Composers Institute is pleased to announce that composer Zander Davis (alum) has released the short film, MASQUERMYND (Composer's Cut). The film is a nonverbal journey through the mind, told through choreographed, dance-like action, dealing with the inner struggles of personal and sexual identity. A masked person wakes in a room and doesn't know where they are or how they got there. They encounter themselves in different identities, genders, and permutations, confronting their own psyche in a maze of their own mind. Masquer: Maker or wearer of masks, Mynd: "Film" or "Picture" in Icelandic
This film was created in 2019 during the first Composers Online Institute, a program created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing to this day. More information here. The film was finally edited in 2020. Since then, it has been a matter of completing the sound and soundtrack. Below, please read the background provided by Zander Davis.
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"I'm the composer (Zander Davis), and my father (Brently eMDee/Brently Davis/Brentlyq eMDee) played the lead role, made/manufactured all the masks himself, and directed the choreography/action for most, if not all of the scenes. The rest of the film (the camerawork, lighting, etc) was directed, edited, and mastered by Brian Arnold. My dad and Brian are the two people most responsible for this film's existence as you see it here.
What you hear here is my audio edit of the movie. I agreed to create the soundtrack in 2019 and started work in 2020. Most of the music was finished in 2021, but at the last minute I was informed by Brian (who was editing the final cut at the time) that he didn't want to use all of the music I'd made (only some of it). For this reason and others, I was dissatisfied with his cut of the movie, and decided to make my own. So, the last year has been me working on that.
My dad has sensory issues related to sound, so he prefers the film without it. He's uploaded a version without sound on his own channel, as well as one with my cut of the movie score. I'm uploading this here to my own channel both to give myself closure on the project, and also because I accidentally sent him a lower-quality version of the movie, and wanted it to be uploaded in high definition with my soundtrack. Here is a link to his silent cut of the movie (read the description to hear his perspective/story).
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You can also see Brian's cut of the movie here (it's in even higher definition than the video you're currently watching): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGNIC...
I want to thank my mentor throughout this process, composer Eric Radloff. I met Eric through Composers Institute and completed several songs in this soundtrack at an online version of the camp, Composers Online Institute. The generosity and support he has given me throughout this project, from going overtime on our weekly music lessons to spending extra time recording instruments for some of the songs on the score, has been nothing short of a miracle, and without him, I don't know how many more years this would have taken me. Thank you, Eric.
Lastly, I have to give enormous thanks to Reeder, the artist whose music you hear in the bartender scenes and the end credits. Without their permission to use "Time" and "Unwhere" from their album "It is the Nature of Dreams to End", this cut of the movie wouldn't have been done for at least another 6 months. You can find their music here (I recommend giving it a listen!): music.iamreeder.com/
This film was created in 2019 during the first Composers Online Institute, a program created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing to this day. More information here. The film was finally edited in 2020. Since then, it has been a matter of completing the sound and soundtrack. Below, please read the background provided by Zander Davis.
***
"I'm the composer (Zander Davis), and my father (Brently eMDee/Brently Davis/Brentlyq eMDee) played the lead role, made/manufactured all the masks himself, and directed the choreography/action for most, if not all of the scenes. The rest of the film (the camerawork, lighting, etc) was directed, edited, and mastered by Brian Arnold. My dad and Brian are the two people most responsible for this film's existence as you see it here.
What you hear here is my audio edit of the movie. I agreed to create the soundtrack in 2019 and started work in 2020. Most of the music was finished in 2021, but at the last minute I was informed by Brian (who was editing the final cut at the time) that he didn't want to use all of the music I'd made (only some of it). For this reason and others, I was dissatisfied with his cut of the movie, and decided to make my own. So, the last year has been me working on that.
My dad has sensory issues related to sound, so he prefers the film without it. He's uploaded a version without sound on his own channel, as well as one with my cut of the movie score. I'm uploading this here to my own channel both to give myself closure on the project, and also because I accidentally sent him a lower-quality version of the movie, and wanted it to be uploaded in high definition with my soundtrack. Here is a link to his silent cut of the movie (read the description to hear his perspective/story).
...
You can also see Brian's cut of the movie here (it's in even higher definition than the video you're currently watching): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGNIC...
I want to thank my mentor throughout this process, composer Eric Radloff. I met Eric through Composers Institute and completed several songs in this soundtrack at an online version of the camp, Composers Online Institute. The generosity and support he has given me throughout this project, from going overtime on our weekly music lessons to spending extra time recording instruments for some of the songs on the score, has been nothing short of a miracle, and without him, I don't know how many more years this would have taken me. Thank you, Eric.
Lastly, I have to give enormous thanks to Reeder, the artist whose music you hear in the bartender scenes and the end credits. Without their permission to use "Time" and "Unwhere" from their album "It is the Nature of Dreams to End", this cut of the movie wouldn't have been done for at least another 6 months. You can find their music here (I recommend giving it a listen!): music.iamreeder.com/
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