TENSION FILLED STRINGS: THE MUSIC OF MASQUERADE
The importance of music far extends being the cause of us mentally revisiting scenes from movies we would prefer not to ; it informs us of mood and feeling that might otherwise remain illusive. Alan Smale, former leader of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and musical consultant for Masquerade sits down with us to discuss his choice of period-appropriate music for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ inaugural short film
As I sit listening to Q Lazzarus’s cult hit “Goodbye Horses” blaring in my ears writing this post I'm reminded of the importance of music. The mere sound of those opening beats sends chills through me immediately causing me to mentally replay Buffalo Bill’s infamous dance scene in Jonathan Demme’s 1991 multiple Oscar Winning movie, “Silence of The Lambs”.
The importance of music far extends being the cause of us mentally revisiting scenes from movies we would prefer not to ; it informs us of mood and feeling that might otherwise remain illusive. For instance, if we were to listen to Elton John’s “Circle of Life” a sense of warmth might wash over us, whereas Louis Armstrong’s "We Have All The Time in the World" could evoke a sense of melancholy.
It reminds me of conversations I've had with film fanatic friends of mine who gush at the mere mention of Ennio Morricone‘s name yet scathingly mock the intrusive nature of Hans Zimmer's body of work, particularly in the action genre. Music is an incredibly powerful component in the making of a film, however it’s really just another tool at the disposal of the Director of the film to help reinforce the creation of the world they've invited you into. Clap 'n Load's "Masquerade" is no different. Albeit the production team did things a little differently. Where most films will include music in their movie after filming has long since wrapped, the recording of the music took place first and the scenes were shot second.
"We story boarded the film to the music by timing the dialogue." John Kelly, the film's writer-director, tells me when I asked him about his consideration of music in his short-film some months ago. "It was unique to record the music before shooting the film, but it allowed us to create an intensity on-set and in the delivery of the dialogue that correlated to the music."
Of course picking the correct pieces of music was integral as it not only had to fit the tone of the story, but reflect the period accurately too. "I wanted what they'd really have listened to at that time at a Masquerade Ball" John tells me. "That must have been a task in itself?", I query. "Well, thankfully I had help in selecting the right pieces." John enlisted the assistance of renowned Violinist Alan Smale. If that name sounds familiar to you it’s probably because it is. Alan is First Violin for The National Symphony Orchestra and Wexford Opera House to name just a couple of his impressive credentials.
I could tell you more about the musically driven choices Alan made for the short-film, but why would I do that when the Greystones native was good enough to take time out of his busy schedule to discuss just that with us, which you can watch here...
The music for the film (the wonderfully melodic combo of Tchaikovsky's "Andante Cantabile" and Puccini's "Crisantemi for String Quartet") was recorded two months prior to shooting the film by a string quartet in Ashford Church over the course of a single two hour session. That was as impressive a feat as it was ambitious. "It was worth it." John smiles. "We played the music on-set to allow the actors modify the delivery of their dialogue and help them get into the headspace of their characters...and when the music stops dead at the end of the second piece, we baked that interruption into the scene.". The thoughtful filmmaker recognised, not just the importance of music in his film, but the psychological insight it could afford the actors in the portrayal of their characters, together with an opportunity to enhance the cinematic experience for his audience, allowing them experience the Masquerade Ball aurally in an accurate representation of the period in which it’s set.
Listening to samples of the pieces John has sent me, one could argue if music informs us of mood in film, then this short-film has plenty of tension filled drama afoot.
OUR GIFT TO YOU: “MASQUERADE”
After a long two-yea production process, Clap ‘n Load Studios is proud to present their first short film, and directorial debut of founding director John Kelly, “Masquerade”.
What an incredible year it’s been for us here at Clap ‘n Load Studios. We’ve achieved so much over the past 365 days and set ourselves up with several new and exciting projects for 2022, which we’ll touch upon in a later post. But for now, we’d just like to say thank you for supporting us and our creative endeavours.
To those of you that have been with us from the start, over the past months, and played a part in helping us bring to life our first short movie, we thought there could only be one gift we could give you this Christmas.
We present to you Clap ‘n Load Studios “Masquerade”. We hope you enjoy it, and we wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, warm and wonderful Christmas.