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THE INDYWOOD PROJECT INTERVIEW WITH …
SCIENCE FRICTION Scoring / Sound Design
We are Science Friction Scoring / Sound Design. Originally we hailed from The Planet Muzak, where every "being" was easily creating music on computers and programs. We wanted to create original, emotional music using music instruments, so we came down to The Planet Earth -- only to find out that Earthlings do a lot of Muzak listening! (laughing) My name is George Martindell, and I am one-half of ‘The Entity’ that is known as Science Friction. My partner in this musical scoring duo is Frank Sonsini. We are both from America in a town called Marlton, located in the beautiful, wooded area of Southern New Jersey. We compose our music entirely utilizing electronic and acoustic instruments. Frank writes and composes music on synthesizers, guitar-synth, guitar, and bass guitar. With these instruments, especially the guitar-synth, Frank can compose whole "string sections" and "horn sections," for example. He also can play anything from "quiet flute" to "metal guitar." Our synthesizer equipment list keeps growing, as does the direction of our music. I am the "percussive" half of Science Friction. I incorporate and compose music using a myriad of electronic drum sets . With these versatile electronic drums, including acoustic percussion such as cymbals, chimes, wood blocks, and other various acoustic items, I use four different "brains" that store sound banks that I create in order to mix, as an example, orchestral percussion with African hand drums. I then play these drums as if they were a drum kit. By employing all these drums, I can obtain all these sounds by hitting the pads that I designate certain sounds to - all at once! Often times the sounds are just that - waves of sound, that I rhythmically create beats with… sometimes sounding like synthesizers! Frank is our engineer and recording specialist, while I am our music’s director and promoter. We are "Yin" and "Yang" when it comes to creating and composing our music. As to “where we come from," it all depends on WHO you ask! When most people hear our music for the first time, they think we are “from another planet," “the bowels of Hell," “an insane asylum," or just plain silly and off our nut! All of which are compliments, of course! (laughs) How did you get into scoring and sound design? Well, it started out that Frank and I were doing the "original hard rock band" thing a few years back. We were playing clubs and shopping demos. The frustration of keeping a band together was overwhelming. We had come close to being signed and worked our collective "arses" off touring the club circuit for some years. Both of us are into the "dark and
strange" side of things in life and our music had taken a bizarre
course. At the time, I was also recording music with a synthesizer
player, Steve Siers (a/k/a Quad). We were creating instrumental
music that was quite strange with just synthesizers and
drums/percussion. Frank agreed that the three of us, together with
him on guitar, would be a very original sound. I used to work for a company here in the U. S. called NFL Films. They are the “official" filmmakers of America’s football league. In their off season, they develop non-football related TV documentaries, music videos, and anything to keep themselves submerged in their art. One day, I was at a coffee café and ran into the head of NFL Films. It had been a while since I had saw him, and because he was familiar with our music from years past, he asked me what we were doing musically. I told him that we were writing this "weird" instrumental music that is “pretty creepy." He told me to send him our music
as soon as possible, because he was working on a TNT Network production
starring the likes of John Carpenter, Marilyn Manson, author Poppy Z.
Brite, and various professors and historians. It was titled,
“Faces of Evil,” and was narrated by Malcolm McDowell. He told me
that it was a documentary on "the realities of evil" throughout the
history of mankind. Alas, so it began… For the people out there that don’t fully understand, can you talk about what scoring a movie involves? It involves really being an important part of the process, but at the same time, not overshadowing or giving off the "wrong vibe." In other words, composers have to emote how the film is trying to make the viewer feel. All the emotional elements have to be there: silly, happy, sad, angry, tense, evil, spacey. The composer has to create those moments to blend together with the film -- all without stepping on what the film and it’s scenes are created to make you feel . Obviously, if you are doing a cartoon for young toddlers, you can’t have a dark and brooding score filled with "chanting and such," because you will scare the bullocks off of them! (laughing) Can you talk about what a sound designer does and what impact this has on films and TV shows? It’s funny. Everyone that is a friend of mine that sees a movie - the first question I ask them is, “How was the music?" They reply, “I don’t really remember, I wasn’t paying attention." That is when "scoring" really works well. When the music is so well written it conjures up all the things that you are supposed to feel while seeing a movie - the emotions, the action, the sadness, very important! Now, if the music does not do this and is annoying, or worse yet, really bad, it can damage a film. The music's not doing it's job, so to speak. The music needs to reach one emotionally and dynamically, but in it’s own aural way. The "sound design" or "Foley," as it’s called, is also very important when it comes to the sound effects of a film or production. Can you imagine having a "screaming ghost" segment with the sound of a "yelping puppy?" Not good! But, if one was to mix the "puppy" sound combined with the sound of "a tea kettle hissing," you may get a great "screaming ghost" sound! Now that’s good sound design! As we often say to interested producers, “Even silent films had music!” Back in those days, in that medium, the music was the backbone of those movies and it really helped carry the watcher along from scene to scene. So, yes, music is very important and should be very impacting! What projects have you done that you are most proud of? For us, I would have to say the documentary I was just talking about, “Faces of Evil." It garnered rave reviews from the folks at The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Magazine, and was aired five times on the TNT Network here in America. It also helps that it stirred up some controversy! (laughs) Each time, it came on before the Al Pacino movie, “The Devil’s Advocate," which is always a good slot to be placed in! It was also very memorable because we got a rare chance to have our music combined with the music of the late, great Bernard Herrmann. The production company we worked with acquired the rights of some of Mr. Herrmann’s music, that he had never recorded through the Herrmann family. Of course, he is one of my favorite composers of all time, and we were truly excited, to say the least! In this production, there also included interviews with John Carpenter and Marilyn Manson, and our music was combined with both of their music, as well! It also doesn’t hurt that it was our first professional production. We are proud of all the
productions we have done so far. Our first "Indie Film" was a
blast because it was an H. P. Lovecraft short story, “The Terrible Old
Man.” This was certainly a case in which the music was integral to
the film. It's still being played on Canadian television airing on
"BRAVO!" and "The Imagination Station." One way that we shop our music is through a publishing company. We have been with ACM Records for a few years now, and they have great connections in television. We did a bunch of music based on different "ethnic" sounds and styles. The production company that did the Tara Reid show was looking for "Spanish/nylon string guitar/percussive music," because she was in Spain to film an episode. They heard our music through our excellent publishers, because they were the ones who helped place our music with that particular production. You have to cover every angle , and use whatever avenues it takes to get your music heard. We have written volumes of music just for them in various styles - horror, science fiction, ethnic, and a music sampler of just about every style we compose. What projects are you working on now or in the near future? Currently, we are revamping the studio and adding more equipment. We are also compiling volumes of our music for on-line sales through our publishers, ACM Records. There are also a couple of Indie horror films that we are awaiting post-production, so we can start scoring for those as well. When you are involved in working on a production, how involved do you two get? Well, that depends on the creator of the film or production. We really enjoy suggesting what styles of music should be used once we see a production, and more often than not, they enjoy our input. Sometimes, the filmmakers know what it is they want to hear before we become a part of the picture. There have been times when the producer has already heard a track of our music, and they request that particular style and genre of music. Either way is fine with us. We are quite easy to work with… considering that we are musicians! (laughs) Other than films and television, what other aspects of sound does your company get involved in? As I said earlier, we were
originally involved in original rock music. Our favorite rock
format is what they call “Progressive Rock.” We have two side
projects that we also write music and create CD's for. On the second project, “Aliens,
Ghosts and Demons," Frank and I collaborate with our old friend, Steve
Siers (a/k/a Quad). In this project, we incorporate Frank on rock
guitar and bass, myself on acoustic drum set, and Quad on his “wall" of
synthesizers. This would be considered more instrumental “Progressive
Space Fusion." We are currently working on releasing a CD of this
project, as well. Do you have any advise for anyone wanting to get into the music scoring business? Yes… never give up and don’t let them get you down! This industry is a dog-eat-dog struggle, but at the same time, it’s great to work with such great and creative people who are clawing along with their visions and goals as well. Work every avenue that is available. With the advent of the Internet, the world is literally at your fingertips. Reach out and talk to others in this industry to let them know that you exist, and that you have music that you want them to hear. Don’t let anyone try and squash your dreams and desires, as they are life-affirming and powerful. Most importantly, create music that is unique and original - music that has your own DNA created into it . It’s quite electrifying when both the film and music worlds collide! Remember… "Even silent films had music!"
George Martindell Science Friction Scoring / Sound Design 856–810–1448 info@scifrimusic.com www.scifrimusic.com |
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