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: 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: piano trio (piano, violin, and cello)
This is a live internet stream recording of a VCFA concert from 10 February 2016, showing the performance of my original rescore to the animated film None of That.
There is another version of this re-scored film here.
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.
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: solo voice and guitar
For one of my rescore projects, I wrote the music for an insurance company TV advertisement that featured the misadventures of a dim-witted small plane pilot. I wrote an original song for this spot (included in the compilation Adventures in Advertising).
I had the opportunity to perform this song live on 8 February 2017 with Reed Robbins on the guitar. This is a live-stream video of the event as it was broadcast on the internet from VCFA.
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: 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: 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)
This is a baseball-themed score for a short ballet by Sarah Mawyer entitled “The Closer.” You’ll hear “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” as a round, as well a hot-dog vendors, fans with trumpets, and… well you get the idea.
There is no real beginning, middle, or end to this piece, only a continual stream of stadium cacophony.
(remastered 11 Oct 2017)
This is a woodwind trio (oboe, clarinet, bassoon) depicting a whimsical walk through a vegetable garden, where every patch has a story, and every story is in a different musical mode:
(recording updated 19 September 2017)
Steven K Sanford 