THE REEL
How do you compose a live score for a film that deconstructs the medium of film itself?
A hybrid craft-documentary and reflexive essay, 'THE REEL' offers a pastiche of iconic film imagery guided by montage theory that presents Hollywood archetypes as pawns of an ephemeral existence - a lyrical ode to the magic and power of film: accompanied by a score unafraid to pastiche and juxtapose romantic character-melodies with distorted scratch tones, explore decay of foley and sound effects within the instrumentation, and while doing so provide a metamodern homage to film music and the boundless direction of cinema to come.
In this "film-within-a-film", the ensemble were asked to contribute their own dynamic markings based on their responses to various questions about the Hollywood film industry, the direction of film as a medium, and diversity and inclusivity in cinema spaces.
The live film score for 'THE REEL' (dir. JohnBen Lacy & Mike Elsherif) was commissioned by Access Contemporary Music Chicago, and premiered at Sound of Silent Film Festival on 16 April 2022 at Music Box Theatre, Chicago (USA).
Performed by Palomar:
Alto flute - Trevor Patricia Watkin
Bass clarinet - Christie Miller
Violin - Henry Zheng
Cello - Alyson Berger
Percussion - Thomas Benko
Piano - Amy Wurtz
World premiere at Sound of Silent Film Festival, Chicago, 16 April 2022.
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