I am excited to announce the feature film Jessica's Journey, now retitled as Closer To God: Jessica's Journey, is available for purchase Walmart. I believe they are even responsible for distribution, which is interesting.
I really enjoyed scoring this film, and I feel like I learned a lot. It is the fastest I have ever composed/orchestrated. Six minutes per day, which is unheard of for me. There wasn't much music requested for this film, and I only had about a week to make it all come together, but I was able to come through, and the filmmakers were happy with my work.
The score is mostly piano, harp and strings. There are some light winds and percussion. One of the biggest discoveries sample-wise was the use of the Spitfire harp. Spitfire is a sample company from the UK, and this harp is one of the most detailed instruments I have used. Its lower strings are a little quiet for my personal taste. I typically prefer more body in the lower notes (love to clang on those lower strings!), however the emotional quality of it is something I am hard pressed to find elsewhere.
The film's subject matter became deeply personal to me, since a week after completing the project, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. That is a whole separate topic, but I feel important to mention in passing despite the fact I intend to keep this blog to music-related topics only.
The cancer of the protagonist is never identified, and her symptoms are somewhat nebulous, as is the Christian denomination the family gravitates toward to deal with their grief. Although I am not religious, I do recognize how people in a time of duress can find comfort, or an avenue to seek answers through religion. I feel that time is usually the greatest enemy and
Visit the official website: JessicasJourneyFilm.com
Buy the film at Walmart.
Buy the soundtrack on iTunes.
