Adventures in Losing

In today’s episode of Adventures in Losing, we find our protagonist (me) reading the following: Heartfelt and nostalgic instrumentals needed for film scene. Instrumental Classical or cinematic music tracks. The music should be heartfelt and nostalgic. The song will be used in a scene where a man reflects back on memorable moments as he packs up his deceased wife’s belongings. This is a very emotional moment in the movie and the music should help with the delicate balance of loss and nostalgia the man is feeling in this scene. Instrumentals only. Slow to medium-slow tempo.

I submitted the aptly titled “Nostalgic Recollections” and watched the activity board as the “opportunity provider” sifted through hundreds of submissions. In the end they chose “The Skies of Io” by Kenneth W. Lovell Jr.  Congratulations, Kenneth. Really. I’m happy for you. I’d be happier for you if you were me, of course.

Now, what can we learn from this humiliating defeat? First, let’s listen to Kenneth’s song and mine: The Skies of Io, Nostalgic Recollections. You’ll notice that Kenneth’s song is folksy whereas mine is more dramatic. Given the description of what they wanted you’d have thought that would work in my favor. You’ll also notice that my composition is much more complicated. Kenneth gets in a groove and stays there. There’s a lesson in that: in a movie the music isn’t the focus, so it doesn’t need to be–maybe even shouldn’t be–complicated. It shouldn’t draw attention to itself, but instead amplifies the emotion of the scene. Finally, if you took the time to google Kenneth you’d have found that he’s quite an accomplished composer with many productions to his credit. It seems like this has been his full time work for some time. That makes me feel a little better about this installment of…

Adventures in Losing.

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