about the process of writing music to accompany film and I hope this will serve me in the future, should I be fortunate enough to be asked to compose for film again. Composing is an interesting process because it feels as though you are never finished. One week after finishing the recording, parts of the music continued to flow through my consciousness, as though I was analyzing it, searching for alternative solutions or resolutions. This happens to me with other composers’ music, too (especially soon after performing it), but usually not to this extent. To me, this was a surprising revelation.

5. What will you say next time Grace Lim approaches you with another grand idea?

Anybody who knows Grace Lim knows she is a difficult person to turn down. I don’t say this only because she also happens to be a naturally persuasive person. Grace is a tireless visionary with a unique style, a style that makes people want to be part of her vision. I always enjoy collaborating with Grace because of her infectious enthusiasm. I believe her level of fervor and commitment to her work has the desirable effect of giving unrealized energy and creativity to others. So it is natural that people cannot say no to Grace — what truly good reason could there possibly be?

 

Watch the Trailer from Airboat Rescue 1: When the Ice Breaks
Music composed and performed by Andre Gaskins.

 

 


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