Assignment from Cinematic Composing's Momentum "Bootcamp" introductory week. The brief is to compose a short "action high intensity" cue using a large orchestra, string and percussion ostinato figures, syncopation, staccato accents and motifs, as well as an irregular time signature (mine is 10/8) with a contrasting mid-section (which I put into 4/4).

I made it using Cubase and Kontakt running in Vienna Ensemble Pro with Cinesamples orchestral libraries. This is my first attempt at sample library orchestration.

Short, Action High Intensity Orchestral Cue

The brief was to compose a 90 second to two-minute cue to depict tension and mid-intensity action. The piece is for orchestra with various synthesizer pulses popping up. The orchestral sounds and most of the percussion are from Cinesamples. The synthesizer is Omnisphere.

The piece begins in E minor, goes up to F# minor, up again to G for the loudest section, and then back to E minor

Thank you for listening.

Tension Chase

The brief was to compose a short piece to depict an Adventure Hero. This one is for large orchestra. After double woodwind comes the essential brass section, which has four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and a tuba. Percussion is timpani, bass and side drums as well as cymbals. There is a harp and then the string section.  All instruments come from Cinesamples.

The tonality is in the archetypal "heroic" key, with the more lyrical middle section beginning in the relative minor and then shortly moving back to the home key for the tutti final part.

Thank you for listening.

Hail The Hero!

The brief was to compose a short piece to depict an Adventure Villain, the antithesis of the Adventure Hero.

It is for a large orchestra. After double woodwind comes the large brass section, comprising four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and a tuba, as well as Monster Low Brass. Percussion is timpani, bass and side drums as well as cymbals. Then there is the string section, which is VSL's Synchron Pro Strings. All other instruments are from Cinesamples.

To match the Adventure Hero, the key is in the relative minor of that piece. There is an introduction where the villain makes his ominous entrance. His theme is then stated by two horns and low woodwind, which leads to the portentously gloomy, descending chromatic, middle section.

After that the villain mobilizes his dastardly armies to take over the world, upon which the orchestra responds appropriately.

Thank you for listening.

The Nasty Villain

The brief was to compose a short piece to depict a Fantasy - Magic scene. The scoring is for a classical sized orchestra wih additional glockenspiel and harp. The flute is real, the rest of the orchestra comes from Cinesamples.

The piece is in three main sections with the first parts being around Am / Dm tonality and the middle being more in F#m. The third part moves to Gm and there is a little coda to end quietly. Each section is melodic, though tremolo strings feature widely and there is also some interplay between 3/4 and 6/8 stress in the accompaniment.

Thank you for listening.

The Spell Is cast

The brief was to compose a short piece to depict Supernatural Grandeur. The scoring, therefore, is for large orchestra with a full brass section, plenty of percussion and SATB choir.

The piece, which is in 4/2 time, begins fairly gently with thematic interplay in the brass, then crescendos and suddenly shifts from Eb to G. After the main theme is stated in the three trumpets, there are short wind, then choir restatements, which then grow to the high point. This makes use of the amazing II(maj)13 - I cadence (which Schoenberg uses in Gurrrelieder). The music subsides, with the choir entering again, using a gentle tritone substitution cadence to conclude.

Strings are VSL Synchron Pro, the rest of the orchestra is Cinesamples, including the choir, which is Voxos.

Thank you for listening.

God's Grandeur

The brief was to compose a short piece to depict Comedy. Scoring is orchestral with single woodwind but a relatively full brass and percussion sections, including xylophone, glockenspiel and harp.

The piece follows the action of the Sunnyside Escape scene from Toy Story 3, so there are many tempo, time signature and mood changes, as well as hit points. In order to do this I made a piano sketch first and then a full orchestration, both with Dorico. Once I started inputting the notes into Cubase, I was able to match the video more accurately and had to refine the tempos and make other synchronization related modifications.

The video can be seen on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw4dONKPC1g
 
The sample libraries I used are all from Cinesample.

Thank you for listening.

Comedy - Sunnyside Escape

The brief was to rework and improve a  selected piece from those composed during the Momentum Course, so this is my Version 2 of "Emotional Inspirational". There are changes to some passages, instrumentation and articulations, while the original string section, Synchron Strings Pro, has been replaced with Synchron Strings 1, with fresh articulations, too. This library is easier to manage in respect of expression maps.

Then the piece was repanned, rebalanced and remixed, using Dennis Sands' "Mixing for Composers - Romantic" Lessons as a model.

Thank you for listening.

For King and Country

These are arrangements for two flutes, piano and other instruments, such as acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, strings, drums and so on. Please go to fluteplay.com for more info and more music.

Short, Action High Intensity Orchestral Cue

Peter Lynch Music

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