Production on 'Dog Meets Cow' is going well, amidst the busy holiday season. One of the more exciting adventures that has materialized on this short is an original song I wrote to accompany the film's soundtrack, called "Me Without You." It's a fun (I hope) little folksy-pop ballad celebrating the joys of friendship, and I think it pairs quite thematically with the message of the film.
Recording the song has been a nice work in progress, and I hope to share the finished version, as well as the amazing minds who helped me put it together, in the very near future. I've always enjoyed scoring all of my own films and animation loops for a number of reasons.
1) I don't have to outsource any major work or money over to other musicians or composers, and be at the mercy of their schedules.
2) I don't have to rely on or pay for existing music and any legal or royalty issues that may arise.
3) I can maintain that much more of the creative responsibility for myself, and only be at the mercy of my own schedule (which I still often dispute within myself, but that's a whole other story). If anything I create is really good or really bad, I'd like to be the one responsible for it, so it allows me to take on that extra burden.
4) It's also fun to command ownership of a singular creative vision. In an era of independent artist-driven animated films, it helps make the completed work that much more my own. If I'm animating something, I always get inspired by the musical possibilities, and vice versa if I'm composing something.
Animation and music share a fun symbiotic energy, and it's always great to play into that. It also helps generate more input when one is stuck creatively - different artistic disciplines fuel each other in amazing ways.
Anyway, hopefully more info on that soon! In other news, 'When Comes the Rain' screened at its tenth festival earlier this month at the Animation Chico Film Fest in Chico, CA. Once again, I couldn't attend, but would have loved to visit. The city (and maybe all of Northern, CA it seems) looks like the perfect eclectic setting to enjoy a night of independent animation. Sad to have missed it, but maybe next year!
I've also got my official 2018 animation reel up on my home page so check it out, for those wanting a nice 1.5 min sampling of my work. And with any luck, 'Dog Meets Cow' will find its way into next year's reel!
Enjoy your holidays!
-Brian