Film Music

I helped director Sammy Lee bring a personal story of family and memory to life, with a minimalist but moving score with a theme for each of the characters, and bright orchestration consisting of both orchestral and Chinese instruments.

The score also features live French horn, recorded and performed by myself!

Responsible for all audio in the film, I worked with the Lipscomb class of ’24 Animation students to bring Arco to life, the violin-playing mouse who discovers the magic of bluegrass music.

I composed the score, created parts for the live violin and harmonica players, hired the musicians, and recorded the music, in addition to handling all sound design, mixing, and mastering.

Arco was awarded Best Animation Film, Best Animation Screenplay, Audience Choice for Animation, Best Animation Original Score, and 2nd Place in Animation Sound Design at Lipscomb University’s 5-Minute Film Festival.

Collaborating with fellow composer Kaleb Clarke, we wrote, recorded, and mixed the film score. 

Additionally, for the Film Score Concert, we revisited the piece’s orchestration, created all sheet music, and assembled the audio session for the live concert– additionally, I conducted a chunk of the orchestra rehearsals myself.

The film also won the Best Composer (Honorable Mention) and Best Fiction Short (Honorable Mention) awards in the American Golden Picture International Film Festival!

I used the power of music and the magic of sound design to create a believable, engrossing sci-fi atmosphere while simultaneously providing context and narrative motion.

In addition to creating the score and sound design, I also prepared the full audio mix for the film. I was able to utilize my skills to be a one-stop shop for audio!

Every voice you hear (except, well, the monologue) is my own, all 3½ octaves of it! I highlighted and accentuated the raw emotion of the scene while preserving the focus and clarity of the monologue– using only my own voice!

Hybrid electronic jazz?? This absolutely wacky instrumentation choice allowed me to drive the action forward while also accentuating the absurd, humorous undertone of the chase scene– proving that good execution can make almost any idea work.