Scored for: voice, piano, guitar(s), bass, and drums
I set out to write a “bubble-gum pop song” fit for a teen diva, and came up with Can’t Dance. The lyrics capture the awkwardness of high school nerds who lose themselves in each other and to the music. My friend and fellow composer Stephanie Meyers provides the “diva” for this one, accompanied by several of our talented friends.
This is a live stream VCFA internet broadcast recording from 12 August 2015.
Scored for: solo voice, guitar(s), bass, drums
This is a live stream recording of the VCFA Songwriter’s Festival concert on 12 February 2016, with me singing my original country-and-western song Don’t Give Up on Me (accompanied by a few talented friends).
I wrote this for my wife, who had to put up with me travelling to remote work locations every week for a few years before I retired.
There’s another version of this song here.
Scored for: percussion instruments (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, drums, cymbals, etc.)
This live concert performance of my rescore of an episode of the TV series Lost. This concert was broadcast to the internet on 2 August 2016 from VCFA.
The story is that a airplane passenger stranded by a crash on a desert island in 2004 is being rescued, but after passing through a thunderstorm on the way to the rescue ship, he begins to experience vivid flashbacks of 1996 when he was a soldier in boot camp. He becomes disoriented and doesn’t know whether it is 1996 or 2004. He is counseled by a physicist to pick a “constant”, someone or something existing in both timeframes that he really cares about, to resolve his dilemma.
Another version of this video appears here.
This rescore is for percussion instruments only, featuring marimba, vibraphone, and glockenspiel.
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.
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: 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: 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: 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 