So I wrote/recorded a song about Ender's Game that I'm doing my absolute best to try to get into the director of the movie's ears. Considering that my love for everything OSC really grew strongest on this forum and I know you all appreciate his works as much as I do, I thought I'd let you all have a listen if you'd like.
posted
Can I share this on EndersAnsible.com, CalvinMaker? Several members of the cast and crew have visited that page, and reshared things there. We can also share it through the twitter account to the cast members if you'd like... just say the word.
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Taalcon, I went over to EndersAnsible and saw that Blackwell is doing an Ender's Game and Philosophy book! Awesome!
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Taalcon: Can I share this on EndersAnsible.com, CalvinMaker? Several members of the cast and crew have visited that page, and reshared things there. We can also share it through the twitter account to the cast members if you'd like... just say the word.
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Is this self-produced? What mic did you use on the vocals, and what platform did you use for mixing/editing (protools, garageband, logic, etc)?
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I really like the melody and the instrumentation. I think the lyrics are a bit too on the nose; they push the song into fan-filk category, as opposed to a more universal song that just happens to explore those of the book's themes that you find interesting. The core idea -- that moving into adulthood without guilt might require closing our eyes and willfully denying the reality of any atrocities we might commit to get there, turning them into games and pretend play -- is a very solid one, and I think that can carry the narrative on its own with only the occasional nod to the book.
I think the vocals are a bit thin, even perhaps too precise, and the spacey reverb effect smacks a bit too much of prog rock for me. Another backing vocal or two might help, and I'd actually re-record the "echo" rather than just echoing it. That said, your voice is very pleasant; I think it needs to be a bit more ragged (and not just morose) in places than you're taking it, but that's a matter of personal preference.
In all, it's certainly listenable, and I think it'd actually be pretty fascinating if done live, with a backing band.
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posted
Spang--yup, it's self produced. Not sure what mic my engineer used, I know it's a $2000 one though. He uses protools.
Posts: 1934 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Echoing/contrasting with Tom: the quality of the melody, instrumentation and overall presentation is great. I'm going to be a bit critical of the lyrics precisely because the song is already really great and has the potential to be even awesome.
My issue is not so much that it's too referential to the story, but that it does so in a slightly random way. Some individual lines reference specific things, others seem more about imagery, but the imagery and specific references don't tie together, either as a unified story or a unified image.
One example:
Your references to "gates" only make sense in the context of the novel, and even with that context they feel a little out of place to me. The reason "The enemy's gate is down" is important is because in zero gravity, you're orientation is lost and you have to figure out a new orientation that works for you.
This is... rather explicitly allegorical of a lot of Ender's problems, actually. Which I am embarrassed for not having noticed until now.
I think a verse that focused on that would be really cool - being lost and confused as you're trying to decide what kind of adult you become, and having to choose a direction for yourself. This can be done with ideas that you can regonize from the book, but which the average person would still understand on at least two levels.
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I'm not sure what the legal ramifications are of unleashing this on the mainstream internet, if part of your goal was to be compensated for its use in the film.
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posted
I don't think that would be much of an issue. If it's a success, these things can be accounted for in a contract. For now, it belongs to Calvin. He can do what he wants with it.
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by CalvinMaker: Spang--yup, it's self produced. Not sure what mic my engineer used, I know it's a $2000 one though. He uses protools.
So the engineer mixed, or you did? The vocals aren't mixed or effected very well, in my opinion. The song is strong, overall (although I agree with Tom entirely on the lyrics being too on the nose). That would be my main critique. Of course, if you aren't looking for critiques please discard. Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Yeah, the song's got a bow on it at this point so I'm not making any changes, but I'm always happy to hear any kind of critiques. And yes, my engineer mixed it.
I considered uploading it to youtube, but I decided against it for exactly the reasons you guys mentioned. If I happen to get it in Gavin Hood's ears and he happens to like it, I want him to be the one to decide when it's unleashed upon the world since he might want to save it for the film itself. I figured allowing some fellow OSC fans a listen beforehand though wouldn't cause any problems.
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It's up to both them or the music supervisor if there is one. I've done the research...
Regardless, if the director likes it he'll still hand it off to the music supervisor if they have one.
Posts: 1934 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Anyone on the production team can hand it off to the music supervisor. And any major budget studio movie has a music supervisor. Editors are actually more likely than directors to have a say in the music, because they typically put placeholder songs in the rough cut (of their own choosing). It's not unusual for everyone to fall in love with some of the placeholders and try and license them for the final edit, either.
Anyway, I'm glad you've done your research. I only mention it because there are people who are a lot more accessible than the director that you might try to point towards the song. Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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