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