So get this, someone out there is being paid to listen to good music. This job actually exists, they get paid to watch stuff before its released and pinpoint certain songs to certain moments and set certain moods. The title is known as a "Music Supervisor" and they are people who have an appreciation for all styles of music and are good at spotting artists. If you've ever watched a tv show and wanted to know what song was playing during a particular scene because you've never heard it before you can thank the music supervisors for exposing you to new music.
Just throwing out some names:
Alexandra Patsavas, was in charge of the super indie to mainstream soundtracks of Twilight, The O.C., Greys Anatomy and Gossip Girl. For exposing mainstream audiences to underground music there is no greater job. Her superiority complex must be fantastically high.
Chris Mollere was in charge of music for Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries and Kyle XY. Once again angering hipsters world wide for betraying their favourite artists.
I thought I'd have a go at compiling a soundtrack. It's not for any particular film or tv show but it certainly sets a mood. Let's just say its the soundtrack for the first season of MotionColor.
I love a good movie but sometimes I watch trailers of films after I've seen them and find that they are a completely inaccurate portrayal of the essence of the movie. I know I should get off my high horse but this just really ticks me off. For example the other week I watched the excellent Arrietty by Studio Ghibli (in Japanese of course, English translations of Asian dialogue are too awkward for my taste) and then watched the American trailer on Youtube.
There are two major problems I have. The first being that the trailer has actually just given away the whole movie, even the ending and this upsets me because there are no surprises anymore.
The second is all those jokes they insert into the trailer that are standard with American comedy trailers in that the music will suddenly stop when the pun comes and everyone's meant to laugh, music resumes. Its old and lame and Arrietty is not a comedy at all.
Those poor American kids will be so disappointed and bored during the movie because they can never sit still and with this film I can imagine for children they need an insane amount of patience to survive it.
Compare the American trailer with the British one below.
This trailer is not only insanely truthful to the film but it also manages to entice target audiences while not giving away the entire plot.
Most film trailer productions are outsourced to advertising agencies who produce the 2 minute clips. Sure they know how to market a film so that it looks amazing but sometimes they just butcher it as demonstrated by the first trailer. Below I've included a few of my most favourite trailers of recent films that made me really excited to watch the movie. Of the 4 of them I was insanely disappointed by The Roommate and Beastly but they still had excellent trailers.
"Within our lifetimes, we've marveled as biologists have managed to look at ever smaller and smaller things. And astronomers have looked further and further into the dark night sky, back in time and out in space. But maybe the most mysterious of all is neither the small nor the large: it's us, up close. Could we even recognize ourselves, and if we did, would we know ourselves? What would we say to ourselves? What would we learn from ourselves? What would we really like to see if we could stand outside ourselves and look at us?" Richard Berendzen
The break before the start of college Rhoda Williams crashes into another car while drink driving. She survives but a pregnant woman, her unborn daughter and her son die in the accident and Rhoda is sentenced to prison. After release she embarks on a journey of redemption whilst a global event is unfolding. Scientists discover another planet identical to earth both in geography and inhabitation. On Earth 2 there is a you. Someone who has lived a life identical to yours and who makes the same decisions as you do. Underlying the whole movie is the question Rhoda so potently asks. "If you met yourself, what would you tell yourself?"
Beautifully shot, Another Earth looks like an ordinary suburban drama except that in the sky there is a planet that looks just like earth. This ominous motif is consistent throughout and reminds us all of the bigger events that underscore the domestic. In fact the image of Earth 2 is the only special effect that you will encounter in this low-budget gem but the picture is so endearing that it is enough to classify this movie as almost sci-fi. The colour spectrum consists largely of different tones of blue and yellow signifying cool and warm. Of course the lighter blues that are seen in the ocean scenes are the most refreshing and help adjust moods. At times the colour work is sub-par to the point where scenes, especially indoor scenes in John's house appear to be shot with a hand-held camcorder but it only adds a layer of realism to the film. None of the cast are particularly famous unless you count Mapother being Tom Cruise's cousin as famous which is wonderful as it allows audiences to concentrate more on the character than the actor.
The score by Fall On Your Sword characterises the key protagonists in the film. For example Rhoda is symbolised by the cello and John the piano. The most beautiful scene in terms of the music is a scene where John plays the musical saw producing an eerie and haunting sound complimenting the fantastic cinematography.
Another Earth was possibly one of my favourite films of the year. It was released earlier in the year in the US and played at Melbourne and Brisbane IFFs. It has yet to be announced whether it will be granted a limited or wide release in Australia but I am keeping my fingers crossed as I would love for other people to enjoy this movie as much as I did.
