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Scoring a Hans Richter Film in Advanced Music Production

Students in Performing Arts Director James Garrison's Advanced Music Production course put their own soundtrack to "Inflation," a 1928 short film from German filmmaker Hans Richter.
 
"Each of Richter's films is silent; the audio was destroyed in WWII," says 12th-grader Sophia. "Seeing as we had no audio to go off of, we were left to rely on structure and mood."
 
Repeated viewings of Richter's work brought to light a handful of parameters for the students to work within, including the pace. "The film is edited with a distinct rhythm that creates a sort of groove," says 10th-grader Jason. "The film has a tempo of about 109 beats per minute," adds Elon. The students used this specific element of the film as a foundational piece of their compositions.
Garrison encouraged a nuanced approach. "As a class, we ended up agreeing that there were certain moments in the film where something needs to happen musically. Not necessarily a climax, but more of a flow. The film is about inflation, so how can the music support the tempo and mood of the film without simply following the action?"
 
As the students began the process of creating and revising, they soon discovered that they were covering unfamiliar ground. "We are all experienced in making music," says Elon. "However, this was something new for us."
 
For Elon, the process involved revising his work to better fulfill the assignment. "The song I came up with sounded good already, but it did not match the meaning of the video," he says. So, he used different instruments and sounds to portray specific moods in support of the film.

"My goal was to keep it old school," says 11th-grader Kaitlyn. "I wanted to capture a chaotic ambiance that I thought was exuded from the film. At the same time, I tried to keep the soundtrack simple."
 
Jason worked to create a suspenseful score by utilizing layers of synthesizers and incorporating silence. "There is something beautiful about an absence of music," says Jason. "It almost creates another mood altogether."
 
Sophia took a similar approach. "Like Richter suggested, I attempted to emphasize accompaniment," she says. "I used few organ sounds and a simple beat. I believe that this minimalistic structure adds to the film as opposed to distracting the audience."
 
10th-grader Mack prioritized contrast between his music and the film's subject. "I went for an almost futuristic vibe, drawing inspiration from the Stranger Things theme."
 
"I wanted to create a soundtrack that was just as chaotic as the video," says 10th-grader Will. "I wanted tension to build, so I sped up the song when the visuals changed. I also added some sound effects and abrupt key changes to make the song incohesive and creepy."




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