ANNOUNCEMENT TO ASPIRING COMPOSERS
By
Juan Carlos Vargas
Writer/Director
Thank you for your interest in "Man vs. Woman". As a filmmaker, I have always considered music to be extremely important to the overall impact of a film. Often, music becomes the soul of a movie, and the trigger that makes the audience recall memories of the film for years to come.
Since the inspiration for the film was mainly Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", I temporarily scored the film with Ennio Morricone's music for the film. Used the track "The Ecstasy of Gold" extensively, since it has a great buildup which I used to underscore the increasing tension during the standoff prior to the shootout (strangely, in "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", the music is not used for a duel but actually for Tuco's run through the cemetery).
The music fit well (after some creative music editing) and I would be pleased to use it as is, but legally I can't use it at festivals or elsewhere, unless I pay for its rights. Though that is still an option, I would rather find a composer, somebody who is perhaps a fan of Morricone's, who could score "Man vs. Woman" with the same style of music. I would also be open to a re-interpretation of the Morricone music, something that seems inspired by him but infused with a new voice and style all of its own (in the same way that John Williams allegedly channelled Holst's 'The Planets" while writing his score for "Star Wars"). In other words, I'm hoping to discover a new talent here, and perhaps start a lucrative collaboration.
Speaking of Holst's "The Planets", I used "Mars, the Bringer of War" to score the preview on this website. It is very different from Morricone's music, and gives the material a completely different flavor. I didn't mind that, since Holst's music works well for a short presentation, while Morricone's impact is better felt if you let the music play out its crescendo. I was okay with having different flavors for the preview and for the film.
Having said all that, if you would like to be considered for the role of composer for "Man vs. Woman", here's what I would like you to do: Take the Quicktime preview on this website, mute the sound, and play "The Ecstasy of Gold" over it (if you are a film music fan, hopefully you already have it). That will give you an idea of the music I'm looking for, and how it ties with the imagery (the rhythm will be off, but don't worry about it). Next, write something (it can be simple) that mimics the buildup structure of "Ecstasy", or the flavor, or the style, or the soul of it. This will obviously be a very subjective thing. Remember, it doesn't have to coincide with the visual beats of the preview. Synchronization is not what I'm looking for at this point. I'm more interested in the overall spirit of the music. Does it conjure up the sense of longing the characters feel? Does it build up to show the rising tension?
Send it to me in mp3 format (it can be low res). If your submission makes me think you would be a good pick as composer for "Man vs. Woman", I will contact you and we will go from there. Unfortunately, my budget is spent and I have no money to pay for compositions or for a recording session. That is why I'm expecting to get submissions from people who are willing to do this for free, who want the exposure, and who believe that being associated with "Man vs. Woman" will further their careers.
Thanks again for your interest.