Ara’s Tale is a animated film written and directed by Martin Lubrich. The original score, created by Mikkel Nielson, is a wonderful addition to the already impressive animation. This film was created under a Creative Commons License meaning that the creators allow the public the right to share, use, and build upon the original work. Go here – Ara’s Tale Official Movie Site to read more about the film and get download access to free files of the film.
The film plot as described by Martin Lubrich is, “The story follows the journey of Ara, a mysterious young woman, as she travels deep into a gigantic network of caves in search of the last remaining living dragon. It is a path of destiny for Ara, which eventually leads to her destination.”
This is my first attempt at creating my own film score. I have always been attracted to the scores of movies and TV shows. Most notably the scores of Nigel Westlake and Hans Zimmer; but also Mark Isham for his work on the film October Sky (1999) and Daniel Licht for his work on the TV series Dexter (2006).
I used Pro Tools 11 to create the score using my midi keyboard. I am still in the process of learning more about balancing the overall sounds and creating more dynamic direction to capture mood and impact. I also aimed to create as realistic orchestral textures as possible. There is still work to do in this area. 🙂
This first posting is what I am considering the middle three sequences of the film. The first being Ara’s call to the dragon using the spirits of other captured dragons. It is my depiction of Ara’s strength paired with the vastness of her surroundings to summon the last living dragon.
In the second sequence I attempt to capture the feeling of uncertainty and curiosity. I lay the groundwork for a “question theme” that never resolves, played by the brass. This is the culmination of textures moving towards the bigger statement when the last dragon finally meets Ara’s power and resolve.
The third sequence is Ara’s realization of her powers. What she has accomplished and the power that she holds; while impressive, carries great responsibility and may not always be a positive attribute in her life. I attempted to portray this using a descending sequence with a fleeting major resolution that quickly dissipates to the final resolution.
I had trouble deciding if the film was a “happy” film or “sad” film. That simple thought statement really had a huge impact on the harmonic direction and story line I wanted to highlight with my score. I plan on exploring this concept further with this film and others.
I hope you enjoy my version of Ara’s Tale! I plan to add the introduction and ending soon! Please feel free to add comments. You can also visit my SoundCloud page to listen to the film score without the animation.
Kevin Estes Music 