25.06.10
It’s a wrap!
The Roderick Buchanan Soundtrack project culminated in last Sunday’s event at Inspace at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . It was an opportunity to share this adventure with an audience, chart the project genesis and get to know all the talented individuals who brought this experiment to life. I would like to take this occasion to say a big thank you to Savalas, Fear Wasabi and Roddy Buchanan for all their hard work and their enthusiasm in accepting this challenge and also to the Edinburgh International Film Festival for their support and Inspace for being such a fantastic host. And, of course, thanks very much to all the members of this group who followed the project all along with great interest and anticipation! You can now watch Tattoo and Lament by clicking on the links.
We’d love to keep hearing from you!
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14.06.10
As eloquently described by Fear Wasabi’s Phil in his blog, we did indeed hit a crucial deadline for the project last Friday at Savalas, as the soundtracks and final mixes for Roddy Buchanan’s Tattoo and Lament were finally completed during an intense, fast-paced, caffeine-fuelled afternoon in the dubbing suite - under the incredibly patient supervision of another one of Savalas‘s sound gurus, Micheal.
So, here we are (nearly). I don’t mean to sound corny, but it does feel just like yesterday when we were sitting in Central Station revising the submissions from all the composers with Giles, while Roddy was talking to us from Australia through a laptop screen. It’s been all very fast, a real challenge and it’s truly exhilarating to see it all coming together.
However…it’s not over yet. For a producer, one of the most panic-inducing parts of the production process it’s getting the masters organised and delivered and that’s exactly what I will be focusing on in the next few days, in view of the screening this Sunday at the Edinburgh International Film Festival where we’ll be finally able to unveil the results of all this work.
I would like to use this occasion to remind everyone who has been following this group and is interested in joining us for a free drink, a screening and a presentation of the genesis of the project, that you can book a free ticket by ringing EIFF’s box office on 0131 623 8030 or in person at the Filmhouse.
Hope to see you there!
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10.06.2010
So the embargo has been lifted and the much awaited programme of the Edinburgh International Film Festival has finally been revealed.I must admit that this year it has been particularly exciting for me with my two hats as Short Film Programmer for EIFF and producer of the Roderick Buchanan Soundtrack project. As Roddy and Matt are polishing final edits and Fear Wasabi are working away at Savalas to complete the soundtrack, I am now delighted to be able to reveal a few more details about the event the Composer Wanted initiative will culminate in.
We are thrilled to be hosted by one of the exciting new venues of the Festival, state-of-the-art Inspace, the University of Edinburgh’s laboratory exploring the synergy between informatics and new media practice. Aptly labelled Sound:Image:Art, the event will showcase the two pieces of experimental filmmaking produced as part of this audio-visual collaboration as well as a panel presentation charting the evolution of the project and the possibilities offered by Central Station to devise more creative collaborations of this kind among its members.
It’s guaranteed to be an evening of discovery, in the best spirit of EIFF, where you’ll be able to hear from all the people involved about the opportunities as well as the challenges offered by this sort of ground-breaking collaborative process.
The event is free but ticketed and you don’t have to be a delegate to attend.The best way to book a space is through the Festival’s box office, either in person at the Filmhouse or over the phone on 0131 623 8030. Please note that tickets for this event cannot be booked online.
So here is the info for your diaries: Sunday 20th June at 9pm at Inspace. Come along, learn about Central Station, have a look around the site, watch some faboulous films and have a drink on us!
EIFF will be releasing a blog about the event in the next couple of days, I won’t fail to keep you posted!
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31.05.10
Roddy certainly didn’t get too much of a chance to rest from his long-haul flight from Australia as we went straight into a voice recording with actor Billy Mack the morning after his arrival! We met Billy at Savalas Studios and after having a chat over coffee to discuss the idea behind Paddy’s Lament and the way it’s going to be used as part of a short film piece – as explained by Roddy in his creative blog – Kahl at Savalas took great care of us at the mixing deck. By fine-tuning his storytelling approach with each reading, Billy did a fantastic job in bringing the text to life under Roddy’s direction.
This week is going to be packed with important dates for the project. Last week Fear Wasabi had their first full-day session at Savalas during which they met Roddy for the first time, exchanged ideas and used the studio’s facilities under Giles’s guidance. Imogen recounts their adventure in her latest blog inclusive of pictures documenting the band recording in the studio as well as the slightly less exciting aspects of their trip from Dundee to Glasgow, which was fraught with an unexpected logistical problem!
Tom, another member of Fear Wasabi, also gives his rendition of their first session at Savalas in the form of a beautifully fragmented account capturing the short, glimps-like nature of the creative process characterising this project and the diverse group of people who are bringing it to life.
Tomorrow our editor Matt and Roddy will meet up at Central Station’s headquarters to lock the picture for both pieces to be able to provide Fear Wasabi with it in time for their next recording session at Savalas on Wednesday. To add a ittle bit of glamour to all this, tomorrow is also the day of the launch of the programme of Edinburgh International Film Festival, so I will soon be able to reveal the details of the special event as part of which the Roderick Buchanan Soundtrack project will be showcased. In the meantime, grab yourself a programme and look out for us!
The week will wrap up on Friday with yet another sound session at Savalas, which will bring us very close to having a final soundtrack and mix.
So more news to come very soon!
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24.05.10
Exciting week ahead for the Roderick Buchanan Soundtrack project!
Andy, Imogen, Tom and Philip (aka Fear Wasabi) are putting together ideas for their first session at Savalas Studios on Wednesday. As described by Giles’s latest blog entry, last week’s meeting with the band highlighted how stimulating it can be for a group rather than a single individual to work on a soundtrack when everyone brings in their unique talent and expertise and keeps the process fresh with their input and criticism.
Today Roddy is coming back from stormy Australia to sunny Scotland – how crazy is that? – painfully jet lagged but with a busy diary ahead! As he was 30,000 feet above the ground, he managed to put together a creative blog outlining the history behind the Soundtrack Project and where he drew the inspiration from for the two short films. If you have been following us, I’m sure you’ll find this an interesting reading.
On Wednesday we will all be at Savalas where Fear Wasabi will meet Roddy for the first time to talk through some of their ideas before spending the day in the studio with Giles‘s support to make the most of Savalas’s facilities. On Thursday morning, Giles and his team will be our hosts us again as we are back in their studios for the voice recording of Paddy’s Lament with actor Billy Mack.
On the visuals front, picture will be locked for both projects this week, our editor Matt has put the finishing touches and adjusted frame lengths and timings as per Roddy’s latest notes.
The planning for the EIFF event is also shaping up, but with the Festival programme under strict embargo until 1st June, I’m afraid I’m not allowed to reveal any details just yet but I promise I will provide more information as soon as the mystery can be unveiled!
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19.05.10
As you know by now, the much awaited announcement of the winner of the Roderick Buchanan Soundtrack competition has been finally made!
In his latest blog, Giles from Savalas gave an extensive breakdown of the selection process as well as providing detailed feedback on all the submissions, a truly inventive and inspiring variety of approaches. After much consideration Andy Sim was selected, much to his genuine surprise and excitement, as you can read directly in his words as he describes how elated he felt at the thought of embarking on this journey to complete the soundtrack for Roddy’s audiovisual explorations. A journey which indeed starts this afternoon, when we are going to have the first meeting with Andy and his faithful band Fear Wasabi at Savalas to discuss the 2 weeks and a half ahead of us.
On the other side of the globe, Roddy has been following the process closely whilst travelling around the country to end up in a very stormy Sydney. As we were having our regular skpye update, the sound of slamming doors and creaking walls trickled down the internet pipe making it all sound very spooky! Needless to say, Roddy sounded very excited about the way things were progressing forwards! As he expected to be told off by me, I decided to use an extra gentle approach and sweetly remind him of all the forthcoming stages by providing him with a neat list of unmissable deadlines. No pressure! This project is moving very fast indeed but it gets more exciting by the day.
On the visuals front, our editor Matt has been revising the cuts for both pieces, which are now very close to a polish stage, as you can read in his latest update.
Off to Savalas now to meet Giles and Andy and do some more planning.
Keep following us!
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17.05.10
And the winner is…
Well, not quite time for this yet, just a couple more hours and an official announcement will be made on the group by Giles from Savalas, who will be able to give a clued-in breakthrough of the selection process and feedback on the all the submissions we received.
What I can say so far is that, as I’m sure you can imagine, making a decision wasn’t easy, certainly not when you are dealing with such a talented bunch of people. What we hope is that everyone benefited from taking part in the project and, more importantly, that all the composers will stay involved and follow the forthcoming developments. I will regularly update this blog with news so keep your eyes peeled!
Talking about what’s coming next, starting from this week the winner will spend time at Savalas studios and work with Giles to bring his ideas for the soundtrack to life. The visuals are very close to a final picture sign off – brilliantly overcoming timezones,our editor Matt and Roddy have managed to bounce ideas back and forth and nearly finalise the overall structure of the pieces. You’ll read directly from Roddy about his vision on the group, so far I can briefly say that this collaborative project will culminate in two pieces of shortfilmmaking: an exploration of the collective identity of Parkhead Republican Fluteband in the shape of a journey through their tattoos, and a a juxtaposition of audiovisual sources to create historical perspective between two situations distant in time but resonant with common concerns.
Savalas will mentor the composer through a 3-week process culminating in the final soundtrack for both pieces, which will be showcased as part of a special event in June at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2010, so all very exciting! More about this event will be released on Central Station in the coming weeks.
Keep following the group for updates from all of us, join the group if you haven’t already and talk about the project on your social networks: the more interest we generate, the better! It’s a unique collaborative opportunity for an emerging composer and we would really appreciate your help in giving it as much exposure and online presence as possible.
Check later today for the winner announcement and don’t forget to have a peek tomorrow for the winner’s initial reactions as well as the other composers’ thoughts about taking part in the project.
Over and out for now.
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13.05.10 Rough cuts…
In his first blog uur editor Matt Rochester talks about how he got involved with the project.
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13.05.10 Nearly There!
All the submissions are now in and have been sent around as far away as Australia, where Roddy has been eagerly waiting for them!
We are ready to start the reviewing process and, as the project producer, I’m personally very excited to see how each composer has envisaged and translated Roddy’s ideas into a soundscape. The blog entries have provided a precious and really stimulating insight into the composers’ creative processes and personal approach.
I would like to thank all the composers for all the time, effort and passion they’ve put into this project and for having shared their talent and inspiration on this group. We would encourage you to continue using this forum to keep the dialogue open and generate debate. The winner will use this space to chart the progress of his collaboration with Savalas in sculpting the soundtrack for Roddy’s visual explorations of collective identity and historical perspective.
I hope this experience has been as enriching for you as it has been for us. Time to start reviewing now.
The winner will be announced online on Monday. Watch this space!
Gaia
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12.05.10
Some final thoughts from our composers as they hit the submissions deadline!
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10.05.10
As Martin outlines in his blog entry, having some visuals to work from really ignites the creative process for a composer!
Roddy and our editor Matt have worked together on an edit which has been made available to all the composers. Andy’s initial reactions to this rough cut reinforced the direction he had decided to take his soundtrack in, while Nils’s blog provides a very interesting insight on how the visuals have sparked his imagination.
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3.05.10
Composers Andy Sim, Nils Miguel Meisel, Martin Rebelski and Jonnie Common share their thoughts about taking part in the project and how they are going to approach it:
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