T O D D M A S T E N . C O M
F I L M
UPDATE: I've just signed on to a new pilot being shot in the Atlanta area...
To date, I've completed one feature length motion picture mixed in 5.1 surround sound.
N I G H T M A R E B O X
When a woman wakes up in a strange room with no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there, she must unravel the mystery of her identity before the room destroys her.
Nightmare Box - Official Trailer
Music selections from the film
I approached Nightmare Box a bit differently than I would most film-based projects. After speaking with the Director and reading both the script and the creative treatment, I decided to try a traditional leitmotif approach; something I'd never attempted prior. There are a fairly limited number of characters in the film; all with very distinct personalities that are developed to provoke a very specific emotional response in the viewer. To this end, I developed unique musical identifiers and figures that flow in and out of the aural soundscape, coinciding with the onscreen action.
I used non-traditional instrumentation almost exclusively during the writing and recording of the score. Even the standardized orchestral sections were heavily processed to fold in with the gritty, granular synthesis that underpins the entire story. I used heavy amounts of linear arithmetic. subtractive, and granular synthesis techniques mixed in with live strings, winds, brass, and choir.
I had recently upgraded my studio to accommodate full THX 5.1 surround mixing, and this was the first film project that I did from start to finish in full surround sound. Aside from composing, recording, and mixing the entire score, I was responsible for all of the film's sound design and Foley. I was extremely familiar with the film having early access to the script and dailies which allowed me to really build a cohesive soundscape. Doing double duty on a project of this size is difficult and time intensive, but both the Director and I wouldn't have had it any other way.