I've been writing music for years, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say, I still have no idea where it comes from. Some days it flows, on others it's like, well something that doesn't flow at all, or does but in a disgusting manner, like mayonnaise or that odd stuff old milk turns into.
I've been lucky that the film projects I've worked on have always required some style or technique I'd never used in a film before. When I was talking to Ryan about his vision of Turning Point's sound, I mentioned that I hoped we could be a little experimental in what went into the score.
I have since wanted to kick myself repeatedly for that.
He had a list of stuff I'd never heard of. A whole new vista of post rock, retro minimalist synth and shoegazing opened up to me thanks to him. It wasn't just a couple new techniques or styles, it was dozens. I had hoped I might finally get some use out of my ebow. Man, I was naive; I used that sucker almost every day.
A lot of random demo pieces were written, with none of them really similar, but the creation of which felt so... exciting and fresh. Each one seemed like an experiment that you had no idea what the outcome might be. Thankfully Ryan was there evaluating each one as they came, where they might fit, what needed to be changed, what kind of vibe he needed for a specific shot. Between lavish praise and brutal honesty, the starting from scratch, and sometimes fruitless rewrites, the cues began to take form.
I had started writing for this film in the formulaic industry mindset I'd tried to hard to master: the composer as a proxy for the audience writing what the story makes him feel. When something happens on screen, a few seconds after, when it has started to sink in emotionally, the music should follow.
The first experiment Ryan had for me was to throw that concept out. It was after repeated viewings of the rough cut that I began to get a flickering understanding of his Dogme-like vision:
* Let the audience decide what it feels, don't tell them.
* Set the mood with something cool yet appropriate for the scene, the kind of sound you'd expect to be there in real life.
* Be different but honest.
Watching the film again and again, I found that I was entertained each time. I knew how the story went, how the clean but simple plot flowed. What gets you is that each character is real. They're not there as a plot device or to deliver an important snippet of dialog. Rather the story exists to let you see different sides of them, that these are ordinary but still individually unique people. You're not waiting for a big chase, explosion or sex scene; you're sharing the experience, documentary like, of a bunch of kids' first road trip. I remember being 17, driving with friends, being young and stupid, and it was AWESOME.
"Nostalgia," Ryan kept saying.
We simulated battered FM radio, tape compression and hiss, the unstable pitch of analog synths. There's even some horrible 70s and 80s homage source music.
A lot of different people and memories went into making this flick happen. I'm glad I was able to contribute. I'm glad I was able to finally "get it", and maybe help others to remember the feeling of our first long tired drives, the jokes made funny by exhaustion, and the weird noises you never noticed your car made before.
See this movie, it's beautiful and fun.
Jason Downer
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