Oscar Spotlight: The Artist known as Ludovic Bource

It’s award ceremony season, and we’re right in the thick of it, having already had the Golden Globes, Grammy’s, and Brits. This week the focus will be on the Oscars (although don’t forget Music + Sound awards on Thursday). We are a team of film lovers at soundounge, and as Music Supervisors are always interested in film scores.

This year, while John Williams has two nominations (Adventures Of Tintin & Warhorse), we’re most excited about The Artist score written by Ludovic Bource. I wouldn’t blame you for not recognizing this name, especially before this year, as he’s relatively unknown as a composer. His routes are close to our hearts as he started his career writing music for commercials. His mini break came in 1999 when he wrote the score for short film Mes Amis directed by The Artist’s director Michel Hazanavicius. A few short films later and Bource is now facing an Oscer Nomination, and deservedly so. The Artists relies so heavily on the music to tell the story that the score was more vital than ever to the visuals.

When asked, Bource explains he looked back to the masters of the earliest films for inspiration: “before this process of creation, I watched with Michel the classic American films like ‘Sunrise’. The light is very magical. The supposition of images to other images and the tracks are just wonderful”.

Bource has come onto the film score scene with such an impressive talent that we can’t think of a more fitting composer to win Best Score at the Oscars, and we eagerly wait the next big film that features his music. It surely can’t be long.

Sadly there is no Oscar for best Music Supervisor, or best compilation soundtrack, an art that also makes a huge difference to films. Drive for example, would have had a whole different feel if it weren’t for the great song choices by Eric Craig. Luckily on Thursday the Music + Sound awards commence at KOKO, and sponsors we’ll be reporting on the winners where the Music Supervisor will most definitely be credited.

Film, In The News, New Music

Drive, Film Score, Ludovic Bource, Music Supervisor, Oscars, soundlounge, The Artist

February 22, 2012

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Peter Broderick – It Starts Hear

The impossibly brilliant Peter Broderick released more new material on Monday in the form of a much-anticipated second full vocal LP, ‘It Starts Hear’, preceded by a single of the same name. It’s another triumph and the first time he’s recorded without setting himself limits or a creative brief of any sort; anything was possible. That philosophy shines through from track to track, as each one employs different techniques, instruments, collaborators and styles yet still retaining an immutable thread of identity. This is the genius of the man and something that he’s kept up throughout his short but prolific and refreshingly varied career.

It’s not just the music that’s worthy of high praise though. The manner in which he’s released the tracks may not be familiar but it’s something that we’d be happy to get used to. It began with a message on his website stating that he’s not against people downloading his music, he feels that it’s an inexorable evil but one that can at least result in new fans at gigs, perhaps buying goods from his merchandise table. However, as a true artist, he finds it frustrating that anybody who chooses to ‘steal’ his music surrenders access to the notes or images that would traditionally accompany the release.

So, in a valiant and progressive effort to combat this frustration he’s set up a website to host the album. Each track has it’s own page with the traditional accompaniment of lyrics and photos supplemented with background stories, notes on musicians, instrumentation and, through hosting the album online, videos as well. In giving such detailed context to the music he’s able to help the listener feel more involved which in turn should create a stronger connection with fans and actually add value to his work. It’s a curious angle on the illegal download debate but Mr. Broderick may have opened an interesting door here.

http://www.itstartshear.com

Copyright law, Creative, Music, Music Video, New Music, The music industry

album notes, bella union, erased tapes, illegal downloading, it starts hear, itstartshear, nils frahm, online album, Peter Broderick

February 22, 2012

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Inspired! – Art edition

Liquid art by Armitage.tv apparently in one shot, with no CG. Great visuals.

Shadow Art by Rashad Alakbarov.

Finally check out this video of Max Zorn creating a new genre of Street Art using parcel tape:

Art, Creative

Inspired, liquid art, shadow art, silhouette, Street Art

February 14, 2012

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Inspired! – Yet Again By OK Go

OK Go reinvent the music video once again in their collaboration with Chevrolet. In less than 2 days the video has hit over 4 million views thanks to the reputation OK Go have given themselves as creatives over musicians. This suits them just fine, as it seems they’ve created a new breed of band. They’re a one-stop-shop for brands like Chevy who get 4 expert musicians as well as creative directors in one multi coloured band. In return the band get the brand’s budget to play around with to create their latest music video…genius!
This latest video for “Needing/Getting” is a triumph for both band and brand, and if there are any cynics out there, have a read of this for the making of the video.
There must now be a queue of brands waving their chequebooks at OK Go, who no doubt have an even more ambitious project lined up for their next video shoot.

Advertising, Bands and Brands, Creative, Inspired, New Music, Video

Chevrolet, Chevy, Inspired, Music Video, Needing/Getting, OK Go

February 7, 2012

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For Sale: Old Mp3s, One Careful Owner

Here’s a new idea that should keep the music lawyers busy for some time…ReDigi calls itself, ‘the world’s first online marketplace for pre-owned digital music.’ It’s effectively an online used record shop, allowing users to sell digital files acquired from iTunes. It claims it uses software that analyses each upload to make sure that it is a legally acquired track and then deletes the original file from the individual’s hard drive. However, the company does admit that it has no way of knowing if a user has made a copy of the mp3s on another drive. Not surprisingly the Recording Industry Association of America has sent the company a ‘cease-and-desist’ order last November, along with a law suit from Capital Records. The Association claims that the process of transferring a file to ReDigi’s cloud represents an act of copying. First Sale permits a user to sell their copy of an item, not a copy of the copy. However this raises an interesting question, why is it ok to sell your old cd’s or vinyl and not your old digital files? When you sell or trade-in your old albums, no questions whether you’s made copies of them, so why should it be any different to re-sell you original mp3s?

ReDigi claims that no tangible, material object is transferred to the ReDigi “cloud”; rather, the user’s original file is duplicated and then stored by the ReDigi service, regardless of whether the user’s original file remains on his or her computer or is deleted. A second copy is then made when a ReDigi transaction is consummated. When the song is purchased, the track and license will be instantly transferred to its new owner. This lawsuit echo that of the American composer and conductor John Philip Sousa over a 100 years ago, when he challenged the Gramaphone companies, who at that time didn’t pay any royalties to musicians from the sale of their own recordings – a fact that now seems incredible. We are clearly still in the infancy of digital copyright law.

Brian Kelly, Creative Director.

The film below explains how ReDigi works.

Copyright law, In The News, Music Technology

Digital Copyright law, iTunes, John Philip Sousa, ReDigi, selling mp3s

January 30, 2012

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Inspired!

Street art has in recent years finally got the profile it deserves thanks to big names like Banksy and Shepard Fairey AKA OBEY. Wynwood Walls in the warehouse district in Miami proves to be the perfect canvas for possibly the biggest gallery of the world’s top street artists. Here Comes The Neighborhood documents the whole project, check out the first episode introducing the project below.

Art, Creative, Inspired

Banksy, Here Comes The Neighborhood, OBEY, Shepard Fairey, Street Art, Wynwood Walls

January 25, 2012

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Inspired!

We hear hundreds of covers at soundlounge, but every so often one like this comes along that really makes us listen. The original of “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye is creating a stir on youtube, but with over 36 million views, this cover by Walk Off The Earth could easily eclipse the original. 5 people on one guitar clearly turns a good song into a great one:

Inspired, Music, Music Video, New Music

Gotye, music covers, somebody that I used to know, Walk Of The Earth

January 25, 2012

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How Does Your Brand Sound? – An Introduction To Sonic Branding

Design Assembly, the much lauded graphic-design blog, set up by ex-Apple and now freelance graphic-designer, Matt Judge, drew a line under it’s bountiful output at the end of last year. To celebrate its three prolific and engaging years there is now a book available, which comprises of a compendium of previous posts as well as a collection of new articles written by guest contributors. One of our own music supervisors, Sam Nicholson, was invited to weigh in with an article on the subject of sonic branding.

The beginning is published below and the full article is available by following the link at the bottom.

The beautifully presented book is available to buy from the Design Assembly blog .

An Introduction To Sonic Branding

What does your brand sound like? This question has become increasingly familiar in the advertising world over the last decade. In recent years the quest for an answer has begun to gain traction but is it really worth all the effort? Do brands actually need another string to their identity?

Every day we encounter maybe a hundred brands. If we’re surfing the Internet or glued to the television then that number could increase dramatically. Each one has been meticulously designed from the ground up in an effort to raise their head above the rest and wave what they hope is a distinctive and relevant hand at the public. The values that define them provide the corner stones for every aspect of this communication. Upon this foundation, a dedicated graphic designer builds a logo and with it comes, among other things, colour and font. The product and it’s packaging also take shape, whether it be a chocolate bar and its wrapper or a bank teller and the space in which they ply their trade. Tag lines, scripts and press releases are carefully fashioned letter by letter by exalted copywriters in their ivory towers. It goes on and you’re probably familiar with the picture, it’s strategic design to ensure that every time the brand’s face pops out at you it’s not only relevant and distinctive but also consistent.

The problem is, every time they make a sound it’s different and consequently confuses our otherwise steadfast perception. Their visual image is beautifully refined, well kept, approachable but their voice is often unpredictable, incongruous and sometimes utterly unintelligible. The effect this has ranges from the mild surprise and disappointment we all experienced the first time we heard David Beckham’s voice (which frankly is a bit girly) slip from his statuesque features to the perplexing thought of having a certified schizophrenic fronting a new romantic ska/metal wedding band. As a brand with an otherwise unfaltering identity you might be better off keeping quiet.

Click on the link below to read full article

An Introduction To Sonic Branding

Advertising, Music, Music in advertising

music and brands, sonic branding, sound branding, sound of the brand

January 24, 2012

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Music + Sound Awards 2012

Finally, an award ceremony designed to recognise and celebrate the essential role that music and sound plays in the world of visual media. In it’s first year, Music + Sound Awards promises to kick off with a bang, and soundlounge are excited to be sponsors.

The first Music + Sound Awards really has got everything going for it: Taking place on 23^rd February at the beautiful KOKO in Camden, the ceremony will be hosted by comedian Adam Buxton. There are also going to be performances from the Noisettes, Newton Faulkner, and DJ sets from Gary Numan and Ade Fenton.

Also on the cards are a host of industry judges such as Imogen Heap, and Emmy winning composer John Altman. Submissions have been entered from Ad agencies, production companies, composers, film studios, directors, publishers, labels, and music production companies so it really is the best of music and sound. Unsurprisingly tickets for this event are selling fast so reserve your place now by emailing tickets@masawards.com

We hope to see you there.

Creative, Editing, Film, In The News, Music, New Music, The music industry

Adam Buxton, Ade Fenton, award ceremony, Gary Numan, music, music and sound awards, Newton Faulkner, Noisettes

January 23, 2012

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Can an advert really change a song’s meaning?

As Music Supervisors, we are always fascinated by the music used in advertising commercials, and we’re not the only ones. Watch an advert on Youtube and almost all the comments relate to music, either praising or berating. One of the biggest complaints seems to be how the original meaning of a song is totally inappropriate for an advert. They have of course got a point when listening to a song in isolation. But what happens when you synch it with new visuals, or just use the lyrics you want, or reinterpret the song with another emphasis? Does a song’s original meaning even matter?

The Pixies “Where Is My Mind” may not be an obvious choice for an advert, particularly when you realise the original meaning is about the lead singer loosing his mind due to drug use. However, Thomson Holidays have used a beautiful instrumental cover of this song to give new meaning to support the stunning visuals:

Historically, there are hundreds of ads with songs that people argue are inappropriate due to their original meaning. At the top of a couple of lists we found was the Microsoft Windows 95 campaign using the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”:

Apart from the fact that Microsoft paid an alleged $8,000,000 to use this track, a lot of comments condemned this track as inappropriate due to the sexual nature of the lyrics.

Another ad frequently criticised for the music choice is Waitrose’s ad using “Golden Brown” by the Stranglers.

The amazing thing about music is that by changing the context in which it is heard, we can change the way it is perceived, regardless of the original meaning. A powerful example of this is Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”. This track, originally written by Trent Reznor, is given a totally new meaning when sung by Johnny Cash, particularly when coupled with the video for Cash’s version. Suddenly all we see and feel is the deteriorating health of Cash and the chaotic life he led. This shows how reinterpreting a song can also give it new meaning, something brands such as John Lewis are becoming experts at.

Professor Charles Spence, cognitive Psychologist from Oxford helps shed some light onto the effect of combining visuals and sounds. His studies show that by successfully matching up audio and visuals, the sensory experience is enhanced by up to 1,207%. However, when the match is wrong, the impact can be reduced by up to 86%.

The examples above visually link up perfectly with the appropriate lyrics and so magnify the effectiveness of the ad and give the lyrics new meaning. In the Waitrose ad “Golden Brown” no longer refers to drugs, but the colours of autumn. So, does this mean you can use any song in any context? Well perhaps not, but you certainly shouldn’t be put off by the original meaning of a song. If you focus on the right lyrics and match them well with visuals, you can re-contextualize the original music in both an exciting and commercially effective way.

Advertising, Creative, Music

advert music, Golden Brown, Hurt, Johnny Cash, Microsoft, Music in advertising, Pixies, rolling stones, Thomson, Waitrose

January 23, 2012

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