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As we get back into the rhythm of these releases, we are going to try out a series of works that are all related. Not quite a storyboard but rather a collection carrying similar themes and subjects over a number of projects. We are still going to hold to the challenge of spending one week on her artwork and the following week on my music.
Space Journey Series, Part I
For this series, we are going to focus on space and planetary exploration. Here is the first drawing by Sara:
The spaceship will be the primary subject that is to be featured across the different works and will carry the theme of exploration. I'm excited to see the different scenes Sara comes up with for this craft over this series.
For my part, my first challenge of this project was getting back into the swing of writing and producing. That long stretch we had last year really kept my skills fresh, and I had a good idea each week about the time and energy needed to get the music completed. Even though it has been a few months since the last projects, I did noticed a couple times that many of the production elements came easier to me and I found myself questioning certain choices more to create a well-balanced track.
Some of my inspiration for the music of this one came from wanting to express the sense of exploration and to utilize the sounds from futuristic films and games. The Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 soundtracks kept coming to my head with those gritty synth sounds that also create an open atmosphere, even though they are not necessarily space exploration films. Themes from scores by John Williams (Star Wars) and Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Dune) also crossed my mind when I wanted to bring in my own themes that would represent the travels of the spacecraft in the drawings.
The piece I created has two primary sections: the first with the more atmospheric sounds and themes while the second has the more adventurous and driving feel. Writing the atmospheric soundscapes are always a challenge to include interesting sounds while not overwhelming a listener with too many parts. Creating the setting for a piece can be as important to an accompanying work, like a drawing or film, as the motifs themselves. The second section gets into the subject of the accompanying artwork as the spaceship is beginning the journey. There is some excitement as well as some apprehension for the journey ahead that moves between the verse-like section being headed by the synths and strings to the chorus-like section that is accented by the broad horn melody with bright accompaniment.
I hope you enjoy this piece and look forward to the others in this series as we are! See the video below for the music and drawing timelapse.