Scored for: instrumentation of these excerpts includes solo instruments, percussion, synthesizers, and studio orchestra (with additional sound design)
Here’s a one-minute sampler of music clips from film and video re-scores I composed in 2016-2017.
For a longer sample, including video, see the Demo Reel.
Scored for: instrumentation of these excerpts includes solo instruments, percussion, synthesizers, and studio orchestra (with additional sound design)
This is a ten-minute collection of scenes from films, TV shows, commercials, and video games that I have re-scored*. All of the short films can be found in the “Film Scores” section of my website here.
In a hurry? Listen to a one-minute audio-only sampler of media scores here.
Note that the videos and dialogs excerpted are the property of the respective companies, and are used only to demonstrate my film scoring skills. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2017 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this video elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
(video revised 22 May 2018)
(* “re-score” means replacing the original music with a newly written soundtrack)
Scored for: piano trio (piano, violin, and cello).
This is a very clever animated film short from the Ringling College of Art and Design. All of the “sound effects” are created by the instruments.
My goal was to capture the feel of the Warner Brothers cartoons of the 1950s-1970s, particularly the Road Runner series.
This is a live performance recording, so there is some audience noise.
Note that the video is the property of Ringling School of Art and Design, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: studio orchestra and synthesizers
This film is a collection of commercial rescores for products such as a hotel, an insurance company, a wealth-management firm, and a video game. There are multiple rescores of some of the advertising clips, representing different approaches to the same video. Scoring ranges from percussion and synthesizer to full orchestra.
Note that the video and dialog are the property of the respective companies, and are used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2017 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: percussion ensemble (marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, drums, cymbals, etc.)
The film clip is a condensed version of an episode of the TV series Lost from the fourth season, entitled “The Constant”. I’ve reduced the entire 45-minute show (without commercials) down to about 10 minutes with rough cuts that eliminated subplots, repetitive exposition, and some characters entirely.
The story involves Desmond, who has been stranded in 2004 on a remote island by a plane crash, travelling by helicopter to a rescue ship. Along the way, he begins to experience physical flash-backs to 1996 when he was a soldier in the UK. He becomes unable to distinguish between his current time period and the past, as well as risking imminent brain damage, so he seeks the assistance of a physics professor who tells him the only solution is to identify a “constant” in both time periods, something or someone that he cares about deeply. His estranged girlfriend from 1996 is that constant, but he must phone her from the rescue ship in 2004, and hope she will answer before it is too late.
This rescore is for percussion instruments only, featuring marimba, vibraphone, and glockenspiel. It was recorded live with the Talujon Percussion Ensemble on 2 August 2016 at Vermont College of Fine Arts, in Montpelier, Vermont.
Note that the video and dialog are the property of ABC Studios, and are used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
(updated 10 December 2017)
Scored for: brass quintet (trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba)
The prologue for Steven Spielberg’s 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark introduces Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as a tomb-raiding, whip-cracking adventurer, deep in the South American jungle searching for a lost golden idol. Jones manages to evade several life-threatening dangers, as well as duplicitous comrades, only to find himself confronted, in his ultimate escape, but his worst fear (snakes!).
For this rescore, I followed John William’s original soundtrack as a model for the “feel” of each scene, since I didn’t have the luxury of discussing the scoring with Steven Spielberg, but I still came up with an original, rather than derivative, score. This new soundtrack is written for a brass quintet (two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, and a tuba).
There are two stand-out moments for me in the score. First, when the spiders prey on Jones and his assistant (Alfred Molina), the brass players key their instruments without blowing into them, creating clicking sounds to mimic the spiders. Second, I wrote my own “Indiana Jones theme”, which the brass play over the final escape to the seaplane. In John Williams’ score, this is the most memorable theme. I hope you find my “theme” just as exciting and memorable.
The score is performed by The Brooklyn Brass, recorded live in concert on 3 August 2017 at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT.
Note that the video portion of the film is the property of Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm, et al, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The dialog and sound effects were recreated by “Phil D” and “Jake” on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/46951183). The music is Copyright © 2017 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
(updated 11 December 2017)
Scored for: synthesized percussion (drums, cymbals, bells, etc.)
This is a rescored excerpt from the Wachowski’s 1999 film The Matrix. In this scene, Neo (Keanu Reeves) has been programmed with a martial arts skills set, and demonstrates his newfound prowess for Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). The fight is scored for percussion only, using oriental instruments consistent with the visual setting and subject.
I had to edit the audio track judiciously to capture the dialog, so there is some occasional bleed-through of Don Davis’s original soundtrack, which I matched and complemented with my own percussion.
Note that the video and dialog are the property of Warner Brothers et al., and are used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2017 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: studio orchestra
This is a promotional TV spot advertising a CSPAN White House Tour program. I wrote patriotic-sounding music and incorporated snare drum ruffles to match the historical importance of the tour, as well as aural splashes to highlight the final visuals.
Note that the video and sound clips are the property of CSPAN, and are used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: studio orchestra
Poptech was a brain-storming conference held in Camden, Maine, that was opened each day with a short video clip. This is a rescore of that video clip.
Capturing the simplicity of rural Maine, I began with a recorder, then gradually built up the orchestration to the climax. This was, to me, supposed to be the visual and aural equivalent of a strong cup of coffee, to stimulate the day’s conversations.
Note that the video is the property of Poptech, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2015 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: studio orchestra (with additional sound design)
I rescored the titles for Sidney Lumet’s 2001 TV Series 100 Centre Street. This was a courtroom drama based in metropolitan New York City, so for a background, I started with city-scape sound effects like police sirens and traffic, then added courtroom sounds, including “Order in the court!”.
Over this audible landscape, I added synthesizer plunges and throbbing rhythm in woodwinds, brass, and finally strings, with a trumpet motif rising above these sounds. I tried to capture the feel of the typical police/court drama of the era.
Note that the video is the property of A&E Productions, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: piano and string ensemble
This is a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo (1958) that I’ve rescored for piano and strings. Jimmy Stewart’s character (at the bar) is getting his first glimpse of Kim Novak’s character (at the table) while she is dining with her husband. Jimmy’s character is a private investigator who has been hired by the husband to surreptitiously follow Kim’s character, because she has been behaving suicidally.
The location reminded me of a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, where my wife and I dined several times, complete with a pianist playing in a corner, and plush surroundings. So I staged the score with a pianist improvising a jazz piece as background music, then introduced the strings for Kim’s character.
I was able to capture some of the background sound effects during quiet moments in the scene, which I’ve included behind my rescore.
Note that the video and sound effects are the property of Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, and are used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2017 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Scored for: studio orchestra and synthesizers
I found a terrific short film on Vimeo by Jeff Seal, and completely rewrote the soundtrack. This comic film follows a busy day in the life of a bicycle messenger in New York City, in the boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-finds-girl genre, but with a side helping of voodoo and a tribute to the classic Buster Keaton comedies. You’ve got to see it to understand.
Note that the video is the property of Bike Pathe and Jeff Seal, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
Jeff’s original film, with a film score by Mitchell Yoshida, is here.
Scored for: studio orchestra (and additional sound design)
Mighty Coconut has created an amazing, epic animated short entitled The Oceanmaker. I’ve taken their film, stripped out all of the sound, and composed my own film score and supplied new sound effects.
Note that the video is the property of Mighty Coconut, and is used for purposes of illustrating my film scoring. No copyright infringement is intended. The music is Copyright © 2016 Steven K. Sanford.
Please do not republish this film clip elsewhere on the internet or use without permission.
(If you want to compare the film’s original soundtrack, scored by Chris Reyman, check it out here.)
Scored for: percussion trio (marimba, xylophone, and glockenspiel) and double bass
One of my first film-scoring projects was an experimental, minimalist score for the 1916 Charlie Chaplin film The Vagabond. I have extracted three scenes from the film, and scored them for percussion and double bass, creating the suite At the Movies. Enjoy!
(updated 22 September 2017)
Steven K Sanford 